Back from the Desert to Aqaba and some R&R on the Red Sea

The cultural side of the holiday is over and there is only ourselves and another couple from Voyages Jules Verne who have booked extra days in Aqaba to languish a bit in the warmth of 23-25 deg C.

The flight home for the other 22 holiday makers on this trip is delayed due to adverse weather and storm Dennis, so they all get another night in the Intercontinental Hotel while the four of us head back to the Movenpick for 3 nights. The facilities in the hotel are superb and it is not crowded, so we can truly just relax and take our own time.

Whilst out shopping and generally finding our way about the city centre and beach we come across a "Ladies Co-operative" which is a group of women who are effectively taking care of themselves and their families.

Their shop and wee set of stalls is a mere half a mile from where we are in the hotel and they sell various items and they are there every day. Bunty and I have taken to them as they are a very friendly and kind group trying to support themselves in the absence of husbands and fathers to their children. The sort of Matriarch is very sweet lady whose name is Eman Qaisi and we all hit it off from the outset.

That is Eman behind Wilma.

The Mosque dominating the city centre is the "Al Sharif Hussein bin Ali" Masjid. Architecturally it is fairly traditional but beautifully appointed. The call for prayers gets both of us there at the time and as we'd normally be at St Michaels in Inverness for mass and it is a Sunday we both go to the Mosque. For me this is fairly straight forward, as it is merely leaving my shoes outside and ritual washing of feet etc; Bunty though has to dress in accordance with Islam.

This has been a moving and culturally uplifting experience, as indeed has the whole Jordanian trip.

A walk further up and along the sea front and we find ourselves with a last trip on the "Oggin" with a glass bottom boat trip into the bay and over towards the Israeli city of Eilat and besides the Palace of King Abdullah II.  Searching for turtles according Ahmed the owner. I suspect not a chance of seeing them but nonetheless, getting Wilma out to sea is a plus. 

The ladies have invited us to eat with them at the co-operative so that is our final date as it were, except for the fact that I get roped into another cut-throat shave and every bit if hair removed from my kisser with a thing called "threading".  Bunty too gets the treatment with threading which is a bit eye-watering.

The meal with the ladies was Goat and a variety of spices through the rice accompaniment and was so tender. I bow to Wilma's superior knowledge in the matter of "Goats" as a former show judge and breeder of the same.

Then it is all over and back to reality in the form of temperatures of 3 deg C and wind and snow showers. The flight back and overnight stay at Gatwick bring us back to earth without too much of a bump !

As-salāmu ʿalaykum

ٱلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمَا‎

The greeting "Peace be upon you" is probably more relevant now than ever in this chaotic world we seem intent on ruining. 

Ergo, I'm returning to the holiday theme as peace was certainly upon Bunty and I in Jordan !

We're on our way to Wadi Rum via the original train from the "Arab Revolt" in which the Ottoman troops from Turkey were defeated by the Arab forces of Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with support from T. E Lawrence a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia !

It is a great comfort to someone who also had a totally undistinguished career in the R.A.F.  that Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence had an equally undistinguished time in the R.A.F. and indeed had a rank even lower than mine. 

Therein is the only similarity, and his book "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is the best known of his copious writings.

The next stop on this desert caravan was at a Bedouin encampment for a barbecue/buffet and the food was superb. Capped off by Bunty and I joining in with the locals in some Arabic dancing which was redolent of the Syrian wedding last year we'd been to in Alness.

Bunty and I also got Henna tattoos from him in thanks for our support in the initial dance.

 as-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu -llāhi wa-barakātuh

or

Peace be upon you, as well as the mercy of God and his blessings

"Et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam"

The name "Petra" comes from the Greek for rock. The title of the blog is in Latin and relates to the assertion that on Peter (the Rock) God would build his church.

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, that rock dominates the "Rose Red City" of Petra. This is one of the wonders of the world and since I first came here almost 30 years ago, the changes have been mind boggling. Not in the site of Petra itself, but obviously in the infrastructure and support for tourism.

Making your way down via the "Siq" which extends about 1 km from the entrance at the information and Information/Ticket office and down to the facade which everyone knows from "Indiana Jones", and varies in width from 6 mtrs to 22 mtrs and up to 200 ft deep; it can be shaded and brilliant sunlight and constantly busy with the traffic of both people and various forms of transport of the 4 legged variety.

