Indian Adventures

Just finished my first week in India and finally found time to sit down and write. BTW... I just skipped over Turkey and doha, and I'll just have to come back to those two trips sometime later! As for India its been a busy trip so far... Steph and Ariele joined me on the road and its been good to finally get some company! Our plan was to see Rajasthan, Delhi, and Agra... but now we also found time in our itinerary to squeeze in a trip to Bhodgaya (spelling?) and Varanasi.

The trip has been good so far. We were able to hire a driver and car for 2 weeks to take us all around Rajasthan and Agra! The car, driver, and gas are actually cheaper than the buying train tickets for the three of us! Crazy, huh? Who woulda thought that a car and driver would be cheaper than a train... especially with gas prices as high as they are! Well, I was definitely surprised by this, but jumped at the opportunity which has turned out to be money well spent. Our driver also doubles as a guide, telling us which monuments are good and which ones are not... hotel choices, however, usually depend on where he can get a good commission and don't always exude a feeling of quality, comfort, or service, so we've learned to stick to the lonely planet for hotels and our driver for other tourist advice. Traveling with a driver has also proved handy because getting around can be a total mess. I knew that Delhi was a bit chaotic, but I was surprised to find that the other cities were not much better... on any given city street one has to be able to navigate through cars, trucks, bikes, rickshaws, cows, donkeys, goats, people, cow droppings, goat droppings, pigs, dogs, dog droppings, and worst of all... the evil touts. Indian touts have definitely been the worst on my trip... not as aggressive or rude as Egyptian touts but much more persistent and annoying. Its difficult to just walk down the street without being followed by a rickshaw driver or a store owner... I actually had one driver follow me for at least 20 minutes on my first afternoon. Walking around forever with all the obstacles... the only word that I can use to describe it is... gauntlet. With all the chaos, I'm definitely happy that we have a driver and I can just sit in the car and sleep while he has to battle the traffic, people, and farm animals that crowd the city streets.

Minus the traffic and crowds... India has been a great trip so far. We spent most of our time visiting palaces, forts, and temples, my favorite of which were the fort in Jodhpur and the Jain temple in Ranakpur. The Meharanger (that is definitely spelled wrong) fort in Jodhpur was the most impressive site yet... its absolutely huge and sits high up on the high top overlooking the nearby city. Best of all, it is owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur so its better kept and maintained than the other forts which are mostly owned by the government. It also overlooks Jodhpur, which is the "Blue City" as you can see by the pictures. In any case the pictures of the fort and the city are at the top (2 of them together). The picture of the Jain temple is the last picture of the 4... the temple was absolutely breathtaking. Every pillar, ceiling tile, and square inch of wall space was covered with detailed and intricate carvings.

Aside from sightseeing, we've also had the time to partake in some great food. Almost every meal has been different from the rest, which is amazing after 10 days. I was a bit disappointed with the food in Delhi (probably cuz I was stuck in a bunch of tourist traps) but have been very happy since we left... I've sampled 6-7 different types of bread (naan, chapati, parantha, roti, puri... etc), countless types of rice (byranis, pilaus, etc), and endless curries... most of which have been tasty, but a bit on the heavy side. Its especially heavy when you are sitting in 105-110 degree heat... which has happened to us quite a few days. The heat really kills your appetite. I knew that summer was the off-season for tourism and now I'm seeing why. There have been 2-3 days where I ran from shady spot to shady spot on the streets trying to avoid the intense heat of the sun. Its difficult visiting palaces and forts when you are constantly trying to stand in a shady spot while listening to your audio guide and taking pictures. Sadly enough the heat will be one my most enduring memories of India... I'm sure of that and its only my second week here!

Well... I guess anyone who is reading this is probably wondering what the hell is going on with the rats in the first picture... I saved this story for the end so you would have to read the rest of my blabber before getting the good one. We went to a temple in the city of Deshnook where the rats are considered holy. They are a reincarnation of a god (i forget which one) and they have free run of the entire temple. The locals feed them and keep them happy (they are drinking from a bowl of milk in the picture) and there are just hundreds, if not thousands, of nasty, filthy, diseased rats just running around the temple. The best part is that you have to take your shoes off to go inside the temple and so you are walking around rats with your bare feet. It was a strangely disgusting yet quirky and fun experience.... memorable to say the least. I'm surprised there are more tourists that come here or that the temple isn't more famous than it is... I've never heard of it, but would recommend it to anyone in Rajasthan who wants to see something "different".

