Days 33-36 -- Serengetti, Nrongorogoro Crater, Oludvai Gorge

After the first few days of eventful game driving we made the trek to Tanzania...roads in Africa are rough and constant road blocks and detours...anyways..i've seen almost all of the Big 5 - buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard and still searching for the elusive rhino. We got to our campsite in Arush, which is adjoined by a snake park. No real crazy snakes and I didn't get an opportunity to wrap one around me so pretty disappointing. The next morning we had to get up early for our 2 night excursion to the Serengetti. Sleeping in the tent has taken a little getting used to as well as the constant mosquito repellant to avoid malaria.

After a 3 hour drive we arrived at the Serengetti...at the entrance where the truck stopped to pay our fees, a baboon came running down the hill, jumped through a window into one of our trucks and snatched somebody's lunch box....classic site and i'll have to get someone who was able to take a picture to send it to me. As we entered we were greeted by a lion couple in the middle of mating season. We hung out for a few minutes and watched them mate...unbelievable! Lions mate every 15-20 minutes during this time and one of the other trucks decided to sit around and wait for the second session...each session lasts about 5 seconds! Continued our way in and saw the wildebeast migration...spectacular site with tens of thousands making the migration south to avoid the rainy season...mixed in there were zebras and buffalo, but i didn't see any lions taking advantage of the easy prey. We made our way to the campsite which was an unfenced area in the middle of the Serengetti. Was awaken in the middle of hte night to a few hyenas who decided to scavenge through our dinner in the trash can near teh kitchen area so of course I didn't leave the tent....

The next day we had another game drive on the way out....spotted leopards, giraffes, more zebras, hippos, crocs...too many to list. On the way out we passed more of the migration and saw the same lion couple...only they had moved to the other side of the road. We made our way to the Ngorongoro crater which was formed ages ago by a collaped volcano. We camped atop the crater and I had a crazy incident with my clothes. Our Land Rover had to change batteries during our time in the Serengetti and some of the battery acid leaked onto my clothes...thinking it was rain, i let it pass, but as I sat near the campfire, my clothes started dissolving away...check the pictures...ha! Anyways, we sat around, had a few beers in the cold weather atop the crater since we had an early game drive the next day. On this drive I caught a glimpse of the rhino, saw flamingos along the sodium lake...the crater is the most densely populated game area in africa and i'm definitely coming back! On the way back to Arusha we stopped at Olduvai gorge..one of the oldest places on earth where human remains have been found and also where they found Lucy. Learned about some history and saw the excavations in progress...looks like they got a lot more to uncover.

Day 30-32 -- Masai Mara National Park

Joined the tour group for our pre-departure meeting on Saturday. Really young and energetic group of people so we should have fun over the next month. Out of 24 people on the truck, we got 6 indians...how ironic. There is myself, Rev/Vamsi (from hyderbad), Sahil (UK), Derek (Canada) and Natasha (Australia). The first day we took off for Masai Mara National Park. After a long, extremely bumpy ride that took 6 hours we went for an afternoon game drive...amazing! In a span of 2 hours we saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, a pride of male lions, a cheetah chasing a leopard...among other wildlife...The driver said he hasn't seen game like that in such a short time in his 18 year career! Anyways, we stayed there for 2 nights, had a total of 5 drives, but none lived up to the first one. Still saw lion cubs, a female pride and countless herds of lions. At the Mara we got to stay in fixed tents that had ensuite toilets and showers so it feels like the Holiday Inn of camping. Anyways, lots to update so I'm keeping them short.

Day 29 -- London to Nairobi

Woke up at 6AM since my flight to Nairobi was at 10AM. Made my way over to the airport, checked in and wandered around to kill some time before boarding. Picked up a few books since I'm likely to have lots of time on this safari. Flight was delayed, a woman looked really ill and BA didn't want to take the risk of taking off on the 9 hour flight with her in that condition...she tried to stay on, but an hour later they forced her off. The flight was mixed, between native Africans and Westerners going on safaris, it was packed. The whole day in the air, we arrived in Nairobi at 11pm. Cleared through passport control, picked up my bags, through customs and my ride was waiting for me...thankfully. We started the drive to the hotel and I can see why they say to be careful in Nairobi. Nairobi at night was definitely sketch and its the first time I wore my money belt on this trip. As much as people think the Middle East is unsafe, I felt really comfortable, but here you can just see that you must be more precautious. Anyways, went to bed early since I have a free day Saturday to check out the city.

