A Whole New World: The Sea Of Death. And Then Peace

Thursday, 5 February 2015

We had decided to go to the Dead Sea today and again decided to take the minibus. After breakfast, we took a cab to Muhajirin bus station for the bus to Rame (also spelt as Rahmah). The fare cost only JOD1 per person with change and again we had to wait for the bus to fill. We finally arrived after 10 am and the driver told us to get down there as the bus was continuing on to another destination (which name escapes me now). We got down and were approached by waiting cabbies. Now, there’s no minibus service direct to the Dead Sea, you’ll definitely have to take a cab for the rest of the way and back to Rame. We finally agreed to pay JOD8 for the cab; we told the cabbie we didn’t want to go too far as we didn’t plan to bathe. We just wanted to see the Sea which is the site of the ancient site of Sodom. Dad had told me not to be awed about the place which swallowed so much sin and evil wrongdoings.

It didn’t take long to reach the Dead Sea. We had to pass a security checkpoint before we continued on to the public beach next to Holiday Inn. The cabbie turned in towards the beach and we went out and descended down to the water. The public ‘beach’ was dirty and littered and you would think many times before you consider entering the sea. Like I said earlier, we weren’t going to bathe but we still picked our way gingerly down to the water. And yes, before long, some kids who really belonged in school came approaching us with their donkeys. We ignored them.

We stayed for almost half an hour. There was a light breeze and the weather wasn’t bad but the sun in that part of the world is just so intense with hardly any cloud cover so do be prepared with your sunblock.

After that, we returned to the cab and drove back to Rame. We wanted to wait for a minibus to Madaba so we waited and waited. And waited and waited. We must have waited for a good hour and asked a few locals when a bus came but it was full. The cabbie who drove us to the Dead Sea came back and offered to bring us to Madaba. We finally agreed on a fare of JOD20.

We left the village of Rame and drove to Madaba. It was a winding climbing road and we could see the Dead Sea in the distance. We passed Mount Nebo where according to the Bible, Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land. There is a Memorial to Moses here with entrance fee of JOD1; however, our cabbie didn’t want to wait so we left after taking photos.

We reached Madaba at 13:15 and went to find the Visitor Centre. We found the sign misleading and ended up walking a longer route there. We then asked for maps and the way to the nearest mosque to perform prayers. A few metres later, we stumbled upon the Virgin Mary Church. We found that we could gain access to three sites by paying a JOD2 entrance ticket so we decided to buy the ticket. We spent twenty minutes there before proceeding to King Hussein bin Talal Mosque for prayers.

After prayers, we went to find St George’s Church, a Greek Orthodox Church and the site of an ancient mosaic map of the region. You have to pay JOD1 entrance fee at the visitor centre on the right of the church. After the church, we went to find Madaba Museum. Unfortunately, very few people seemed to know where it was so we walked up and down and finally headed back to the Visitor Centre to ask for directions. We were not successful in getting the right direction however (!) and asked at some shops before we were directed to the right place. And we found that Madaba is yet another of those hilly Jordanian town... We reached the museum some half an hour later and were given a private tour by one of the museum staff.

We stayed more than twenty minutes before we left for the Apostles Church, the last site on our ticket. We reached there after a ten-minute walk but alas, it was already closed. I know some places close at 4 p.m. during the winter months.

We decided not to turn back and followed the road, hoping it would lead us to the bus station. And this time, we were in luck for we stumbled upon the bus station. What a relief! We quickly found a minibus back to Amman and paid JOD1 each. We were dropped at some busy intersection in Amman and spotting a tour agency, we went to ask for directions. The bloke who attended to us didn’t even suggest us to take a cab but a blue bus. I looked out and saw one and asked if that was the right one and he said yes. We thanked him and hurried over to the bus (and having to cross the busy road too).

We got down near Al Hussaini Mosque and walked around the shops, looking for souvenirs. They have abaya with lovely colourful embroidery there and we admired the beautiful abayas. In the end, I only bought some magnets as I wanted to be sure I had enough money for the following day before I succumbed to shopping. We had another chicken syawarma meal tonight. Ditsy me left my bag behind and only realised it when we were back in our room so we had to retrace our steps back to the dates shop and the syawarma restaurant before finding I had left it at the souvenir shop.

Friday, 6 February 2015

We decided to have a rather late breakfast today at 08:45 as we would be checking out and leaving our bags at the lobby while we went to explore the part of Amman we hadn’t yet covered. We left at 09:30 and walked to the Roman Theatre Complex. We had read that the Roman Theatre opens later on Fridays, at 10:00. You will first come upon the Roman Forum which was once one of the largest public squares in Imperial Rome. Only a few columns remain today. The Roman Theatre is just adjacent to the Forum. Foreigners have to pay JOD1 for entrance while the locals pay only JOD0.15. Entrance also includes the Jordan Museum of Popular Traditions and the Folklore Museum which we missed. The Roman Theatre is impressively huge. We spent twenty minutes there before checking out the Museum of Popular Traditions.

After that, we went to the nearby Odeon, a mini version of the Roman Theatre and built around the same time as its bigger sister and held an audience of 500. In Roman times it would have hosted small musical or poetry performances or odes as they were then known hence the name.