In closing... big shout out to my boy Kobe Bryant... love my Lakers and I can't believe I'm not at home to watch them destroy the Celtics.

Pictures

Well... I think that most everyone got my email... so this is redundant. Sorry if I missed anyone on the email. Here are my pictures. Sorry that the posts have been so sporadic lately but they will be more regular now that I finished editing all my photos... that was a lot of work. Also, for those that got my email, I just realized that I forgot to put the link to my Turkey pix, so here it is again

Turkey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605224330425/

Egypt
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605197971662/

Diving in Sharm el Sheikh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604153504691/

Jordan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157605217685643/

Tel Aviv
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/

Doha
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604849748339/

And a couple of my photos made it on TV. Yay CNN!! Here is the link... they said that they were going to use my two photos of Shai and Yafit's cat drink water with her paw. Its the May 24th episode, so it might not be online yet. YAY, I'm almost famous!!!!

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/05/01/ireport/index.html

Exotic Tel Aviv

for more Tel Aviv pix... http://www.flickr.com/photos/jhui_02/sets/72157604836293866/

Sorry that I've been M.I.A. for the past few weeks. I'm way behind on my posts! I got caught up in Turkey where I was on overnight buses for several days then to Doha where I was too lazy to get off the couch to post! Once you fall behind for two weeks, its hard to catch up, but I'll make an effort to catch up this week.

Also, my plans have changed a bit… First of all, I can’t go to my primary destination… TIBET! I had to cut Tibet and Nepal out of my trip because of the recent violence, which will only get worse as the Olympics get closer. Usually I’m not afraid of that stuff but this time is different. I didn’t want to get turned away at the Tibetan border or get stuck in there. My plan was to travel over land from India through Nepal and into Tibet. The worst thing that could happen is to be turned away at the border and have to go back overland to India… especially with the limited time I have. So Tibet is out of the question, can’t go to Europe/Russia because its too expensive (damn that appreciating Euro), and can’t go to Africa because that’s also too expensive. So, I just decided to cut out a month of my trip. Long story short… spontaneous traveling doesn't always work out perfectly.

Well, when I last left off I was in Jordan and heading to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has a special place in my heart, because Israel was my first taste of the middle east (in 2004). Both times I stayed with Shai (THANKS SHAI!!), which was great because I really get to see the local side of Israel. As with any country, the local life is always much better than the tourist life. I titled this post “Exotic Tel Aviv”, because most Americans think of Israel as this crazy place where bombs are going off every 5 minutes and “Zohan” roams the streets with an uzi (actually they second part is true). With that picture in mind… it might be kind of disappointing to hear that I participated in such crazy activities as bowling, renting movies, shopping, and people watching at cafes. Actually most of my time was spent eating and sleeping… here is just an excerpt from my first day’s activities…

9am - wake up and have croissants and cappucino's at the coffee shop next door.

10am-1pm - play with the cat

1pm - lunch at the other coffee shop next door.

2pm-6pm - sleep

6pm - sit in front of computer and catch up on sports news

7pm - Shai and Yafit come home and we eat again.

I wish I had more fun stories from Tel Aviv… but unfortunately that’s it. I did enjoy a lot of great food! Tel Aviv has some great restaurants… including my favorite, Dr. Shoukshouka. Last time I was in Israel, Shai took me to Dr. Shoukshouka and I ended up going back twice by myself! We only went once this time… but that was enough to satisfy my craving. FYI shoukshouka is a dish of tomato and herbs with a giant egg yolk unbroken and uncooked in the middle. Aside from shoukshouka, it was nice to trade in shewarma and felafal for pasta, croissants, and salads. Shai and Yafit turned my stay a mini food-fest... and we sampled the best Italian and Arabic food that Tel Aviv has to offer... we also had some time to try some awesome treats like Moroccan-French fusion... which was very New American-esque to me. Well... for an amateur/wannabe foodie like myself, Tel Aviv definitely hit the spot (as you can see by all the pictures of food and shopping for food in my Tel Aviv pix).

I would have to mention for anyone interested in visiting Israel that it has changed a lot since my last trip. The main difference I noticed was TOURISTS! I actually saw other tourists on this trip… last time I came the only people I saw were a busload of JAPs (Jewish American Princess) on their birthright Israel tour. This time there were tons of tourists in Tel Aviv… which made me think about WHY there were no tourists last time… which made me realize that it was much more dangerous last in 2004 … which brought me to the conclusion that I was kind of stupid for going at that time… SORRY MOM AND DAD!

