Up early and off on our Sacred Valley of the Incas tour with local guide santee.
First off we visited an Animal Sanctuary - Awana Kancha and we saw wild life they are healing and returning to the wild. I bought a baby alpaca beanie for myself and Kevin got a t- shirt.
Next off to the Sacred Valley. An area rich in soils,good climate,rich flora and fauna, it's exception beauty, as well as its association with the cosmos. It was called Sacred by the Incas and was their personal holding & was built as a direct extension of the city of Cusco.
Inca architecture was designed not only to be practical but use natural formations already present and put them in their terraces,platforms,channels, water fountains etc.
We had a guided tour of the "Pisac Ruins" in the Sacred Valley. It's built on top of a mountain with tons of uphill steps, made up of groups of terraces that are integrated with the hillside.
Next we were off and stopped at a fabulous market for shopping for jewerley, souvenirs etc. I bought a small change purse & a shoulder bag. Kevin got a sunhat with a good brim.
We had a late lunch in a delightful restaurant - I had a chicken/salad sandwich and Kevin had a bowl of chicken/ vegie soup.
We continued on to Ollantaytamboo and had a tour of their Ruins. More uphill steps - lots of them!
We dropped all the people hiking the "Inca Trail" & Karen, Ella, Kevin & I headed back to Cusco. ( it took an hour).
Home at 7.30pm. We had coca tea, some mixed nuts & a danish pastry for tea in our room. Showered & hopped into bed.
Jo from New Plymouth vibered us - we chatted to her for a while, was great to hear her voice.
Goodnight for now.
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
The Amazon Rainforest - 10th - 12th April.
We flew from Lima to Puerto Maldonado taking 2hrs. With a stop over in Cusco. Then a boat ride to our jungle lodge - only taking enough gear for the days there. The boat took 20 people.
Had a fabulous lunch then took off for a 5km hike in the heat. 33 degrees with 100% humidity. Kevin just about melted. He dived into the pool on our arrival back at the lodge & so did I .
An early start to beat the heat the next day - but it was raining & had been throughout the night with thunder & lightening.
So off we went in all our rainwear a hike of 5 kms to see the Lost Lagoon & any animals on the way.
There is such incredible biodiversity here.
Back for a scrumptious lunch and rest. Then up & off to Monkey Island to see the sights & sounds. There were several different kinds of monkeys there. They came down & took fruit from the tourists hands. Then our canoe ride back to our lodge and a relax in the hammocks and a soak up all the vibrant sights and sounds in the jungle.
A 3course dinner to end our stay as we were leaving in the morning and our farewells to people who were going in a different direction.
Next day up at 5.30am as we went back up the Amazon River to the port. - 1 1/2 hrs and then on to the airport for our flight back to Cusco. We arrived mid afternoon and had the rest of the day to enjoy there. By for now.
Had a fabulous lunch then took off for a 5km hike in the heat. 33 degrees with 100% humidity. Kevin just about melted. He dived into the pool on our arrival back at the lodge & so did I .
An early start to beat the heat the next day - but it was raining & had been throughout the night with thunder & lightening.
So off we went in all our rainwear a hike of 5 kms to see the Lost Lagoon & any animals on the way.
There is such incredible biodiversity here.
Back for a scrumptious lunch and rest. Then up & off to Monkey Island to see the sights & sounds. There were several different kinds of monkeys there. They came down & took fruit from the tourists hands. Then our canoe ride back to our lodge and a relax in the hammocks and a soak up all the vibrant sights and sounds in the jungle.
A 3course dinner to end our stay as we were leaving in the morning and our farewells to people who were going in a different direction.
Next day up at 5.30am as we went back up the Amazon River to the port. - 1 1/2 hrs and then on to the airport for our flight back to Cusco. We arrived mid afternoon and had the rest of the day to enjoy there. By for now.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Peru.
Saturday 9th April - Up & breakfasted at the Hotel. Met our guide - Wilson.
Then headed off on a city tour by bus. We visited a plaza a view of the Huaca Pucliana built in the 4th century, next the Bank of Peru Museum - with the ancient cultures of Peru.
We walked through the Main Square seeing the cathedral,government house, municipal palace & the Franciscan Monastery & it's catacombs. We stopped at the Pacific Ocean to get the breathtaking view.
