Jordan - Jerash

Our second day in Amman we drove about 30 miles north to Jaresh, the home of Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden. The families of Nael’s brothers Basil and Feras joined us on the adventure. The kids had a great time looking and touching the ruins. Some of the frescos were still intact, and the theatre still functioned. It was amazing to sit in the theatre in the same seats used by people during Roman times. It was hot that day, but the kids did great and had fun.

Jordan - Aqaba (Red Sea)

After two days in Amman we rented two cars and drove about 4 hours south to Aqaba. The drive was beautiful; the landscape became more rugged, arid, and mountainous, and included the popular Wadi Rum. Aqaba is important to Jordan because it is the country’s only seaport. The city has about 70,000 people and has been an active trading area since 4000 B.C. We stayed 2.5 days in Aqaba at the Intercontinental resort, which was beautiful. We spent our days at the pool and beach, from which you can see Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel. We also took a trip on a glass-bottomed boat to see the coral and explored the ruins of Ayla – one of the early Islamic settlements. It was relaxing and the weather was beautiful.

Jordan - Petra

We left Aqaba and headed to Petra, an archeological site in Arabah, Jordan. The area has been inhabited since ancient times. The ruins we saw are linked to the Nabataeans, a Semetic people who were active traders in the area. It is also one of the 7 Wonders of the World and the filming site for Indiana Jones, The Last Crusade.

The weather had been hot, so our plan was to get out early. However, Maria developed a terrible sore throat the evening before which rapidly got worse overnight. By morning she was dehydrated and feeling poorly, but she would not be deterred from seeing Petra. She pushed herself too hard and fainted at breakfast. The hotel staff helped summon a doctor to her room. He was friendly and his recommendations worked. Fours hours, two shots of antibiotics, and an IV later we were on our way to Petra.

Petra was incredible and the kids did really well – it’s a lot of walking. Luckily visitors can ride horses or carriages half-way down the 2km walk to where the site begins. We spent 4 hours walking amongst the ruins and purchasing souvenir bottles decorated with the stunning colored sand from the area. We left early in the evening and drove back to Amman.

Jordan - Dead Sea

We left for the Dead Sea the next day for 1.5 days fun and relaxation. The Dead Sea is known for several things including being the lowest above water point on earth (450 meters below sea level) and for the therapeutic quality of the water and mud. Also nearby is the site where Jesus was baptized.

We woke up early the next morning and headed to the baptismal site. Our efforts were rewarded as we arrived before the tour buses. We had to visit the site with a guide as the area is directly on the border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank. Our tour consisted of 3 soldiers from Fiji who were serving in Iraq and a British family living in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. We were taken to the site where the baptism took place and the various other remains and structures in the area. We were able to dip our hands in the Jordan River (which acts as the border between Jordan and the West Bank). Our guide allowed us to take a bottle of water from the baptismal font located at the site. It is filled with water from the Jordan River, which we plan to let family and friends use for baptisms back home. You will note that the area around Jesus’ baptism is dry, the result of Israel’s controversial damming of the Jordan River.

Back at the Marriot, we quickly got our swimsuits on and got ready to mud-up and jump in the Dead Sea. Most of the party liked mud (Kate did not think much of the idea and was upset with her dad for putting mud on her). The adults liked floating in the Dead Sea, but the kids didn’t enjoy the experience as the water is extremely salty and can sting. Not to worry, the hotel had lots of pools for swimming and playing. It was a wonderful trip.

Desert Safari and our Ripon Visitors

When we moved here we were a bit concerned about homesickness. Though we do have bouts of that, we have been lucky enough to have visitors from home to lift our spirits at least monthly. Most recently, Jane and Al Barclay and their son, Ward, flew from Ripon, Wisconsin and Chicago to spend a week. Though we had work and school, we did find plenty of time to relax with them. We spent a day at the beach and an evening in the Marina at our favorite Lebanese restaurant. We took a dhow dinner cruise on the Dubai Creek, had dinner on the beach next to the Burj Al Arab (famous hotel), lunch at a roof-top café overlooking the ocean and the Burj Al Arab, and spent a morning at a local art show.

