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RTW 2022
  • Christie Mitchell
  • Christie Mitchell

RTW 2022

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” (Winnie-the-Pooh) Read more
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  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Taksim square
    LOTS of street vendors selling grilled corn and chestnutsSeven story mall we went toAt the mall - american takeover, sad2These places with hunks of carved meat are everywhereThe rule of the cat!!Whirling dervishHagia Sophia at nightHagia Sophia inside1Christie, the pirate1My makeshift, visit the mosque, attire1Jordan much more prepared and cute

    Last day in Istanbul

    August 8, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Miles: 5.0 Steps:13306
    Flights stairs: 10

    We headed over to the Asia side of Istanbul today!! Took a tram across the river and a funicular up the hill to wander a bit. It was so different on that side! Much less chaotic, more friendly, less sales pressure … much more enjoyable time wandering the streets.

    We tried to do some shopping - I’m not prepared to head into Egypt in a few weeks as i guess I can’t wear shorts anywhere. 😩 so I’m looking for capris, or long shorts or something and just can’t find anything. All the stores are obsessed with selling denim here, which is way too hot. May have to break down and buy a wrap around skirt to put over my shorts …

    We went to dinner and I finally was able to see a whirling dervish. And then we headed over to the Hagia Sophia mosque at night - wasn’t prepared. Women have to cover their heads, shoulders and knees. 🤷. So we made up an outfit for me so we didn’t have to go back to our hostel to change. We couldn’t enjoy any of the mosques for long, as they require you to take off your shoes. The stench is REALLY bad at the entrance, and then in the entire mosque. Hard to describe, but it definitely effected our enjoyment of the visit.

    So stray cats are EVERYWHERE in Istanbul. Like EVERYWHERE. They estimate there could be anywhere from 200,000 to a million! They don’t really consider them strays as much as “community owned”. There is food and water left out on every corner, as well as little “dog houses” - and they are the friendliest, least scared, healthiest looking cats I’ve seen.

    Apparently cats are protected by law here. They view them as living beings, not commodities. They have a blanket no kill, no capture, zero tolerance on abuse policy punishable with severe jail time.

    The Turkish have a long history with cats dating back centuries. Muhammed was the first to bless the cat and prohibit all abuse of it in 600 ad and ever since it has been revered by Islam. Kind of fascinating.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    And we're off again!
    See ya later, Istanbul!Jordan carsick on the shuttle vanOur cave!!2Didnt have our room ready, so upgraded us. Will switch to two bed unit tomorrow.1Restaurant where we had dinner - sound on- prayer time, 5 times a dayKitty in the restaurant, eating some of my chickenKatmer! Great dessert.After dinner teas.Right outside of the restaurantView from our cave terraceView from our cave terraceView from our cave terrace1View from our cave terraceView from our cave terrace

    Exhausting but amazing travel day

    August 9, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Miles: 1.5 Steps: 3533
    Flights stairs: 15

    We had a long travel day today, but it was all worth it once we got to our destination!!!

    Took an hour taxi to the Istanbul airport, flew 2 hours to Kayseri airport, and then boarded a group shuttle van for another 90 min ride. The last part was so bumpy and curvy - But we made it safe and sound to Cappadocia, Turkey!! It’s been a bucket list city for me for years, and can’t believe I’m actually finally here! It’s a village built in and amongst caves and what they call fairy chimneys.

    We didn’t get to see much yet as we got in around 6:00. Found dinner and that’s about it so far, but just wow!!! I feel like I’ve been transported to another dimension. It literally is magical.

    We’re staying in an actual cave in the side of the hill and it’s fantastic. Dinner may have been one of the best yet. Just chicken, rice, carrots and potatoes … but so much flavor in everything. Tried a Turkish dessert - Katmer - phyllo dough, pistachios and cream!! Seemed like it had honey on it as well. And then followed with a hot pomegranite tea. Soooo yummy.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Hot air balloons from the terrace
    Right above our hotelPanorama pointFairy chimney1Göreme open air museumTapestry weaving demonstrationA "camel" shape in imagination valleyImagination valleyPottery demonstrationCamel rides at "Sunset viewpoint" - tied front legs so he couldn't stand up. 😧3Sunset wasnt that great, but the city "glowing" sure wasThey are VERY pround or their flag here

    Cappadocia, Turkey!

    August 10, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Miles: 4.6 steps: 12046
    Flights stairs: 41

    Cappadocia is THE place in the world for hot air ballooning. Hundreds of them launch every morning at sunrise. We decided we got to sleep too late to get up early the first morning, but I ended up waking up on my own around 6:00, so went to our terrace to see if it was too late or if it gave me a view or not. Was happy to be able to still see a little more than 60 in the sky!! I was looking into the sun so pics were difficult, but it was quite the sight.

    Usually when we’re in cities we get around on our own - subways, trams, buses, Uber, taxis - but here in this village, that’s not so easy. We either have to walk or take a tour. So today we took a group tour - highlights of cappadocia. It was okay. They showed us a few of the limestone formations (fairy chimneys), went to Panorama Point, to Goreme open air museum, a carpet weaving demonstration, imagination valley (formations that look like animals), and a pottery demonstration. It was all every interesting.

