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Middle East - October 2017

October - November 2017
A 27-day adventure by Paulnangie's Adventures Read more
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  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 7

    Turkey (Gallipoli Peninsula)

    October 13, 2017 in Turkey ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We drove 4 hours from Istanbul to Gallipoli today. We stopped for lunch just outside Eceabat, a small town overlooking the Dardanelles Strait, before heading to Gallipoli.
    Approximately 75% of our group were in full WWI Light Horse ceremonial dress, as we had a number of wreath laying ceremonies scheduled with the Australian Consulate Military Attache & Turkish Officials. We visited ANZAC Cove, Shrapnel Valley & Hell Spit before laying wreathes at Lone Pine; Turkish 57th Memorial Park; The Nek; & Chunuk Bair.
    The work done by the Turkish Government to preserve & maintain the National Park, monuments & the Gallipoli Peninsula in general, is nothing short of incredible. Everywhere we went, the Turkish people welcomed us with open arms & wanted to shake our hands & take photos with us.
    It was a very moving day, & the trip back to Eceabat, where we caught a ferry to Canakkale, allowed us to reflect on what those brave young men went through in order to secure our freedom.
    Interestingly, there was a great display that we explored at Eceabat, on the waterfront - it has a life size model of the trenches, as well as a 3D walkthrough map of the Gallipoli Peninsula which gave a really good birds eye view of the battleground & region. Well worth a visit if you are in the region.
    We spent the night in Cannakale (Iris Hotel) in preparation for exploring the region further tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 8

    Turkey

    October 14, 2017 in Turkey ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we explored the Gallipoli region further, including visiting the British, French & Irish memorial sites at Cape Helles & V Beach.
    We learnt so much about this region & its significance in history, including the roles of all countries involved. The blood shed & lives lost is incomprehensible.
    We had little knowledge of the fact that the British/Irish & French forces suffered even greater losses than our own on 25th April 1915 at V Beach (located on the opposite side of the Gallipoli Peninsula from ANZAC Cove), where they were slaughtered after disembarking from the SS River Clyde. Historical recounts of the day indicate that it was an absolute bloodbath with the water at the beach turning red with the blood shed there.
    Again, a very moving & educational day.
    We made the 4 hour journey back to Istanbul, stopping on the way for a late lunch at the little fishing village of Gallipoli (Gelibolu)! We enjoyed a delicious & traditional fish sandwich (fried sardine) before treating ourselves to a turkish coffee & baklava in a gorgeous cafe/patisserie.
    We are off to bed early tonight (back at Akgun Hotel), as we will be up at 3am tomorrow in order to catch our flight to Cairo.
    We might be a bit quiet for the next 4 days or so as we will only be accessing WiFi in Egypt & Jordan due to the data roaming being limited (& extremely expensive) in these countries.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 9

    Egypt

    October 15, 2017 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    After an early wake up call, we were on the bus at 3am heading to Ankara International airport, for the next destination in our journey - Cairo, Egypt!
    The flight was a little under 2.5 hours & we arrived to a beautiful morning. First impressions - Wow! - Istanbul was exotic but Cairo is ancient! There are 20 million people living in Cairo & it is a thriving, throng of humanity & culture. Only one word accurately describes the traffic in this city - crazy! You indicate with your horn & there are no real line markings on the road, so it is every man for himself! Roads that might comfortably hold 3 lanes of traffic in Australia, hold at least 5 here!
    As our hotel was not ready until midday, our buses carefully navigated the traffic to the famed Egyptian Museum of Antiquities - wow, wow, wow! This museum is so full of antiques & ancient artifacts that it cannot hold them all! A new museum is currently under construction, directly opposite this important treasure, & is scheduled to open in 2018 - we will have to come back for another visit then. The current museum is breathtaking, although cramped with pieces in boxes stacked haphazardly everywhere. With new artifacts being found on a daily basis, this facility is bursting at the seams & our guide (a local Coptic Christian & Archaeologist), informed us that there are multiple warehouses around the city, stacked high with pieces that have never before been seen! 🤤
    The history held within the museum's walls dates back to at least 2500 years BC! Tutankhamun's artifacts are all stored & displayed here. It was absolutely mind blowing! There is a definite sense that being surrounded by these ancient artifacts is just 'normal' for the local Egyptians.
    We stopped for lunch at a boat docked on the Nile River, before heading to our hotel (Barceló Hotel) for an easy afternoon. The Nile River is surprisingly filthy (that's the last time I'll be purchasing Nile Perch) & boy does it flow; like really fast!
    At 6pm we were on the bus again & heading to our boat cruise dinner on the Nile where we were entertained by a Belly Dancer & a Twirling Dervish, the latter of which was absolutely mesmerising. How he spun for at least 10 minutes without getting dizzy was beyond me 😁.
    We were asleep within 5 minutes of our head touching the pillow, just after 10pm.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 10

