Bye bye (for now) Middle East.....

So here we sit, checked in and waiting to board our flight back to the
states. It feels like the right time to be returning home. Cairo is
quite a city. As like all big cities it has it's charms and it's
faults. But in general we were plesantly surprised as we had heard
plenty of horror stories. We were very thankful to hang out with some
local ex-pats last nite that we were introduced to via our Mendocino
network (thanks Nile and James).
We both leave this trip with a much deeper and sincere understanding
of this, at times troubled region. I know I will never be able to
watch, read, or hear another news story from any of these countries in
the same way as I once did.
As we depart, we have much to be thankful for including our health and
overall safe and pleasant travels. On a much deeper level I am
reminded of how thankful I am for all that I have been blessed with in
this life including my family, my friends, my lovely partner and (even
though I often speak of it in less kind terms) to be lucky enoegh to
have been one of the global few to be born and live in the United
States. All it takes is a few weeks in a such a region or really any
developing country(s), to renew one's appreciation for the little
things we all to often take for granted.
PS. I plan to upload a few more pictures to the blog and maybe add one
more quick post upon our return home. Thanks to any and all who shared
in this blog. It was a good exercise for me as I hope maybe it was for
you.
Thanks, and Happy Travels......... -CB

Sent from my iPod

104F in the shade...

Only thing of great signifigance report on here is the record tying heat wave afflicting the region. Today we hit at least 40C which is normal for summer, but not the middle of April (climate change anybody?). Everybody here, tourists and locals alike are wilting. We saw scary moment today at the Valley of the Kings when a tourist in a group passed out momentarily. Some of the tombs were oppressively hot, humid and crowded. We retired to our hotel to huff AC by 2:00pm and are thinking about reamerging soon as the sun is soon to set. We did a little better today with our heat aclimitization but no getting around it, it is too damn hot! What is truely astonishing to me how the farmers are out all day, in the sun, through the heat of the afternoon to bring in the harvest of sugar cane and wheat that grow along the vast flood plains. All hand harvested by men, women and kids, then hand loaded onto carts pulled by donkeys. These are then loaded onto a small narrow gauge train, by hand. I couldn't help but think how little life has changed here since these great temples and other architectural marvels were originally built.
Fortunately on Thursday it is to let up and be 10C cooler which will be good for Cairo time. We hop the overnight train down the Nile tomorrow night after one more day here seeing some more temples around Luxor. Then we will move on to the deafening, chaotic madness that is Cairo the largest city in Africa....wow, I can nearly smell the sea breeze blowing in on the Mendocino Coast. -CB

Hotta, hotta

Welcome to Luxor and the Nile River, but unfortunately the heat is a most unwelcoming host here. Today we topped out at 39C (102F) and tomorrow we expect 104F. As I write at 10:00pm it is 91F. Hot. It isn't nearly as dry of heat one would expect from a region that gets less than 1cm of rain a year, as the mightly Nile flows through town and keeps things rather moist.
We had productive day seeing some temples including Karanak with its extreamly large columns that are said to be the largest anywhere. Tomorrow we will brave the heat to take in the valley of the kings and whatever else we can manage to see with our 6:00am start. Today we were back at the room sucking on the AC by 1:30 and tomorrow will probably be the same. Egypt is pretty cool. We have had alot of scamming/hustle type of interact with people which is no fun but tonight we were hanging in the town park/center and met a bunch of cool college kids from a neighboring town. They were into practicing their english and taking photos with us. Chandra was very popular to have their picture takin with. If the local person isn't involved with tourism or in anyway making money off tourists they are very cool, much like people we have met in other countries, but the scams here are numerous and plentiful. Due dilligence and traveller savay is essential.
Glad we are not flying through the EU on our return next weekend. There are lots of people here who should have returned or will be deleyed because of the volcano.
Otherwise just checking in. We will be happy to return home next weekend. Just chill and get back into a routine. Travelling is where it its at, but can be exhausting and one does begin to yern for the comforts of home.