    I had no idea we were in the hub of the ancient Christian world - where they first settled after being pushed out of the Rome. Pretty crazy the history here. They settled here because it was so easy to “make” housing - all you needed was a hammer and chisel, and you could carve yourself a home. There were churches everywhere - small cut outs that could only hold 10 people or so with beautiful paintings on the walls.

    After the tour we went for a walk up to “Sunset viewpoint” for the sunset. It was pretty beautiful. Then headed back home to call it a day!    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Watching the preparation and filling
    1I felt like i could have reached out and touched them they were so closeI couldnt capture all of them in one pic there were so many22I think im enjoying sunrises more than sunsets!!32

    Early morning

    August 11, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    I usually just post once a day, but going to need two for today! We got up at 4:30 this morning and hiked up to the viewpoint to watch the hot air balloons launch. It was SPECTACULAR!! I’ve seen hot air balloons in Oregon, but there were so many more here combined with the sunrise and the landscape … phenomenal!! This is what I came to Cappadocia for! Not to necessarily ride in one, but to see literally hundreds of them fill the sky together like this. I WILL ride in one, but it will have to wait for a few more countries. 😃Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    1Getting geared up to ride
    Photo stop along the way1Sword ValleyWaiting for the group to come back from a viewing spotIm directly behind Jordan in the yellow shirt3At a rest stop ... with the hundreds of other ATV's!1Camel rides available everywhereLove valley ... appropriately named. Yes, these are naturally formed and not carved.Rose ValleyThe stop for watching the sunset - all the ATV's gathering at once1The hill we climbed to watch the sunset fromHave to love the golden hour

    Cappodocia!!

    August 11, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Miles: 2.0 Steps: 7450
    Flights stairs: 20

    Later in the evening we went on three hour ATV sunset tour of the different valleys. Jordan had never driven a 4-wheeler so had a blast. She had ridden on them, but was never old enough to drive.

    The tour was fantastic. We were in a group of about 15 with three guides who took us everywhere. When we would get to viewing spots, we would then see exactly how many ATV tours were going on .. there were hundreds of them!! But most of the time when we were driving, we felt very isolated or alone. Shows how big of an area this is.

    The day ended as it began. Us sitting on a hillside watching the sun do it’s thing … sunrise to sunset. Gorgeous day!    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    BEST. TEA. EVER.
    This stray cat comes to our table every night - yes, we hand feed him."Testi Kebab" or also known as a pottery kebab42Our waiter, Bakhtiyar2They dont have banks here - just lines of ATM buildings, guarded by the local straysThe roads ... are terribleThe hill by our hotel that no car has made it up yet - but they keep tryingTwo sounds are constant here - cars soinning their wheels, and amolified prayers being broadcast

    Last day in Cappadocia

    August 12, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Miles: 1.0 Steps: 2424
    Flights stairs: 3

    We had a lazy day today - slept in, sat on the terrace over looking the city, and continued to plan the last of our countries. Only left to hit the ATM and for dinner.

    We’ve found a restaurant we like here VERY much and have gone back 3 of our 4 nights. A waiter has adopted us and treated us like gold. Gave us free Turkish Pomegranate tea every night. (which by the way, is awesome). Tonight he suggested we order pottery kebabs, the food of Cappadocia - so we did. It comes flaming to the table. Basically just a really tender pot roast. At the end of dinner, he came over and sat down with us for about 20 min. Learned all about him and his life (Immigrant from Afghanistan). I was kind of shocked, but it was really nice talking and learning about his life and culture. He may have been possibly interested in dating Jordan. 😃

    We’ve felt very safe here in Göreme, but the roads are something else. The whole city is torn apart and cars are constantly just spinning their wheels in the gravel trying to get up the hills. It’s very interesting, and at times looks war torn.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    4Not sure what this was but thought it was cool from the air
    Heading back into Istanbul for our layoverDoing loopty-loops over TurkeyCute little pool1Me in my happy place2Pretty - but they close it at 8?? Why do they do that??

    Travel day

    August 13, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Miles: 2.0 Steps: 4522
    Flight stairs: 9

    Nothing exciting today - left Cappadocia early for a flight to Antalya, but first ended up back in Istanbul again!! Funny how airlines work. Antalya is on the southern coast of Turkey. We’re outside the city by about 30 min because I wasn’t using my head when I booked it. So, now we’ll just deal with it.

    We’re back to pools and beaches for a bit - cause why not when you’re in Turkey and it’s 85-90° with 75-80% humidity. We hit the pool when we got in today and it was very nice. Just a basic little hotel with food provided that we’re staying in - nothing fancy, but it’s nice.

    Went down to see the beach after dinner, but it was odd - completely private apparently and closed off for as far as we could see. Used only for restaurants at night, and can only access it if you’re eating there. Come the morning I guess we can get to it. ???    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    2Pretty nice way to spend an afternoon
    Jordan enjoying her alone time2Pool noodle fun1Trying to keep from getting sunburnedDining area at the hotel

    Antalya, Turkey

    August 16, 2022 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We’ve spent the last few days just hanging out by the pool and playing on the beach. Not much to post so just held off and doing one for the entire time we were here.