Life on the Road... and some horror stories

I guess I'll start off with the underwear update. As I predicted, 5 pairs has been more than enough. I could easily last 2 weeks with that supply. I've realized that my longest underwear extension is about 3 days... I remember traveling in China during college when it was more like 5 days... but I'm soooooo over that grungy phase. Three days max for me and usually its more like 1-2 days, because I wash my clothes pretty regularly. Although, nothing ever seems to get really clean. Even though I try to wash everything as often as possible... my bag just kinda smells like funk. Not just any funk, but funk that's been fermenting in a closed bag for 5-6 weeks. And my "whites" are more like earthy tones now.

Worst horror story so far... not so bad, but it might make you gag. I'm alway very careless with my sunglasses... I hang them on my collar when not wearing them and they always drop when I lean over. Well, when I was in the Wadi Rum desert using the squatty outhouse... I leaned over to flush (translation: flushing = turning on near by faucet and washing the "stuff" down into the hole) and my glassed dropped into the squatty hole. I didn't know what to do... I definitely didn't want to stick my hand in there and get them out, but I was in the middle of the desert where the sun just beats down on you like a heat lamp in an interrogation room. I ended up reaching into the hole, which thankfully was mostly liquid based with minimal solids, and retrieved my glasses. I spent the next 30 minutes gagging while I washed off my glasses a combination of water, purel, and baby wipes. I've been wearing them for over a week now and still no pink eye... so I guess everything turned out okay. The only hazard is that every time I stop to take a photo, I automatically take off my sunglasses to look at the LCD screen and put them in my mouth. Either I have the strongest stomach in the world or purel is magic, cuz I have yet to get sick even though I spend half the day sticking outhouse remains in my mouth.

The best part of traveling is meeting people along the way. Its a lot easier to meet people as a single traveler... cuz you dont' have any other choice! I try to meet people or talk to strangers at every stop I can, sometimes for 5 minutes and sometimes for a few days (I even met two dudes from Brea... which is right next door to my parents in Yorba Linda... crazy). I naturally just start talking to anyone that speaks English and looks interesting and most people are responsive. Its a chicken-egg scenario... I'm not sure if traveling makes you more open or if travelers are just naturally more outgoing people. The most interesting people I've met are Stephanie and Bailey... a mother daughter combo that are spending a year on the road together. Bailey does her high school courses online... while working in the Wadi Rum desert. What an amazing life experience that must be for her, I'm definitely envious. People always tell me that I've traveled a lot for my age, but how great would it be to take a life changing trip like this... in high school. That's an education that definitely can't be found in the classroom.

As for my accommodations... I've come to the realization that I'm an "upper budget" traveler... as the lonely planet describes me. That means that I do hostels or cheap hotels, but I must have a clean shower and toilet, preferably my own. My definition of clean is simple... (1) I want to feel cleaner when I get out of the shower than when I got in, (2) the toilet must look cleaner than the one at the restaurant down the street, and (3) slightly dirty sheets are okay... but no obvious odor allowed. Gone are the days where I found the cheapest hostel in the LP ... now I usually look for the more expensive options in the budget range... sometimes I might even bump it up to the mid range. Yup, I'm definitely moving up in the world...

I have also realized that there are several distinct types of travelers... and all travelers fall into at least one or more of these categories.

"Fresh from College"
- usually prefers the lowest of the budget accommodations
- won't spend money on a real dinner, but can somehow find money for beer and other extra-curricular activities.
- can usually smell this person from across the room and they seem to go out of there way to NOT shower or wash their clothes.
- fortunately I'm not at the right time of the year or place in the world to find too many of these guys. BUT, I imagine that summertime in India will be full of these smelly, soul searching hippies.

"Know-it-All"
- Thinks they know everything about the world or the particular area that you are in.
- Thinks that the locals are all stupid and inefficient and complains all the time
- Spends a lot of time telling other travelers how great he/she is and dishing out unwanted advice.
- Only eats at local joints, because he/she is too cool for tourist traps.

"Shoulda-Spent-The-Money-For-A-Tour"
- This traveler didn't spend the money on a tour, because it was too pricey or he/she thought it would be more adventurous to do it solo. Unfortunately, he/she spends the entire time complaining about poor service, delays, and inconveniences.
- Always seems to deserve (not just want) 5 star service for hostel prices.
- Always thinks that locals are ripping him/her off
- Always has an opinion about world events... usually expresses that opinion by starting off with criticizing the particular world event and telling how the "right" way to do it is.