Day 28 -- Cairo to London

Today hasn't been the best day so its going to be short...Early flight out of Cairo and no egyptian pounds left so I picked up a Snicker's bar for breakfast...maybe it was the lack of sleep..or chocolate on an empty stomach...or just Egypt getting the best of me...anyways, we'll just say that I haven't been able to hold anything down. I think you can figure it out. Arrived in London at my cousin's place, the weather is a miserable 50 degrees...definitely need to bundle up. Did all my laundry, going to meet David Fernandez in Notting Hill later and then I'll come home and repack. I hope this illness passes pretty quickly since I have a 10AM flight to Kenya tomorrow (Friday)...Safari starts on Saturday morning so I don't know my internet situation...i'll check in when i can...until nexxt time!

Egypt thoughts: Great country, highly suggest everyone make a trip here sometime. Lots of ruins and history to see, but make sure you make a trip to the beaches since they're a good change of pace from all the hassles of Cairo/Luxor/Aswan. Independent travel is tough so be patient and all the baksheesh (tipping) gets annoying...sometimes you wish they'd do a magic trick to earn the money instead of just expecting it! Oh yeah, and don't even consider renting a car in Cairo, crossing the street is hard enough b/c you really do put your life at stake since there are no lanes, traffic light and everyone just goes however they feel. I have a feeling though that some of the Asian countries later may be a little crazier...

Day 27 - Cairo (Museum and Markets)

So my last night in Dahab was pretty memorable. Met some really cool people and one guy David from Canada will actually be traveling solo through SE Asia at the exact time and we have the same plan but nothing figured out...we plan to stay in touch and hopefully trek it together. Anyways, a group of us went out dinner at Sakkara, waterfront restaurant near our hotel. The host told us about some good off the menu specials...I got the barracuda which was about $13 USD...pretty steep for Egypt, but the fish was amazing. White meat, light, and extremely tasty...i certainly will order it again if I see it elsewhere. We put down a few Stellas and shared some sheesha and it was time for my bus. As soon as I got on the bus, I was out...i guess lack of sleep for 2 days will do that. Nobody woke me up to check my ticket/passport, but I don't know if they tried and I didn't respond. Got into Cairo at 6:15AM, jumped in a cab to the hostel to drop off my stuff and take a nap before hitting the Egyptian museum. Wandered around in there for 2-3 hours...the best and worst museum I've ever been to. Best because there is sooo much stuff to see, worst b/c they take no care of the history, allowing you touch the statues, tombs, etc. and nothing seems to be labeled so you can only guess what you are looking at. They had a King Tut exhibit which was fascinating...he had everything in his tomb made out of gold, from the chairs, stools, even the nails that sealed boxes...unbelievable! After taking in a ton of ancient history, I made my way back to the hostel, picked up some street food and waited for some other guests to get ready to hit the markets. The markets in Cairo require extensive negotiation and I felt like I got pretty good deals....Starting price of 450 pounds, I paid 35 pounds...one guy threatened to kill me in a joking way b/c he said i made him lose money...i doubt he would have sold it to me if he did. Anyways, picked up some cool stuff, including a sheesha pipe so everyone can see what its all about when I get back! Made it back to the hostel, had dinner and went out to a local coffeshop to wrap up the evening since it was an early 8AM flight on Thursday...

