Wadi Rum, and Aqaba Jordan

I have so much to tell and so little time, I will start by saying my phone died and two days later my Mac died too! We also have had a terrible time trying to log on Jordan's very limited Internet service. I am now on my IPad, so please forgive any typo's. I am not sure where I left off but the most important thing on my mind is why men treat woman so unequally if the Koran says man and woman should be treated equally? Why is it that a woman has to cover herself from head to toe and in temperatures exceeding 105 degrees and the man is able to wear what he wishes? Why do the men treat the woman this way? I think that it is so disrespectful, and I cannot wrap my head around it. The only reason that I can think of is that men here know that women in general are smarter (no bias) and that if given the opportunity we would rule the world. My other question is why do women tolerate being second class citizens? I wish I could find someone to speak to about this to help me understand their way of life. More one this later, In the desert Lauren and I took our first balloon ride! What a treat, so smooth and so hot! Every time the man pulled the arm to blow the torch up, I would feel the hairs on my head and arms singe. We then took our second camel ride and I of course always get the awnery animal. In Wadi we did a tour and then went to the rocks to watch the sunset, as I approach the rocks I pause to see how I am going to get up, and I look at Lauren and say "I smell poop" well of course I did, I was three feet deep in SHIT! What luck! I decided I was not going to let it bother me and had one of the best laughs in a long time. I just kept on thinking of the soul that left his green and very stinking poop on my shoe. My guide Ahmed swore he was going to find him and kill him! In all his years as a guide he has never encountered so many issues with his guests. To tell you the truth neither have I, it seems like a black cloud is testing me everyday and I refuse to give in and spoil my precious time with my daughter. Ahmed my guide tried to wipe the poop with wipes and then some water, but the amount was so much that he took off his hat and used it to clean most of it off. Ahmed then proceeded to carry my shoe down the mountain and to the truck and the smell was horrendous. We then put it in a plastic bag and I went barefoot the rest of the tour through them desert. More on Wadi later. I wanted to let my cousin, the little mermaid, know that I thought of her every moment of my day today as I snorkeled for hours, seeing every beautiful fish and sea creature imaginable. I wish I could bring her to see real beauty. Hopefully one day we will take a trip somewhere for her to see what a real reef looks like. Now I am going to have dinner with Lauren and call it a night. Tomorrow Lauren dives, I will snorkel and then we are off to Turkey! Love to all, E

Petra, Jodan,

Lauren and I spent the morning walking, hiking and riding horses and camels. We love camels! I feel so at home on them, my horse on the other hand did not want to ride today and bucked up on its two hind legs! Good way to start the day! My phone broke last night, and I have not had easy access to the Internet, so for a moment there I thought that was how my day was to begin, luckily for me, I was able to control my pissed of horse and ride! We then hiked for seven miles up to the sacrificial alter, three miles up in about 100 degree weather! What the hell is wrong with me! I must say it was worth the pain and aggravation, really impressive to see a city like Petra, we then walked down and down until the camels came to our rescue! We paid way too much for the ride, but they know we are at their mercy in this type of weather. Lauren and I love camels, when they start to gallop it is quite the thrill! Of course the camel is running and I am only hanging on with my legs because I am busy taking pictures. I will not have access to Internet for the next few days, but hope to post photos soon. Love to all, E

Emirates and Jordan, the adventure begins!

Lauren and I left Hong Kong Sunday evening at 12:35 and I flew Emirates airline for the first time! I must say their 777 had all the bells and whistles. They seats are flat beds, which is a perk to have in business class, the seats have a built in massager, and they used a iPod touch type mechanism to control the t.v. screen, the seats, everything. The service was good and the icing on the cake was the aircraft in the walkway had little stars that illuminated the plane at night! What kid would not love that!  We had a two hour connection in Dubai, in which we visited the lounge a large lounge area, and they had Veuve Cliquot champagne! When we arrived to Amman it was 104 degrees of dry heat! I must say it did not feel that bad in the shade and I felt warmer in Cambodia last year. Our guide Ahmed escorted us through the visa process and immigration and then we arrived to the Marriott Amman. I must say I am really disappointed with the room and the cleanliness of the room. I do not want to sleep on beds with stains on them, or carpets that looked like they have not been cleaned in a long time. The funny thing is that Marriott on their t.v. channel says they know the things that are important to us and they are to them, and then they show someone using the internet, well it took me 48 hours, two rooms and a new cable (no wifi) to be able to PURCHASE internet service. Really? Why is it that now everyone is following the bad idea of nickel and dime people to death. They also show high quality bath products, let Lauren tell you how she spent almost an hour in the shower trying to get the knots out of her hair and the crappy quality of the hair conditioner. Today we started our day early where we went to Jarash where we saw some incredible Roman ruins and then returned to Amman and did a city tour. Amman has approximately two million people, but it feels like there are a lot more. I think it is because the city is so wide spread and sits among seven hills (just like Rome). The city itself is a difficult one to navigate, the is always traffic, the public transportation is non existent and there are no street lights, nor are there lines on the road. My first impression of Jordan, hot, the people are friendly, and the culture is more conservative than I had imagined. We leave Amman tomorrow and continue our adventure. I will tell you tomorrow about our cab driver who was too funny, crazy, but funny.  Here is a bit of info on Jerash or Jarash as the Jordanians spell it.