Then headed off on a city tour by bus. We visited a plaza a view of the Huaca Pucliana built in the 4th century, next the Bank of Peru Museum - with the ancient cultures of Peru.
We walked through the Main Square seeing the cathedral,government house, municipal palace & the Franciscan Monastery & it's catacombs. We stopped at the Pacific Ocean to get the breathtaking view.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Friday 8th arrived in Santiago after 12hours of flying then a quick jump on the next plane to Lima - that was nearly 4 hours so presently having a bite to eat as our eyes are practically closing.
There are 9 people with us. We will all meet up tomorrow.
It's warm & humid here. The people are polite and friendly. See you again.
There are 9 people with us. We will all meet up tomorrow.
It's warm & humid here. The people are polite and friendly. See you again.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Essence of Turkey. December 16th -24th.
Tuesday 16th December. We were up and breakfasted and off out to explore a bit in Istanbul at 9.00am, as we were not being picked up till 10.00am.
We met our local guide Ercha just after 10.00am for a tour of the Old Town Istanbul. We visited the Sultanahmet ( blue Mosque) which was really beautiful, The Hippodrome ( used for Chariot races), St Sophia ( which was constructed by Emperor Justinian in 537 ad and it was the greatest church in Christendom till the conquest of Constantinople in 1453), Topkapi Palace, the Old town and Old Wall, The New Mosque, The Grand Bazaar and the Spices Bazaar - just amazing shopping places. Istanbul is a city of diversity and heaps of history that unites elements of Europe and the Orient.
We went to a high view top and had a stunning view of the Golden Horn and Bosphosus sea's - it was just fabulous! The Grand Bazaar is huge and sells everything from carpets to gold. It has 4,000 shops in its little alleyways.
We arrived back to our Hotel just after 4.00pm. I had a relax and Kevin visited a internet cafe. Then we went out to a local restaurant for dinner.
Wednesday 17th December. We were up early at 5.00am for a pick up at 6.30am. We were put on a public bus to go to Gallipoli. We were the only english speaking people on the bus. We drove for 5hrs - wondering were we were meant to get off. We got to a village called Eceabat and were told this is our stop. We were met by a " On the Go" rep and taken to a Hotel to store our
luggage while we visited the gallipoli Peninsular with a local guide - Arnold.
The brave ANZAC's are remembered on the 25th April every year. A Dawn service is held at Anzac Cove followed by national services at Lone Pine (Australia) and Chunuk blair ( New Zealand). We visited these memorials and the actual cove and saw the steep cliffs they had to climb and where Ataturk had forseen the landing and sent his Turkish Troops there to do battle with the partly unsuspecting allies.
Its now a National Park and a revered and peaceful region. We returned to the little hotel and picked up our luggage and caught the ferry boat over to Cannakkale as we were staying over there for the night at Hotel Helen. We had a relax and then went to dinner at 8.00pm.
Thursday 18th December. We were up at 7.15am and ready to depart at 8.45am for Troy. We had two girls from the USA - Emily and Olga with us too. Our local guide was called Ken and he told us the Legend of Troy - Paris and Helen on the Trojan side and Agamemnon and Archilles on the Greek side.
Troy was rediscovered in 1863 and the excavations revealed 9 ancients cities one on top of the other - dating back to 3.000bc. Troy is still a work in progress for Archaeological work. There is even a replica Trojan Wooden Horse for the tourists.
Its an amazing experience to be standing here. We went back to Canakkale and had 1hour to spare ,to explore on our own, so we walked the waterfront area.
Then we caught a public bus to Izmir at 1.30pm. Again we were the only ones speaking english on board. We arrived at 8pm, quite poophed out! We were met by a "On the Go " rep and taken by mini van to Kusadasi - arriving at 9.30pm. Too late for dinner, so they brought up a sandwich each for us - better than nothing I guess! To bed by 10pm as very tired after our bus journey.
Friday 19th December. We were up at 7.30am and to breakfast and ready to depart at 9.00am for a guided tour exploring the Roman Ruins of Ephesus. It' s one of the best -preserved Classical Roman Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, being founded in the 13th Century bc. The Top sites within the archaeological area that we saw were- The Great theatre, Curetes Way, The Temple of Serapis, The Temple Hadrian, the Awesome Library of Celsus, the Ancient Public Toliets, a Brothel and remains of Fountains and other Temples. We spent 3 hrs wandering about here.
