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| Monday, 29-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 22 (61) - Krak de Chevaliers and Aleppo, Syria
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From the dust camp near Palmyra, we headed off in the early morn to Krak des Chevaliers ("Fortress of the Knights") - a mammoth fortress dating back to just before the First Crusades. when it was known as the "Fortress of the Kurds".
Krak des Chevaliers sits in a commanding position overlooking the valley between Homs and Tripoli some 650 metres above sea level and therefore controlling the passage way between the Mediterranean and the inland cities of Syria. The fortress was taken by the Hospitallers on their drive to Jerusalem in the First Crusade. Such was its size and defencibility that it was only ever taken from the Crusaders by trickery.
We arrived at the fortress just in time for a huge lunch at the King's Daughter's Tower. The garlic chicken was just divine - though garlic is not exactly the best of flavourings to serve in such heat!) After lunch, we had a tour around, in and under this huge castle. A warren of tunnels runs beneath the fortress in which you can find the cellars, dungeon and routes out to the walls.
The views from the top of Krak are just phenomenal and from there it is easy to see how much influence the fortress would have played on the surrounding lands. Though the fortress is quite rundown in many places, it is still an amazing sight - very intimidating in its grandeur. Definitely a place to come visit - its great to tramp through the maze of corridors and tunnels that make up the fortress and the views are outstanding. One particular room was very cool...a room under one of the towers where a shaft of light spears through the dark. That in itself looks amazing (though the photos don't do it justice at all). But when you stand in the light, the room becomes bathed in whatever colour your t-shirt happens to be - like I said it very cool to see. We did however miss out on seeing the fortresses resident owl!
From Krak we headed north to Aleppo, Syria's second biggest city and a rival to Damascus in terms of being one of the worlds oldest cities. Upon arrival in the evening we found it to be a manic city - the traffic was just unbelievable and endless. We also found it to be a pretty disgusting city in terms of the dirt, smog, dust and rubbish. Not very good first impressions of a city that is one of the gateways into Asia.
Had a quick meal of freshly cooked and incredibly cheap pastries after settling into our rooms before heading off for bed.
* Some of these happy snaps are from my fellow travellers.
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| Sunday, 28-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 21 (60) - Palmyra, Syria
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Today's destination was Palmyra, the site of some extensive Roman remains out to the east of Syria. But we were in no hurry to get there - for once there was no early morning rise and rush to get going. This time we didn't have to leave until 1.30 in the afternoon. We were scheduled to arrive in Palmyra in the afternoon to escape the majority of the heat.
So after packing up our gear we lazed about some, enjoyed the weather and said our final goodbyes to those we were leaving behind.
It was an interesting drive across Syria. The rugged landscape gave way to an almost desertlike landscape. We were amused by trucks overloading themselves and somewhat peeved at the manner of their driving. We also came "this" close to Iraq! ("This" equals 152 kms - close enough for me!)
However, we arrived at Palmyra in the late afternoon - a couple of hours from sunset. The ruins were very impressive, stretching off in every direction and covering a massive area. We started off in the Temple of Baal and moved on into the city of Palmyra itself. Colonaded streets, arches, an ampitheatre, waterpipes, sewerage systems, baths, houses, shops...all stunning and amazing under the setting sun. So extensive are the ruins, you can really imagine what the city would have been like.
After the tour of the ruins we attempted to stay at a local campsite. By attempted I mean we couldn't get the truck in through the front gate. So instead we opted for another night of camping in the open. As I said the terrain was almost desert-like...hard rock and sand everywhere. But we found a flat spot and pulled up for the night. And what a night! For much of the night we were caught up in a mini-sandstorm. The constant gusting wind blew up huge quantities of dust and sand throughout the night. It made eating dinner quite a distasteful task - for that matter it made drinking and talking pretty ordinary as well.
Though it did make for some amusing moments as the group became inventive in their attempts to reduce the impact of the swirling sand. Aaron wrapped his head in glad wrap (cling wrap for those in Europe), Sam wore a divers mask and snorkel and Paul attempted to put a condom over his head.
But it was trying to get a good nights sleep that proved to be the hardest thing to do in the sand storm.
* Some pics from my fellow travellers.