    Beautiful weather, great food, relaxing time. Couldn’t ask for more.Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    1I dont give up the window seat often - Jordan pretending to fully enjoy it.
    1Flights abroad, even short ones, feed you full on meals. But Turkey to Jordan .. serving Mexican. 🤣2Little stands set up EVERYWHERE on the streetsView from our hotel at 11:00pm.

    Travel day

    August 17, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Miles: 2.0 Steps: 4816
    Flights stairs: 6

    As we leave Europe and head into Asia/Africa, we have a bit of nervousness. Many parts of Europe felt a lot like home, or at least places we’d been in the US. Somewhat familiar and “normal”. We’ve slowly adjusted to the cultures around us. Eastern Europe much different than Western, but still nothing too extreme.

    Today we flew into Amman, Jordan. We’re officially in the Middle East … which is a little unsettling - everyone says we’re fine as long as we stay clear of the Syrian border … so we’ll stay clear of the Syrian border. 🥺 The city’s claim to fame is its the 3rd most ugly city in the world!!! 😳 And so far, from what we’ve seen, possibly.

    We arrived and did our normal routine in a new country … locate a SIM card so we have GPS and data, find a “trustworthy” ATM to get local currency, and figure out the transportation situation. A taxi from Amman airport is spendy … almost $70. So … I found a local express bus and we got on that instead. $3 each. It got us close to our hotel, and then we Uber’d the rest of the way for $3. Much more affordable.

    I book all of our accommodations online, sight unseen. I go off reviews, pictures, locations. So far we’ve done fairly well. We’ve had a few locations that weren’t the best, but overall, done okay. Pictures and descriptions can be deceiving tho.

    Today, when the Uber driver dropped us off at the hotel, we were scared. There was NOTHING that resembled a hotel. Nothing. GPS said it should be close, but all we saw was what appeared to be condemned or abandoned buildings. So we went to where it was telling us … and there was a small sign for our hotel. Right dead center in the … mess. 😳 long story short, the positive is that it was much nicer inside than out, but it’s still not good. Luckily it’s a private room, and we’re here just one night so making the best of it.

    When traveling without a car, the intent is always to get as close to the center of town as possible. It’s where the tourist attractions or sites usually are, and it just makes it easier getting around. Up till today, it’s worked like a charm. This time it appears the closer we got to the center of town, the more it resembled a chaotic, war zone. Should be VERY interesting heading out tomorrow to explore Amman.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    2Central Amman
    Roman Theater - seats 6000Climbed to the top! It got very steep at the top1Citadel HillTemple of Hercules2Roman theater from the Citadel HillHand of HerculesThe old and the newEverywhere in Amman is densely packedThe Jordan MuseumNo pics allowed, but saw portions of the scrollsLive food portion of the market 😳22Picture of the hotel we stayed in the first night in Amman 😬

    Piglet does brave things

    August 18, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Miles: 6.7 Steps: 16366
    Flights stairs: 19

    I stepped out of my comfort zone today in so many ways, and felt very brave and accomplished.

    First, I wandered the streets of Amman … alone. Jordan unexpectedly found she had a friend visiting Amman also (same one she saw in Budapest) so she met up with her which left me seeing the sites solo. It was actually very fun and I felt adventurous.

    I hit the Roman Theater and then did a 25 minute walk to the Citadel Hill. Both Roman ruins from when they occupied Amman centuries ago. Then I walked 35 minutes more through the streets of Amman to the Jordan Museum which was neat to see. And then walked back to the hotel all though the local markets. Not really an area with tourists, just locals. I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb. Ubers are dirt cheap here but chose to walk instead to see the surroundings more and get some miles in, since we haven’t really done much while poolside for the last few days.

    We’ve decided to break away from the buses and such and rent a car for our time in Jordan! It’s the way you get around here, so we’ll be on our own for the next 10 days. I drove for the first time in 5 months!! It felt very strange, but nice to be behind a wheel again.

    We drove about 90 minutes north towards Syria to the town of Jerash. Driving is CRAZY here - there aren’t any lines on the roads to show lanes - so there are as many lanes as cars that can fit across. Sometimes 2,3 and even 4. Everyone is in a huge hurry and everyone is honking at everyone. It is an exercise in CONSTANT defensive driving as you never know when cars are going to try to just squeeze by you. 🤞    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Hadrian's Arch - it is REALLY big
    2A Hippodrome - they did chariot races in here1Looked like columns for milesIntricate carvings1One of the two theatersI like archways 😃2Second theaterHe played all sorts of music - threw me ar Yankie doodle dandy tho2Driving in Jordan!Ajloun CastleApparently The city in the distance is JerusalemSo little color on buildings, it makes the flowers really stand out

    Jerash, Jordan

    August 19, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Miles: 4.6 Steps: 10446
    Flights stairs: 24

    We went to the Jerash Archeological site today - they say it’s the best preserved Roman ruins in the world (outside of Rome of course). They were very impressive, mostly how intact they still were after all this time.