Jerash is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East or Asia", referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano). Jerash is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East. It was a city of the Decapolis.

Jerash was the home of Nicomachus of Gerasa (Greek: Νικόμαχος) (c. 60 – c. 120).

Recent excavations show that Jerash was already inhabited during the Bronze Age (3200 BC - 1200 BC). After the Roman conquest in 63 BC, Jerash and the land surrounding it were annexed by the Roman province of Syria, and later joined the Decapolis cities. In AD 90, Jerash was absorbed into the Roman province of Arabia, which included the city of Philadelphia (modern day Amman). The Romans ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and encouraged civic building activity.

In the second half of the first century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, the Emperor Trajan constructed roads throughout the provinces and more trade came to Jerash. The EmperorHadrian visited Jerash in AD 129-130. The triumphal arch (or Arch of Hadrian) was built to celebrate his visit. A remarkable Latin inscription records a religious dedication set up by members of the imperial mounted bodyguard "wintering" there.

The city finally reached a size of about 800,000 square meters within its walls. The Persian invasion in AD 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash. However, the city continued to flourish during the UmayyadPeriod, as shown by recent excavations. In AD 749, a major earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings. During the period of the Crusades, some of the monuments were converted to fortresses, including the Temple of Artemis. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Ayyubid, Mameluk and Ottoman periods. Excavation and restoration of Jerash has been almost continuous since the 1920s.

Lauren in rainy Hong Kong...

Lauren arrived a few days ago, we have been pounding the pavement showing her a bit of Hong Kong before our trip to Jordan and Turkey! I really am appreciative of my wonderful husband that has given me his blessing for a mother daughter trip. Today went ventured out in a torrential downpour to Kowloon to see the flower garden and the bird park, where I fell in love with a parrot that carried on a conversation with me! I love animals! I am so

lucky I am not home, I would be going home with a parrot! Lauren had her first Dim Sum! We are now home and going to the movies this evening to see Salmon fishing in Yemen. I will let you know what I think.  Now for the bet news! I am coming home in August! I will be there for my mom's birthday and Nati's birthday! Tomorrow at midnight Lauren and I will be on our way to Jordan and Turkey!
Love to all!
E

The end of an enlightening journey through Bhutan

This morning I sit and recall the past ten days in Bhutan, as my bags are packed and getting ready to leave Bhutan,
I will say that this is not the typical trip I would plan for myself and Ken, but this trip has been inspirational in so many ways. I think that hiking, pushing yourself to extremes and then being able to pray and reflect is a great thing. These ten days have been about praying for myself, mainly for my loved ones, some more than others. Being in a country like this  makes you realize the importance of believing in something, be it Buddha, God, Allah, it is important to have faith in something. I do not believe in any organized religion, I believe there is a God and as long as he/she and I are on the same page then life is good. I believe that I have to hold myself accountable for my actions and there is no need for me to seek someone else to absolve me from my sins. I will say that I have prayed for my soul to be cleansed from "humanly" impurities, at the cleansing ceremony with the Monk yesterday, after hiking Tiger's Nest. One does not realize how high it is until it takes you an hour and a half to come down. Here are a few photos and will finish my story a bit later. I am now in Bangkok waiting for my connection to Hong Kong, I will try to upload some photos now. The rest I will load from Hong Kong, have to board my flight. Thanks to Bill and Laura for being such great travel companions! Safe travels!

                                         The small white spec in the middle mountain is where we hiked to

                                                         Ken tying string to prayer flag

                                                            Cleansing ceremony

                                           This you will see all over painted on walls and like this

                                              55 pound metal jacket, to be worn as you walk three
                                                 times around the Dzong to release sins

                                                           archery

Bhutan a country for hikes, prayers, and reflections.

Bhutan is quiet, mountainous and the perfect place if you want to hike and pray. I have never hiked or prayed so much in my life! The funny thing is that after hiking up a mountain for two to three hours it only seems natural to pray, and thank God you made it up! Today I will be praying again all the way up as we are going to hike Tiger's Nest. If you have ever seen images of Bhutan, then you have seen Tiger's Nest, it is the iconic photograph of Bhutan. Perched 27500 feet above the valley, I will hike half today (God willing) and then I will come back to my hotel for a blessing ceremony from a monk and then a hot stone bath and massage!  I have enjoyed my trip, I have done many things that I could never do at home, hike mountains, milk a cow, try my hand at archery and see some of the most sacred Buddhist Holy places in the world. Bhutan is unique, it is remote, there are less than one million people, ten percent are monks and it is quiet. This is not the place for fancy restaurants, shopping or other "normal" things you would do on any other vacation. This is a place where you would leave your high heels at home along with your dresses and skirts and pack pants and your hiking boots. Today is our last day here, tomorrow I go back to Hong Kong and wait for my baby girl to come and join me! I have to tell you about the potato  shed, it is a little room built out of stone where the hotel does a special dinner, as you can see from the photograph it is lit by candlelight and it is such a romantic setting. We sat outside by a bonfire, watched the full moon rise and then went inside for the perfect dinner! I want to make a potato shed at home in Colorado! Any volunteers?

