This was by far the most memorable and definitely most cultural trip we have ever been on. Once again we traveled with our favorite Kentucky friends. We started by flying into Amman, Jordan for ;one night. We got in late so we did not have much time to see the city. We did stay in an amazing hotel though :) We then took a flight from Amman to Petra, Jordan.
King Highway- drive from Amman to Petra
From this view, you can see the city of Bethlehem in the far distance.
Next stop: Petra, Jordan (This was the view/sunset from our hotel balcony)
Sunset from hotel in Petra, Jordan
Our travel buddies: Mike and Deana Paradis
Hotel pool
Our first experience eating Jordanian food.
Heading to the "Lost City" called Petra. It is only open from around 6am to 6pm everyday. It also costs about 20 JOD to get in which is about 28 USD. Well worth the money. The word "Petra" means "rock" which is appropriate considering the city was built out of rose-red sandstone. It is also one of the NEW 7 world wonders and a UNESCO world heritage site.
After a long day hiking in the "lost city" we sat on our hotel balcony for a cocktail.
After hiring a car to get from Petra, Jordan, we get to the border of Jordan and Israel. It was funny because when we walk through security of Israel, there are tons of pictures of Bill Clinton all over the walls. They LOVE him over there. Once we cross that border then we have to cross the border of Israel to Egypt. You would not believe some of the crazy stuff/people we saw trying to cross the borders with us. It was a great experience but at the same time a bit frightening.
We then made it to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt which was our next destination. Greeting us at the border were the "Bedouin" people of Israel. A Bedouin is one who was born and raised in the desert or mountain wilderness and lives alongside nature in black tents or in caves. For the most part this population was very kind. But while trying to find a taxi from the border to our hotel which was about a 2 hour drive was frightening. These Bedouin people just trying to make a living driving tourists around were not the taxi drivers we were used to riding with. Therefore we opted to walk to the nearest hotel and get a licensed driver to take us.
Finally made it to Egypt after a long day of traveling
Next stop:
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Waking up at 2am to hike Mount Sinai was an amazing experience. It was pitch black and all we had were flashlights. We had 2 hours to get up the mountain for sunrise. We had to dodge donkeys and camels but our Bedouin guide got us up in time to see the amazing views. The first 2/3 of the hike is walking up a steep path and the last 1/3 is about 750 steps. Talk about thigh burning!
The view at sunrise!
And now heading back down the mountain (about 2 1/2 hours).
On our return back to the room we were greeted with a nice towel made alligator.
A view of our pool at the hotel.
Next stop was to Cairo, Egypt.
Spent my 28th Birthday in Cairo, Egypt was such a treat. The only thing I wanted to do for my birthday was ride a camel along the pyramids. Wish came true even though getting on and off these creatures was much harder than you would think. Only spent a day here due to the riots/protests that were taking place. Great Birthday!
Final destination: Luxor, Egypt
W even got to celebrate the Royal Wedding on TV at the hotel. I could not believe they were having a wedding party at the hotel. Just shows how tourist driven these hotels are.
Touring all the temples at night was so much fun!
Another one of my favorite memories was going out on a felucca ride on the Nile River. Two of our favorite Bedouin friends.
What an amazing trip! We will never forget this one for sure.
King Highway- drive from Amman to Petra
From this view, you can see the city of Bethlehem in the far distance.
Next stop: Petra, Jordan (This was the view/sunset from our hotel balcony)
Sunset from hotel in Petra, Jordan
Our travel buddies: Mike and Deana Paradis
Hotel pool
Our first experience eating Jordanian food.
Heading to the "Lost City" called Petra. It is only open from around 6am to 6pm everyday. It also costs about 20 JOD to get in which is about 28 USD. Well worth the money. The word "Petra" means "rock" which is appropriate considering the city was built out of rose-red sandstone. It is also one of the NEW 7 world wonders and a UNESCO world heritage site.
After a long day hiking in the "lost city" we sat on our hotel balcony for a cocktail.
After hiring a car to get from Petra, Jordan, we get to the border of Jordan and Israel. It was funny because when we walk through security of Israel, there are tons of pictures of Bill Clinton all over the walls. They LOVE him over there. Once we cross that border then we have to cross the border of Israel to Egypt. You would not believe some of the crazy stuff/people we saw trying to cross the borders with us. It was a great experience but at the same time a bit frightening.
We then made it to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt which was our next destination. Greeting us at the border were the "Bedouin" people of Israel. A Bedouin is one who was born and raised in the desert or mountain wilderness and lives alongside nature in black tents or in caves. For the most part this population was very kind. But while trying to find a taxi from the border to our hotel which was about a 2 hour drive was frightening. These Bedouin people just trying to make a living driving tourists around were not the taxi drivers we were used to riding with. Therefore we opted to walk to the nearest hotel and get a licensed driver to take us.
Finally made it to Egypt after a long day of traveling
Next stop:
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Waking up at 2am to hike Mount Sinai was an amazing experience. It was pitch black and all we had were flashlights. We had 2 hours to get up the mountain for sunrise. We had to dodge donkeys and camels but our Bedouin guide got us up in time to see the amazing views. The first 2/3 of the hike is walking up a steep path and the last 1/3 is about 750 steps. Talk about thigh burning!
The view at sunrise!
And now heading back down the mountain (about 2 1/2 hours).
On our return back to the room we were greeted with a nice towel made alligator.
A view of our pool at the hotel.
Next stop was to Cairo, Egypt.
Spent my 28th Birthday in Cairo, Egypt was such a treat. The only thing I wanted to do for my birthday was ride a camel along the pyramids. Wish came true even though getting on and off these creatures was much harder than you would think. Only spent a day here due to the riots/protests that were taking place. Great Birthday!
Final destination: Luxor, Egypt
W even got to celebrate the Royal Wedding on TV at the hotel. I could not believe they were having a wedding party at the hotel. Just shows how tourist driven these hotels are.
Touring all the temples at night was so much fun!
Another one of my favorite memories was going out on a felucca ride on the Nile River. Two of our favorite Bedouin friends.
What an amazing trip! We will never forget this one for sure.