    Then we took a drive out to Ajloun Castle. It is what was left of a Muslim castle built in the 1100’a, so is almost 1000 years old. Amazing these giant buildings are still standing after all the years, wars and natural disasters like earth quakes.

    It was an experience getting out and up to it - driving is definitely an adventure here, but fun.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    What they say is the Official Baptism site of Jesus
    All the trails covered like this to give some relief from the intense heatFirst view if the Jordan "river" 😳The mighty Jordan River. 😢1Guarded by three of these guys with very big gunsJordanian flag on this side, Israeli on the other2JORDAN, touching the JORDAN, standing in JORDAN. 😂2Active baptisms going on on the Israel sideHitting the gift shop after to cool off - of course more catsCamels just sitting on the side of the road all day for rides 😢And horses. This is next to a freeway. Nice to see he at least had watwr1Made it to the hotel - with the dead sea in the distanceJordan enjoying the view1Beautiful sunset over the seaThe lights on the other side are the city of Jericho, and further is Jerusalem1

    Trip to the Dea Sea

    August 20, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 97 °F

    Miles: 2.2 Steps: 6049
    Flights stairs: 3

    We drove about 90 min from Jerash to the Jordan River this morning. “Jordan, wanted to touch the Jordan River, while standing in the Kingdom of Jordan.” 🤣 So I made that happen. ❤️

    The border between Jordan and Israel is separated by the Jordan River, so to get close to it, at least on this side, you need an escort as the banks of the river are under military control. The only place we could find to actually get us close was to visit what they have deemed as the official baptism site of Jesus. We had to register with the government, board a bus, and then we’re escorted in to the area for a brief tour. Very interesting. The best picture I got was standing at the stream, watching baptisms on the other side, with the Israeli flag flying. We were no more than 15 ft away from each other.

    I had read a lot about how the river is now 95% less flow from its original state because of it being diverted upstream - quite the water war between Syria, Israel, Palestinians and Jordan. Pretty sad situation. I didn’t expect much, but I did expect more than what we found. All that the “river” is now, is at best what can be described as a trickle or small stream, and a lot of that is sewage and agriculture waste. 😢 But it was an eye opening visit, and Jordan got her wish.

    We’re staying at a hotel on the Dead Sea for a couple nights. The pool was SO warm, it was almost uncomfortable. Still nice though. But it’s well over 100° as a high temp, so it’s expected. Tonight’s LOW temp is only 83° overnight. But “it’s a dry heat”. 😃    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    3
    22

    Wadi Mujib Siq Trail and the Dead Sea

    August 21, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Miles: 4.1 Steps: unknown
    Flights stairs: 7

    We went on the most amazing “hike” today - we hiked 1 km into and up a river in a beautiful canyon called Wadi Mujib! The water temp was perfect - just refreshing and beautiful. Most of the way the water was mid thigh level, but it got as low as ankle deep to some places we couldn’t touch.

    We had to maneuver over rock ways and waterfalls the entire length. It’s an attraction so they provided “helpers” at the most difficult spots and of course there were ropes and ladders installed to help us over.

    I was pretty proud that I made it the entire way. They say you should be fit and in good shape to attempt it. 🥺 I had one obstacle that I didn’t think I’d make it over, but did!! I was also the oldest person in the canyon. 👵 At one point the group around us applauded when I made it up a particularly difficult section. 😁

    There were little fishies all throughout the river that constantly nibbled on your skin. Like … every few seconds. They were everywhere. A little unsettling to feel it the entire time.

    On the way back we’re able to just float back down and really enjoy the rock formations. Such an AWESOME experience. 10 out of 10.

    Later we decided to brave floating in the Dead Sea. It is officially the lowest point on earth at 427 meters (1400 ft) BELOW sea level! It is actually a dangerous thing to do as it is so salty and … people die there. 😳 who knew? It has a salinity of 34%!! The ocean is only 3.5%, and The great salt lake in Utah ranges between 6-27%. You have to make sure to not get any water in your ears, mouth, eyes or nose or it can do tremendous damage. Also a ten min time limit in the water. This water was NOT the perfect temp … it was literally HOT. Not just bath water, but hot to get into.

    Unfortunately I got two small cuts on my arms while in the canyon earlier so couldn’t fully enjoy it. I had to keep my arms out of the water the entire time or risk a pretty painful experience according to the helper at the water. (And I did have a much smaller scab on my shin that let me know how much it did actually hurt in the very salty water). It was a phenomenal feeling tho having the water actually push you to the surface. Crazy.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Dead Sea
    3It was a hot oneAgricultura area in the valleyWomen and children sitting on the highway working with some sort of vegetable1Shobak Castle2Could hear a pin drop - eerily silentNot snow up thereTurn the volume up - tree FILLED with birds

    Road trip

    August 22, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Miles: 1.0 Steps: 2669
    Flights stairs: 8

    We took off this morning and headed south. We drove the Dead Sea highway for about an hour which took us down the entire length of the Dead Sea. Beautiful.

    Then we climbed up into the mountains and drove for probably an hour without seeing another car. Really gorgeous hills.