After that, we asked directions for the Citadel from the Tourist Police. They didn’t seem to understand so I threw in Jabal al Qala’a too. They directed us to a flight of stairs in the far distance and also suggested we take a cab up. We decided, well, we’d climbed up to Al-Deir so surely we could climb up to the Citadel. And so we did and had another good workout by which I mean, panting, huffing, puffing, moaning and groaning all the way up. We also had to walk around the hill to the entrance. We finally reached the entrance half an hour after we started.

We had sighted the Temple of Hercules when we were walking down Rainbow Street on Wednesday evening illuminated against the night sky but it was still impressive to see it up close in daylight. We walked around the temple area before circling Jordan Archaeological Museum and continuing on to the Umayyad Complex and Mosque which is the early Islamic part of the Citadel. The mosque remains suggest it was a considerably large building which means it was indeed the heart of the Muslim community back then. To the north of the mosque are the remains of a hammam, a souk and Umayyad Palace with its prominent gateway topped with a blue roof. Off to the right of the Mosque and Gateway is the water cistern which held the water supply for the residents of the Citadel. After taking our fill of the palace complex, we returned to the Jordan Archaeological Museum. The museum has a remarkable collection of statues and ceramics, jewellery, flint and metal tools, coins, pottery bowls and remains of temples salvaged during excavations. Alas, the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were not there.

We walked to the remains of the Byzantine Church and were about to rest when we were approached by four local ladies with their children clearly on a playdate. They approached us and in Arabic told us they wanted to take pictures of us and with us. It was quite hilarious really. We finally left without really exploring the church remains.

We descended the hill and found ourselves in one of the roads which we usually passed in our evening shopping forays. We headed for Al Hussaini Mosque, stopping by a perfumery and some other shops on the way. At the mosque, we found there was a room for females but when we asked where to perform ablutions, we were given a vague direction to the souq nearby. We found a public washroom but it looked to be mixed (!) so we left and went to find a hotel where we hoped to perform ablutions. Well, in that part of the world, hotels don’t necessarily have public bathrooms for guests or visitors. We walked on and stumbled upon the Nymphaeum. This was one of the main water supplies for the people in the downtown district. The fountain complex is almost certainly built over underground caves and streams which in Roman times were seen as sacred places and dedicated to the nymphs made famous in mythology, hence the name.

There was a hotel around the corner from the Nymphaeum and when we explained that we wanted to use the hotel’s bathroom to perform ablutions, the guard there kindly took us to a room at the fifth floor and told us we could perform ablutions there. We then returned to the ground floor and the guard told us to perform prayers in an office. How kind! ;’)

After having performed our obligation, we thanked him and left and returned to the shopping scene. We finally bought a tunic each (me for myself and Che Ta for her mum) and then returned to the perfumery. The shopkeeper patiently entertained us and suggested some scents for us and we left with satisfaction over our purchases. I had bought dates and figs the previous evening and didn’t want to shop further so after setting aside cash for dinner and cab to the airport, we went to a moneychanger and changed our remaining dinars into USD. We sat and chatted before buying dinner (if I ate too early I’d be hungry again by 10 pm!). We finally returned to the hotel after dinner to freshen up and perform prayers while waiting for Muhammad, our cabbie from our arrival in Amman, to come at 21:30.

Well, he showed up at 8 p.m. and we decided we’d leave then as we didn’t want him to have to come back to downtown to pick us up. The hotel could arrange airport transfer at JOD25 but Muhammad had offered to take us for JOD20 earlier hence why we chose him. It took us close to an hour to reach the airport and we passed IKEA and two universities on the way. At the airport, we went to the bathroom to change clothes before checking in. Then it was a long, long wait for our 01:45 flight out of Amman...

Saturday, 7 February 2015

I somehow managed to doze off once or twice before we landed in Bangkok. At Bangkok, we immediately went to find the prayer room – which turned out to be near our gate. There was a delay in taking off and we only landed at KLIA at 20:50, half an hour later than scheduled.

I had an absolutely fantastic fabulous fun time in Jordan. Alhamdulillah! It’s just too bad that we couldn’t cross over to Syria because of the war but I’m thankful nevertheless.

A Whole New World: From Wadi Musa To Amman

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

We woke up early this morning and went for breakfast at 7. After breakfast, we walked to Petra and were at the entrance by 07:30. We walked and walked, past Al-Khazneh, along the Street of Facades, past the tombs and theatre, along Colonnaded Street up to the museum. I was surprised to find the site was deserted this early in the morning. Surely people should flock to the site now before it got too hot? It took us 25 minutes to get to Al-Khazneh and another 25 minutes to reach the museum. From the museum, we followed signs and then the steps leading up to Jabal Al-Deir. I tell you, it’s not an easy climb. I huffed and puffed and panted. The good thing is we could stop every now and then to draw our breath and enjoy the view before continuing on as the steps were not continuous and there are breaks every few metres or so. It took a good hour for an unfit me to finally reach the top. Hey, we were ascending the treacherous steps ok! We met a loud hungry bold kitten on the way up and I gave it some bun.