Day 26 - St. Katherine Monestary

The bus left from the hotel at 11:15 pm and we had a 2+ hour drive to St. Katherine's Monestary. I left my passport in the safe so when we hit a checkpoint it became a little tricky. They almost made the entire van turn back, but the driver convinced them to write down his plates and to verify that I was on the van when we were on our way back. Not sure why they were so concerned since the area we were going to isn't close to any borders nor would I want to stay in the mountains in the freezing cold. Anyways, we got to the monestary about 1:30am, met our guide and started our hike to the top of Mt. Sinai to watch the sunrise. The moon was our source of light since the guide didn't have a torch which was odd...after a long 2 1/2 hour hike, we arrived at the top. Definitely took a few breaks since this was probably the biggest workout of the trip to date...well worth it though. At the top, I got a blanket and sat on the rocks bundled up in about 4 layers. At about 5am you saw the sun start perching out and the horizon glowing in orange. Over the next hour we watched the sunrise which cast a great view of the surrounding landscape as you can see in the pics. Sun came up and it was time to head back down. Going down only took a little over an hour, but my legs are definitely sore and I haven't slept in over 36 hours so I'll crash easily tonight. I plan to watch the sunset this evening to make the day completely worthwhile. Got back to the hotel, packed and checked out. I ran into Phillip and Maxi who I hung out with at Abu Simbel...they arrived this morning and are staying at the same place...Small world this backpacking life. We plan to get some beers and I can fill them in on Dahab's offerings since I have a night bus to Cairo at 10pm. I hope this bus trip is better than the last one...

Day 25 - Dahab (Blue Hole and Sinai)

Today was pretty cool. Woke up had some breakfast and then lounged on the patio overlooking the Red Sea for a little while. At 11am, a group of us from the hotel left to go snorkeling in the Blue Hole. The ride out there was pretty intense...you had a choice of camel or 4x4...we chose the 4x4. After a bumpy 30 minutes we arrived, picked up our equipment and jumped in. I got to test the camera again and it worked...I'm really wondering when its just going to die. The reef is literally right off the beach and as soon as you jumped in you're surrounded by marine life. Not a fish expert, but I saw some cool looking fish and was able to take some pictures which I'll upload soon. After a few hours in the water, skin wrinkly, I got out to get some lunch and just laid around on some chairs. We headed back to the hotel where I got caught up on the journal since I hadn't made any entries in like 5 days. It feels good to just be lazy these past 2 days and not have a day full of museums, temples, etc...but at the same time its getting old here as diving/snorkeling to keep the days occupied gets expensive. Tonight I'm going on a late night hike to St. Catherine's Monesatry atop Mt. Sinai to watch the morning sunrise...i've heard its really cold up there so I'm wondering why I signed up for it...

Day 24 - Dahab

What a journey...I got on the bus at 4:30 pm and arrived at Dahab at 10:30 AM. After that 18 hour rough trip, my room wasn't ready so I had some breakfast on the beach and read about the various snorkeling and day excursions I can take part in...Dahab seems like a really laid back city, but I get the feeling there isn't much to do during the day other than snorkel and diving. I decided to give diving a shot and signed up for a discover dive, intro to scuba with no experience required. After about 40 minutes in the water going down to about 10m, I can say I'm hooked. The coral here is amazing and I got to see lionfish, swordfish, clownfish, eels among others. Really rich colors and at least 30-40 other divers in the water at the same time...crazy! Came back to the hotel and talked to them about getting a certification...not enough time to do it here so maybe in South Africa/Thailand. Walked around Dahab's boardwalk for a while and its not as crowded as one would think. At the hotel I met a group of 5 people traveling together from London here getting PADI certified, so we drank some Stellas watching waves crash along the shore. From the distance you can see Saudi Arabia, but you can bet nobody on that side was looking at us drinking a beer. Tomorrow I'm going to try snorkeling and take a hike up Mt. Sinai.

Day 23 - Valley of the Kings, Queens and Temples

Early start again this morning to check out the valley of the kings, valley of the queens and a temple. Yesterday I said I was getting sick of checking out ancient ruins, but today I changed my mind. Valley of the Kings is an area where they built like 64 tombs, carving them into the rock formations of the valley. Some of these went down 25-30 meters and a few hundred meters into the rock...all the passages, rooms, were decorated and carved with offerings to the egyptian gods...only got to check out three tombs and no pictures allowed inside but i think this ranks up there with one of the best things i've seen so far. Valley of the Queens were very similar, but the tombs were much smaller in scale. They actually had one tomb with a fetus' skeleton that the tomb was built for...crazy!