    We eventually made it to Wadi Miss, after a four hour drive. Was really unique and interesting tho. Can’t wait to see this historic place for the next couple days.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    The beautiful canyon, or siq, leading to the treasury
    Getting a peak at the treasury from the canyonThe treasury. Quite the sight - but wish people werent allowed to sit there.Soooo many stairs! They seemed to go on foreverI think camels look majesticThe trails have these little huts with people selling trinketsDonkeys and camels are just left to stand for hours in the sun. 😧The hut to see the viewView from inside the hutNeat to see down on the treasury from up high

    Petra!

    August 23, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Miles: 9.2 Steps: 20272
    Flights stairs: 61 !!

    We went to Petra today. It’s quite a hike - surprised me, I had no idea it took so much to see it. And today, we only saw about half of the site.

    We made it to the “treasury” - to me, made famous by Indiana Jones and the last crusade. Anyone else? Shows how cultured I am. 😂 And then we took a side trail to be able to view the treasury from above - it was 725 stairs to the top! (yes I counted every one of them). Luckily we went out early so wasn’t too warm for most of it - mid 70’s at the start, mid 80’s at the end. The main trail to get in was about 2 miles each way and then the side trail we took was another 2 each way. All the hikes we’ve done so far are rated easy or moderate - todays was rated hard, and it was. But we made it to the top!

    When we got there we found a person had constructed a “hut” that completely blocked the view. You could only see said view if you came into the hut and purchased something to drink. Quite the entrepreneur. At that point we had little choice after hiking for 2 miles just to see the view so we paid out the $6 for two water bottles, sat down and enjoyed what we worked so hard to see. 😂

    So far, Jordan has been a joy to see. And for the most part the people are kind, polite and friendly. Today tho, was shocked when a man asked me “how many camels would you like for your baby?” Yep .. someone offered to buy my daughter. 😳 For camels, nonetheless. A waiter also asked Jordan, with me sitting right there, “does your mom like sweets? Most old ladies here don’t.” Yep .. I was called an old lady, to my face. 😢 Someone also wanted to know why Jordan wasn’t married yet - what was “wrong” with her to not be married by 23. Interesting times.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Entrance to the Great temple (which wasnt so great) 😁
    Why sooo many steps ?!?Jordan wondering how she can get out of this adventurePregnant stray. We dont have food, but do give water. She drank A LOT.Then followed us for awhile4Gorgeous country"The Monestary"See the tiny people next to it behind us - it shows how huge this isChild labor is used a lot here too. He had just given a ride to the top.Bringing supplies to the top3Empty donkeys coming back down - no owner in sightBaby donkeys roaming free2The Momma ...2... And her pups 😢 Tough place to try to survive1Camels getting up.2Camel ride back to the treasury. About a mile or so.Me and ZuzuJordan and Daisy, with the owner in the backgroundMe and Daisy - she was just beginning to growl at meFour military vehicles parked near our hotel - a constant reminder of where we really are

    Just another day in Petra

    August 24, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Miles: 8.0 Steps: 22654
    Flights stairs: 65

    We have learned to get up early here - it’s cooler in the nighttime so morning is fairly cool and nice. We get out, do our hiking and are back to the hotel by noon or 1:00. Makes it bearable.

    We hiked in and went all the way to the end, to the “monestary”. This is a carved building in the rock, just like the famous “treasury” but much bigger. It’s also much more difficult to get to. We hiked about 4 miles and up 850 steps today to get to it. Most steps yet. Very impressive tho. It’s unbelievable that these massive structures are carved into the stone.

    There are a lot of animals being used for transport of all kinds here. Mostly donkeys, some horses and then a handful of camels. It’s crazy to see the donkeys climbing the rock steps. We refused to use the donkeys to help us, as it just seemed cruel. They were so tiny .. and well, we obviously are not. Just felt wrong. And the horses are definitely not healthy or taken care of. Pretty sad situation.

    However, after we hiked back down the mountain, we did decide to take a camel ride for about a mile or so. It seemed less cruel as the camels are built for the desert and are SO big. The owner also seemed to take good care of them - hopefully looks weren’t deceiving. At least how we justified it. 🤷‍♀️ It was AMAZING. I’ve ridden horses, but these were so much taller and bigger. The feeling of having them stand up and sit back down while we were on them was incredible. They are VERY tall! I was on “Zuzu”, a 7 yr old male and Jordan was on “Daisy”, a 3 yr old female. Apparently, they can go a WEEK without food or water. Not that they do, but they can. Amazing finish to our time in Petra.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    3The view from our tent
    4Outside pic of our tent1481Barefoot enjoying the soft sand2Camel guy took some great pics3224Our base camp at nightDriving out for atar gazing1The milky way - pic didnt do it justiceJordans shot - long exposure with the sand glowing from the campfire

    Beautiful desert

    August 25, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 99 °F

    We took off this morning and drove a couple more hours south to Wadi Rum. This is a red sand desert - most famously used in any movies that need to look like Mars or another planet. The Martian, Star Wars: Rogue One, Dune, Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, live action Aladdin, Prometheus, Lawrence of Arabia, Moon knight, Transformers … the list could go one.