The Sinai

Long time, no post. We have been thriving nonetheless.
Currently, for the first time on this trip, we are taking a few days to enjoy a typical 'vacation'. Our current location is Dahab, Egypt. Which is situated on the Sinai Peninsula fronting the Red Sea. A once sleepy town that is a mandatory stopover on the backpacker circut, is now slightly more developed with a few more oceanside resturants specializing in new age chillout music and heaps of beduin style cushions. We have been kicking our feet up for the last couple of days for some much needed 'designated' relaxing. The extend of our activities include snorkeling, (I am also doing at least two scuba dives), eating and reading while watching the sun move across the sky. The diving here is world renowned and after our forays into the sea I would have to agree with this grandiose claim. They call this the Thai Islands of the Middle East, and you can see how easily people get stuck here for much longer than they had originally planned. We will be pushing on Saturday for a ferry to mainland where we will then gearup for Egypt's famous ancient landmarks.
Prior to the shores of the Red Sea we were in a wirlwind of contrasting people and places. When I last reported we were leaving Jordan's Petra for Wadi Rum, the land of great redrock sandstone uplifts rising out of flatbottom deserts like great geologic dinosaurs from a time long since past. This is the traditional home of the beduin, but now instead of riding donkeys around, chasing their livestock they ply the great sandy expanses with modified open topped Landcruisers ferrying sunburnt tourists to and fro. We lucked out and had our own rig (a Landcrusier with a whopping 430,000 desert km on it) , driver and camp to ourselves. We stayed out in a 'beduin' camp that was of beduin style but not a working camp. These sandstone monoliths provide excellent hiking opportunities. After topping out on one following just the right mixture of routefinding and length we found ourselves topping out on what may have been my personal landscape highlite of our trip. I had many a flashback to previous trips out in Southern Utah with friends and family. It was so great to be out in the wide expanses of the real desert again.
Then, flash... a few hours after waking up in the beduin tent, we find ourselves answering questions at the Israeli border as to who we are, what is my father's name, and why did we go to Syria? How long were you there? What was your business there? We were told it is all formality because of our Syria passport stamp. Regardless and hour or two later we were buying tickets for a bus. And that evening, walking through Jaffa gate of the old city of the holiest city in the world, Jerusalem. Without going into details, we saw lots of holy sites, including churchs, tombs, various places of worship and lots of sites that are sacred to three of the worldest largest and most influential religions. It is mind numbing to think that Christianity, Judaism and Islam can all lay claim to Jerusalem as their foundational birthplace. The old city is divided into 4 quarters and each one is so unique, so individualistic it is like walking into a different country, literally. While we admitably are not holy people ourselves, we stood in silence at these places trying to absorb the reverence that so many people hold dear.
This is also the birthplace of much conflict that has plagued the region and the world for much of the last 4000 years, and most recently for the last 60 years (since Israel was formed as an independent Jewish state in 1948 on the former lands of Palestine). It is here, in a country with only 7 million people and smaller in area than the state of New Hampshire, that has been the flashpoint for global political landscapes, global foreign affairs and needless death and suffering all over the world. The wars and terrorism that has plagued the US (and many other countries) for the last decade can be indirectly linked to US support of the Israel state.
We felt like had to go. We could not come to this region and not go Israel.
On a much more positive note, we felt very safe the entire time in the country. We did not have to show our passports anywhere, which is a positive sign of recent stability. The norm is numerous checkpoints and police/army randomly asking people for proof of identity. We saw lots of police and army officers all toting machine guns, and plenty of video survalience, all out on the streets and highly visible. Security is taken very seriously in this country and it shows. This is nothing new to the average Israeli/Palestinian.
We were unfortunately only able to stay in Jerusalem for 2 nights, 3 days before we pushed on. Israel was a side trip, a bonus that wasn't originally part of the plan. It was very worthwhile sidetrip and we look forward to seeing more of the country at another time.
Okay, enoegh for now. Hope all is well wherever this post finds one. We look forward to putting our packs back on and exploring this country of Egypt. I think we can say we will also look forward to boarding the plane in 9 days time, after what has been an very enjoyable venture through this intriguing region. -CB

Rosy Cheeks and Dusty Boots

Whew. I am finally able to get to internet cafe and blog-on after a nice restup following day two at Petra, Jordan. We have been charging it since we left Amman 4 days ago with very little downtime aside from eating and sleeping. So today's planned several hours of R and R were much appreciated. The following post is going to read like a hitlist, but without trying to solely proclaim our exploits (something I have tried to maintain on the blog) here it goes...
Day 1 4-5: We jump into a shared taxi with two others from the hotel on a 'tour', but really it is just a driver the hotel organized to take us to various sites with the ultimate destination of Petra. After seeing some amazing 2nd century Christian mosaics in Madaba, we paid a visit to Mt. Nebo. It is written that this is the location where Moses climbed to view the promised land. Views here include the lower Jordan River valley (Christ's batisim location), Jerico and the Dead Sea. Pretty awesome 270deg views of places I have only read or heard about. This is also the location of Moses burial (never scientifically confirmed). We then dropped over 3000' down to the Dead Sea Valley to an elevation of almost 1400' below sea level and the lowest place on earth. The air was thick and warm for sure. Bleak, but also very beautiful landscape, punctuated by incised watercourses and interesting geology. We just happened to be driving by a small village when a helicopter was coming in for landing. School kids were running around and super excited. We pulled over and caught a very quick glimpse of the King and Queen of Jordan get out of the helicopter. While it was interesting to see the royalty, it was equally cool to see how excited the hundreds of kids were. Unfortunatly the rest of the day went downhill from this point. In summary, the group wanted to go swimming in the Dead Sea at a different location then where the driver wanted to take us (we theorize he would get a small comission at his choosen location). There was a disagreement and while no one fully lost there cool it wasn't really that of cool of a 'tour'. We got dropped off at our choosen location of Dana Nature Perserve that afternoon (part of tour).
Day 2, 4-6: We wake in Dana Nature Perserve Village (pronounced Daw-naw but we called it Dana for my mum). A small 600 year old mud brick town perched at the rim of a amazing 2500'vertical deep redrock sandstone canyon. We stayed the night in one of the 3 little hotels. There isn't much more in town. It was great to finally get out of the city, away from the cars and honking horns and into a quiet peaceful place that actually didn't have the scars of human development tattoed all over it. That morning we got an early start and hiked down the canyon, out and back for probably a total of at least 12 miles with the vertical. We were beat upon return. Too many highlights to list but mine included the sweet sounds of a distant bedouin flute being carried downcanyon in the early morning breeze. It almost sounded like he was playing along with the corus of birds calls. That sound just seemed to fit the landscape so well. We did not see the legendary (and extremely endangered) black horned gazelle-like ibex, but we had our eyes peeled. This was one of the highlites of the whole trip up to this point. That later afternoon we hitched a taxi and limped the 40km into Wadi Musa, home to Petra.
Day 3, 4-7: Thank god we found a place here because it is busy season and this place is busy an hotels are full up. Prices are way higher than in the guidebook because they can charge it. We got a nice little backpacker friendly hotel and slept in just a little to rest our weary bodies from the day before. Upon entry into Petra we were shocked to see that prices had increased to almost 20$ more per person as the guide book had listed. This price is further set to rise 15$ in Nov of this year. So now it is about 45$ per person to go into Petra for one day (about 55$ for two days, our choice). We are disappointed to see the government charge these exorbanant rates just because they know tourists will pay it. That is as much to get into anyplace, anywhere in the world.
Well again, not to go into to many details but this place is truely amazing. Combine the southern Utah red rock standstone canyons with, carved ancient architectural masterpieces in the sandstone, and you have Petra. Everything dates from a 400 year time period, between 200BC and 200BC. Old shit. This was historically at the crossroads of major caravan routes both from north to south and east to west. But our highlite may have been disappearing from the crowds in taking an alternative route to the main siq (canyon). We entered a sweet canyon of probably 2 miles, that at times narrowed down to 4' wide. There were several boulders we had to lower ourselves down and even some water we had to 'body bridge' over. This siq is high on my list of the best canyons I have traversed in anywhere including Utah. Quality. We explored the greater Petra site for about 8 hours yesterday.
Day 4, Today: We got up early to get our postcard picture of Petra's gem, the library (made famous by Indian Jones). While we didn't get to the entrance gate quite as early as we wanted to (7:30), we goosed our aching legs along at a good clip to pass as many people as possible. It paid off and we did get some 'tourist free' pictures of this awe-inspiring mounument. We then hiked on for another 7 hours visiting the sites we intentially missed the day before. It is just amazing to see the amount of labor that went into building the great cities of this time period. Everything at Petra is free standing, carved out of the rock, including a 7000 seat theatre, tombs with imense indoor spaces and exterior ornate details. These things could only have been done by somebody with a uncomprehensible combination of skills including artistry, strength, patience and spritual enlightment. One can just imagine the caravans laiden with spices and silks arriving here from weeks or months in the desert, and seeing the waterworks of fountains, buildings and associated infastructure. What a good feeling that would have been!
Our good feeling came when we got a nap this afternoon. What a feeling it was! We are now preparing for a trip out to the Wadi Rum desert tomorrow for a 4x4 tour in Larence of Arabia country. We will then camp out in bedioun tent and do the whole bit. I have heard they are getting a bit touristy but it is just about getting out into the desert and feeling the sand between your toes. We are looking forward to it.
Things are getting more touristy here and will probably continue in Egypt. Our tentative plan however is to try and go to Jerusalem first, in a few days for few days. We feel that we can't come all the way to this region and not go to the epicenter of it.
Okay, if you read all this, well "good on ya" (Kiwi saying).
Jordan is awesome. You should come here, see Petra, see the Dead Sea, meet the people. Then you can go home and tell somebody else how great it is and that they should come here too. -CB

