From Cairo through Sinai (midnight bus) and across Red Sea on the fast ferry that is actually a slow ferry to Jordan: From 'Aqaba to Wadi Rum through Petra to 'Amman. Back to the Dead Sea. Up to Jerash. Up to Ajlun and up to 'Umm Qais where I see them! (Israel, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Golan Heights, Sea of Galilee).
MIXEDTAPES
wadi rum
like the ones blasting through the impeccably clean military-status jeep (circa 1988) as we skidded and swerved through the red red desert after the rain. This was a very quintessential and profound desert experience, with everything enhanced: Typical tip-toeing oriental rhythms and melodies filling up ears and the silence of desert scenery with full-on vibrations of volume... outside the windows tower sandstone mountains, rocks, vibrant in their layers and the sand (red then white then back to red) saturated and intense with water, and green green trees!, and purple flowers!, and purple in the rocks, too!, and then a sky so foggy and white and heavy that actually it closes off the infinite-ness of the desert.
The mixedtapes were old and were so incredibly silly, but sometimes kitsch just feels absolutely right. Because if there's one thing I've learned about the Middle East, it's that everything here is slower: traffic, the post, ideas of punctuality when meeting appointments, the arrival of a requested restaurant check, the progress of technology (RE: cassette tape). And if there's another thing I've learned here, it's that Middle Easterners love (LOVE LOVE LOVE) the complete genre that is oriental music, and love to sing it together aloud and often. Thus, I could honestly think of no better soundtrack to my rainy tour of Wadi Rum. A mixedtape and selections of 1970s Oriental tunes. How perfectly fitting.
...
MONASTERIES
petra
Alright, the treasury at Petra (you know, all that Indiana Jones jazz) was incredible. A delicate monument carved into the facade of perfect salmon sandstone. Epic. Full of stories. An official winner from the 'New Seven Wonders of the World' list. But what monument stands out in my memory? What will I most fondly recall of my visit to Jordan's most hot and popular tourist spot? The monastery! As you can see from the visual below, the monastery looks not unlike the famed treasury. Like the treasury, the monastery at Petra has also been also carved into a natural sandstone slab. It is, however, less ornate than its attention-hogging colleague and is located a little off the beaten path. Do note, as this will play an important role in the later establishment of a scale, that I am indeed the small human hoisting herself into the mysterious mouth of the monastery. (the picture may apparently be clicked for better viewage).
Reasons I found the monastery most agreeable:
+I insisted that we employ donkeys in our ascent to the monastery (=Fun!)
+It played the set for my first 'Its a Small World' experience since being here: as I am standing inside the monastery, I hear my name being shouted and shouted and look out only to see Kate, a classmate of mine from Arabic back at Oregon
+Was able to scale (with the help of our young and greasy bedouin guides) the monument, where I lounged casually on the roof, on the monument on the hill, on the top of everything!, enjoying the views and the sun and etc. etc. etc.:
MALIKS
whole of jordan
this is an arabic word that means king. As in malik Abdullah II of Jordan. As in the guy who smiles down from the banners waving on almost every (scratch it...) EVERY building. The guy who is posing with wife and kids (a family man!), the guy in sharp military uniform (a strong leader!), the man in simple kaffeya and galabiyya (a local!), the modern guy in a suit (a modern guy!), or the man enjoying his sheesha in a local cafe while dressed in sharp military uniform (an easy-going and approachable, local leader!). As I was leaving Jordan, I drafted a quick list entitled 'Things I Learned in Jordan.' One thing I added on this list was that people in Jordan must indeed love their king. Another thing I added to this list right afterwords was that I, too, love Jordan's king. He looks so happy and kind!:
(this a gold window decal first observed from the rainy rear window of our Wadi Rum jeep)...
MUD
dead sea
At the dead sea, they will let you (for money!) dip your hands into buckets of mud so black and oily that you think it might be crude oil and rub it all over your body. They say it is good for your skin. This is true. My skin was incredibly soft post-encasement.
At the dead sea, you will float on the surface of the water. They say that you shouldn't open your eyes or mouth underwater due to the extremely high salinity.
This is also true.
At the German health insurance agencies, they say that you may visit the dead sea for certain ailments under your health insurance plan. Again, this is true. I met a German person who said so.
...
ma'asalama,
maya
p.s. for those who paid attention, I have listed this as "spring break 2010, part I." "Spring break 2010, part II"—which includes a solo day stranded in Nuweiba and a stretch of utter relaxation at eco-camp Basata, Sinai, Egypt, Africa, the World—may or may not be in the works, time and pictures pending.
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