Last night, i stopped at street stand with lots of locals and had a liver sandwich which was amazingly tasty. After packing I wanted to get a beer and went on an hour walk looking for the beer store...one thing i wont miss about the middle east is the missions you need to go on to find a drink! Anyways, taking off for Dahab, a beach in Sinai. Its a 15 hour bus ride so I'm not too excited, but ready for the beach so it'll be worth it. Apparently is really laid back and dubbed the Koh Samui of the Middle East...We'll see about that. Out!

Day 22 -- Komombo, Edfu and Luxor

Sleeping on the felucca was pretty easy...not sure if it was the beers or the perfect breeze over the water...either way, got eaten up by some mosquitos on my shoulder...not sure how since i slept in a hooded sweatshirt. Anyways...we had to sail across the Nile so I could get off and join the bus for my trek to Komombo, Edfu and Luxor. We went to the drop-off point and what do you know...Will, Maxi, and Phillip are on the felucca next door dropping off one of their passengers...I wonder how many other people I'll run into again along this trip. The retired couple offboards too and the couple from the other boat were from Chapel Hill, Thayne (sp?) and Kendall who have been travelling for about 4 months. How crazy is that?!? First time for either of us that we met another person from NC. They've done a lot of SE Asia that I will be doing later so I got some good tips.

Back in a small van part of a convoy we made stops at temples at Komombo and Edfu. Egyptians are notorious for having their hands in your pockets and seeing these temples are not cheap. I'd say the average is about $12-15 US for entry into any one of these sights...pretty steep. Temples were good to see, but at the end they all start feeling the same....carvings on the walls, long hallways with rich colors, huge statues...you get gist. The convoy stopped in Luxor and the hotel had lost my reservation so I moved next door to a nicer property. Quick dip in the rooftop pool and had to join a 3pm group to visit the Karnak and Luxor temples. I'll save you the experience and just say that I think I'm pretty 'ruin'ed out and ready to relax. It doesn't help that the people here don't do the best job on maintenance so I'd be surprised if a lot of is gone in 50 years. It took me an hour walking to find this internet cafe and walked by some good street meats stands so I know what I'm eating for dinner. Won't get to the pictures b/c this connection is so slow, but the 4 year old kid next to me is playing Grand Theft Auto and he's pretty good...only in Egypt!

Day 21 - Aswan to Abu Simbel

The past few days have been interesting yet really cool. Had to get up at 3AM Thursday to catch the police convoy from Aswan to Abu Simbel. I would estimate 20 tour buses and 80 minivans in my convoy and they have 3 convoys each morning. Didn't see much police other than 1 cop at the front car with a machine gun so I think its more unsafe than safe. Anyways...after a long, really uncomfortable drive we arrived at Abu Simbel at 8:00. When the van picked me up from my hotel, I ended up sitting next John, a guy I met at the Cairo airport in line trying to buy visas...small country I guess. A few others were on the bus, Will (Aussie), Phillip (Canadian) and Maxi (German)...we all walked around the temples together which were incredible. I'll get the pics uploaded...but the exteriors were egyptian gods carved into the rock similar to petra...i'd say at least 30 meters tall. No pictures allowed inside and we got busted a few times, but I was able to walk out with some good shots. The van wanted to take the 10AM convoy home so we had about an hour and half....all in total..7 hours of driving for a little over an hour visit...it was worth it.

Van was delayed getting back to Aswan so when I got back to the hotel I had to leave immediately to join the felucca for the sailing trip up the Nile. Jumped on at about 1:30 and sailed almost 20km up the Nile before making camp along the shore. A few other boats were at the same area and we enjoyed a good dinner, campfire with some beers sitting on the shores of the Nile. My boat was an Aussie couple and a retired couple from the States so I offboarded pretty quick and hung out with the youngsters from the other boats...ive met more aussies than anyone travelling so i think there is nobody left in australia! Definitely a good experience and I think if I'm ever back in Egypt I'll stay on the felucca for longer than 1 night.