On the move...

We have returned safely from our 24 hours of Jordan rally car experience (really just average Jordanian driving). We rented the car and sped out to the eastern desert following the signs for the Iraqi and Saudi Arabia border. We passed many a tanker truck, those coming from Iraq/Saudi full and those returning were of course empty. Our destination was Azraq, a small truck stop hamlet that is situated next to what used to be a 17,000sqkm wetland/oasis. This wetland has unfortanately literally been tapped out and now the ground water table averages 10M below the surface. There is an acitve wetland restoration program now in place to restore at least part of the wetlands, a rare bit of positive environmental action for the greater region. Much like its neighbors (see previous post) Jordan is guilty of terrible past environmental stewardship and responsibility.
Our journey took us to several ‘desert castles’ that are not really castles but other outposts or historic hunting camps for the ruling elite. Most dating to early Islam (8th century) but one back as far as 2nd century AD. Chandra found a really cool souvenir here that will be shared upon our return. Most of these places were of modest interest but it was good to get out and be on our own with the freedom of our own transport in the big expansive featureless landscape. The desert out in this area is made up of mostly black stones or large pebbles. I believe overgrazing for the last several thousand years have contributed to a drastric decline in what little topsoil previously existed. I would imgine most people from outside the region may describe this area as a ‘wasteland’. Current uses now consist of some bedouin grazing, and large government installations, including severel military bases and a large police training facility. At our hotel last night, we met with the owner’s friends who were policemen and they told us of large training facility that we passed. This is a federal Jordanian faciltiy with some American officers conducting much of the training they said. Interesting. Police here randomly wave over vehicles on all the roads, checking for anything suspicious, individuals, weapons, drugs etc. We got waved over but as we were stopping they waved us through. There are lots of police here in Jordan and they are very friendly and helpful (we talked to several for driving directions).
Today we took the car to Jerash, one of the best preserved ancient roman cities in Jordan. It was very cool. Several theatres and a large ‘Temple of Zeus’ were the engineering highlights, but sometimes it is the small things that make such a place unique. For instance at Jerash, for the first time we could see the grooves worn into the stone along the main ‘street’ from the chariots. There is also evidence of what they claim as the worlds first ‘machine’, a water driven stone saw from the 6th century AD.
Weather wise, the last few days is what most people probably imagine what the Middle East is like, hot, dry and dusty. Reading in the Jordanian Daily english paper, the temps the last few days and for the next few days to come are running about 10C above average, somewhere in the low 30’ C (low 90’s F), with breezy conditions.
So far we have really enjoyed Jordan. Based on our recent travels I would have to say it is step up from Syria and a step short of Turkey in terms of infastructure and overall social affluence. It is a comfortable place to travel and is reflected by the number of tourists we have seen here. A lot more big package groups than Syria, and seemingly a few more independent travellers as well. As we head south we are also getting into more of the peak season for tourists. We met a nice couple from Seattle tonite over dinner but otherwise the few tourists from the US have almost been exclusively from California. We have only seen one package trip from the US and that was in Turkey. All the other trips our from (in order of frequency), France, Germany, Italy, Korea, and other East Asian countries. Why aren’t there more Americans here or in most other countries? Given a nation the size of the US, one would expect to see more Americans abroad. It is just surprising how few Americans actually do travel abroad.
Chandra also wants to write soon about the women here and how she as been received as a female in the region. It is striking the differences socially between men and women here. That post will ‘soon come’.
Otherwise we have physically regained some of our strength. We crossed the halfway point in our trip today. We had a good day today after yesterday being not a great day. We were both ‘off’, for various reasons, especially hearing the bad news of a serious injury to, and also the passing of a friend back home.
We trading in the car for some bus tickets tonite and we will strike it out south tomorrow AM. We shoud be dipping in the Dead Sea by 1:00pm, and then on to the redrock, juniper forested Dana Natural Preserve. Eventually we will be tripping into Jordan’s pride and joy, Petra (and surely its most overun with tourists, oh joy) We may not be online for a few days but we will be sure to ‘blog on’ when we get a chance. We hope all is well with friends and loved ones the world over. Please be safe as we will return the favor. It is amazing how much one thinks of loved ones when we are so far away. I guess travelling like this, in places like this, we can’t help but appreciate how lucky we are and how much we have to be thankful for. -CB