    Egypt

    October 16, 2017 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We awoke to another glorious morning in Cairo, with the honking of car horns our new 'normal'. We were on the bus at 8am & headed to one of the seven wonders of the world - the Pyramids of Giza! It didn't take long before we spotted them in all their glory, sitting right alongside the city fringe - you could have Pizza from a Pizza Hutt that was less than 100m from the Sphynx!
    We were in complete awe at the magnitude & splendor of them - they were breathtaking! The biggest one, known as the Great Pyramid or Cheops, was the burial site for Khufu who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty in the first half of the Old Kingdom period (26th century BC) - we even got to trek inside & visit his burial chamber located about two thirds of the way up! It took about 15 minutes to walk up via steep passages, some of which were incredibly expansive, & low, close tunnels; completely worth the $12AUD each for the privilage, albeit slightly terrifying & almost overwhelming knowing you were inside one of the most ancient & mystical structures on the planet!
    Next, we drove around to the 'Sahara Desert side' of the pyramids, this is where we got the perfect picture opportunities, with all 3 of the major structures visible. It is from this location that we also began our iconic camel ride - a highlight of the trip so far! We were speechless & the view from the Sahara Desert, looking at those ancient marvels & the glistening city beyond, was a memory that will be etched in our memories until the end of our days.
    After our ride we boarded our bus & headed back towards the 'city side' of the pyramids where we viewed the mighty Sphynx statue before heading back to the hotel for a restful afternoon; many in the group were coming down with the lurgy and this time allowed us to pack & prepare for the 3.30am wake up tomorrow morning for our flight to Jordan.
    After a quick tidy up at the hotel, we ventured out for a walk in the crowded, dusty streets before coming back & preparing for our trip to view a laser light show at the Pyramids, before a formal dinner at the famous Mena House Hotel; another historic site in WWI history, as it was here that our ANZACs were based before moving through to Israel (then Palestine).
    Another fantastic day done & dusted; we are ready for Jordan tomorrow!    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 11

    Jordan

    October 17, 2017 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    What an eventful day! It started at 3am this morning when we were roused from our sleep by a wake-up call so that we could be on the bus at 5am for our journey to Cairo's airport. Our flight to Amman, Jordan departed at 9.15am so we had plenty of time to get through the four security check points & two pat downs before we boarded the plane (with plain clothes security guards) for the 1.5 hour flight. In hindsight, this should have been our first red flag on how strict Jordan is on those visiting the country...
    We arrived safely at just after 9.30am local time & proceeded through customs (& more security check points) to the baggage carousel. Now the fun begins....Pauly's bag, along with a number of other tour members' luggage did not arrive on the carousel.... After discussions with Jordanian Security Forces, the bags were located but further inspection & questioning was required...Almost 3 hours later, & after segregation & questioning (via translator), Pauly was freed to us with his secured contraband item, for which a refundable fee of $54JD ($115AUD) was required. We have been told that the fee will be refunded to us at the Israeli border on Thursday, upon which our binoculars shall also be freed from their secure, plastic prison 😂...Second lesson learnt on this trip - don't carry binoculars into Jordan; ever!
    After all of the excitement at the airport, we were then on our way to the hotel (beautiful, by the way) before heading out to the ancient Amman Citadel (built around the time of Alexander the Great). Most of the buildings still visible at the site are from the Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. The major buildings at the site are the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace. This stop also provided incredible picture opportunities of the beautiful city of Amman.
    By the time we finished & had navigated our way back through traffic to the hotel (imagine traffic being slightly less crazy than Cairo, but a whole lot more scary! - I am not sure that driving tests are compulsory in Jordan, before being issued a licence...), we were well & truly worn out & enjoyed an early night with dinner in bed at our beautiful accommodation - Olive Tree Hotel.
    Tomorrow we meet the Australian Ambassador to Jordan & Jordanian dignataries for a wreath laying ceremony at Es Salt before we board a restored WWI steam train, from Amman's famous Hejaz Station, for a journey to Zizah Station, where a very important event occured in relation to the Middle East campaign in WWI...    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 12