Then we went off to have a buffet lunch. There were 9 of us on the tour-2 Pakistan, 2 USA, 2 Aussies, 1 Japan and us. - quite a mix!
After lunch we visited the Temple of Artemis - which wasn't much, only one tall column remains of it. It was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders once. Then we visited a Carpet Manufacturing House.
We next visited the Virgin Mary's House high up on a hill in the muncipality of Selcuk. A very peaceful place. Then it was back to town to visit a leather manufacturer-who put on a fashion show for us and then served us drinks and we tried various leather jackets on. All very nice! But too expensive!
We dropped the others back to their Hotels and we were the last as we were the only ones staying in Kusadasi. So instead of taking the bus back, we got driven back in a car and arrived at 6.00pm. Our only purchase from the leather house was a nice blue Cap! We went to the Hotel Restaurant for dinner at 7.30pm - typical Turkish fare!
Saturday 20th December. We were up at 8.00am as we drove East to Pamukkale today. Its known locally as the Cotton Castles. Pamukkale is a natural phenomenon. Its formed when warm calcium rich mineral waters cascaded over the cliff edge - cooling and depositing in the process - making the Calcium Terraces.
There is Pamukkale Thermal where we had a dip in the warm waters, amongst submerged bits of marble columns. Its thought the pool was once the centre of the ruined Roman Spa Town of Hierapolis - which was a cure centre founded about 190bc by the Romans.
There are alot of Roman Ruins here and the star is a partially restored Roman Theatre - amazing! It was capable of seating 12.000 people. On this tour today there were 10 of us. - 2 Pakistan. 2 Germany, 1 Aussie, 3 South Africans and us 2 Kiwis - so another international group! We got dropped off at our Hotel - the Palm in Pamukkale and the others went back to Sulchet, where they were staying.
I had a relaxing bath and shampooed my hair after my mineral water swim. We had dinner in the Hotel at 7.30pm. A very nice Hotel - quite posh!
Sunday 21st December. We were up and away by 10.30am. Although Kevin had a swim in the Hot Mineral Pool at the Hotel prior to leaving. Our guide was the driver in his own car today. A change from the bus. His name was Hayati and was very friendly, helpful, knowledgeble and charming! We visited the Saklikent Gorge - a spectacular gorge that cuts its way through the
Akdaglar Mountains.
The Saklikent is 18km long and so steep and narrow that the sun doesn't reach - so the water is icy cold even in the summer. We walked along a wooden boardwalk above the river and it out into a picnic area. It was very tranquil and peaceful and beautiful here!
Next we arrived at Fethiye and found our Hotel. Because it was still light Hayati took us to see the Ghost City - where the Armenians lived before Ataturk sent them away in 1915.
We visited Oludeniz Lagoon - a European area with lovely housing and a delightful beach on the Mediterranean Sea.
We arrived in time to see the Sunset. Oludeniz is known for its tandem Paraglides fron dizzying heights - Not Today for the Gledhills! ha ha...
We headed back to Fethiye where we were staying . Its a seaside town on Turkey's Turqoise Coast surrounded by the Taurus Mountains. Its a charming coastal port with an outer bay strewn with islands. Kevin had a tummy upset so lay down. I went to the local shop for something to eat as we had no dinner provided tonight. I did some on the blog as the internet was free here!
Monday 22nd Decenber. We were up and departed at 8.00am on a cool drizzly day. We drove along the Mediterranean Coast and stopped for only a few photo's in Kaz - a traditional Turkish Fishing Village. We carried on seeing fabulous scenery. We stopped at Finiker for coffee and pastery and a little relax.Its another fishing village.
Then Hayati took us to Chimera to see the Fire Mountains. It was a steep 15 minute climb up the mountain side. We saw the fire going naturally from the rock. It was really amazing!
He drove us on to Olympos, a very ancient city - but now home to the World Famous Tree Houses. We are staying in the "Dingoes House" one of the tree houses.
What a fantastic experience! We arrived at 3.00pm and said our farwells to Hayati, as he heads home. We went down to dinner at 6.00pm and ate our meal with everyone, approx 20 people - all young and no one spoke english - quite a dag!! We went back to our tree house and read till bedtime.