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| Saturday, 27-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 20 (59) - Damascus, Syria
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Today we hit Damascus proper. Let loose for a day we all headed into the city and wandered the souq for much of the day. The souq in Damasus is apparently the largest market of its type in the world. In a word it's massive. The grand Bazaar in Istanbul is huge but the souq here seemed to dwarf it in comparison. Street after street filled with stalls and shops selling all sorts of things.
And the biggest difference between this market and other ones I had been to was the lack of hassle by the stall owners. No hard sell here, just inquiries if everything was OK and do we need any assistance. Much better than the Egyptian "G'day Aussie", "Sheila" and so on.
Spent the day looking for something to get Lindie but ended up buying a backgammon board for myself. It was much the same with the others in our group - though a couple of them did buy swords.
In the afternoon we headed back to the campsite and just lazed the day away. Tonight was a dual birthday celebration (Aaron and I shared the same birthday - the 28th) and farwell to some of the group. We ate camel steak kebabs for dinner and hit the duty free alcohol. Enjoyable but early night for me.
* Some pics from the cameras of my fellow travellers.
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| Friday, 26-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 19 (58) - Beirut, Lebanon
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The day trip to Lebanon.
Another early rise.
Another vehicle that doesn't want to work properly.
Another stamp in the passport.
Another visit to a ruin.
We had quite a drive this day. Got up quite early and hit the road...only for the bus to break down along the way. A short wait and we were away again! Our first stop for the day was at Baalbeck Temple Complex - Lebanon's main archeological attraction and considered to be the best preserved of Rome's temple complexes. The site contains the largest Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter as well as temples dedicated to Venus, Mercury and Bacchus.
The temples are quite amazing but were initially overshadowed on our arrival to the complex by the presence of fifty or so soldiers and their array of weaponry at the front of the Resistance Museum. In sets of three, their rifles were set as tripods alongside a few "larger" weapons. Unfortunately, because it was quite a sight, we were warned not to take photos.
However, as I said, the temple complex was quite amazing. Huge columns soared into the air. Detailed reliefs are etched into every available spot. Massive blocks of stones weighing up to 800 tons lay perfectly placed. The entire site is massive - something to rival the Egyptain temple complexes with its size and the amount of stone hewn to create it. Very cool!
Lunch was just around the corner from the temple complex and then it was off to Beirut.
Beirut seemed just like any other city really. A mass of buildings hugging the coast stretching up into the hills that surround the city. I guess my views of what this city would be like were very out of date - but then I hadn't really heard much of Lebanon and Beirut in recent years.
The driver refused to stop at the War and Peace Memorial on the way into Beirut - much to everyone's dismay and anger. Apparently, the driver was a bit wary about stopping a vehicle with Syrian number plates given the recent troubles between the two countries. Out tour "guide" was useless...gave next to no information about the troubles that have plagues the city over the past few decades. We drove through the outskirts of the city seeing many a half-destroyed building - it was quite odd to see a building which is actually quite heavily damaged but still in use...be it a thriving business or a well-kept house or apartment.
Just before we were let out to wander and explore the city we passed the site of the President's assassination...a huge crater in a busy street, mangled building fronts and still cordoned off by the police.
We were left to wander Beirut for three hours without so much as a map (apparently none exists!!) or information on what to see and do. Very frustrating but we set off in search of some of the sites we had seen on the way into the city.
Carina, Clara, Dave, Merren, Sam and I set about locating the statue at Maryr's Square after discarding thoughts of catching a cab up to the memorial. We passed through some areas which had seen harsher times before walking through a small demonstration (no idea really what it was about). Finally found the statue after an hours walking and meandering. this very cool statue sits with some prominence on one of Beirut's major thoroughfares. It is riddled with bullet holes though we knew not from what time. After taking many a photo, we headed into the nearby Virgin Megastore for the rooftop cafe and a drink.
By the time we headed back to the bus, it was near to sunset. Once again we were treated to an amazing sight...the sun setting over the water in beatiful hues of orange. On the way out of the city our pleading to the driver finally won us a stop at the memorial. Though it was now dark it is still an impressive monument. A huge concrete block about 20 metres high with tanks, jeeps and APV's set into it.