    Jordan

    October 18, 2017 in Jordan ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    After a wonderful 8 hour sleep at our hotel in Amman, we awoke refreshed & ready for another big day. We had a special tour organised for us in the morning on a steam train from Amman's Hedjaz Station to Zizah Station, the latter of which was significant for our Light Horse troops in WWI, as it was here where they helped protect the Turks in the region against the Bedouin tribes who would have slaughtered them if they surrendered to the Aussies. The incident was known as the Zizah Farce.
    We were extremely privilaged to have been given the opportunity to ride on this train as it is very rare that it operates. Needless to say we drew crowds of locals who greeted us all with with lots of curiosity, smiles & waves. We saw many things of interest whilst on the one hour journey, including the old city's viaduct (from Roman times) & Bedouin communities in the arid countryside.
    After lunch we took a special journey to Es Salt's Turkish Memorial where we held a special wreath laying ceremony in honour of the fallen Turkish troops who battled here in 1918. The grounds of the memorial site contained a cave that was discovered in 1953 that held the bodies of 300 Turkish soldiers. It had been beautifully restored & made for a poignant display. We were privileged to have Colonel Christopher Buxton from the Australian Defence Attache in attendance, as well as the Turkish Ambassador to Jordan, the latter of whom was deeply moved, as this was the first time any Australian group had honoroured the fallen Turkish soldiers here. It was a very special moment that we were able to share in.
    As an added bonus today, we witnessed a police motorcade escorting Australia's Govenor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, from the airport - he had just arrived in Amman for trade talks. Our group leaders, & the Consulate staff had tried in vain to have him join us, but unfortunately his time was limited. Apparantly, he was most upset at the missed opportunity.
    We are off to Israel tomorrow where we should be at the border crossing by 9.30am; then the fun will begin again for Pauly & those dastardly binoculars....    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 13

    Israel

    October 19, 2017 in Palestine ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    We left our hotel in Jordan at 8.30am for the 1 hour journey to the Jordanian border, crossing through the beautiful Jordan Valley. The valley is lush & green & sits at least 400m below sea level, once here, all the bags came off the bus & were x-rayed etc...(& Pauly's binoculars were freed from their restraints with minimal fuss & lots of cigarette smoke). Next we were back on the bus travelling for approximately 10 minutes through 'no man's land' (our view was sniper towers, trenches, barbed wire & desolation) to the Israeli border crossing. Here, the bags came off the bus again & were x-rayed whilst we obtained our visas, passed through security checks & moved to our buses (all new buses & drivers as our Jordanian guides did not cross into Israel). Interestingly, the binoculars were of no interest to the Israelis, however my 5 kg of authentic turkish delight was a different story 😁; but once they had performed all of their necessary security checks I got my loot & was free to go. The Israeli guards were very thorough but made us feel very welcome - a dramatic difference to what we had experienced entering other countries. We were now officially in Israel & on our way to Tel Aviv!
    The first city we spotted was the oldest in the world - Jericho! Unfortunately we did not have time to stop but we will definitely come back on another visit!
    Lunch was held in Tel Aviv at the Rishon Le-Zion Museum where we learnt about the history of the Jewish nation & the Israeli flag, amonst other things.
    This afternoon we were treated to a wonderful concert at Jaffa Railway Station, on the Tel Aviv foreshore, by our concert band (The Perth Hills & Wheatbelt Band). They flew in from Perth this morning along with all other ('Option B') tour members - there are now 180 of us in total!
    After another long day, we enjoyed a scrumptious buffet dinner at our wonderful accommodation - Dan Panorama Hotel, before a quick "hello" & welcome from the Australian Ambassador to Israel.    Read more

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