So I am going to switch up the order a bit and start with my return to Eilat which came this afternoon. The border between Jordan and Israel is one of a love-hate relationship. They live next to each other, but don't hang out, or go for drinks. And they both keep an eye on each others dog so it doesn't crap on their lawn, you know? They wave hello to each other in the morning, but neither really smile while doing it. But they have a lot of mutual friends (like me and other tourists), so they don't mind when they end up at the same party...but that is pretty much as far as it goes.
The border is called different names by each side. Returning from Jordan it is the South Wadi border. You pay 8 Dinar (roughly 11 dollars or so) to leave by foot. Walking back to Israel was a sigh of relief for me, kind of like I feel when I land in Vancouver, or cross the border from Alberta in my car...simply a feeling of being back home. The walk is maybe 500 meters long, all by yourself, with high fences on both sides and outside the fences nothing...maybe some land mines but who knows. Don't go there. When I got to the Israeli border I was happy to be back, and forgot that they still want to know who the fuck I am and why the fuck I am coming into their country. The chick asked some pretty funny questions (with an Israeli accent)
You are from Canada?
Yes
Your name
Elliot Weinstein
From Vancouvercan?
Pardon?
Vancouvercan?
Uhh, Vancouver, yes. In Canada.
Vancouver is in Canada?
Yes
Where
All the way to the West
Where is that
By the water on the very edge on the West coast of Canada
Elliot Samuel
Yes
What is Samuel
My middle name
Why do you have a middle name?
Uhh, I don't know...
Do you have any weapons?
No
OK, you can go.
Strange interaction, but that is when I remembered she and the other dude with the loaded M-16 were watching the way I answer, not the actual answers.
I changed my Dinars back to Sheqels and went on. The taxi driver was quite helpful, and dropped me off in front of a hostel, but I found another one that was cheaper with free internet (but still pretty expensive). It was really nice to be here.
To the beach...I can't believe I forgot my camera!!! Here are some highlights:
-The women here are amazingly beautiful! I swear it could be the most gorgeous beach in the world. Everyone was lounging, drinking, smoking, being hot, being hot from the sun and playing soccer volleyball (beach volleyball but with a soccer ball -no hands). It was amazing to watch. I didn't speak to anyone but enjoyed the people watching.
-That dude who only works out his upper body. You know him, and have seen him before. Huuuuuge chest, shoulders, pecs, abs and arms....tiny little legs. Hilarious.
-Picture a man standing like Peter Pan. Now picture him without the green clothes or sword, but instead a purple speedo bathing suit. HILARIOUS.
-A liquor store next to the beach to buy your booze-from hard liquor to beer-so you can drink and smoke ridculous amounts on the water.
-The beach packed from end to end with people. Everywhere. It was amazing and such a contrast with the beach in Aqaba.
I absolutely love it here and am glad I stayed the night instead of coming straight back to Tel Aviv.
Other things I witnessed
1) they still have intermissions in movies for a smoke, bathroom, snacks etc. I went to see Thor bust mixed up the time so saw Fast Five. A good movie if this is what you want to see. Israelis talk during movies.
2) Israeli dancing at the beach. I walked back at around 11:30, and they were still going strong. I took some pictures; I know my mom would love to have been there dancing. It looked fun, and I watched for a few minutes.
3) two girls sitting drinking a bottle of wine on the sidewalk. NBD.
I guess I should write about my trip to Jordan now. I will preface this story with three (3) points.
1) I realized I do not like to travel alone (Pt1)
2) Jordan sucked (Pt2)
3) Point 2 is possibly a function of point 1
-please keep points 1 and 2 in mind, as I will reference them as I go.
On Wednesday I went from TA to Eilat and immediately took a cab to the border. From this side it is called the Yitzhak Rabin Crossing. Walked through the border (same as before but reverse) and into Jordan, it costs 101 Sheqels to leave Israel (about 25 bucks). Hopped in a cab there and said in my most Batman-like voice 'To the Hostel zone!' I got dropped off downtown Aqaba, and walked around for a bit. For those first few minutes I was doing great! 2 minutes later I regretted whatever the fuck decision I thought about coming here to Jordan (Pt1). I found a place, a hotel just off the beach for 25 Dinar...35 bucks-ish. Fine. Now it is 3 o'clock. Now I had several hours to kill exploring the city of Aqaba.
If any of you have been there, you know what it is like. For those who have not, close your eyes for one second. Picture a shitty tiny annoying town on a shitty rocky beach. You have officially been to Aqaba, Jordan. I went to the beach with my scuba gear, but did not feel comfortable leaving my bag there on its own. I did not snorkel. (Pts 1 and 2)
Before snorkling, I had time to arrange everything I was planning on doing...a trip to Wadi Rum, to Petra and scuba diving. I was successful in doing this. Again, I will start at the end. I hope I am not confusing too many of you.
Snorkling was fine. I went with a company that wasn't too expensive, and got two dives in on the Saturday, the morning before I left Jordan. I got there early, and was able to use their computer before we left. 2 dives later -one to a ship wreck and one to a coral reef- and I was done, and after that I was happily on my way back to Eilat. Not the best dives or the brightest coral; I would rate it as par from the dozen dives I have experienced. How glad was I to be finished my time in Jordan and on my way back to Israel? Very (Pts 1 and 2).
Moving backwards to my trips to Wadi Rum and Petra. I booked a tour through this one company that I was referred to by the Tourist Information booth (Pt2). Wadi Desert Tour Services. Sounds nice and was referred to me by Tourist Info, so I went with it. 130 Dinars for a tour to and inside Wadi Rum, camping overnight in a Bedouin camp, and tour to Petra the next day and back to Aqaba. Perfect. 'This is a group tour, right?' I asked (Pt1). 'Yes.' -Dude. 'So there will be other people on the trip?' I asked again. 'Yes, of course' Dude replies.