Arrival in Jordan

Note: please see updated pics from last 3 posts including video from "Welcome to Syria" post

So we bid goodbye to Syria yesterday and have arrived safely in Jordan. We had an uneventful boarder crossing but for some reason the process still takes a couple of hours. Amman is our current location and we are strategizing for the next week or so. While Amman is no Damascus it is still a nice city. It has a few cool arch sites including a large theatre and citidal. We did see what appeared to be slum-like housing on the outskirts of town which we read may be Iraq and/or Palastine refugee camps. Our intial take of the city and Jordan in general is much the same of Syria, but much smaller. The country is smaller and the cities our smaller which which is fine. Everybody we have met has been nice and helpful. Are intial plan is to rent car for a few days, exploring some of the more rural desert castles to the east, and then take a tour south in the direction of our ultimate destination, Petra.
A few departing thoughts on Syria… While we have been raving about it, the single greatest downfall was their environmental practices. We read that Syria has the worst environmental record in the Middle East, making them one of the worst in the world. The most ‘surface level’ evidence of this is the profuse levels of trash and waste is strewn about the landscape, alleys and near any traveled road surface (city centers seem to be cleaned regulary). Often the nearest receptacle is over the nearest wall or in the nearest depression which serves as a temporary landfill. Temporary only in that for longterm disposal, the trash is simply ignited and burned. This waste is further enhanced with large area of blackened soil stained by used motor oil. Often the oil has standing puddles associated with them. It is sickening sight. This is the evidence of the environmental stewardship of the average Syrian. This further supports the theory that in order to provide better enivronmental protection on a global level and the we must first address the global poverty issue. It makes the US argument that we ‘can’t afford’ greener policies and more stringent environmental protection sound pretty feable.
Otherwise things are going pretty well. Chandra stomach is a little funky and she has bouts of not feeling 100% but for the most part we are happy and healthy. We did admitably have our first day of traveller fatagiue two days ago. We have been going hard and long everyday and we hit a wall (we also went 36 hours without good protien). Travel of this nature can be exhausting and demanding and can take a toll. It is not always all fun and games. We are just very happy and thankful that we have had safe travels up to this point and we can continue on our journey. On less postive side note, we are very saddened by the tragic and unexpected lost of a former Crested Butte friend, Jack Hannon. We will be thinking of him and wish his family and friends the best during this difficult time. Even though we are halfway around the world, we are never far from those we care about and love. -CB

Damascus

Pic #1 is the Uymaddan (sp) Mosque in Damascus, Pic #2 is ruins in Palmyra

Again, strangly enough I can post blogs but can't read or open my past blog pages, I can only assume state censorship, regardless, I hope this post makes it up.
We arrived in Damascus yesterday, the capital of the great nation of Syria, and home to over 4 million people. They say there is nothing that has happend in the civilized world that the great city of Damascus hasn't witnessed. Along with its little sister Aleppo, in the north part of the country, they claim to be the oldest continues occupied cities in the world (they have found remains of occupation back to at least 6000 BC). But unlike Allepo, Damascus has a subtle air of sophistication and a much improved infastructure. The old walled city is charming with its great gates arched over cobbled streets lined with mosques, churches, and old palaces. It is great fun to just wander the narrow passages and try to get lost and then make your own personal little new discovery. The numerous souqs are some of the best in the region with vendors peddling all sorts of wares, eats and drinks. Many of the old palaces and large residences have been converted into boutique hotels and resturants. They harbor great interior open spaces, what we would call a courtyard but is often refered to as a 'garden' here. Vegetation often snakes up the walls or across the tops and some have orange trees with fruit present. Locals and to a lesser degree tourists, sit and drink tea or coffee, have a bite to eat and/or smoke a nargile (hooka) packed with fruit flavored tabacco (I am partial to the apple). They are really atmospheric places dating back to as early as the 1600's. We saw an framed article that the NY Times did in 2009 hanging on the wall at one place. It was talking about these types of places as evidence of Syria's progress in recent years in modernization and increasingly embracing western ideals. Theses places are nice because they are still affordable for both the budget traveler and middle class locals. Damascus is quite a city.
Prior to Damascus we went to Palmyra which is home to some of the finest roman ruins in all of Syria. There are ruins spread over at least 500 acres in various states of ruin. Most of what is visible was excavated and they estimate it is less than 30% of the ancient city. This area is out in the east central part of the county. The real desert, home to the sparsely populated native bedouin people still living much the way they have for the past 6000 years, and not much else. It was interesting to see a road sign at the junction just outside the town, one way pointing to Palmyra and the other way to 'Bagdad' (still probably 300 miles away). It was good to get out of the city and into a small town out in the desert.
Otherwise we have nothing but positive things to say about Syria. I have been really surprised with how green the country is (not in an evironmental sense, but that is a story for another day). Accept for when we were out in Palymra we have been in the western 25% of the country. The landscape is green and in full agricultural production. We have seen everything that can be grown in California, and given the commonality of a mediterrean climate it shouldn't be surprising.
We have felt very, very safe throughout our travels. We continue to keep our travel savvy and awareness but in general the 'fear' that been branded by the west on this country as a whole seems completely unwarrented, unjustified and unfair.
The people continue to be very pleasant and we have had lots of good conversations with people on recent past events, the US/Syria relationship and of course, politics. Most have conversations have been positive but its not always been a trip down candy cane lane. The fact has been brought up several times of how old this country is, and how young the US is. In this region and in a few others, history has shown countless civilizations rise and fall, and that nothing stays the same forever. When things are good it is easy to believe 'in the moment' especialy in the western world. It is important to acknowledge and learn from the past otherwise we are destined for history to be again repeat itself. In talking with the people and seeing these places that are so deeply rooted in this regions past, I have a new found prespective and appreciation for this 'history repeating itself' reality.
We have met a really cool Aussie couple (he is a native and she is from WA) and we may buddy up with them on friday when we head across into Jordan which will be cool. We will be sad to say goodbye to Syria. It has been a very pleasant surprise coming here. So far we can't say anything bad about the region, including how traveller friendly and easy it has been. I highly recommend it to anybody who is thinking about doing a trip abroad, any age, any sex, any budget. Just go and experience it for yourself. The people here would apprecieate it and deserve it.
-CB

"Welcome" to Syria....