    We’re staying in an actual modern day Bedouin camp. We have our own tent with a gorgeous Mountain View that has its own bathroom, and air conditioning! It does great in the evening/night but couldn’t keep up with the heat in the afternoon very well. Pretty sweltering.

    We took another camel ride out to see the sunset with another seven people or so. Kind of rode in a herd which was fun. Once back to camp all sat down for a Bedouin dinner together.

    After dinner we loaded into truck beds that had seats built in and rode into the desert for our star gazing tour!! Drove about 20 min or so deeper into the desert where it was very dark. The Bedouins laid out some carpets, built us a fire, and made some tea right there. Then we sat back and enjoyed the view for a couple hours.

    It was so peaceful just laying there in the sand looking up at the sky with nothing but your thoughts - with no light pollution we could see so many stars and the Milky Way! And it was perfectly quiet - zero sounds except the soft wind. I’ve camped a lot - and there’s always sound of some kind. Birds chirping, crickets, campers next door. But here it is perfectly silent. Crazy peaceful.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Sunrise - beginning of our long day
    1Friend from France we met at our camp2Climbed barefoot - easiesr314Tallest arch yet - very scary1Jordan lokes to jump!2This hill is MUCH steeper than this shows. And we were going SO fastJordan sandboarding

    Last day in Wadi Rum

    August 26, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 93 °F

    What a long day today! Sunrise to sunset. It started with a 5:00am wake-up. We took off in the bed of a modified 4x4 for a 4 hour sunrise tour of the south end of the desert. Red desert everywhere with rock formations very close and tightly packed. Phenomenal. This is such a unique area.

    Once back, we rested during the hottest part of the day, and then went back out for a 3 hour sunset tour of the north end. This part of the desert is yellow sand and has larger valleys. We got caught up in a huge sandstorm, which wasn’t pleasant at all, but only lasted for 30 min or so

    We saw lots of unique rock formations, some filming locations of Lawrence of Arabia, the Martian and Star Wars and recognized a lot of them from the movies. we climbed to the top of some really high natural arches, and then jordan took a ride on a sand board behind the 4x4! Needed a shower after that one.

    This has been such a unique experience here. At times felt very vulnerable as two of the only women here amongst A LOT of men. Even the majority of the tourists with us were men. The Bedouin women aren’t allowed to be seen or be near any man who isn’t their family, so basically aren’t allowed to leave their homes - so we literally haven’t seen any women or girls for days. They can have only one job - school teacher - teaching in the girls only schools. 😢 I was told as a woman driver I needed to be very careful not to hit a man’s car (which is all of them) because “human rights aren’t the same here”. Concerning. Can’t wait to return the rental car and be done with the stressful act of driving here.

    If I were to do it over again, I would choose a more primitive camp deeper in the desert for a more authentic experience tho - next time!    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    One of the "tents" at the camp
    The 8 tentsDining hall and firepit - said goodbye to our camp2Expensive to do two loads here - 18 JD + 6 JD to dry. $34!! Ouch.

    Travel day - drive thru desert

    August 27, 2022 in Jordan ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We said goodbye to our camp and drove a little shy of 200 miles today from Wadi Rum back up to Amman - almost the entire length of the Kingdom of Jordan in just 3 1/2 - 4 hours! Crazy. You can’t get from one end of Oregon to the other in that amount of time.

    We took the quicker, non-scenic Desert highway back. It was a fairly boring and uneventful drive, until it wasn’t. Once we got to Amman, the car starting pulling badly and then the dreaded “bump, bump, bump” sound. We got a flat tire … on the freeway. 😧 Luckily it didn’t blow, it just slowly went flat. We got out and started changing it - figured it was a good teaching moment for Jordan since she hadn’t been shown how to change a tire for years. But within just a few minutes a couple Jordanian men stopped, came over and without much discussion (language barrier) finished changing the tire for us in no time. I don’t think we had much of a choice. 😂 Apparently, chivalry is not dead - and yes, I will let a man change my tire any day if he’s offering.

    Traveling is very cool, and amazing - but today was just … life. There are still mundane tasks we have to do while on the road. Today was laundry day. We tracked down a laundry-mat once in Amman and did a couple loads. We had dirtied almost every piece of clothing we owned, so it was time.

    I certainly don’t agree with a lot of the beliefs and ways of life here, especially in regards to the treatment of women, but I will say that EVERY person we’ve come in contact with in Jordan has been kind, helpful and very friendly. They are a very happy, smiley people.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Jordan loves seeing her name on everything here
    Our cozy room in CairoIts just RIGHT there! Like we could touch it2

    Another travel day

    August 28, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    Miles: 3.2 Steps: 7869 Fights: 7

    Travel in the Middle East is WAY different than travel in Europe or Mexico. We flew out of Amman today - we were scheduled to take off at 8:00pm. While trying to check in tho I found they had changed the flight - 5:30pm takeoff now. Glad I looked.