Day 20 - Aswan

Night train to Aswan was comfortable...they served two meals and nobody ever showed up to share my sleeper cabin so I had it all to myself. Train runs parallel to the Nile so the views over the journey was awesome. Egypt really has two sides to it with lots of desert and then rich vegetation along the Nile. Big tour group on my car which included a really nice couple from South Africa who were my neighbors. We spent about 2 hours talking about what all I should do when I get down there and they gave me their number to call and invited me over for Christmas since thats when I'm in Johannesburg. How friendly is that?

Anyways, night train arrived three hours late and I wasn't sure if the local contact would still be waiting for me. Hopped off the train and there he was holding a sign with my name. Egypt is full of touts and I'm glad the hostel organized people to meet me everywhere b/c otherwise I'd be getting hassled every other step. He walked me to the hotel where I checked in and found a nearby internet cafe to get caught up on uploading pictures. Headed out at about 1:30 to see the High Dam, Philae and drive around Aswan. The High Dam was built in the 70s and helped Egypt overcome the annual flooding of the Nile that made farming quite difficult. Next stop...Philae temple which was actually moved from its original location (now underwater) to the site where I saw it. If they hadn't told me that....I don't think I would have noticed. I had a private tour for both sites so the hostel is getting points for setting up a good trip. Tonight I plan to take it easy b/c need to be up at 3AM to catch the police convoy to Abu Simbel...apparently all cars going south need police escort, but I still feel safe everywhere...maybe its b/c i look egyptian!

BTW -- All pics have been uploaded!

Day 19 -- Cairo (Giza, Sphinx, Saqqara)

Early start today and the hostel hired a car for the day so I could check out the Pyramids at Giza/Sphinx, Saqqara and Memphis. My driver Ibrahim was really knowledgable about the area and knew the best order to see everything. Stopped in at Giza and the pyramids are crazy in person. I'm not sure if I think Petra was more amazing, but both have their beauty...still hard to imagine the age on these things. The pyramids have definitely been worn over the centuries and I got to Giza too late to get a ticket inside, but I got an opportunity later to get inside Titi later. The Sphinx is not what I expected it to be, but still marvelous. I definitely expected larger and it was pretty big in scale compared to the Pyramids but still not big enough...ha! Spent a few hours wandering around getting hassled at every turn for a camel/donkey/horse ride around the area...Egyptian people are pretty persistent. Its been amusing that since I've gotten a good tan I blend right in so most try their sales pitch in Arabic and when they hear me speak they move over to English! Stopped in at a local takeway for some really tasty chicken shwarma at $1 USD and falafel for 50 cents...i might need to stay here longer. Next we went to Saqqara, home of the Step Pyramid, Royal tombs and Titi Pyramids. Step pyramids was the first in Egypt and it was cool to see how the evolution of pyramids evolved over time. Went inside Titi Pyramid which was small, cramped and easy for someone whose claustrophobic to get sick. Inside there was detailed artwork on the walls and I sneakily took some pics with the flash off. Last stop Memphis where my camera battery died so no pics to show, but its really an outdoor museum housing artifacts from the ancient times. They had this huge statue of Ramses II which I wish I could have taken a snap of but no big deal. Back to Cairo where I packed up, checked out of the hostel and jumped on a night train to Aswan.

Day 18 -- Jerusalem to Amman to Cairo

Woke up with a solid headache after a long night out on the town in Jerusalem...with a big day ahead going through 3 countries, I left the hostel at 8:30am and headed to the border...forgot to mention yesterday that at every gate and major intersection in the Old City you see Israeli military posted carrying AK-47s, assault rifles, and who knows what other cool toys...women included...crazy site to see and I didn't even dare take a picture. Made it to the border crossing back to Jordan and had to sit around for 2 hours waiting for the bus to fill up so we could cross the bridge. Altogether the journey took about 4.5 hours and I got to the hotel in Amman that was storing my luggage. Three hours until my flight to Egypt so I got a quick haircut and straight razor shave and was on my away. Got into Cairo pretty late and staying at the Canadian Hostel. Staff here is really cool and about 30 minutes after I arrived they helped me develop a plan to see all of Egypt in the 9 days I'm here. We'll see how it goes!