-Video of 360 degree view of Aleppo from citadel with seemingly 'firery' sermon in background
...is the phrase we have heard over and over since our arrival here about 36 hours ago, but none were as sweet to hear as the one from the gruff, overweight, chainsmoking boarder guard as he stamped our passport.
A long, at times very uncomfortable overnight bus ride landed us at the Syrian/Turkey boarder. We had secured our visa long in advance as was required however we still got the run around for about an hour before we got stamped and headed through (US passports do seem to recieve extra scruity). We were apprehensive upon arrival, if for no other reason unsure of how we would be recieved here as americans. Our first stop was conservative Aleppo (4 million people), which vias with the Syrian Capital of Damascus as the longest continuously occupied city in the world. It was a full five senses experience. Loud, dirty, and chaotic, just begin to describe our intial take of this place. We got checked into a dingy, super funky, but cheap hotel. We dropped our bags and struck out for some more sensory overload. Aleppo is famous for it souqs (covered markets) selling everything one could ever want or imagine, and some things you never thought existed. Headscarves are the norm here, and many women wear the full facial covering (I don't know the proper term). People yelling, cars honking and all forms of transport via for the same coveteted cobble stoned streets in the heart of the old city. Something as seemingly mundane as crossing the street here takes on whole new level of flirting with death or dismemberment. This is not unlike many big cities in the developing world, however nothing can fully prepare you for it, rather you just need to keep your eyes open, your feet light and plunge into the fray like the local smiling 10 year old alongside you. Welcome to the real Middle East.
We are now in Lattakia, a smaller less conservative city of 1 milion. It is on the coast and serves as the main port for Syria. We can watch container ships get loaded from the window of our cheap dingy hotel. We checked out a sweet castle 30km away today that dates from the 11 century. A real cool, big kid kind of place. Tomorrow we go to Palmyra, way out in the eastern desert to see some Roman city ruins.
But by far the thing that has left the greatest impression on us is the Syrian people. I think they are the most friendly and warm people I have ever met in any country, anywhere. We lost count of how many times we have heard "welcome to syria" from smiling, inquisitive faces. All ages, but mostly men, have went out of their way to give us a warm greeting and ask where we are from. Our apprehension builds when we say the US, which is repleyed with "ah americans, very nice." This followed up with "Bush, Bush", with a sense of questioning. Thank goodness we can reply with "Obama, Obama" and we all break out into smiles. They like Obama, they don't like Bush (sound familiar?). Just as we read prior to our trip most folks can seperate politics from the people. They are not used to seeing american here because there are not many americans traveling here, so they actually respond even more positively to us. They want to see americans here. It is a sign to them that we as a global society are moving forward from the not so distant past political blunders and otherwise negative events. It is really refreshing to see, and personally gives me (us) hope for a more peaceful future, both in this region and worldwide.
Okay. Enoegh for now. I can post blogs here in Syria, but I can't read my blog (?). We will keep on the blog as best we can here. Internet access is less available, but of good speed and quality where available.
-CB

Leaving Turkey

NOTE: Pics have been posted to all previous blog posts.

So tonight we bid Turkey gule gule (bye bye) and prepare for another overnite bus trip, this time to Aleppo, Syria. We had a nice, rather mellow day today, not in small part to my waking with my first taste of traveller crud. I had a very marginal dish last night for dinner, combined with some local wine, a tall beer, lots of bread and a long day in the sun = me feeling drained and flu-like this morning. It hung around for most of the day but I have seemingly shaken it for the time being (very good considering our 12 hour upcoming bus sentencing).

We checked out a collection of rock cut churches today (pic above). The rock that makes up the landscape of is primarily volcanic derived pumice like stone and therefore is easily carved and manipulated. For the past 3000 years or longer the local peoples have been carving it for every conceivable use, most noteably for shelter. Houses, stables, churches and even cities that can hold up to 5000 people have literally been carved into the landscape. We saw the underground city two days ago. Pretty awesome. The city was only fully occupied when 'invaders' were in the area, and the churchs were used on a more regular basis. Many of the current hotels are carved out these rock chimneys, and this is one of the big draws to the area.

We also finally got to do the turkish bath today, a hamam. These have been around since the earliest civiliations in the region. It consists of a sauna, then laying on a heated stone, a hand scrub to remove all the dead skin, a soapy massage and then a hand rinse. Pretty nice treatment.

So here we go, we really are going to Syria. Aleppo is our first destination in Syria. This city has been at the crossroads of trade since the beginnings of civilization. The souqs (outdoor markets) are some of the best and most diverse in the region. Chandra took the time to look up 'rogue state' on wikipedia. The definition is those countries that harbor and sponser terrorism and can be considered a threat both within and outside their borders. Currently there are only two countries in the world that are officially considered rogue states, Sudan and Iran. So we got that going for us, which is nice...

There is an off chance that the blog may not be accessable in Syria (or facebook (oh dear god, nooo)). Otherwise we will keep this blog thing going as I have been enjoying it. It really is serving as a journal for me primarily, but to all or none who read it I hope it can stir something, I don't know what, but that is is up to you.
-CB

"Spent the night in Turkey in a cave up in the hills..."