Got a bit of a fright taking photos of the memorial. Armed military appeared and began making demands which we couldn't quite understand. It turned out that the Lebonese Ministry of Defense was just down the road and that taking photos so close to the MOD was frowned upon. After a bit of discussion they let us take some close up photos. My heart was certainly racing for a bit there when these guys first appeared - armed, gesturing semi-wildly and loudly telling us off in a foreign tongue.
Long drive back to Damascus was broken up twice - once at the border and then again at the duty free. Very cheap booze indeed! A very good day indeed.
* Some of the pics are from my fellow travellers.
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| Thursday, 25-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 18 (57) - Damascus, Syria
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After brekkie we drove the rest of the way up the mountain to Mount Nebo's summit where Moses is said to have proclaimed Israel to be the Promised Land and the end of their long journey.
Unfortunately for us, a haze hovered over the nearby lands and hid much of it from our view. You could still see a fair distance but you couldn't make out what anything was.
At the summit is a small church inside of which there are some very cool mosaics. Definitely worth a look if you are already up there.
From Mt. Nebo we set ourselves for a long journey across theborder and into Syria. Along the way we stopped off at Amman and a Safeway's! Did a big shop for lunch and dinner before we continued our way to the Jordanian-Syrian border.
We had been warned that this border crossing has a history with the tour buses and trucks of taking its sweet time. Jo had said that it could take as long as three or four hours to get all the documentation sorted and obtain our visas. But, in the end, it wasn't taht great a wait for us - we waited longer getting into Jordan than we did here. Besides the wait at the border provided a welcome break from the bouncing about in the back of the truck and being deafened by the wind rushing past your ears.
After the border crossing we made for the capital of Syria, Damascus. In the late afternoon we arrived, drove through it and finally stopped at our campsite a short drive beyond the city itself. Here we found the wonder of wonders. Grass! Beautiful, luscious, green, green grass (No, not the kind you smoke!) Thongs and sandals came off as we all luxuriated in the softness and freedom of walking around barefoot. Its always the simplest things that bring the most pleasure.
Dinner that night was also special. Proper, fair dinkum hamburgers. Big beef patties, cheese, tomato, beetroot and egg! With chips! It was a welcome feast. Yum!
* Some pics are from my fellow travellers.
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| Wednesday, 24-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 17 (56) - The Dead Sea & Mt. Nebo, Jordan
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Well a long day of driving lay ahead of us and many of the crew were not feeling altogether too well after the previous night's mayhem. We drove through the morning and into the early afternoon before stopping at the Dead Sea for a bit of a swim.
I don't know why, but I had expected the Dead Sea to be murky, slimy and mucky. I guess the name conjures up all sorts of images. However, it was not the case. The water was clean and blue, the whole area quite wonderful.
The experience of floating and swimming in the Dead Sea was also different to my expectations. I had, of course, expected an increase in buoyancy but I did not expect to be unable to drop my entire body under water. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't dip our bodies straight down. It was the most amazing feeling to be in a few inches of water and not be touching the bottom.
Normally I walk out into the sea until its up to my waist before using the water to float and swim out into the depths. Here I could sit down in the water when it came halfway up to my knees and float my way out - which is great because the salt crystals are bloody sharp and dig into your feet (the last thing you want went taking a dip in the Dead Sea is a fresh, open wound!)
The water was divine...nice and warm at the top with cool water swirling down about one metre below. The salt in the sea stung like buggery on any cuts and in the eyes...definitely not a good part of the experience. But it was a good feeling to just lie there and drift while looking at far off Israel.
Another feature of the Dead Sea is its supposedly therapeutic mud - we all partook of the black stuff, covering every available patch of skin in an effort to make ourselves all look wonderful and glowing. It must have been quite a scene to see about twenty people in a covering of charcoal coloured mud. It took bloody ages for us all to wash off the muck - we left the place still with little bits of mud here and there on our bodies.
From the Dead Sea we headed upwards into the nearby mountains. We camped just off the road and overlooking Israel and several nearby towns. As night fell, after another gorgeous sunset, the surrounding lands came alive with light enough to match the stars above. My most favourite memories of the tour thus far have been getting back out under the stars at night. It had been such a long time since I took the time to just sit and watch the night time sky. It's such a beautiful sight.
* Again, some of these pics come from the cameras of my fellow travellers.
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| Tuesday, 23-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 16 (55) - Petra, Jordan
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Petra. The Rosy City.