Day 17 -- Amman to Jerusalem

What a day...woke up at 6:00 Am to get to the border since I heard the earlier you get there the easier it is to cross...not so lucky. Made it out of Jordan pretty easily and hopped onto a bus to the Israeli side...not so fun. After going through airport style security I was asked to sit down as they had some concerns since I was an American travelling alone. I talked with a security office for about 30 minutes about my trip, reason for my 1 night visit to Jerusalem, along with a million other questions I thought had no relevance. I guess I passed the test b/c he sent me to passport control. There I was grilled again with the same questions and a few more and was told to sit down since they didn't seem to understand my world trip...To keep it simple. I spent 4 hours at the Israeli border office, spoke to 4 people who asked me the same questions and finally made it across the border...lots of trouble for one night, but surely worth it! And I avoided the infamous entrance stamp in my passport which should make my travels a little easier.

Once I arrived in Jerusalem it was well worth the hassle. I now understand how 3 of the oldest religions all co-exist in one city, yet they can't get along in the outside world. Checked into the hostel and met a handful of cool people...Chris an Aussie guy, Lena a girl from Denmark, Lawrs a German kid and Scooter and Laura from DC, George Mason grads...UNCW rivals...arghh...anyways...we all hung out having some beer on the rooftop terrace of the hostel overlooking the old city of Jerusalem and then went out for a night on the town....Ran into some marines from the states doing embassy duty and had a good night...i think i'm caught up now, but given that its 3:15am here...i'll get the pics uploaded later....goodngiht!

Day 16 - Aqaba to Amman

After a really late night and slow start in the morning I joined the group for our long trek down the King's Highway to Amman. We had about a 2 1/2 hour drive so I crashed most of the way, waking up for the occasional bump or slow down for a camel crossing. Stopped a couple of times at some tourist traps and got killed by the costs, but its a holiday so what can you say. We arrived at Amman and made some quick stops at the King's mosque and the Amman Theatre which gave some good history about the region. Amman has some really poor areas, but undergoing a transformation given all the tourism Jordan is experiencing. Took some pictures of the shanty houses as we drove to the hotel. checked into the hotel and the group went for our farewell dinner at a local establishment which ranks up as one of the best meals I had in Jordan...mixed grill of meats wrapped in some local tortilla style bread...very tasty...back to the hotel and we had a beer before calling it a night and saying our goodbyes...

Day 15 - Aqaba

After a night in the desert with some crazy dreams sleeping under the stars we made our way to Aqaba, launching point for the Red Sea. Checked into the hotel and after craving some Mcdonald's I found it and enjoyed a good lunch...met back up with the group and set off to the Royal Diving club where I got to test out the cameras underwater skills while snorkeling. Believe it or not...the camera lived up to its description and it worked underwater...I got some good shots of the coral reefs which you should see soon. After a long afternoon swimming, snokeling and soaking in the sun we went back to the hotel and Robert (Scottish guy) and I went off on our own to see the town...Good dinner and great conversation made me realize that there are more people in the world on a similar search. After dinner we met up with the group at Sea View Bar for a few drinks, sheesha and a game of pool...good way to close out the tour.

Day 14 - Wadi Rum

After leaving Petra we headed to Wadi Rum to spend the night in a desert camp with some of the local Bedouins...great experience. Got to try to sandboard which didnt work out as planned...went on a desert trek stopping to hang out with camels, climbing a rock bridge and seeing some sites from 'Lawrence of Arabia (sp?)'...some movie that was filmed in the area...Unfortunately I havent seen it so can't provide any details, but the scenery was unreal. Good dinner at the campsite and after a night of wine and sheesha I slept under the stars which helped me understand what I signed up for on this upcoming African safari...woke up a couple of times after some vivid dreams...not sure if it was the Bedouin tea/sheesha or the malaria meds i just started taking...anyways...It was pretty cold so I only hope the weather in Africa will be warmer!