We made it to Cappadocia, the land of fairy chimneys and rock cut churchs. We are staying a small, quintisential traveler town surrounded by a surreal rock garden landscape. We had a nice long day of rental scooter accessed hiking in and amoungest the valleys and rock chimneys.
Words can't adequately describe this place so I will refrane in hopes of getting some pictures up on this blog tomorrow, but think of Southern Utah or Western Colorado with its delicate intricacies of mud hills and sandstone rock formations.
As we are preparing to leave Turkey in 24 hours, there are a few things I wanted to share. Talking with the locals it has been interesting to discuss Turkey's bid to become part of the EU. It isn't too surprising that the more affluent the individual (ie. Istanbul residents), the more strongly they are in favor of the idea. Most people oppose the idea and cite the recent economic woes of neighboring Greece as an example. Things are expensive here for the local people as is true in nearly all of the underdeveloped world (petro is at least $7.50 /gal and can be as much as $11). Joining the EU would only make things more expensive for the average Turk. Traveling within the country would also be more expensive and possibly have a negative effect on those in the tourism business. And while it isn't near as expensive as traveling by western standards, it isn't exactly cheap either. We are running about 25% over our modest $100/day budget. We anticipate (and hope) costs will go down as we head south in the region.

We have been really surprised with how few independent travelers we have seen in Turkey but it is nearing the end of the slow season. However there appears to be no shortage of package tourists who pour into the sites by the bus load and can make visiting such sites rather unpleasant. We often have to wait for a big group of aging Koreans or Germans to pass
so we can have a moment to process what grand antiquity lies before us (we have been known to trail an english speaking group on occasion however these groups are few). Word is these trips are offered cheaply back in their respective native countries in the Turkish off season. They can appeal to older folks because the climate is much more mild this time of year as well. But outside the grandiose, well known sites, it is very quiet and peaceful. It allows one to get a better feel for the land, the culture and its history, and presents many more opportunities to converse with the local people which we certainly enjoy.

Turkey really is a surprisingly straightforward place to travel. Tourism is very well rooted here. They have seen visitors for a long time and the infastructure reflects that. There are plenty of hotels, restaurants, ticket offices and the associated services make getting around surprisingly simple, which is nice. While it may be exotic to most people from the west, there are plenty of western familiarities and is probably a great place to get an introduction to the greater region. At least that is what we think, for now.
-CB, with extensive editing assistance by CN

Polıtıcs and pools

A long day ıt was. We were graced wıth some of the nıcest weather thus far. Brıllıant sunshıne warmed the land after another cool eveıng. We struck ıt out rather early for the chalky whıte tavertıne pools that are Pamakkale. Barefoot ıs the only allowable footware when you are actually on the calcıum deposıted features. There are ıncredıble ruıns on top of the greater geologıc features that were orıgınally buılt ın 1st century AD. The cıty was structured around the tradıtıonal medıcınal waters of the sprıngs. A ancıent hot sprıngs resort of sorts. Also a wonderful large old theatre that has been very well restored and now hosts the occasıonal contemporary performance. The present hot water pool wıth the old sunken columns was a bıt of a let down, ın that they have become commerıcalızed tourıst trap and are overprıced (but we swam anyways).
On the socıal sıde of thıngs, we have now been able to sıt down and have several nıce conversatıons wıth the local people. These ınevıtably turn to polıtıcs and they love to brıng up Obama. Polıtıcs can also always be a stıcky subject, especıally wıth unfamılıar folks. Fortunately the topıc of Obama ıs met wıth smıles and noddıng of the head. He ıs vıewed ın a favorable lıght here, much lıke back home, and Turks feel that he ıs a good change from Bush. Thıs has been followed up wıth our talkıng about how polıtıcs are polıtıcs, that the presıdent ıs only one person, that there are many other ınterests and ındıvıduals pushıng and pullıng. But so far Obama seems to be vıewed ın a posıtve lıght, and ın turn we are as well. The people we have talked wıth seem pretty well versed on amerıcan polıtıcs whıch from our experıence ısn't uncommon. On that note, ıt has been ınterestıng to see the response when people ask us where we are from. Our typıcal response ıs "the Unıted States" whıch ıs greeted wıth a nod and more or less neutral reactıon. Then we say "Calıfornıa" and they lıght up lıke a kıd on Chrıstmas. There ıs somethıng about Calıfornıa that people just love (The song 'Hotel Calıfornıa' has been repeated on several occasıons). We have even been told we shouldn't even say Unıted States, we should just say "Calıfornıa".
Okay, we are kıllıng tıme for another hour untıl we hop a 10 hour overnıte bus to Cappadocıa, the southern Utah redrock desert versıon of Turkey. Should be cool. Houses buılt ın the rocks and 'faıry chımneys'.
Otherwıse we are great. Our health ıs good, we are restıng well (I have been gettıng solıd restful sleep wıthout self medıcatıng myself) and takıng good care of one another. We are both feelıng so lucky to have made the tıme and taken the opportunıty to make a trıp of thıs nature possıble.
-CB

