Amman & Petra

After my brief stop in the Midwest, I rejoined Simon in the Middle East. We arrived to Amman on Wednesday night at the time that Barca and Man U were playing the Champions League finals. We didn't even check in, we headed straight to a bar where we caught the last part of the match. As soon as the match ended, all streets were flooded with fans honking and celebrating. Amman could have been Barcelona.

We spent most of Thursday on visa stuff, which I'll relate another time, but we managed to walk around downtown and visit the Roman theatre where I took the attached picture of Simon.

The following day was Friday, the local end of the week. The city was noticeable quieter, and it felt like Sunday to us. We rented a car and headed south. It can be really fun to drive in a country where you cannot read the signs. Thankfully, there are enough signs in English so that we don't get completely lost, only a little bit. We stopped at several sights, one of which was the Dead Sea. On the other side of the water we could see the West Bank; it looked very tranquil through the haze. We saw people swimming in the sea, but we skipped that activity for now and continued south to Wadi Musa, the town next to Petra.

We spent all of Saturday walking around the fascinating ruins of Petra. This city was built before the Greek conquered this part of the world, so it is really old. I guess I shouldn't be surprised any more, but it is astonishing how antiquities in the Middle East date from thousands of years ago.

In Petra, we took pictures of the theatre, the Treasury, which is the most amazing building carved on the rock, the monastery up on a hill, and the narrow canyon that served as the city entrance. The city is just ruins, but it's easy to get a sense of the magnitude of these buildings. Simon and I cannot agree on how to rank Petra vs the Egyptian pyramids and Ramses temples. All of these sites are so old and so impressive. Tough call.

I'm amazed by how many people can speak English in Jordan. It makes our lives so much easier. So far the country is on the expensive side, but gas is really cheap (only 50 cents per liter). Roads are in good condition and we haven't seen any slums, so it generally feels like a safe and wealthy country. Every so often we found bedouin tents; they seem to be the ones living in the most basic conditions. I guess it is good that they keep their traditions despite the development around them. Probably I shouldn't be talking since I don't know much about them. Everybody is very friendly. And here I'll stop.

Mercedes

Lawrence, Kansas - Wedding in the Mid West

A trip around the world is not complete without a stop in Kansas.

My friend Molly's wedding was the perfect excuse to introduce a 'little detour' to our travels. However, the wedding date was set after our world tour itinerary was decided. This means that I couldn't have been any further away from Kansas at this time. As a result, while travelling in the Middle East, I took a four-leg flight to the Mid West.

I knew that Molly was a very organized person, but this wedding took planning to the next level. The affair lasted several days, consisting of activities and events (most of them with food and drinks) scheduled one after another non stop. By the time brunch was over, the scavenger hunt started, followed by wedding, and then night drinks, etc, etc. No chance of getting bored.

My friend Lorena also came to Lawrence, so the fun was absolutely guaranteed to be non stop. I had a chance to catch up with friends that I hadn't seen in a long time, and to meet new people. The hosts were amazing and incredibly generous.

Pictures include a view of KU campus from Molly's home, bride + groom + wedding people, Lorena and I by the Kansas river, and the team that won the scavenger hunt challenge. Since I usually don't win in these types of activities, I want to make sure that I highlight this time that I did, thanks to a fantastic (and type-A competitive) team.

On the last day, Lorena and I paid a visit to our friend Tachi and his wife. They have a wonderful house just outside of Kansas City. (I can't believe that I forgot to take a picture with them). Despite the amount of food that we had had on prior days, both of us ate as if for the first time in weeks. They treated us to a barbecued steak with Kansas' most tender beef, the best lunch I had in a long long time. We confirmed what everybody knows: no trip to Kansas is complete without having a steak.

Now I'm at KC airport starting the multiple-connection flight that will take me back to where I was before. The plan is to meet Simon in Istanbul. However, my first flight has been grounded due to storms, so I bet I'll loose all my connections. Ahhh, U.S. air traffic...

Mercedes

Turkish Coast - more more pics

Turkish Coast - more pics

Some pictures that didn't make it to the last posting:

Turkish Coast - Egean & Mediterranean Seas

Since Sunday our home has been "Amazon Solo", a mega boat with a crew of 4 just for the 6 of us. The boat is supposed to be for double the amount of people, so we have pleeeeenty of space. I even have a cabin with private bathroom just for myself.
The crew includes a chef, who prepares our daily three meals. We are getting used to rolling out of bed and getting a generous breakfast on deck.
Besides eating, daily activities include: swimming in crystal clear sea, reading, seating around, reading, playing backgammon (Juan won our little tournament and even managed to beat the captain, who plays like a pro), water-skying, reading, snorkeling, listening to music, reading some more, kayaking, and once, we went to the shore for a mud bath that smelled like rotten eggs (but it made for a funny picture).
Unfortunately, heavenly life doesn't last forever, tomorrow we'll grudgingly get off the boat, and I'll be heading back to Istanbul.
Mercedes

Ephesus

Simon is back. After a short break in Singapore, he met the 6 of us in Sirince the idyllic town where we are staying. One of the pictures shows the town's rooftops as we view them from our hotel. Sirince is nearby Ephesus.

Ephesus is now ancient city ruins, but they are preserved well enough to give a good idea of how spectacular it must have been. The amphitheatre is amazing, still preserving its great acoustics, which means that tourist groups take turns to sing on the stage: kids, religious groups, etc.

Mercedes

PS: Bart hasn't been kidnapped yet.

PS2: Arlene, since you are our newest reader, we added a few pics of Erick just for you :)

PS3: There's actually a picture of the scooter drivers that was taken in Cappadocia, but after its corresponding blog posting. Since it looked funny we included it here.

Cappadocia

We are staying at the Kelebek Pension, where the rooms are carved into the rocks, just like the locals have done since ancient times. We visited the rock chapels and monsateries, hiked through valleys, and -the most amazing- flew on a balloon. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Mercedes

PS: Message to Bart's family: He has not been kidnapped yet

Mercedes