No pain, no gain. This was our reward ;)

Al-Deir or the Monastery was every bit impressive and fascinating as Al-Khazneh, if not more. We climbed up the nearby hills for a view of the surrounding canyon, valleys, mountains and faraway desert. It’s amazing how insanely and breathtakingly beautiful the view was. We were admiring the view when another cat approached us so I shared some bun with him.

We had to leave though so after 75 minutes at Jabal Al-Deir, we reluctantly made our way down. We met a lot of other stragglers only just then struggling up to the Monastery, some on foot while some others on donkeys. We also met the loud kitten but I had run out of bun by then. We walked the five km or so out without a word, too exhausted by the intense merciless sun beating down on us to speak.

We finally reached the hotel drained and knackered at 11:45 and sat at the lobby, trying to gather our breath. We then made our way back to the room to perform prayers. We left immediately after prayers as we had a 1 pm bus to catch. We had earlier discussed and decided to take the minibus to Amman instead of the JETT bus which would only depart at 5 pm (it would cost us JOD10 each on JETT bus). The minibus would depart at noon and 1 pm (as informed by the bus driver the day before) and we would reach Amman before it got dark.

We tried hailing a cab and where was one when you needed it?? Suddenly, a man in a truck pulled over and called us over. We asked if he could give us a ride to the bus station and he nodded so after loading our bags, we boarded his vehicle. It was only a km to the bus station but going uphill with our bags was not something I would consider. We knew the cab from the bus station would cost us JOD2 to the hotel so we were surprised when the driver asked for JOD5 and all because we had luggage. Well, excuse me, if we had taken a cab, it would have cost us JOD2 with no extra charge for luggage. I told Che Ta to just give him JOD2.

The minibus to Amman was already waiting and we had to put our bags on one of the seats. I knew the fare was JOD7 each and handed him JOD20 for the two of us but he insisted that we pay for the seat occupied by our bags. When he looked at the money I gave him, he said JOD20 was fine. I was surprised at this. Sure, in Croatia, I had to pay for storing my bag in the bus luggage compartment. I paid extra for my bag when riding the airport bus to Saigon. But the bus driver who took us from Aqaba to Wadi Rum didn’t ask us to pay extra. I was not happy but we couldn’t do anything.

It took us over three hours to reach Amman and we were dropped off at the bus station which name didn’t sound familiar to me. A cabbie approached us and said he could take us to our hotel for JOD5, another quoted JOD4. We decided to walk out to the main road and asked. A friendly local helped hail us a cab and a metered one too. We got in and the cabbie started navigating his way including calling his friends to ask for direction. I discovered then how huge Amman is. We were in the cab for an hour and we were still looking for the hotel! I also discovered that people over there rely more on landmarks and circles (roundabouts) and the hills in Amman (e.g. Jabal Amman. Amman is a very hilly city. Very). Muhammad Abu Hamdan, our cabbie, went down a couple of to ask for directions. Finally, we were at Jabal Amman and he stopped to ask at a pump station and this time, he got accurate direction. We finally reached the hotel at 17:15 and it was already getting dark. We heard the call for prayer as we were checking in.

We dumped our bags in the room and went out after asking for a map and directions from Dia’, the general manager of the hotel. There were a lot of people downtown, the locals and immigrants and maybe some Syrian refugees too. We finally bought chicken syawarma for dinner – even a full menu including chips cost 40% of what it cost us in Petra (!).

We were back at the hotel less than two hours later.

Wednesday, 4 February 2015

Breakfast was served from 8 am and we were at the table by then. We were going to Jerash today, a city about 48 km to the north of Amman. The hotel could arrange a tour for us at JOD40 per person if the number was enough to arrange a trip. I had searched and decided that we could do it on our own so we decided we would.

After breakfast, we left and took a cab to Tarbarbour Bus Station which is in north Amman. The cab ride cost us JOD2. It was a well-arranged and organised station with destinations stated (in Arabic) but don’t fret if you can’t read Arabic, as the destinations are posted on the sides of the minibuses. As the case is elsewhere in Jordan, the driver waited until the bus was almost full before departing. The fare was less than JOD1 each.

It took us close to an hour to reach Jerash and I had just started dozing off when I was fortunately woken up by the disembarking passengers and saw Jerash on our left so I quickly woke Che Ta up, got up and gestured to the driver that we wanted to get down. (As we found later, it would be a painful climb uphill had we not gotten down there as the bus station was in the lower part of the city.) We had to walk around part of the site to the entrance and at the ticket office, paid the JOD8 entrance fee.

We entered and walked the site and I must say the three hours spent there and the museum was so fulfilling and satisfying. We first passed Hadrian’s Arch with Hippodrome on the left and the remains of the Church of Marianos on the right then we walked to the South Gate where our tickets were finally checked. Temple of Zeus was on immediate left with the South Theatre beyond while Forum Cardo was ahead of us. We decided to explore the Temple of Zeus and South Theatre first then walked to the remains of Peter and Paul Churches to the remains of the three churches and then the Temple of Artemis. After that, it was the Isaiah Church and the North Theatre next (the latter being smaller than the South Theatre). Then we took a leisurely walk back to the Forum Cardo, passing the other ruins and remains, Nymphaeum, the Baths and a detour to the museum.

