RTW 2022

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” (Winnie-the-Pooh) Baca lagi

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RTW 2022 Christie Mitchell
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Last day in Istanbul
8 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Gyro meat! Yum.
9/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellYes but no. That kind of meat definitely, but they didn’t really make what I would consider a gyro with it — not like we got in Greece, which was much more like what I’ve had in the states.
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Pengembara Rrrrrr!!!😂
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Exhausting but amazing travel day
9 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara How amazing is that!!! I've never heard of this place. I imagine it's pretty cool in there?? is it artificially heated/cooled?
9/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellHeated artificially in the winter, yes. Cooled just by being in the cave.
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Pengembara Beautiful terrace to eat.
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Cappadocia, Turkey!
10 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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!Baca lagi
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Pengembara Spectacular shot! Looks like an amazing cutt.
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Pengembarawonder what I was trying to say.....
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Christie MitchellI wondered as wel. 😂
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Pengembara That is so cool!
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Early morning
11 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ 🌙 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. 😃Baca lagi
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Pengembara Do they do this every day? Are they going up to give tourist rides? Incredible.
11/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellEVERY DAY!! Unless the weather doesn’t allow it. Yep, each basket holds 25-30 people!! $150-300 a person depending on how far they go.
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Pengembara That's a lot of people in that balloon. Why don't you ride in one there? Seems like the perfect place.
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Christie MitchellMost don’t go very high, just skim across the valley and drop you on the other side. Didn’t seem like the experience I was hoping for for that much money. We’re going to do it in Egypt.
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Cappodocia!!
11 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ⛅ 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!Baca lagi
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Pengembara How do you know which one is yours?!
12/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellOne of the guides stayed with our “line” of ATV’s, we always stayed in the same order (so I was second from the front), and I had a bag hanging on mine. Wasn’t as hard as it might look.
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Pengembara 😎
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Last day in Cappadocia
12 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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PengembaraDo they get much rain?? What kind of seasons do they get. This is one of the most interesting places you've been to.
12/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellIt really is!! I wish I would have been more prepared - I could have done more. “Cappadocia’s is a dry climate, do not expect much humidity. Look for some winds in the spring and some fog in the late fall. Rain in the summer is a rarity but not uncommon in the fall and spring with a few snowfalls each winter. The hot air balloons fly up to 330 days per year!” Think high desert - very little rain, cool in the evenings and hit during the day. Quite cold in winter. Generally.
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Pengembara Wow!! That looks yummy!
12/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellWe got beef. Could have had chicken or lamb. A lot like a pot roast but smaller chunks. They rely on meat and root vegetables here, which makes sense. Limited beef - mostly raise sheep/goats/chickens.
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Travel day
13 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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. ???Baca lagi
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Pengembara That seems a bit too early 😕
13/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellAll of them in Europe and such have closed early - like 7:00-8:00. It’s a bummer
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Pengembara Ahhhh.. looks refreshing😜Cute little pool😍
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Antalya, Turkey
16 Ogos 2022, Turki ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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PengembaraLooks beautiful and relaxing!
17/08/22Balas
Pengembara Never seen a swing like that on a beach before! What kind of ship is out there? Looks like the Mayflower😂
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Christie MitchellLooked like a pirate ship to us. 🏴‍☠️
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Travel day
17 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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PengembaraBe careful and have fun!
17/08/22Balas
PengembaraCulture shock for sure, but also a perspective check, huh?
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Christie MitchellDefinitely
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Piglet does brave things
18 Ogos 2022, 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. 🤞Baca lagi
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PengembaraGood for you Christie!!! Now you'll have something to talk to Jordan about too!
19/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellIt is nice when we split up … if we don’t once in awhile we become like an old married couple with nothing to talk about. 🤣
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Pengembara I love the tiles or whatever is on the ground. So pretty. Guess it's brick..
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Christie MitchellYep all brick. Really pretty. Have to be careful tho cause it’s slippery (worn down from everyone walking over the years)
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Jerash, Jordan
19 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara I heard from an Afghan man that it is that way in Afghanistan too and he said there are surprisingly few accidents🤔Have you seen any? Crazy without signs, lanes, and signals!!!😳😬
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Christie MitchellNo accidents seen yet but only a couple days of driving in. I’m probably the most dangerous one as I hesitate and am too careful. Jordan keeps telling me … just go! You’re confusing them by pausing or yielding.
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Pengembara Such an impressive venue!!
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Christie MitchellIt really was, and we’ve seen a lot of ruins. These were probably the most complete.