    So we returned the rental car and got to the airport around 2:30, to find out the flight had been changed again - now departing at 9:00pm!!! So we spent 6 1/2 hours hanging out in the airport. We’ve learned tho that there are worse places - airports are usually nicely air conditioned, have decent chairs, usually there’s free wifi, free bathrooms, and there’s food pretty close by. What else do you need?!? 😃

    So we flew from Amman to Cairo, Egypt! We hit our 21st country and 4th continent! Cairo was a mad house right from the start - from getting thru passport control, to locating cash, to finding a SIM card and getting an Uber - all CRAZY difficult. BUT we did it. Glad we’re fairly seasoned at this now.

    We’re staying in Giza so had a 50 min Uber ride to our “hotel” - car travel here is by far the scariest and worst we’ve ever seen. Our driver was really proficient, but damn, it’s crazy scary on the roads here.

    We didn’t get to our hotel till midnight - again, like many places on this trip, the outsides of these places look terrible, but the inside is awesome. Scary at first. We were greeted by two men immediately at the Uber who welcomed us and carried our backpacks up 5 flights of stairs to the terrace where our room was. It’s a GREAT room - and we’re literally right next to the pyramids!! Crazy close. Can’t wait to go see them in the daylight tomorrow.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    View from our room this morning
    Our first look at the site5The Great SphinxJordan loves to jump!The Great Pyramid - the biggest of them all1The best view to see almost all of themHow much bigger camels are than horses2Our hotel is only the top floorHouse kitty at dinner1Beautiful sunset1Zero editing!! The start of the light show - love this shot22Second showing, from our room

    The last ancient wonder of the world!

    August 29, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Miles: 3.9 Steps: 11541 Flights: 12

    The family run 4 room “hotel” we’re at is right next to the pyramids, a 5 minute walk to the entrance. It made for a great start to our morning. Once outside during the daylight we could really see where we’re staying. Shocking to see the exterior as it’s so nice on the inside.

    We headed in and walked the entire archeological site. It almost feels fake or unreal to see these massive pyramids. Each stone weighs TONS - and standing up next to them, each stone is taller than we are! We sat for quite some time on a bench staring at the Great Pyramid in awe thinking of all the history that must have taken place right at that spot over the last 5000 years! Crazy.

    We went back and relaxed, napped during the hottest part of the day. Just too hot to be out in it at one point. But in the evening we were able to sit on the terrace/roof, where we were served dinner and watch the night show! They tell the story of the building of the pyramids and set it to lights. Very pretty.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    The Egyptian Museum
    The cleaned up section of CairoCheating on BrodyI love me a good sunset

    Cairo

    August 30, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Miles: 2.4 Steps: 5638 Flights: 13

    We went to downtown Cairo today to the Egyptian Museum. What a difference in areas - Everywhere that ISN’T downtown is littered with garbage, buildings falling down and just outright nasty. Then you cross into the downtown area and it’s clean and modern.

    The museum was neat - we saw two actual mummies which was a first.

    Spent the rest of our day at our hotel, working in the room looking at the pyramids out of window. So nice to have that view 24/7 since that’s what we came here for.

    Saw another amazing sunset and the light show. Egypt is in a “reconsider travel here” warning by the state department - but so far, really glad we took the risk and made the stop here!    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    View from the plane -- nothing but desert!
    The start of thr Nile RiverNile River growing!!2plane is loaded and ready for take off - we're in row 37. 🤷‍♀️The only people on the plane, directly behind usThe ferry to get to Elephantine island and our guesthouseMango GuesthouseThe Felucca coming to pick us upOur captain, hard at workRaising the sailsOne of the MANY other Feluccas on the river... But this little guy did. No adults in sight.2Our Felucca

    Travel day

    August 31, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 109 °F

    Miles: 2.2 Steps: 5361 Flights: 5

    Spending time in Cairo left me with such mixed emotions. On one hand we saw the amazing pyramids - the last ancient wonder of the world still standing. It was awesome. But on the other hand we saw such terrible conditions: filth, immense garbage, poverty, people pouring over the garbage every night in the streets, much too young child labor, starving & injured stray cats and dogs everywhere - and the abuse of the horses was almost too much to watch. They were VERY underweight. They had bloody sores where the harnesses rubbed & scabbed over abrasions where they had fallen and injured themselves. They are used to haul tourists around at the pyramids in carriages. The problem is they are made to gallop up these steep cement hills in unbearable heat, and then made to literally slide back down them - all the while being whipped and beat with sticks, some falling and getting injured in the process. We watched their care after the long day (as our hotel was next to where some of the horses were kept). Their reward for a hard days work was to be tied up next to a cement wall in the rocks with little to no food or water. It was heart breaking to watch, and as women in a country where we had probably the same amount of freedom and rights as that horse (maybe less), we were unable to say or do a thing. So … we left the pyramids today with very mixed emotions. I’m glad I saw them - they were amazing. And I suppose it’s good I saw the rest too - very eye opening, but we left with heavy hearts.

    We flew to Aswan - that’s at the far south of Egypt, Cairo being at the far North. It is HOT here - not just a little, but a lot. Luckily it’s a dry heat, but dang. It runs 115-120° during the day, and our LOW tonight is 88°!