We finally left, almost reluctantly in my case, and asked for directions to the bus station (this was when we discovered the bus station was at the lower part of the city). We spotted a bus stop and decided to wait there instead of walking down. It was quite a wait and finally a minibus came along. I decided to ask and we were assured, yes, they were heading for Amman but then the conductor added something in Arabic which we didn’t understand of course. Turned out they dropped us near the Jerash site and we had to get down and walk across to the minibus there. A cabbie approached us and said he could take us back to Amman for JOD2. JOD2 all the way back to Amman? You’ve got to be kidding me. We decided to take the minibus because we figured it was safer in number and pretty soon, the cabbie and bus driver were exchanging angry words at each other. I asked the passengers inside if the bus was going to Amman and we boarded when we received the affirmative reply.

We reached Amman and took a cab back from Tarbarbour Station (a challenging task as it turned out) to the hotel. After performing prayers, we went out. We bought zinger burgers from a nearby restaurant then walked up to Rainbow Street. And by that, I mean that we really did have to climb up to Rainbow Street. Rainbow Street is where the locals hang out at its numerous restaurants and cafes, something like Bintang Walk here. We walked down to the First Circle before turning around and walking up the street again. We didn’t walk to the very end but went down some flights of stairs until we eventually arrived near our hotel (eh, how did that happen??). We continued on to the downtown area and decided to try out the dessert from Habibah Sweets. 

We then went around the shops before returning to the hotel.

A Whole New World: Rose-Red City

Sunday, 1 February 2015

I slept badly and finally got up at 5 to perform prayers. It was oh so cold and I wanted to go back to sleep but finally decided to view the sunrise. We didn’t have a good view of the sunrise though but had a fantastic view of the light coming up to touch on the sandstone formations around us.

We had breakfast at 07:30 and left for the tour an hour later. We drove to the ‘white desert’ and then on to Jabal Umm Fruth Bridge. There was a Bedouin tent there and Sabah told me, ‘three cats live here.’ I didn’t climb up as I knew I would have problems getting down so I stayed on terra firma and explored the grounds. After half an hour, Che Ta descended down and we headed to the Bedouin tent where we enjoyed a cat’s hospitable company and some Bedouin tea.

Friendly hospitable cat making itself comfortable on my lap

We continued on and twenty minutes later, reached a canyon where we were dropped off. Sabah our driver and guide told us he’d wait for us at the other side. We set off, walking in between two sandstones, up some rocks and climbed up into the sand dune before making our way gingerly down some boulders.

We met up again with Sabah after half an hour and next made our way to Lawrence’s House (where Lawrence of Arabia stayed) and Lawrence Place. I had no hesitation and climbed up to look across the expanse around us. We headed back to the Bedouin tent and had some Bedouin tea before leaving.

A mere fifteen minutes later, we reached the Anfashieh Inscriptions – ancient rock drawings of camel riders and huntsmen. We didn’t stay too long there and were already on our way less than ten minutes later.

We reached Umm Ishrin, the red sand dunes, three minutes later. Che Ta went down, I wasn’t eager to get sand into my Converse so I stayed in. Besides, it isn’t easy to climb up a sand dune and I already experienced a bit of it at the canyon earlier.

Our next stop was Lawrence Spring, one of the major springs in the area and still provides water to the Bedouins. We had to climb up and I climbed up half-way. It was already getting hot with the sun intense on us. Che Ta climbed all the way up and told me the spring looked shrunk and shallow. We then made our way down and had some more Bedouin tea. We were also asked why we were alone and not with our brothers or husbands (muhrim).

We then drove to Jabal Khazali and had a picnic lunch. It was simple: some bread, a can of tuna, a tomato, a banana, a cucumber, a packet of Swiss roll, a packet of juice drink and some cheese. Sabah then performed prayers and I waited until he was done while Che Ta went to explore the area.

We left after 35 minutes of rest and drove to the nearby Khazali Canyon. This narrow canyon contains numerous Nabataean rock carvings of people and animals and used to be inhabited by the Bedouin in the summer. We walked in and found some shallow pools.

From there, it didn’t take long to reach our camp. I wondered how the locals knew their way around. They would likely use the sandstones as landmarks. We had our shower and performed prayers. I was too sleepy and took a nap... and when I got up, it was dark everywhere! It was already sunset (OMG!) and I got up for evening prayers.

We had maqluba for dinner, apparently cooked by Sabah. Whoa. Is there anything this young man of 20 cannot do??

Monday, 2 February 2015

I woke up at 3 to the sound of wind outside and went to fetch the underclothes I hung outside to dry. Woke again at 5 to use the bathroom and perform prayers. We enjoyed a better sunrise this morning and the finished packing. Breakfast was had in the large tent again where we had the previous breakfast and dinner. We left the camp after 8 and drove to Rum Village. About 2 km before we reached the village, I spotted a lone man with a couple of camels. They were our ride for the remainder of the journey to the village. Che Ta and I got down and Sabah drove on with our bags.

We climbed our camels (I was slightly terrified by the one which Che Ta boarded) and after some coaxing, the camels got up and walked to the village. It took us 40 minutes to get to the village on the camels.