Awesome, cant wait.
I arrive the next day, and of course my first question is 'so how many people are coming?'
'Just you.' -Dude (Pts 1 and 2)
WTF
Uhh, ok...maybe it will still be ok.
Brahim (that's his name) drives me to Wadi Rum, where another guy name Brahim drives me into and around Wadi Rum. At this point I am hating Jordan with a severe passion. Did I take pictures? A few. Did I do it only because I felt I had to because I was in fucking Wadi Rum? Absolutely (Pt1).
Wadi Rum: Close your eyes again. Picture a GIANT FUCKING DESERT. Now add some tall rocks. Add some engravings in the rocks which are old (most of them-I imagine some are probably newish and shown off as old)
You have officially been to Wadi Rum. (Google)
On the tour you make some stops at different areas of intrigue, which have tents with Bedouin tea and such. At one of these tents I talked to some French girls sitting there, who said that they too are camping tonight. We all agreed that there can't be too many Bedouin camp sights, especially since tourism is slow now...they just put everyone together, right?. (Pt1) I was heartened by this dialogue.
At the end of the tour of Wadi Rum, I found myself at the Bedouin camp I was to stay at. It was pretty early and I was the first tourist there, however as I had been told by my guide Brahim, Dude who I got the tour from, and the people I met, I figured I was just early. After about an hour, I asked the guy at the camp when everyone else was coming, and he told me no one else was, I was here on my own (Pt2). Awesome. They fed me dinner of chicken, rice, salad and pita, which I ate and it was ok. There were three cats watching me eat and waiting for me to turn away so they could pounce on my food, and there were flies everywhere.
They had a Bedouin celebration thing that went on around 10ish, but I had already gone to bed, bored. I read for about an hour and fell asleep. The sunset was meh, as was the sunrise, which I was up for because I went to bed at 8 (and read for an hour or more). In the morning I awoke to find that some other Jordanian men had come, and presumably were the crew that was living it up the night before at the awesome party that woke me up around 10ish.
What a sweet night (insert extreme sarcasm). On to Petra. For those who don't know what Petra is, it is in one of the Indiana Jones movies, it is where they filmed part of X-Men 2, and was the capital of the ancient Nabateans. If you google Petra, you will see what I saw, in just as good detail, but probably better because I was still not having fun (Pt1).
-Before getting to Petra, the guy who picked me up in the morning in his sedan vehicle, thought he could drive through the sand dunes of the desert. His exact words in broken English were 'look, 4X4.' Then we got stuck in the sand. Genius. The day before I was in a 4 wheel drive truck, and this guy thinks his sedan can plow through the sand...(it acts exactly like snow)...I was unimpressed. Half hour later, after his buddies came with the truck and tried to pull his car out with a rope (A rope??? Really???), I helped and we all pushed him out...
On arrival at Petra, dude drops me off and says, ok be back at 2 o'clock (currently 10:30). Fine, I will be happy with that amount of time. I head in, only to realize that I still have to pay the 50 Dinars (70 bucks) to get in to Petra. The guy from the tour, despite telling me it was all included, neglected to tell me it was not all included (Pt2). Well, I am here...so in we go...
Walk, walk, walk, meet some people, walk around with them, see some shit (Google), read some stuff about the shit I am seeing,
Girl I met: did you go to the 8000 stairs to the monastery?
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/jordan/petra-monastery
me: No
Girl: You really should, it is the best part
me: meh
Girl: do you want me to take a picture of you here in Petra? (they asked me to take a photo of all three of them, which is how we met)
me: nope, not really. I have been here, that is fine...
Girl: are you going to find yourself a nice Jordanian girl to marry here?
me: Uhhh...I am Jewish, so that probably wouldn't work very well...
Anyways, me and the three of them walked around for the next hour or so. They brought me to this woman from NZ (they were Kiwi's) who had married a Bedouin on her visit when she was 22, and moved to Petra.
http://marriedtoabedouin.com/
I can't think of anything that I would want less than to do that. Seriously, imagine moving to a cave in a Bedouin camp in Petra to marry some Bedouin dude and live there. In a cave in Petra. I did not buy her book, nor will I ever read more than the summary. I still think she is literally crazy...but each to their own...I guess.
I got back to the car at 2:20, they guy there points out he had been waiting for 20 minutes; without acknowledging that, I got in the car and said let's go.
And we went back to Aqaba. I couldn't have been more excited to be finished an international trip. When we got to the tourist place, I told the dude how terrible the trip was, how unhappy I was, and I asked for some money back. Obviously he said no (Pt2). I went to the Tourist Information booth in Aqaba, and told them how bad it was and they should never suggest that place again. Most likely they are cousins anyways, so not sure how much recognition that will get me. But I am telling you now, if you go to Aqaba, go in a group and be prepared to get ripped off.
Overall, it should be said that I never felt unsafe in Jordan, I simply felt uncomfortable. I did not like it there, and mostly I would have liked to have been there with someone else to see the sights, talk about them, have some company, and experience the relics. It was really hard to travel and to find a place to sty in Aqaba. The beach was not great, there were camels and donkeys (and their shit) everywhere, and every store was either selling food, sandals, or electronics..all of which were called Panasonic for some reason.
The food was good, and the food and bottled water was cheap.
That brings me back to scuba diving the next morning, and then into Eilat. Blog complete.
Thanks for your time. I hope it wasn't too long and was an easy read I will be adding some pictures tomorrow, so stay tuned for those and you can actually see some of the things I have seen.
Happy Sunday and Go Canucks Go!!!
Sincerely,
Elliot S. Weinstein
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