Day 13 - Petra (day 2)

So I really need to get caught up on everything and here is my attempt... Day 2 at Petra was pretty unreal. We started the day with a off the beaten track hike to the high place...former sacrificial site...need i say more?? check the pics...the group broke off for some free time and Ian and I went to the Royal Tombs where we had close encounters with falling rocks...picked one up as a memory of the experience but i hope customs doesnt give me a hard time...a few of us broke away from the group for dinner to get a change of pace and taste some local food...made it an early night!

Day 12 - Petra Jordan

What a day! Woke up with a little headache and the group had an 8am start to get to Petra before the crowds and was it worth it...such a huge place that I'm not sure if 2 days will be enough to explore. Most of you probably know Petra from Indiana Jones Last Crusade...but its even more spectacular in person. As we walked down the long entryway...I had no idea what to expect...but then we got to the Treasury. The sun was beaming down and it seemed to just glow...no idea how they carved these facades into the surrounding rock but its amazing... The level of detail just blows you away! We explored all day and even took a long, tiring hike up to the monestary. In one of the pics I'm standing in the middle so you can get an idea of the scale of what they did. The entire place is just full of tombs, caves, stairs carved into the massive gorges. Looking forward to see what else I come across tomorrow. Back at the hotel now and about to go for a swim and then grab some dinner. I think I may check out Petra by night later where its lit up by thousands of candles which should be a great sight.

Day 11 -- Jordan

Not much time left on the internet and its expensive here so I'll make this quick. Got off to an early start this morning with stops at St. George's Cathedral in Madaba where we got to view whats left of a mosaic dating to the 5th century that outlines this region...really detailed and it was cool to see how they mapped things out back then using art. We then went made a stop at Mt. Nebo, burial site of Moses where we got a birds eye view of the entire region and learned alot of history about the area. Off to Kerak castle which was full of hallways, passages and got an idea of how they protected their cities through these large castles. Back in the bus towards Petra and we made a stop at a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Jordanian Grand Canyon...i had no idea they even had one, but its just as impressive as the one in the states.

A few more hours on the bus and we arrived at our hotel near Petra. The next 2 days are booked to exploring Petra which should be incredible. After a big buffet dinner, the group migrated to the coffee shop and we shared some apple sheesha...good times! 10% beers don't hurt either!

Days 9 and 10 - Jordan

Welcome to Jordan!! What a beautiful country full of friendly people and amazing food...for the most part. Got into Amman airport about 4pm Saturday, cleared customs and hopped in a cab to the hotel in Madaba, the meeting point for the 1 week tour I signed up for. Unfortunately it was a new hotel with no sign outside...so after an hour in the cab circling the city getting cursed at in Arabic by the cab driver whop claims this place doesn't exist...I finally arrived. Nice property with welcoming staff who explained that I'm only the second guest to stay there...that explains why there is no sign. Walked around the city and got an amazing chicken dinner at a local place that only cost $4 USD...you can see the meal in the pics (Carlsberg beer not pictured). Crashed early b/c we had an 8AM departure meeting.

Met the rest of the tour group early this morning. I'm definitely the youngest within the group by about 10 years but no big deal...they're all from England, very nice and we speak the same language. Started the day off with a tour of Jerash, ancient city dating back about 2,000 years. Amazing to walk around and see how they built these cities with no cranes, electricity, computers and other things we take for granted nowadays. Anyways, had a good lunch and then we headed to the Dead Sea, the saltiest body of water on the planet. Put on the boardshorts and jumped in and floated for an hour. Literally floated on the water with no effort whatsoever, it was unbelievable!! Rinsed off and watched an amazing sunset and then we were back on our way to the hotel. Only the first day of the tour and I feel its already paid for itself so I'm excited to see what else is on the agenda. Early start tomorrow so I'm taking it easy tonight after a big dinner...Hopefully the internet is fast enough to let me upload the pics.