We met up with Muhammad again and paid him for the tour and accommodation. He included the Wadi Rum entrance into the tour price. How nice! We went to use the bathroom before we boarded the bus to Wadi Musa. The bus was scheduled to depart at 08:30 but it only left at 09:15 (and a good thing too as we were still riding our camels at 08:30!). The fare was JOD7 per person.

We reached Wadi Musa bus station just after 11 am and the bus driver kindly showed us the rough direction to our hotel. Now Wadi Musa is a very hilly town but our hotel was a manageable walk down so we decided to walk instead (a cab would cost us JOD2 but we decided we could do with some walking). It took us slightly over 20 minutes walking downhill although we did have to climb a hill to the hotel. There was a welcoming committee of four some ginger cats outside the hotel when we got there. We checked in and paid for the room and went to the room the porter brought us – which turned out to be wrong room. We had to go down to room 102 on the first floor. Oh well.

We left after performing prayers and walked to Petra. It took us all of three minutes to reach the entrance and we bought tickets for two days. It cost us JOD55 (a one-day ticket would cost only JOD5 less) and we had to show our passports so that our names would be printed on the tickets (and you have to bring your passport along for identification purposes when you come the next day). We walked in and entered the site and walked down past the Djinn Blocks to the winding Siq. We walked about 2.6 km before we reached Al-Khazneh (Khazanah or Treasury) and we caught sight of Al Khazneh thirty minutes after we left the entrance. We stopped here for a while for some Kodak moments before continuing on. It was getting really hot by then and I had fashioned my long shawl scarf atop my head held down by my hat – my own version of keffiyeh and agal to ward off the intense sun. I also slathered sun screen to protect my skin from UV.

We turned right and passed tombs along the Street of Facades until we reached the Nabataean Theatre. We stopped briefly before continuing along Colonnaded Street with its ruins of columns. The Great Temple was there too and we went up to explore it. One thing I couldn’t stand was the children asking you to buy postcards from them or just asking for food outright. It was annoying and trust me, it is kinder to ignore them. Be a responsible traveller at all times, I remind myself, and apply care and thought. Don’t go off stomping around, don’t go giving out money thinking it’s kind and thoughtful (sometimes you really have to be cruel to be kind), and don’t mistreat the poor animals.

We escaped the badgering kid somehow and continued on to the next temple, Qasr al-Bint Temple. It was still being restored. We then walked on to the museum, declining offers of donkey rides to Ad-Deir, the Monastery. Instead, after visiting the small museum, we took the trail leading to the Winged Lion temple (in ruins and we couldn’t get near anyway) and the church then continued on across the ravine to Urn Tomb and the Royal Tombs.

Petra map. It doesn’t tell you the distance between the sites though

It was after 5 pm when we finally left the complex of tombs and walked out. The site closed at 17:30 and we walked quickly to the exit.

We walked around the restaurants (my, food cost so much here!) before finally buying a chicken syawarma which we shared for dinner. We spent some time in the lobby getting connected to the world (no WiFi coverage in the room).

To be continued

A Whole New World: The Valley Of The Moon

This trip was planned back in July 2014. After the experience in Tunisia, I decided I should have a companion along and asked a few. Only Che Ta rose to the challenge. I browsed the tickets and finally bought them after roughly planning out our itinerary (to determine the number of days needed over there). Next, I booked accommodation – only to change a couple of them just prior to the trip. Finally the day came for us to set off on our new adventure together.

Friday, 30 January 2015

I took half-day off work and dad sent me to the LRT station. I changed for the KLIA Transit at BTS and dropped by Putrajaya station en route to perform prayers. I didn’t feel like performing prayers at the airport or at Salak Tinggi station after stopping there on my way to Seoul hence why I chose Putrajaya. There were a lot of people at Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (I dropped by as I was searching for Gardenia buns), all keen to make their escape from the city in view of the long weekend.

I reached the airport just after 8 and proceeded to counter F to check in. There weren’t too many people ahead of me but boy, was the process slow or what. Che Ta who arrived just after 7 pm told me she also experienced a similar long slow process when she went to drop off her bag. We agreed it could be the airline’s system that was causing the delay.

The plane took off on time and we had a brief layover in Bangkok (we didn’t go down because it was late and besides, we would stop again in Bangkok on our way back) before we resumed our journey.

Saturday, 31 January 2015

We touched down at Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, just after 5 am. The captain announced that it was 0C outside then. We had a connecting flight to Aqaba at 7 but took a while trying to figure out where to go. Turned out we had to go through passport control first - and to do that, you need to have a visa which we didn’t have. To get a visa on arrival, we had to have the local currency and as no moneychangers I asked in KL stocked any Jordanian Dinar, we brought USD instead. As it was a Saturday, we weren’t sure if the moneychangers were opened so we changed USD300 each. USD1 = JOD69 at the airport – before commission. After exchanging money, we queued up to pay for the visa and then go through passport control. After looking at my name, the chap asked if I spoke Arabic and I replied, very little. Well, my secondary school Arabic managed to get us through the week we were there, Alhamdulillah!

After passport control, we went down and passed the conveyor belts. We went out and asked for the way to connecting flights. Funny, I would have thought you needn’t go through passport control if you have a connecting flight but it doesn’t work that way in Jordan.