"Rugged Adventurer"
- Wants to climb, scale, hike the entire world.
- Wears only dri-fit, cool-max, or UV protected clothing.
- Always wants to push it to the max, dude!
- Wakes up at annoyingly early hours and is always annoyingly perky and positive.

"Beach Cruiser"
- Vacations and trips are always of the beach and/or cruise type.
- Usually doesn't care to venture out of the hotel or away from the tourist hot spots
- Usually a hot chick
- I only ran into a few of these at Sharm el Sheik... too bad.

"The Paula Abdul of Travelors"
- Thinks everything is exotic and beautiful
- Dishes out more compliments to locals than Paula Abdul on American Idol... usually sounds like, "I love this food, its so exotic..." or "I love this place is so majestic/magical/inspiring" or "I love these paintings (can be replaced with any item of tourist crap), they have so much character...they speak to me"
- Usually ends up paying hundreds of dollars for some junk at the most obvious tourist trap right in front of the most famous monuments in the region.

I'll let you comment on where I fall into... but if anyone labels me as Paula Abdul category... I'm removing your comment!!!!!

The other thing I notice about travelers is that there is a distinct difference between European and American travelers. The Euros always seems to dressed fashionably functional... for the men its capri pants, pumas, tight polo shirt (pastel colors), aviator glasses and hat... for the women its linen, pastel t-shirts, and slippers or even short heels. I can never figure out how they survive while hiking around all day. The Americans are always in baggy, unisex, functional clothing with lots of pockets and footwear is always tevas, hiking boots, or trail shoes. Its no wonder those Frenchies think Americans lack class and culture... cuz when they see us on the road, we look their poor country cousins.

Finally, the one thing that I notice everywhere I go is the interest in American politics. Sometimes I forget how important American politics and policies are to the rest of the world. People here in the Middle East know just as much, if not more, than the average American about the current state of our politics... and everyone wants to know who's going to win the election. I was anticipating more animosity or disgust, but what I seem to encounter is more frustration and disappointment. I've been asked about Hillary vs. Obama at least 20 times... by locals and other tourists from Europe and the Middle East... and their parting thoughts usually end with something like, "well, whoever wins, please... no more war... this is not good for the world." Its kinda more of a frustrated feeling of submission rather than the bold, resilient anger that I anticipated. I'll save my opinions on American politics for another time... but I was just interested to see and hear this.

A parting gift... top 10 things I miss about home.

10. Clean showers, sheets, and toilets.
9. Dryers (clothes not hair)
8. free internet (well... unlimited internet)
7. clothes other than the 2 pants and 2 t-shirts that I've been "rotating"
6. not having to pack all my belongings into a bag every other day.
5.Good old fashioned LA smog (the middle east smog is more dusty... man made smog air pollution is way better)
4. Home made food
3. My Friends and Family... of course!!!
2. The Lakers
1. Work, Responsibility, and a daily routine....NOOOTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!! (that "not" was said with a humorous, borat-like accent)

Amman, Jerash, & the Dead Sea

As the title of this post would indicate... the most recent part of my trip has been a bit boring. After finishing up with Petra, I headed to Amman where I stationed myself for some sightseeing in the northern half of Jordan. Its not so much that the places were boring, I guess I'm just suffering from monument overload. Its like, if you've ever traveled across western Europe. After a month of backpacking, you don't ever want to see another church or cathedral again. The ruins in Jerash and Amman are really impressive, but after seeing Petra, Luxor, and Cairo its hard to compete.

Before the ruins, I took a day trip to the Dead Sea. I went with two guys from the hostel I was staying at. Thinking that I was a pro, because I had been to the Dead Sea a few years ago in Israel, I "wisely" advised them NOT to get any water in your mouth or eyes. Then I proceeded to jump into the water and got it all in my eyes. It wasn't like I was a complete idiot... I was floating effortlessly and relaxing on the water and then I decided to just lean back and let my hair and ears touch the water. Of course, when I got out, the water from my hair dripped into my eyes. Then came the total cheezy Mr. Bean moment when I ran around with my eyes closed, running over little kids, screaming like a girl, looking for the fresh water shower.

Overall the Dead Sea is a cool experience, you really can float effortlessly if you don't mind the excruciating stinging from the salt water. As soon as I got into the water, the hangnails on my fingers and blisters on my feet were totally on fire. I definitely wouldn't say that floating in the Dead Sea is relaxing. Also, I did not try it out, but I heard that you when you wipe the mud all over yourself, you can just feel the salt baking into your skin with the sun... sounds relaxing, huh? I did grab a piece of the salt crystals that form at the waters edge and here's a pix. I made sure to take a picture, cuz I'm sure that its not going to make it all the way back home in one piece. Its pretty interesting to see the salt everywhere. I read that the sea level is falling by 1/2 a meter every year because there is no more water flowing in, and so the salt content is increasing every year. You can just walk along the shallow part of the water and its covered with salt that looks kinda like coral.