Just a short drive away ffrom the hotel lay the land of the Nubaeans (sp??) and more recently of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Actually, that last bit is very unfair because Petra deserves so much more than that label but it is there for all to see on the nearby souvenier stands when you enter (though for some reason they also had one for the Titanic!!) Even the guides refer to good ol' Indiana during the tour (pre- and post- Indiana discoveries!)
The walk down from the ticket office doesn't really give one any kind of impression as to what lies ahead. A winding, dusty road down a valley with a few carved out tombs on each side - the tombs are quite cool but are nothing compared to what lies within Petra itself. At the bottom you reach a point where a gorge has been cut out of the stone over the years by the elements. It is from this point that the Nubaeans traded with the outside world.
The eroded walls of the gorge/canyon are quite funky...an array of colours and shapes. It was really quite cool how it all looked and the Nubaeans worked with the elements to produce forms in the shape of animals that were part of their life such as camels and eagle.
The canyon wound its way for about a kilometre constantly changing in colour, width and shape the entire way. The Nubaeans had also implemented a system to control the flow of water through the canyon in times of rain and flood...much of this was still in evidence as we walked through the canyon.
Then, out of the blue, you turn a corner and are greeted with the sight of an immense building carved into the side of the canyon. At first, you can only glimpse it through the gap between the canyon walls. But as you near, the canyon widens into a large opening and you can behold this amazing builing in all its glory. It is this building which features in Indiana - the place that holds the Holy Grail.
The rock the Treasury is carved into is a pinky, red colour and about forty metres high. The entrance holds four massive columns and features reliefs carved into the rock face, stairs and huge arches. The main room is about ten metres deep by about fifteen metres long and a good four to five metres high. Two rooms run off to either side of the entrance.
It's one of those things you really have to see to understand just how cool and amazing it is. Very hard to describe the colour and the way the sun reflected off of it...how the building kinded of glowed and was bathed in warmth. Very cool.
From the Treasury we headed deeper into Petra to where the main part of the town was to be found. Here you could view the Royal Tombs, the Church (??), some smaller chambers and the huge ampitheatre. The tombs are all carved into the side of the mountains and valleys of Petra, some going forty to fifty metres deep. The Church, also carved into the side of the valley, looks over the valley down into the Old City and the colonnade (the major thoroughfare of ancient Petra). It is from here that you get the most amazing view of Petra and can really start to imagine how it all once looked. The ancient city of Petra must have been huge as we could see ruins a lot further along the valley several kilometres distant.
We meandered about with the tour guide for about four and a half hours in all. Even then we didn't see all of what Petra has to offer. From where we concluded the tour, it was possible to continue on up to the Monastery or take a donkey ride up to nearby Bedouin village. But it was bloody hot and we all reneged on further sight seeing for that particular day.
Lunch was the main priority which was followed by a beer with Carina and Clara at the towns "Irish" bar. Alas, there was no Guinness to be had so we had to settle for an Amstel - although Kilkenny was an option.
Returned back to the hotel knackered (still had some of the fever I had contracted in Dahab) and vegged the rest of the afternoon. Awoke for a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, had a wonderful chat with Lindie and went back to bed.
Some of the others returned to the Irish Bar for a bit of drink and debauchery before getting a police escort home. I don't think it was ever decided who won the cleavage competition that took place that night!
* Some of these pics are from my fellow travellers.
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| Monday, 22-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 15 (54) - Wadi Rum & Wadi Musa, Jordan
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Awaken to the ever so bright sun reflecting off the sands of Wadi Rum. Missed what must have been an awesome sunrise though. The landscape was finally revealed by the light of dawn. Where dark shadows once stood we now found an amazing landscape of flats, dunes, rock formations and mountains.
After a quick brekkie we headed off to a nearby 4WD encampment. From here we were taken out for a bit of four-wheel driving through the landscape we had awoken to. Rock arches, formations, sand dunes, flat plains and multi-coloured sands. A surprisingly large amount of life was found amongst this beautiful land. Army choppers flew low over the lands in the distance while we rode up and down the dunes in our cars.
We were shown where Lawrence of Arabia set up camp during the war, how they trap water for staorage when it does rain and were given some tea made from grasses collected from within Wadi Rum.
Back at the camp we amused ourselves by killing the many, many flies that swarmed about us. We left a small mound of flies when we left but felt no reprieve from their kin as we ate lunch.