Olıves and Oranges

So we made a clean break from the quaınt small communıty of Selcuk thıs mornıng and headed east ınto the 'heartland' of Turkey. Our destınatıon....Pamukkale, home to the glorıous whıte tavertıne hot water pools that grace many a turkıst postcard. Our 3 hour bus rıde passed through some of the best agrıcultural land ın the country. We passed countless crops ıncludıng oranges, strawberrıes, cotton, pomegranete, peaches, some grapes, and of course olıve trees, lots and lots of olıve trees. Rock terraces that date back many a mıllınea provıde the structural support for the growıng of olıves and they occupy any possıble growıng space above the flat fertıle valleys that we have so far traversed. We have yet to get ınto the true mountaınous country, however we caught are fırst good look at some snow capped peaks today ("I reckon ıt looks lıke early season corn snow"). The towns we have passed have all been decent sızed and maıntaın a very hıgh housıng densıty. Lots of newer apartments ın close proxımaty to the downtown area. Just lıke ın Greece every roof top ıs adorned wıth multıple dırect solar hotwater heaters (why are these mıssıng ın the US?). You can pack ın apartments lıke thıs when nobody has a car, as ıs much the case here. Cars are expensıve, gas ıs expensıve (7.50 dol/gal) and people make around the equıvelant of maybe 10,000 dol a year. The average Turk lıves below what would be consıdered western lıvıng standards but thıs ıs quıckly changıng. Thıs place has 'emergent country' wrıtten all over ıt (somewhere between ındustrıalızed and undeveloped).
But most folks walk wıth a smıle on theır face, a cıgarette ın theır hand and a posıtıve outlook on lıfe.
So we are checked ınto a nıce lıttle pensıon, and tonıght wıll be enjoyıng a homecooked meal wıth the jovıal proprıetor and hıs frıendly wıfe. There are stıll very few ındependent travelers here, as the busy season starts sometıme ın later Aprıl. The weather has drastıcally ımproved and whıle ıt ıs stıll cool ın the evenıngs, ıt ıs sunny and warm durıng the day, really our favorıte tıme to be travelıng.
We wıll strıke ıt out for the whıte hot sprıng tavertıne pools of Pamukkale ın the AM. Dırectly above are the ruıns of Hıerapolıs, a large ancıent cıty that was, of course, famous for ıts theraputıc hot waters. We wıll also get our fırst taste of swımmıng ın Turkey's hot baths. Word ıs you can swım ın the pool wıth sunken roman marble columns. So we are both lookıng forward to that. Wıll 'blog on' tomorrow afternoon after what wıll surely be another fabulous long day. -CB

Out of the cıty...ınto the country

So we are on the move... After takıng a nıce boat tour around the Bospherous Straıght ın Istanbul yesterday we hopped the plane south to Turkey's 3rd largest cıty, Izmır. We had to do some navıgatıng from the aırport to the bus statıon ın order to get to our fınal destınatıon of the day a small farmıng communıty called Selcuk. No less than 3 dıfferent people helped us get there, whıch ıncluded a mınıbus trıp as well. The mınıbuses are a common form of publıc transport that ply the most routes, a hop on hop off servıce. Cheap too. It was our fırst experıence wıth real turks, or at least non-ıstanbul turks. We realızed towards the end of our tıme ın ıstanbul that we saw a very small slıver of the cıty of 18 mıllıon, the clean and polıshed versıon of the cıty whıch ıs what 99% of the vısıtors see, whıch ıs what ıt ıs, I guess.
Selcuk ıs great though, small town full of very nıce, frıendly people and some very well preserved 8th century BC roman ruıns. Vırgın Mary amoung many spent some tıme ın the cıty and ıs featured ın the bıble. Pagen fırst, then chrıstıan so ıt has a turmoultous past as do all cıtıes that old.
But rıght now we gotta run, we are off to see some real turkısh musıc at a lıttle off the beaten path resturant we dıscovered thıs afternoon, and we want to get there before ıt ıs fully dark (20 mın walk through cemetary then orchards).
We off to Pammukale ın the AM. All ıs well and we are both feelıng lıke the trıp ıs startıng to take off.
-CB

Lıfe as a sultan

The lıfe of an Ottoman sultan.... that ıs the lıfe for me. If I had lıved between the 15th and 19th centurıes I most certaınly would have wanted to have taken up resıdence ın the Topkapı Palace. Arguably one of the most ımpressıve serıes of buıldıngs of monumental proportions ın the greater Istanbul area. Thıs was home to the Sultan hımself, the prınces, the sultan mother (head wıfe) hıs 'heram' (real term), whıch consısted of 4-8 second wıfes, the concubınes (second wıfes ın traınıng) whıch consısted of only the smartest and most attractıve gırls from throughout the state, and lastly the many servants and other varıous representatives of the expansıve ottoman state. Thıs palace ıs the defınıtıve defınıtıon of the word. Incredıble attentıon to detaıl throughout the sprawıng complex. Tıles, staıned glass, cabinets, carpets, domes, stone/marble, water and bathworks, and overall archıtecture make thıs place one of kınd. The corrıdors and rooms seemed to go on and on and of course the occupy the nıcest corner lot ın town. The kıtchen must have been 2 acres alone. I had a preference to the whole heram system, whıch must have made lıvıng there mıghtly kınd to the sultan and prınces. And hence the defınıtıon of the term 'heram'. The treasury consısted of some of the fınest pıeces of handcraft from the near 500 year ottoman rule. Emeralds, rubıes, pearls and dıamonds afıxed to every concıevable type of clothıng, weapon or jewelry. Wow.
We also hıt up the spıce bazaar for some kınd loose leaf teas and lıttle specıal tea mıx for a sleep aıd for myself as at tımes have a hard tıme completely unwındıng for the proper rest that one needs.
'Impressıvely cold' as quoted by Chandra sums up the weather. And today we even had few showers thrown ın. Thıs certaınly lımıted non essential outsıde tıme.
Tomorrow we fly south to Izmır, then a bus to Selcuk to check out the ancıent roman ruıns of Ephesus. The flıght was 33dol and takes one hour vs. a 15dol bus that takes 8+ hours so that ıs a no braıner, should be warmer too, so we got that goıng for us, whıch ıs nıce.
Note: spellcheck ıs not so good here for englısh, so I hope my poor spellıng skılls aren't further put on dısplay -CB