As we couldn’t yet access the domestic terminal, we went to the washroom to freshen up and perform ablutions. We then performed prayers and just in time too as it was breaking dawn shortly after we were done. It was time too for us to board our plane – but first we had to board an airport bus to shuttle us to the plane.

We were served juice drinks before take-off. We landed at King Hussein International Airport less than an hour after take-off. As there were no public buses to the city, at least not at that hour, we had to take a cab to the city centre. The cabbie quoted JOD15 and would accept nothing less.

The cabbie dropped us at Zahran Street and we walked around until we found a city map. Having established our bearings, we went down to the waterfront, Jordan’s only access to the sea (besides the literally dead Dead Sea) and walked to the Aqaba Flagpole (which I saw while we were circling during the flight’s descent). We spent some time here before turning back to Al-Razi Street. We walked up the street to the intersection where the Flea Market, turned left and walked to the bus station. At the bus station, we enquired and learnt that the bus out to Wadi Musa was at 12 noon, costing JOD3 per person. We asked if we could leave our bags in the bus and the driver said yes and even helped us carry our bags.

As we were no longer burdened by the bags, we walked down Yarmouk Street and browsed the shops. Some shops were only just opening while some were still closed. We walked to the tourist information centre then walked along Raghadan Street to the Vegetable and Meat Market (such fat, big and juicy vegetables!), up Al-Razi Street again and even entered the Flea Market.

We returned to the bus station at a quarter to noon and boarded the bus. The bus only left at 1220 and made three stops along the way. We finally reached Rum Village at 13:40 and got off. I had read that you’re supposed to pay JOD5 at the Visitor Centre; we couldn’t locate it though but some friendly locals enquired whether we had booked accommodation. We then sat to wait for the jeep transfer to the Bedouin Expedition Camp and while waiting, browsed on the tour options available (yes, they have a website!). We also took advantage of the free WiFi available. Finally we agreed on a combo tour with meals included and we then negotiated the price (the combo tour included accommodation for one night and meals and we had booked two nights so Mohammad agreed to charge for one night accommodation instead of two as accommodation for the second night would be considered in the combo tour).

We finally left at 3 pm and rode in the cargo area of the jeep to the camp, stopping en route at a Bedouin settlement to see their goats, sheep and camels. It was a bumpy ride as the desert ground was covered with small rocks and pebbles. I enjoyed it: who knew the desert was so breathtakingly beautiful? Gorgeous sandstone formations, the odd vegetation, the seemingly endless desert landscape, the blue sky unadorned by even a puff of cloud... They don’t call Wadi Rum The Valley of the Moon for nothing. We finally reached our camp almost an hour later. We’d been told back at Rum Village that it was a low season and we were the only guests at the camp. There were a cluster of ‘tents’ with traditional goat hair covering; ours was the nearest to the shared bathroom, a kitchen and a large tent that served as a communal hall and where breakfast and dinner are served.

We went to have a shower (it was so cold!) and after prayers, went out to view the sunset. It was so calm, quiet and serene, you could almost believe that you were the only soul around in miles. We declined dinner tonight and instead ate titbits. We turned in early tonight, me after finishing my novel.

To be continued

The Land Of The Morning Calm: Part IV

Monday, 28 December 2014

Today was our penultimate day in Korea and boy, did we have a lot of places to still visit! We left at 7 and headed across the city for breakfast. After breakfast, we headed to Gyeongbukgung Palace, passing the Blue House on our walk. We walked around the grounds of the palace, noting the king’s library and Hyangwonjeong Pavilion before dropping by the National Folk Museum which showcases the history of the Koreans and their way of life. We spent about 40 minutes in the museum before resuming our exploration of the palace grounds. We passed Gangnyeongjeon (King’s Quarters), Gyotaejeon (Queen’s Quarters), Jagyeongjeon (King’s Mother’s Quarters), concubine quarters and servant quarters before coming upon Geunjeongjeon (Throne Hall) and Sajeongjeon (Executive Office).

We went on a whirlwind tour of a ginseng factory and herbs shop after that. Lunch was seafood hotpot and after lunch, we went to a cosmetic shop (I’m sure you all notice the proliferation of Korean cosmetic shops even in KL). One word of advice though: DO NOT buy any of the products at the shops you stop at because you will always get them at a lower price elsewhere. The tub of aloe vera gel that el niño and I bought cost more than the one at the airport and we all know that despite being duty-free, items always cost more at airports so that’s really saying something.

We then drove to board a cruise ferry. We arrived half an hour early and had to wait to board it. On board the first static boat, we were given a lively bread-making demonstration and then we all had the chance and raw materials to make our own bread. We had to label the baking tray accordingly so that the bread could be packed and returned to us. While waiting for the bread to be cooked, we boarded another boat and went on a cruise along the Han River. The Pang Pang cruise with the Pang Show lasted about 40 minutes and we collected our packed bread on our way out.

Dinner was next and tonight, we had it at Todai Restaurant in Myeongdong. It’s a restaurant serving seafood buffet plus a few others so we ate quite a lot. After dinner, we had two hours to spend window-shopping. I finally bought a pair of sport shoes at ABC Mart while my nieces went crazy with stuff with EXO on them. Yup, they were shopping all right.

We met up at 10 pm and drove back to the hotel. The four of us had an early start the following morning.