                                                        The mountain that almost got me

                                                                   Monks on way to prayers

                                                                 view from monastery

                                                           Laura with the monastery's rooster

                                                           me taking a pee pee break

Ken and me at the potato shed

Paro Taktsang (spa phro stag tshang / spa gro stag tshang), is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger's Nest),^[1] a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located in the cliffside of the upper Paro valley, Bhutan. A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup (stag tshang seng ge bsam grub) cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three months in the 8th century. Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan and is the tutelary deity of the country. Today, Paro Taktsang is the best known of the thirteen taktsang or "tiger lair" caves in which he meditated.

The Guru mTshan-brgyad Lhakhang, the temple devoted to Padmasambhava (also known as Gu-ru mTshan-brgyad Lhakhang, "The Temple of the Guru with Eight Names") is an elegant structure built around the cave in 1692 by Gyalse Tenzin Rabgye; and has become the cultural icon of Bhutan.^[2][3][4] A popular festival, known as the Tsechu, held in honour of Padmasambhava, is celebrated in the Paro valley sometime during March or April.

The hike that took everything out of me!

Yesterday we hiked and hiked and then hiked some more! We walked the Longtey hike which was towards and over the pass a 9800 feet high! Needless to say my lungs and knee were in shock, this unbelievable hike took us over four hours, I was of course cursing and praying the entire way up.  This hike was over ten miles distance and through very rocky terrain. After we came down we had a nice picnic lunch and then visited a monastery. My email has been hacked! Sorry if you have been receiving junk from me, I will finish my story later. Maria, I am not sure why the woman wanted to share her breasts with us, maybe she wanted to show us that at 72 she still had it. :-)

I will try to catch up on my blog once I get my email sorted out! love to all!

Bhutan...still not sure about the GNH factor

Bhutan has yet to move me, while the landscapes are beautiful, the buildings are incredibly detailed with color and  the Amman hotels are fabulous, there is still something lacking in the people of Bhutan.  The people are reserved at best, there are not many that engage in conversation. I am not sure why, but I have six more days to figure it out and give you an overall impression on Bhutan. The second photo is of the lady that made Bill blush. The one of me was a ceremony in which the monk blessed us for a safe journey. The monk tied a red string around our necks, prayed, threw salt, chimed the bell along with the thunderbolt (these two objects represent man and woman) and told us that we were to keep the string on for a minimum of three days and then tie it to a tree or let it down the river. I am not sure which one I will do, but I think I will keep it for the rest of my journey as most of the roads are not paved, no barriers and at incredible altitudes.
                                     

Bhutan land of GNH

Today is my second morning in Bhutan, after leaving Colorado, we arrived to Hong Kong and tried to catch up on things in two days and then we were off again on a plane to Bhutan, we had one night stay in Bangkok to catch a flight at 6:50 a.m. to Paro, Bhutan. A four hour flight because of one stop in Bangladesh. I will tell you that it was an impressive approach to the airport, right through two mountains and above the river! I am sort of happy that it was a bit cloudy to not see the entire approach. This is certainly not for the faint of heart! I have not been able to shoot much, but we did have a very funny incident while visiting one of the temples. We are traveling with Bill and Laura, a very fun couple from Chicago, they both have a great sense of humor!  I am in awe of Laura's mental capacity to retain knowledge! She reminds me so much of Ken in that way, always fun to surround yourself with brilliant people, hopefully some of it will stick!
Anyways, one of the local ladies at the temple comes up to us, impressed by Bill's height 6'4", and started to speak to us in her language, our guide  started to translate and she was telling us that she was very old and she would stroke her face. Shortly there after she moved on to another topic and quickly whipped out her breasts! I thought Bill was going to have a heart attack, the expression on his face was priceless! Bill quickly moved away and we stayed to chat with her and then she casually tucked her breasts back in to her dress.
Today we have a 5 1/2 car drive to our next destination Gangtey! I cannot wait to get out and shoot!
My first impression of Bhutan, lovely  mountains, great landscapes and beautifully detailed homes! I will hopefully have some photos to share with you later. By the way the GNH stands for Gross National Happiness, what Bhutan prides itself in, the concern of their people's happiness and the happiness of people in general around the world!
Nice, right?