One of the more memorable events was the evening we spent on a desert safari. Though a popular tourist attraction, the safari is well worth being a tourist to experience this. Our group piled in a 4X4 for our drive from the city to a remote Bedouin camp an hour from the hustle and bustle of the city. The thrill of driving off-road, up, down, around and over the sand dunes was exhilarating—much like a mild rollercoaster ride. (Our driver, Mohammad Ali, was kind to those of us who had back trouble and motion sickness.) We had the opportunity to stop a few times to play in the dunes, spot the indigenous animals, and see a camel farm before heading to our dinner camp site. The magic continued at the camp with opportunities to have a henna tattoo, dates and Arabic coffee, camel rides under the stars, a nice Arabic BBQ, and a Belly Dancer to boot. Kate was mesmerized by the dancer and found herself on stage with a few other adventurous souls. She did manage to drag Anna, Ward, and myself with her. I’m not sure we have the talent for it, but it sure was fun to try! --Maria

Desert Quad Biking

During my 3 week solo trip to Dubai in December I was taken quad biking by Tom Fryer, a British expatriate on a short-term assignment in Dubai. It was really fun, and reminded me of my snowmobiling adventure in Vail with my brother Al, friends Matt and Dave – way too many opportunities to go really fast on a machine I knew almost nothing about.

Activities like this are a bit less regulated in Dubai than in the U.S.; our safety tips/vehicle operating instructions/protective gear/warnings consisted of an exchange of AED 150 and a grunt. I had a terrific time and decided to do it again.

Tom is heading back home this week, so this was his farewell quad-biking trip. He admitted that over the last 7 months he’s been between 20 and 25 times. So, from that aspect, I was in good hands.

It takes about an hour to get to the rental location, and we try to do the biking in the morning/early afternoon. Much of the drive is on the Emirates Road; the main highway outside Dubai. Construction traffic isn’t allowed on Sheikh Zayed Road, so the road is congested with many trucks and cement mixers. They are only permitted to be in the right hand lane and the back-ups from these vehicles can be miles long. Picture a four lane highway with the right hand lane packed full of trucks at a stand-still and the three other lanes moving at 120 km/hour and faster.

Many of the locals like to take their SUV’s dune bashing in the afternoon and they use the same desert as the quad bikers. Needless to say, the thought of meeting an SUV at the top of a sand dune is unsettling, so we brave the midday heat to avoid sharing the desert with the big trucks.

Joining Tom and me was Jeff Collins, an Aussie expatriate from outside Sydney. His family has become close friends. It was his first time quad biking. It won’t be his last.

Basically we were turned loose in the desert outside of Sharjah. The only requirement was to be back with the bikes in 1 hour. We ran our bikes up and down sand dunes, chased camels, cows and goats, and tried to avoid the massive amounts of garbage left in the desert by campers/picnickers. We only saw one SUV, and felt better about our chances of encountering more. Like skiing, if you don’t fall-off or role your quad bike twice a day, you haven’t gone at it hard enough. Well, I qualified. I had multiple head-over-heals ejections from the quad bike. I feel a bit like I do after a day skiing moguls. Maria promised me a massage. Meanwhile I’m enjoying the benefits of Advil.

--Steve

Recent Visitors from home

How nice it is to see familiar faces! We’ve been lucky the last two weeks to see two separate visitors.

Our first guest was a Ripon, Wisconsin, visitor, Ben Konecny. He is the nephew of Judy and Bill Neill, our neighbors in Ripon. We describe Ben as a ‘breath of fresh air’-- that’s just his personality. He is a first-year divinity student at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Consequently, we had many interesting conversations about world religions. We even took him to a church service at the mega-church complex that was given to Dubai residents by the Sheikh.

Since Ben only had a day and a half here, we helped him see as much as he could. He couldn’t have left well rested for his final destination in Bangladesh. The first day Ben got to experience the early morning mad dash to school. Our first stop was Dubai American Academy to drop off Anna and watch a story book parade through school. The kids were all dressed in their favorite book character costumes. Anna was Sleeping Beautry (typical for her in the morning). After that we took Kate to Seashells and then I drove Ben down Beach Road to the Jumeirah Mosque where he took a tour. He then jumped on the Big Bus Tour for the rest of the day, meeting us back at the Marina for a Lebanese dinner outdoors. We also spent some time at the beach and sent him on a desert safari before catching his plane the following evening.

Our second guests were the Reeses from Appleton, Wisconsin. Parents and sister of Steve’s best friend from college, Bret, we met them for dinner at one of the restaurants in the Jumeirah Madinat (massive hotel and souk complex next to the Burj Al Arab). They came because Julie (sister) received a grant from the college where she teaches to attend a woman’s leadership conference here in Dubai. The keynote speaker was Jane Fonda. We spent a wonderful evening catching up and exchanging Dubai stories. Typical of us, we forgot our camera. The Reeses didn’t, so we’ll post our picture together when they get back home. --Maria