Tuesday, 29 December 2014

Our transfer to the airport would pick us at 06:30 so this morning we woke up early. Mr Piao was already waiting at the lobby when we went down with bags of shrimp burgers, fries and soft drink from KFC for our breakfast. There was still some time to run over to 7-11 to buy some titbits and that was what we did. We finally left at 06:35 after saying goodbye and thanking Mr Piao and Yen (Yen would only depart Seoul with the rest of the group in the afternoon). We reached the airport 50 minutes later and immediately checked in. After checking in our bags, we ate the burgers before going in to clear security check and immigration.

There are many boutiques inside the terminal including Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Gucci...unfortunately, LV items cost more over there as they are quoted in USD (and MYR is very weak against the greenback now). So I left Seoul without doing much shopping (not many things appealed to me and I didn’t have the luxury of time to shop for those that do like ginseng, pomegranate tea etc).

We landed safely at KLIA at 16:50 and I rushed off to perform prayers. Our bags took a while to appear so it was a good thing I decided to perform prayers first. Akak was already waiting for us and the kids were super excited to see their parents again.

Will there be another trip with them? We’ll see.

The Land Of The Morning Calm: Part III

Friday, 26 December 2014

We were told that we would get a late wake-up call today and that we would check out of the hotel an hour after the wake-up call at 10:30 a.m. The kids and I rose early and after finishing our packing, ventured out. We went to E-Mart but it only opens at 10 so we walked to Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast. I bought my food at 7-11 and joined them. We hurried over to E-Mart and were among the first shoppers of the day before returning to the hotel to bring our luggage down.

We checked out and left and drove a bit before stopping for a buffet brunch. We then headed to the airport for our 13:10 flight back to Gimpo. We were all assigned seats to the rear of the plane.

Back at Gimpo, we collected our bags and followed Mr Piao to the coach for our long trip ahead. We had all dressed warmly today in anticipation of the colder weather and were glad to have done so for it was absolutely freezing when we arrived at Namiseom parking lot. After using the facilities, we joined the queue to board the ferry across to Namiseom.

I don’t know why it was possible to feel even colder on the island. We took the obligatory group photo before venturing to explore the island, well, a small part of it anyway. At the risk of repeating myself, it was a freezing day and we could hardly feel our feet. I was still wearing my Converse then too! We walked along the corridor of trees, detoured to visit the ostriches then walked to the restaurants. Then we saw a fire and like a moth drawn to the flame, we went to warm ourselves there. Finally I could feel my toes! We sat there for a few minutes, reluctant to depart from the comforting heat. We then turned and walked back to the gathering place. We sought warmth at the nearby tourist centre before meeting the rest of our party and queuing to board the ferry back.

Dinner was held at a restaurant close to Namiseom parking lot. The restaurant had halal signs and even a sign saying that it could provide a prayer room upon request.

After dinner, we drove for three hours before reaching our hotel at almost 10 pm. I liked the hotel but alas, it was a very short stay there as we were checking out early the next morning.

Saturday, 26 December 2014

The morning wake-up call was at 6 today and as usual, we were to assemble at the lobby with our bags an hour later. However, we had to wait as the restaurant was only open at 07:30. We had a good leisurely breakfast at the hotel before leaving the hotel. However, we had to stop and wait while a member of our party rushed back to his room to find his pair of spectacles which he left behind. We left fifteen minutes later and drove to Seoraksan National Park. We got down and walked to the cable car station, rode the car up and walked the few hundred metres up to admire the view. We stayed there for half an hour before making our way back to the cable car station. There were already quite a few other tourists there and we had to stop and give way as the trail was narrow and didn’t allow a two-way foot traffic.

We turned left after exiting the cable car station and Mr Piao led us to the gigantic Buddha (Great Unification Buddha). We left after ten minutes.

We drove for two hours to Pyeongchang where we stopped to have lunch. Pyeongchang has been elected host city of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018. After lunch, we drove to the nearby Yongpyong Ski Resort and checked into the Dragon Valley Hotel of the resort. We met up again at the lobby as Yen wanted to take us to see the skiers. (Akak had explicitly forbidden the kids from skiing so we were the only ones who weren’t skiing in our group.) As the skiing area was exclusively for skiers and those without skiing gears are not allowed in, we left after a while and went to another part of the resort as the kids wanted to play with the snow. A snow fight quickly ensued between the three of them. We also walked along the semi-frozen river and then I left them and walked to The Tower to browse the shops and restaurants there. I left after a while and returned to the room.

We met up at the lobby again at 16:30 and after a long wait, left for a sheep farm. We were given the opportunity to feed the hungry sheep and after exhausting the food supply, we went into a big hall where we were shown how to make cheese. We also made our own cheese and later ate it sandwiched in between crisps dipped in jam. Man, it was de-li-cious.

We left after finishing up our cheese and drove to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we drove back to the resort and were dropped off at Peak Island, the resort’s water park. El niño and niña chiquita wanted to go swimming, but la niña and I didn’t so we returned to our rooms.