Tuesday 23rd December. Our guide Hayati yesterday told us the company wished to fly us back to Istanbul due to safety reasons - as the inland bus route was suffering snow and heavy rain and there may be long delays. So we were quite pleased as it saved a 10hr bus ride for a 1hr air flight.
We were taken at 8.00am for our transfer to the Antalya Airport from Olympos ( 1 1/2 hr drive). We flew out at 10.45am and arrived back in Istanbul at 11.45am. We met the On the Go representative for the transfer to the Hotel we had before. We had a shower and then went out to explore Istanbul and get some lunch too. It was a cool day but no rain. We also spent some time in the internet cafe .We got back to the Hotel at 5.00 pm and rested as we have a long journey ahead of us.
Its hard to believe our year has come to an end - but were pretty excited about getting back to little New Plymouth and seeing everyone!
Wednesday 24th December. We slept in till 8.00am, then up and breakfasted. We went off for a last explore of Istanbul and a little check of our emails prior to leaving for home.
We got picked up at 12midday for the transfer to the Airport. We had a long wait as our flight did not depart till 7.10pm. Luckily we had a book each to read!
Thursday 25th December. We arrived in Dubai at 1.15am Xmas Morning after a 4hr flight.Our next flight departed from Dubai to Bangkok leaving at 3.15am and arriving at Bangkok at 12.00pm. So we basically had Xmas Dinner in Bangkok Airport - a squashed Moro Bar each!ha ha...We departed Bangkok at 7.30pm for Brisbane, Australia.
Friday 26th December. We arrived in Brisbane and we had a 1 1/2 hr wait, then we flew off to Auckland - arriving at 3.15pm. We got through customs and Immigration fine. We walked over to the Domestic Terminal for our flight to New Plymouth,departed at 7.30pm. We had a nap on the seats there. We arrived in New Plymouth at 8.05pm to see Sarah & Mom meeting us! Wer'e actually home! on good old N.Z.soil.
Here's 2 quotes I like about our travels;
" Travel, like Dreams, is a door that opens from the Real World-
Into a World that is yet to be Discovered". - G. De Maupassant.
"When sights, impressions & phenomena build on Top of each other -
And faces , languages & cities will all meld into each other
And everything will be as if a dreamscape in the Minds Eye".
We had a fabulous year 2008!
We met our local guide Ercha just after 10.00am for a tour of the Old Town Istanbul. We visited the Sultanahmet ( blue Mosque) which was really beautiful, The Hippodrome ( used for Chariot races), St Sophia ( which was constructed by Emperor Justinian in 537 ad and it was the greatest church in Christendom till the conquest of Constantinople in 1453), Topkapi Palace, the Old town and Old Wall, The New Mosque, The Grand Bazaar and the Spices Bazaar - just amazing shopping places. Istanbul is a city of diversity and heaps of history that unites elements of Europe and the Orient.
We went to a high view top and had a stunning view of the Golden Horn and Bosphosus sea's - it was just fabulous! The Grand Bazaar is huge and sells everything from carpets to gold. It has 4,000 shops in its little alleyways.
We arrived back to our Hotel just after 4.00pm. I had a relax and Kevin visited a internet cafe. Then we went out to a local restaurant for dinner.
Wednesday 17th December. We were up early at 5.00am for a pick up at 6.30am. We were put on a public bus to go to Gallipoli. We were the only english speaking people on the bus. We drove for 5hrs - wondering were we were meant to get off. We got to a village called Eceabat and were told this is our stop. We were met by a " On the Go" rep and taken to a Hotel to store our
luggage while we visited the gallipoli Peninsular with a local guide - Arnold.
The brave ANZAC's are remembered on the 25th April every year. A Dawn service is held at Anzac Cove followed by national services at Lone Pine (Australia) and Chunuk blair ( New Zealand). We visited these memorials and the actual cove and saw the steep cliffs they had to climb and where Ataturk had forseen the landing and sent his Turkish Troops there to do battle with the partly unsuspecting allies.
Its now a National Park and a revered and peaceful region. We returned to the little hotel and picked up our luggage and caught the ferry boat over to Cannakkale as we were staying over there for the night at Hotel Helen. We had a relax and then went to dinner at 8.00pm.