The sight that greets you of "Al Khazneh" is breathtaking in extremity and even allowing for the numbers is still totally awesome. While we're both taking this in, I'm talking to a couple of Nigerians in Igbo (from my time there !) who now live in Canada and dearest darling Bunty has disappeared.

We eventually get back together beside the camels we'd thought to have taken a ride on, to find that my heroine had climbed up to a ledge some 200 ft up the cliff onto a ledge where an aged Bedouin was arranging carpets for intrepid tourists to sit and take pictures of the Treasury.

You have to admit that Bunty has courage or insanity ! 

In any event she has produced this picture and I'm ultimately so very, very proud of her for having got up there as a septuagenarian.

More to come;

Into the desert sans camels !

Day 3 and with a switch of pace we head north by coach to spend the next two nights in the Movenpick Hotel in Petra. Leaving the Red Sea the terrain becomes increasingly desert like, which is to be expected since it is unsurprisingly desert.  There is a couple of stops scheduled before we arrive in Petra itself. The remnants of a 12 century Crusader fort and "Little Petra" are definitely historical enough.

The thing that struck me most though was the fact that you could see the polished dome of the "Al Aqsa" Mosque in the occupied Palestinian territory. So far away, but the fact remains that once again Britain  has screwed over a country and region it once controlled!

The highlighted piece shows clearly that the intention was there but it has slipped into meaningless jargon when you look at the change in borders taking land from the Palestinians with complicity of both America and Britain!

The Balfour Declaration;

Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour

Anti Zionist rant over;

to be continued;

A "Yellow Submarine" without the Beatles

Day two of the holiday has Bunty swimming in the pool and exercising in the superbly appointed gymnasium, sauna and Jacuzzi.

I on the other hand have taken to the "Oggin" again. This time on a trip ostensibly in a yellow submarine called the Neptune with the task of surveying the reef slightly outside the Aqaba city heading towards Saudi Arabia.

Strictly speaking it is not a submarine. Rathermore, the punters going down into the bowels of the boat to view out of glass windows and the door into the bowels is to all intents and purposes like a water-tight fixture. If this is ever taken by any of the readers, then do go on the earliest possible sailing as when the sun gets up (and it is very bright) then the view becomes less clear.

Nonetheless, it is enjoyable and for someone such as myself with the buoyancy of a boulder it is an ideal way to see what the snorkelling fraternity see. The sunken tank, Hercules aircraft and ship are all covered in crustaceans and put my in the mood for langoustines and prawns on my return to Aqaba.

Bunty and I head up town for the seafood treat although she has taken to this Arabic cuisine with a fervour which I foresee will become "de rigeur" in Inverness!  C'est la vie;

to be continued;

Bobbing about on the "Oggin" or the Red Sea (for non sailors)

A sort of relaxing period post arrival at the Movenpick is scheduled for the first night and for those who wish, a ship borne barbecue! The jetty for boarding the cutter is of the floating variety, and with mature trippers is trepidatious to say the least.

However, it is accomplished without mishap and we circle round the "Bay" taking in the fact that there are some 5 borders within eyesight. Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and a Royal Palace. Drinks on-board, but none of us are going to end up 3 sheets to the wind as it is limited in quantity.

Back on dry land via the wobbly jetty and there is a lovely warmth to the short promenade back to the hotel which is only some 200 yards from the jetty.

It has been a divine start to this "Arabian" adventure !

to be continued;

Desert Dreams and Levantine Culture in Jordan

The idea of a bit of warmth on our septuagenarian bones in a dreich winter in the Highlands was appealing to both Bunty and I. With this requirement, we'd booked a holiday in Jordan with Voyages Jules Verne. Notwithstanding the warmth of the Red Sea, we could also go and take in some culture with the Nabatean city of Petra which predates Christianity by some 2,000 years, and to see the impressive "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" of Lawrence of Arabia fame at Wadi Rum.

An additional bonus meant that the task of walking the irascible "Jack Russell" would be off of Bunty's agenda and Tia too would get a holiday; albeit hers was to be in kennels at Ardersier.

Thus it was that we set off from Inversneckie on a flight to Gatwick and an overnight stay prior to heading out to Aqaba which should have taken some 6 hours. However, the effects of either Storm Dennis or perhaps it was Ciara (who cares what their name is?) meant that the journey was accomplished in marginally over 4 hours as the air speed registered slightly over 600 mph according to the pilot. Bonus !!

Oh the joy of warmth on your back and a 5 star Swiss hotel as we check in to the Movenpick at Aqaba.

To be continued;