    We are staying in a guesthouse on Elephantine Island - surrounded by the Nile River - only reached by a tiny ferry. The vibe in Aswan is completely different from Cairo, at least the little we saw so far. It’s laid back, quiet, almost peaceful. Once we got there, they immediately took us out on a Felucca - a traditional Egyptian wooden sailing boat - for a sunset two hour trip around the island. It was a beautiful way to end the day, and cooler being on the water. We touched the Nile, and it was surprisingly very cold. Didn’t expect that.

    There were little boys on surfboards paddling around. They would catch up to your boat and grab ahold and ride next to you - then sing you a song for money.

    I believe I will have mixed emotions on this entire trip through Egypt. 😢    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    Streets on Elephantine Island where our guesthouse is - all dirt, no cars
    Directions given: "turn at the big sycamore tree'... and watch out for the sheep.The only street signs on the islandOn the Aswan side of the NileMan selling bread right on the sidewalkStrays everywhere-most feiendly, but had one almost bite me. Scary.Piles of rotting garbage everywhere. 😢The unfinished obelisk - there are people across the way to compare the sizeTuk-tuksInside the tuk-tukIm not sunburned - my face is red from overheatingOur tuk-tuk ride thru the city - they honk at everythingKFC marker for the ferry dock2Yay air conditioning at KFC! Men carry carpet so they can pray wherever they are.

    Aswan, Egypt

    September 1, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 108 °F

    Miles: 2.5 Steps: 6686 Flights: 7

    My oh my was it hot today! Most of the day it hovered around 115°! We took the little ferry across the Nile (10 Egyptian pounds or 50 cents for both of us) back to the city.

    We went to the “unfinished obelisk”. It’s basically a giant monument, or obelisk, cut out of stone on the ground. This one is the largest obelisk ever found, dated back to 1490BC. They figure work was abandoned on it when cracks started appearing in the granite. This thing was huge!

    We had decided to walk the 20 minutes to the obelisk - mostly to see the surroundings. Was a mistake. The people here are very insistent on trying to sell you things. They literally will throw items ONTO you and not take them back, grab your wrist and place bracelets on your arm .. it’s pretty intense. Between that, the young children running beside us with their hands out screaming “money?” at you, and the intense heat - it was too much! I was in pretty bad shape.

    After we toured the obelisk site, we decided to take a tuk-tuk back to the ferry dock. Cost us a whopping $1.50 - worth not getting heat stroke. Had we known it was only $1.50 we wouldn’t have walked in the first place.

    There’s only one American restaurant in Aswan - KFC - which sits at the ferry dock. When we asked the tuk-tuk driver to take us to KFC, he didn’t understand and finally said “Kentucky”? Kind of funny. All the way across the world and here’s a KFC.    Read more

  • Christie MitchellRTW 2022Christie Mitchell
    View from our cabin
    When we arrived,Titanic was coincidentally on on in our room! The porter didnt seem to see the humor2There's even a small pool!5Not our boat - ours is hooked up next to it - but similarThe dam - not steep like others ive seenEgypt-Russia monument celebrating unity at the time of building - no longer alliesTenple of Philae11View from the deck of our boat - thats just a hill of sand theyve lit up1Enjoying the breeze from the Nile - 8:30pm and still 101° - thankful for our air conditioning

    Nile River Cruise

    September 2, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 106 °F

    Miles: 2.4 Steps: 6033 Flights: 10

    We started our 4 day cruise up the Nile today! We are “sailing” from Aswan to Luxor - it doesn’t cover that big of distance, but we’ll be seeing a lot of sites between the two cities.

    The boat has seen a few miles, but is still nice - especially as we’ve been staying in mostly budget accommodations or hostels so far. This seems luxury to us now.

    After getting settled in our room, we met our guide (also a luxury we haven’t had thru most of the trip) and headed off.

    First he took us to the Aswan high dam - they built it in the 1970’s - well, the Russians built it compensated with HALF of their Egyptian cotton harvest for the next 25 years! He said (haven’t fact checked it) that it’s the largest dam in the world and the lake it created, Lake Nassar, is also the largest man made lake in the world. It was 98 meters deep! The dam now provides Egypt with 80% of its power needs. The other positive is it controlled the crocodiles! Before the dam was built, 4 out of every 10 Egyptians were killed by these crocodiles. 😳 They can leap 3 meters and would literally snatch people off their boats or the shore. They contained all the crocodiles, and they now live on the other side of the dam - approximately 18,000 of them! The negative impact - it displaced the Nubian people, and they had to relocate dozens of ancient temples to higher ground.

    The dam is under military control so our very short visit was very controlled. Hard to get any good pics. Apparently, if it were to be destroyed it would kill all Egyptians within 12 minutes (as almost all live near or on the Nile) and the flow would rock the pyramids in Cairo! So there were rocket launchers, missles, and motion sensors everywhere to protect it. 😳

    Then we went to the Temple of Philae. It is the only temple in Egypt built on an island. It was one of the temples that was relocated - taken apart and completely rebuilt on an entire different island

    Excited to be able to just sit back and enjoy the next 4 days not having to worry about how to get anywhere, where we’ll be laying our heads, or what to eat.    Read more

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