Sunday, 27 December 2014

We checked out of the hotel this morning and had breakfast at The Tower. We left after breakfast and headed back to Seoul, stopping en route at Yeoju Premium Outlets just after 10 am. We were given two hours to shop. It was a bitterly cold day today and the stores’ warmth couldn’t have been more welcomed. I browsed the boutiques before deciding to look for a pair of sport shoes but as I couldn’t decide then, I left empty-handed.

We drove on and reached Lotte World after 1 pm. We were given 3.5 hours to explore the theme park (there’s an indoor park and there’s also the outdoor park) but as much as I love theme parks, I found it a tad disappointing. The kids didn’t want to ride any rollercoasters (!) so we made do with some of the milder rides. It being a Sunday, the queues at some attractions were quite long. Yen had already informed us beforehand that no lunch would be provided; instead we were each given KRW7K to buy our own lunch.

We met up again at a quarter to 5 and rode the coach to Dongdaemun. We had dinner at a restaurant in a building and then were given 90 minutes to shop. Dongdaemun has many wholesale shops and some of them open until 2 a.m. We walked in and out of malls and even crossed over to Lotte Fitin before turning back. We checked into Hotel Capital near Itaewon at 8. El niño, niña chiquita and I went out again at 9 to Itaewon.

To be continued

The Land Of The Morning Calm: Part II

Thursday, 25 December 2014

We were given a morning call at 6 am and were at the lobby before 7. We drove to a restaurant for a simple Korean breakfast (porridge for me) before continuing on to a small shop selling orange produce (sweets and bottled vitamin capsules in orange flavour). Jeju has a very fertile land and a balmy weather and the islanders take advantage of this by planting a lot of citrus fruits. Then we continued on to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak (Sunrise Peak). After Mr Piao had paid for admission, we walked up, wait, struggled up the trail but the strong sea wind made it very challenging. The peak was once an island before it was connected to Jeju-do from the washed sand and gravel.

We didn’t go all the way to the top and turned back half-way. We followed the trail and went down to where the women sea divers were (I’m not sure if there’s any diving in winter! Surely not!) and spent about fifteen minutes before climbing up again and admiring the view from another area. Then we returned to the bus.

We drove on to Seongeup Folk Village for a close-up of the traditional Jeju life back then. Among the few that I recall is that Jeju is abundant with three things: rocks, wind and women. Back then, womenfolk did all the work while the menfolk did absolutely nothing. Outrageous huh. We also looked at the traditional gate (three bars and each bar can be removed to indicate if there was anyone at home, who were at home etc), traditional dwelling, the millstones pulled by horses... We were then given a brief info on the local produce: horse bone grains and honey. I didn’t care to be ripped off so left empty-handed.

We then had lunch at a restaurant and the four of us were given two plates of vegetarian rice and two bowls of seafood ramen. The rest had meat I suppose.

After lunch, we drove off to Seopjikoji, the filming location for the mini series All In (I believe I missed this drama). Anyway, the church in the drama had been destroyed by a typhoon and in its place is now a newly constructed colourful gingerbread house (admission applicable). We walked to the gingerbread house but didn’t enter. Then we turned back and hurried back to the bus. It was a blustery afternoon alright.

After that we drove to Jeju Glass Castle, a large art glass park with glass arts produced by professional glass artists/sculptors from the Czech Republic and Italy. We were first greeted with a large beanstalk of the Jack and the Beanstalk tale before walking along the outdoor glass corridor. We also entered the Magic Mirror Room where you can see images of yourself from the various mirrors. Then we continued our tour of the outdoor park with its glass Cinderella pumpkin coach, giant teddy bear, flower beds, bridge... it’s amazing how ingenious they are at attracting tourists. On my previous trip with Mummy, we visited more natural outdoor attractions.

We left after about 40 minutes and drove to The Teddy Bear Museum, passing Dokkaebi Road (mysterious road) en route. Vehicles passing this road can seemingly roll uphill when the engines are switched off when in reality this phenomenon is due to an optical illusion. We reached The Teddy Bear Museum barely half an hour later and as its name suggests, is home to hundreds of teddy bears and friends. There’s a safari area with tigers and rhinos, an overhead aquarium with floating teddy bears and friends (even a mer-teddy!), framed teddies, teddy bears in portraits... At the end of it, we emerged into the gift shop and yup, you guess it, the prices are eye-watering. Anyway, Mr Piao had already told us that seeing it was Christmas Day, we would be getting a complimentary gift from the museum. We left after almost an hour there.

The Jeju Ice Gallery, an indoor ice sculpture gallery with various ice sculptures, was our next stop. The most popular attraction there is the Ice Slide – even I took two turns there! After the tour, we also tried our hands at ice sculpting. The instructor showed us how to make a drinking glass with stem. He must have taken all of three minutes to knock the ice off the edges and smoothing the surface and moulding the ice to the shape. Ha, it always looked so much easier than doing it! After that, we washed our finished products and drank some orange juice from our self-made products. We left after an hour there.

The packed day continued with a stop at the Trick Art Museum with its optical illusion art. It reminds me of Penang 3D Trick Art Museum. We spent half an hour there before proceeding up to the 5D theatre at the next level for the Poseidon show. Well, it was Korean so I couldn’t understand head or tail of it.

We finished off the day with dinner before we returned to the hotel. Some in our group ventured out later with Yen to do some window shopping. The kids went; I stayed in.

To be continued