Jerash is actually pretty interesting, and I think I would have been more impressed had I not JUST finished Petra and Egypt. I know it sounds corny, but the setting kinda reminds me of a scene from Gladiator or some other epic movie. Grassy fields and flowers with huge pillars, some standing some lying on the ground. Its kinda like that last scene were maximus is kinda floating through the grassy fields. I'm embarrassed that I just wrote that. The great part is that there's no security or rules, so you can run around, touch everything, and climb wherever you want. Kinda makes you feel like you're a real explorer, rather than just a tourist... but that feeling only lasts until the bus load of school kids drives up.

In Jerash, there is a great walkway and courtyard, multiple theaters, and a few temples. You can definitely spend a full day here just walking around the different sites. Also, the relatively few tourists makes it more enjoyable. I was able to walk around and take pictures without having to fight crowds of tourists. I think its interesting that Jordan doesn't market Jerash more to tourists... most people just come to see Petra and go home.




After Jerash, spent a few days in Amman. Amman has one interesting site... the Citadel. You guessed... more Roman ruins. The Citadel is on the highest hill in Amman and so you get a great view of the city. The picture of the flag pole is the world's largest free standing flag pole. Apparently Kim Jong Il has a taller one, but its supported by tie-downs.

Eats and Treats!

Yay, second post of the day! If you're reading this... there's another post right below this for Petra. After writing that boring post about Petra, I thought everyone might enjoy hearing about what I've been eating... so here's my some thoughts about food.

To start with I have my basic rotation of 3 staples - rotisserie chicken, shawarma, and hummus/felafal. As a budget and, more importantly, single traveler... I spend most of my meals in the diner-esque/casual restaurants... which in the Middle East usually means felafel/shawarma, which generally runs for about a buck in Egypt or 2-3 in Jordan. FYI, the hummus in invariably excellent... especially since it comes with healthy amount of olive oil. The shawarma in Egypt... not so great... but in Jordan its been fantastic. Different spices. Also, they serve it with a soft crepe-like bread in Jordan that is perfect. Oh, and this felafal sandwich in the picture has a runny hardboiled egg in it. In the words of Homer Simpson, "Mmmmmm.... egg... felafel... mmm".







Breakfast is pretty standard but light and easy... pita, jam, butter, and egg. This breakfast here was a deluxe breakfast with the usual suspects in addition to cheeses, salad and fuul... which is a kidney bean type of dish... sorta like chili but not as heavy and no meat involved. Breakfast, as with other meals and afternoon breaks, is accompanied with tea... usually taken with healthy amounts of sugar. I take milk with mine, but apparently that just makes me look like a gringo.





Other typical dishes, outside of the budget range are Kofta (kebab made of ground lamb) and other grilled meats. Here is Shish Tawouk... basically chicken grilled with spices, which I dont think is anything special... For 1/2 the price you can get a plate of shawarma which is twice as good!











Another budget option in Egypt was Koshari... which is basically lentils, chickpeas, different types of past, and rice... all mixed together with tomato sauce on top served for $1 and add meat for an extra $0.50. Its tasty, but it reminds of something college guys would make. Basically empty out all the carbs you can find in the pantry and add "sauce".











The most unique main course that I've had is mensaf... a bedouin speciality. Its a lamb dish cooked in a yogurt based sauce. I'm not sure how you cook yogurt without it curdling... so if someone knows, please explain. Here is a pix I got from internet, cuz I didn't have my camera on this outing.



Breakfast options outside of the typical b-fast... are basically bakery items. I noticed the items at the bakery are either incredibly and overwhelmingly sweet OR kinda like Chinese desserts... lightly sweetened and mixed with nuts or some sort of bean paste.



Dessert items are like the bakery goods... but more on the overwhelmingly sweet side. My absolute favorite, which I only found at one place in Egypt is Sahlab. In Israel its more of a drink... but in Egypt its more pasty/congealed/gelatinous... sounds gross, but oh soooo good. I'm sure that you when you eat it... it just goes straight to your heart and starts to clog all the major arteries in your body. ummmm fat and sugar... what a combo! Its got coconut and some other good stuff in there. Another one I tried, but already forgot the name, is here... it was sorta like baklava...