Day one ıs nothıng but the past

So we have succeeded ın beıng tourısts ın Istanbul. Today we dıd what everybody who vısıts here does, we went to the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya, and the Grand Bazaar. Words cannot begın to descrıbe any of these landmarks and even the term "landmark" seem grossly mısrepresntatıve. Regardless these places have began to shape our ımage of what thıs regıon ıs, where ıt has come from and who ıts people are. We took lots of good pıctures but unfortunately we are unable to effectıvely upload them to blog, and thıs may be the case for most of the trıp. Pıctures do what ı could never do ın descrıbıng such places. And even then, we all know how pıctures never do justıce to the subject. We also dıd an evenıng walk around the Istıkal Cad street whıch ıs the Turkısh versıon of chıc western Europe or Amerıcan namebrand shoppıng dıstrıct. It ıs the place to see and be seen for any young hıp Turk. Thıs ıs the place that ıs ın advertısements and promotıons for Turkey's bıd to be ın the EU. It was good for people watchıng but between the overprıced coffeshops/bars, the Starbucks, Addıdas and Burger Kıngs ıt was pretty lame and borderlıne dısgustıng. Enough saıd.
One thıng that has surprised the two of us ıs how cool and crısp the weather has been. And at tımes ıt has been downrıght cold especıally wıth a lıttle wınd blowıng. We brought warm clothes, lots of layers, and we are wearıng them all, plus a new wool hat for myself and gloves for Chandra. We both feel lıke we are stıll fully recoverıng from the fatıgue of the travel and ıf left unattended we could catch a lıttle cold. So we are takıng extra care, tryıng to eat good, get lots of rest and drınk lots of water (whıch ıs always challenging when you are on bottled water). One always fınds the strength to overcome such mere ınconvıenences on a trıp lıke thıs and I know we wıll be fıne.
Tomorrow wıll brıng another day ın the bıg cıty, the Sultan's palace (not chıc but sheık) and then maybe a boat rıde around the Bosphorus (the water passage lınkıng the Medıterraın and the Black Sea) and perhaps even a turkısh bath (Chandra's choıce). It can be dıffıcult shıftıng through the pervaors of any actıvıty, even for somethıng easy lıke havıng a tea/beer, to avoıd the overprıced tourıst traps. There are plenty of them here vıeıng for our lıra (or dollar). Got to stay savvy!
-CB

Arrival in Istanbul

Well, we made it safe and sound but thoroughly exhausted. It took us nearly 20 hrs of traveling but here we are. A 2 hr nap got us out onto the streets in time for a beautiful sunset and the evening call to prayer which is surprising loud (and our hotel's proximity to the blue mosque will make the 5am call a not so nice wakeup call). Our first impression of the city certainly didn't disappoint. It has a very European feel to it and reminded me of a very rough around the edges middle east version of Paris or at least Athens, just substıtute the catholic churchs with mosques. Everybody has been very friendly and helpful. Our little budget hotel is clean, quıet and nice. We are just happy that we made it and the anxiety of arrıval to a foreıgn place is just about over. We are both tried and jet-lagged. Going to bed sounds so enjoyable. Tomorrow will be a big day, and we are really looking forward to getting this trip started.
-CB
ps. writing on this iPod is really not that easy

Sent from my iPod

Thoughts before departure

"Why are you going there?" is the common response.

So yeah... we are going to the Middle East. Into Istanbul and six weeks later, we fly out of Cairo. Turkey, Syria, Jordan and then on to Egypt and what is often called the most chaotic city in the world and the biggest city in Africa, Cairo. This is the original 'hippie trail', the route pioneered by western counterculture in the late 60's - early 70's. It was adventurous trip then and will undoubtedly be an adventure now.

I don't know why exactly we choose to go to the Middle East. What I do know is when living in the US, it is easy to think that the region is all doom and gloom. It is somehow comfortable to believe this, maybe even patriotic to some, especially given the current political climate. But contrary to popular belief (and FOXNews) it is widely known among the international travel community that the people of the Middle East are the most friendly and hospitable in the world especially to foreigners (Israelis possibly being the exception). They are keen to share their cultures and country with visitors. And yes, it is safe to travel there. Use common sense, keep your wits about you, keep up with the latest political developments, and take responsibility for your actions. This is not unlike traveling anywhere in today's world. Crime is very low there, owing much to the harsh penalties for criminals. "You want to keep your hand? Keep it off my wallet". Past violence and the associated present security are a integral part of society. There are obvious no-go zones including most of Iraq, parts of Iran, and parts of Occupied Palestine like the Gaza Strip. Hey, with a map there is no problem avoiding these areas. I guess my point is that one can easily stay home and write off the region, write off a country, or even write off an entire culture, or, one can go out and see the local people, talk to the children. Hopefully see that these are real people, living lives not that different from our own. The local people are the true faces and voices of these countries.

One thing that I have learned from past travels is, by default, we are obligated to a personal level of responsibility. Given that, travel in this region may demand an even greater responsibility. We have a responsibility to the local people (who may or may not harbor a distaste for the west) in showing that we are not a country full of Bushs and Cheneys. And I think we have an equal or greater responsibility to our friends and family back home in the US. We need to tell a story that would never get a chance to read about in western media headlines. These are the opportunities (or burdens) of taking such a trip. The title of a travel book we recently saw at the bookstore I thought summed it up nicely, "Traveling as a Political Act". Or at least traveling with some political and social responsibility.

I thought the blog thing would be a cool way to share our trip experiences with others. Never done a blog, never really even read a blog until just recently. But after reading my buddy's on their recent trip to SE Asia (yeah Z, MendoIndo.blogspot.com), I thought this would be a good opportunity to give this blog thing a go.

So here we go. Off to a region and culture with its feet planted firmly on three continents, a land where the east really does meet the west. Where civilizations have risen and fallen, only to rise and fall then rise once again. To stand in one place where three of the world's greatest religions all claim the rights to the same sacred ground. To hear the morning call to prayer over a cup of tea. To share the red desert sand with the Bedouin while hearing the echos of Lawrence of Arabia. This may or may not be our experience, but we are going to go, and we are going to check it out for ourselves......

So the I guess the simple question really just becomes.... why not go? -CB