A long drive later, up into the mountains of Jordan (and into a much cooler climate due to the altitude) we arrived at Wadi Musa. Checked into the hotel looking forward to the luxury of a superior room but was denied...had to do with the ordinary room (woe is me!). A spectacular sunset over the mountains before a buffet dinner and bed.
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| Sunday, 21-Aug-2005 00:00 |
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Day 14 (53) - Wadi Rum, Jordan
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A hellish day!
We had to rise relatively early in order to make the ferry across to Aqaba in Jordan. Drove up the Egyptian side of the Gulf of Aqaba for about an hour and a half and made it with plenty of time to spare for the ferry. However, our driver, Paul, was not well and we were having trouble getting our tickets. A couple of hours pass and we finally get our tickets, pass through customs and get onto the ferry. Excellent we are off! Or so we think!
The ferry just sat there for another four or five hours while they processed everyone and filled it up with people, cars, etc. The delay could have been because of the rockets that were fired into Israel two days past - that would have been acceptable...not liked but understood. But instead we found out taht it is pretty much always like that.
We arrived at the ferry terminal before 11 am. We left on the ferry to Aqaba between 5 and 6 pm! It was meant to arrive in Aqaba at about 3 pm!
However, we did finally make it to Aqaba where we were greeted by the largest flag I have ever seen - after the nightmare of getting off the ferry of course! It seems that there is no concept of queuing in Middle Eastern culture. People are constantly trying to edge their way forward even when there is no where to go.
After a quick stop off in Aqaba for food and alcohol (punch party for the night) we were off to Wadi Rum. The esky was filled with an assortment of alcoholic (and a couple not so alcoholic) liquids and merriment ensued amongst all of those who partook of it. That excluded a sickly little ol me.
We spent the night camping out under the stars (though the wonderfully bright full moon obscured most of them) on the desert flats of Wadi Rum. Spent ages just chatting before drifting off to the sounds of others playing frisbee and generally mucking about.
It was an absolutely gorgeous night.
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| Saturday, 20-Aug-2005 12:00 |
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Big Trip Update
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Will update the daily events with words and photos whenever I get a chance...most likely when I finish travelling...but here is a small update.
Well I've been on the Oasis tour for about two weeks. Almost finished two great weeks. The first week full of temples and pyramids - so very cool. The second here in Dahab...a week of beach bumming, snorkelling and diving. The diving has been fantastic...highlight being a 50-60 year old Green Seat Turtle coming out of the deep to within 3 or 4 metres of us. It was slightly aggressive and had a bit of a go but didn't really come anywhere near us...absolutely fantastic...one of the highlights of my life...I churned through the air when it came towards us...an absolute thrill.
The pyramids of course were absolutely stunning...very awe inspiring...wow factor way up there. It also represents a big tick in one of the things I have always wanted to experience in my life. The Sphinx not as impressive - somehow I imagined it to be much bigger but then again it does have to compete with the Great Pyramid!
Had a nightmarish train ride from Cairo to Aswan...gastro plus! Many a visit to the toilet and stomach cramps like you wouldn't believe...and only one toilet for every two carriages!
Aswan was the base to see Abu Simbel - the great temples built by Rameses II which were moved piece by piece up the mountain when the waters of Lake Nasser threatened to destroy them. Absolutely stunning temple...the four massive seated statues of Rameses II at the entrance were majestic....ultra cool.
A felucca ride down the Nile was very cool...as was being dragged along by the felucca when one wanted to go swimming - though I may need a thorough medical when I get back to Dubs!
Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, Karnak Temple (just plain phenomenal), the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Artisans, the Colossi of Memnon, a donkey ride and a final temple whose name escapes me all followed over the next few days. A bit templed out by this stage but wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Dahab - so laid back. SO chilled out. SO very cool. 5 dives over three days including a camel safari out into the national park which is where we saw the Green Turtle. Dives to 30 metres for the first time. Crystal clear water...gorgeous deep blues as far as the eyes can see. Great wildlife just metres off the shore. All just plain phenomenal...blown away.
Now heading off to Jordan tomorrow...Wadi Rum and Petra...can't wait. Will mail soon and try and get some of the daily stuff for the past two weeks up. But so much to see....who has the time??
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