Finally, desperate times call for desperate measures. When I get sick of eating the usual 3 and get tired of eating at sit down restaurants by myself... its hamburger time. Local burgers usually are marinated, with unknown spices. Also, FYI, local McD's are actually better than at home. Still horse-meat-esque, but larger portions of mystery goodness.




All that sounds pretty heavy, but needless to say, I'm losing weight on the trip from all the walking and hiking... and there go many meals where odwalla bars are my main sustenance.

Sitting Above Petra

The first thing you realize when you come to Petra is the sheer quantity and quality of the building, tombs, ruins, etc. Like many of the sites in Luxor, when I arrived in Petra I was surprised to find that the site was more than just the main highlights that are shown on all the postcards. When you visit monuments in Europe (like the Coloseum) you undoubtedly walk away with the "that's it?" or the "I thought it would be bigger" feeling. Petra on the other hand seems to go on forever, and I could have easily spent 3-4 days exploring the different trails and viewpoints. More importantly, I find the category of "ruins" to a bit of misnomer. When I first saw Petra (or the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple... etc), I was amazed at the quality of the condition of the "ruins". The details are all still there and it doesn't take much imagination to see why this was voted one of the new 7 wonders. I think that when most people visit palatine hill or the old city in Rome, they sit there with the pop-up book, looking back and forth between the ruins and the book, thinking "wow this is what it looked like thousands of years ago". Whereas with Petra you just walk through and you can see exactly what it looked like thousands of years ago. I think the best way to describe it is, "wow!". These pictures here show some of the detail of the buildings and the amazing color of the surrounding rock formations.

Just a quick replay of my two days at Petra. Started off walking through the Siq. From the pictures, I thought it was just a short walkway, but it was actually over 1 km long. The Siq sorta like a gorge that is paved at the bottom where the river bed dried out. I overheard some guides (I was too cheap to pay for my own) saying that the Siq was created by a river, but I read that it was actually created by tectonic plate movement. When you reach the end of the Siq, you pass through a narrow section that leads to the Treasury. The Lonely Planet described it as a fascinating walkway that helps to build the anticipation of your first viewing of the Treasury. While, I think that is a bit melodramatic, I would have to agree with the overall feeling.

After I visited the Treasury, I climbed up to visit many of the tombs and the various Roman ruins. It seems like there is a Roman Theatre in every city in Jordan! I only spent a half day during my first day at Petra, because the heat was just overwhelming. Turned out to be a good and bad idea... the next day was much cooler, BUT I ended up spending 9 hours walking up and down hills to see what the main sites that I wanted to check out. Below is a picture of the main tombs.

During the second day, I walked through the entire site and went straight to the monastery, which is a 30-45 min walk uphill (after trekking the entire length of Petra). The monastery has many of the same visual and architectual features as the Treasury, but the great part about it is the uphill trek scares away most of the visitors, so its not as crowded.

After the monastery, I spent the rest of the morning visiting more of the tombs and random ruins and just taking pictures of the scenery. At the end of the day, I decided to make a second climb up to see the Treasury again... this time from above. After climbing up stairs for 25 min, I managed to get lost for a half hour. That's the great part about traveling in the Middle East - there are many interesting viewpoints, trails, and sites that are off the main paths... that kinda give you that feeling of exploration. The only problem is that these "off the beaten path" trails are not very well marked. After getting lost and resting for a while, I finally followed the trail of litter and footsteps to the main lookout point over Petra (which is the picture at the very top of this post). Just call me Macgyver for my ingenuity... or maybe Hansel and Grettel? The view from up top was awesome and it was especially relaxing to just be by myself staring down at all the tourists. I ended up propping myself up on the rock with the best viewpoint and taking a nap (surprising how comfy rocks are!) until a pair of german tourists woke up me to steal my viewing spot.

The best part was on the way down. I found what I thought was a new path way and I was proud of myself for uncovering this new trail... but when I got to the bottom, I realized that it was the same trail that I took up. Yes... I am directionally challenged. The funny part was that I ran into a group of tourists at the bottom that couldn't figure out how to get up... and they asked me for directions!?! I told them to simply walk up the stairs until there were no more paved steps... then look for the trail of litter.

By the end of the day, I remembered how hard it is to hike/walk for 9 hours. My legs were sore for 3 days... maybe I'm just outta shape. Also, sorry the pictures are not so great, I was battling the sunlight and tried to use a photo editor to color correct them... I think I went a lover overboard.

Well... sorry this post wasn't so interesting!