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Trip to the Dea Sea
20 Ogos 2022, 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”. 😃Baca lagi
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PengembaraLove that! All those Jordans!!
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Pengembara Very cute❣️
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Pengembara Soooo cool❣️
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Christie MitchellShe has hopes originally of standing in it or swimming. We had no idea it was so tiny now and so dirty
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Wadi Mujib Siq Trail and the Dead Sea
21 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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PengembaraOh my goodness Christie! Looks like an action movie! You and Jordon are beyond brave! What an adventure!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
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Christie MitchellThank you. It was SO MUCH FUN!!
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Pengembara Very cool picture!
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Christie MitchellWe came around a corner and saw it and we’re so excited!
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Road trip
22 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Yeah but what was the humidity???? 😓
22/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellVERY low so it actually isn’t so bad. When the wind blows it feels like you’re in a dryer.
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Pengembara Just like Boise has been🥵😂
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Petra!
23 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Just another day in Petra
24 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Looks a bit like Utah. It's beautiful.
24/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellI’ve seen both and these seemed … bigger, taller. And more of it. But yes, places reminded me of Utah and Arizona.
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Pengembara You don't do that every day!!!
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Christie MitchellThat’s what we thought. Not too many opportunities in life to do this … in a desert. May have a couple in the next few weeks but that’s cause of where we are.
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Beautiful desert
25 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara oh my god I would be quoting Lawrence of Arabia SO MUCH!
25/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellI’ve never seen the movie!!! They’ve been showing all sorts of Lawrence of Arabia stuff and it’s all lost on me.
26/08/22Balas
Pengembara this literally looks like where Lawrence gets his white robes and is prancing about!
25/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellI don’t know the reference?
26/08/22Balas
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Last day in Wadi Rum
26 Ogos 2022, 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!Baca lagi
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Pengembara One of the coolest pictures so far.
27/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellThe Bedouin guides/drivers that took us out would set some of these pics up … clearly not their first rodeo.
27/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellAnd what isn’t showing is that handful landed square on top of her and covered her in sand!!
27/08/22Balas
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Travel day - drive thru desert
27 Ogos 2022, 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Yikes! That is expensive.
27/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellYep, but we were desperate and no other choice at this point. It was the only self service laundry-mat in all of Amman. Every place else was even more because they washed them for you.
27/08/22Balas
PengembaraSo thankful you didn’t have a blow out on the freeway!!! Glad you had kind help, too!
28/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellI was very glad. Blowout could have been very dangerous, especially on these freeways.
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Another travel day
28 Ogos 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Incredible!
28/08/22Balas
Pengembara Wow! Spectacular!!
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The last ancient wonder of the world!
29 Ogos 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Awesome!!
31/08/22Balas
Pengembara What happened to building on the right?
31/08/22Balas
Christie MitchellWho knows. They’re all like that except for a couple.
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Cairo
30 Ogos 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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!Baca lagi
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Travel day
31 Ogos 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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. 😢Baca lagi
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Pengembara You were on an empty plane???
2/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellNo, there was probably … 25 people behind us?? Crazy.
2/09/22Balas
Pengembara What’s that building?
2/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellNot sure. ???
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Aswan, Egypt
1 September 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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Pengembara Some real authentic Egyptian cuisine, huh? 😂
2/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellJust a couple drinks, some water and the wonderful air!! And no, not a huge fan of Egyptian cuisine. I miss Italian food!!! 🥲
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PengembaraWhat IS Egyptian food?
3/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellRice-stuffed vegetables and grape leaves; hummus and pita; falafel; shawarma; kebab and kofta; mashed fava beans (like refried beans); koshary; lentils and pasta; lots of stews.
3/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellThe falafel is good here being authentic. I like kebabs and such but most of the meat ends up very dry.
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Nile River Cruise
2 September 2022, Mesir ⋅ ☀️ 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.Baca lagi
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PengembaraIs it just the 2 of you on your own personal tour? Is there a cook? How are you liking Egyptian food?
3/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellNope, we have 15 in our group - 80 on the boat. And yes, there’s a cook - a buffet like most cruises. Not a fan of Egyptian food. Not really been thrilled since we left Greece, food wise. 😂 lots of chicken and rice and the seasoning/flavoring doesn’t change much.
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Pengembara Such a big room!
3/09/22Balas
Christie MitchellYeah - more like a hotel room than a cruise ship room. This is a smaller boat. Only two floors of rooms, a floor for dining, and a reception/lounge floor. Nothing like the Alaska cruise ship.
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