Thursday 18th December. We were up at 7.15am and ready to depart at 8.45am for Troy. We had two girls from the USA - Emily and Olga with us too. Our local guide was called Ken and he told us the Legend of Troy - Paris and Helen on the Trojan side and Agamemnon and Archilles on the Greek side.
Troy was rediscovered in 1863 and the excavations revealed 9 ancients cities one on top of the other - dating back to 3.000bc. Troy is still a work in progress for Archaeological work. There is even a replica Trojan Wooden Horse for the tourists.
Its an amazing experience to be standing here. We went back to Canakkale and had 1hour to spare ,to explore on our own, so we walked the waterfront area.
Then we caught a public bus to Izmir at 1.30pm. Again we were the only ones speaking english on board. We arrived at 8pm, quite poophed out! We were met by a "On the Go " rep and taken by mini van to Kusadasi - arriving at 9.30pm. Too late for dinner, so they brought up a sandwich each for us - better than nothing I guess! To bed by 10pm as very tired after our bus journey.
Friday 19th December. We were up at 7.30am and to breakfast and ready to depart at 9.00am for a guided tour exploring the Roman Ruins of Ephesus. It' s one of the best -preserved Classical Roman Cities in the Eastern Mediterranean, being founded in the 13th Century bc. The Top sites within the archaeological area that we saw were- The Great theatre, Curetes Way, The Temple of Serapis, The Temple Hadrian, the Awesome Library of Celsus, the Ancient Public Toliets, a Brothel and remains of Fountains and other Temples. We spent 3 hrs wandering about here.
Then we went off to have a buffet lunch. There were 9 of us on the tour-2 Pakistan, 2 USA, 2 Aussies, 1 Japan and us. - quite a mix!
After lunch we visited the Temple of Artemis - which wasn't much, only one tall column remains of it. It was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders once. Then we visited a Carpet Manufacturing House.
We next visited the Virgin Mary's House high up on a hill in the muncipality of Selcuk. A very peaceful place. Then it was back to town to visit a leather manufacturer-who put on a fashion show for us and then served us drinks and we tried various leather jackets on. All very nice! But too expensive!
We dropped the others back to their Hotels and we were the last as we were the only ones staying in Kusadasi. So instead of taking the bus back, we got driven back in a car and arrived at 6.00pm. Our only purchase from the leather house was a nice blue Cap! We went to the Hotel Restaurant for dinner at 7.30pm - typical Turkish fare!
Saturday 20th December. We were up at 8.00am as we drove East to Pamukkale today. Its known locally as the Cotton Castles. Pamukkale is a natural phenomenon. Its formed when warm calcium rich mineral waters cascaded over the cliff edge - cooling and depositing in the process - making the Calcium Terraces.
There is Pamukkale Thermal where we had a dip in the warm waters, amongst submerged bits of marble columns. Its thought the pool was once the centre of the ruined Roman Spa Town of Hierapolis - which was a cure centre founded about 190bc by the Romans.
There are alot of Roman Ruins here and the star is a partially restored Roman Theatre - amazing! It was capable of seating 12.000 people. On this tour today there were 10 of us. - 2 Pakistan. 2 Germany, 1 Aussie, 3 South Africans and us 2 Kiwis - so another international group! We got dropped off at our Hotel - the Palm in Pamukkale and the others went back to Sulchet, where they were staying.
I had a relaxing bath and shampooed my hair after my mineral water swim. We had dinner in the Hotel at 7.30pm. A very nice Hotel - quite posh!
Sunday 21st December. We were up and away by 10.30am. Although Kevin had a swim in the Hot Mineral Pool at the Hotel prior to leaving. Our guide was the driver in his own car today. A change from the bus. His name was Hayati and was very friendly, helpful, knowledgeble and charming! We visited the Saklikent Gorge - a spectacular gorge that cuts its way through the
Akdaglar Mountains.
The Saklikent is 18km long and so steep and narrow that the sun doesn't reach - so the water is icy cold even in the summer. We walked along a wooden boardwalk above the river and it out into a picnic area. It was very tranquil and peaceful and beautiful here!
Next we arrived at Fethiye and found our Hotel. Because it was still light Hayati took us to see the Ghost City - where the Armenians lived before Ataturk sent them away in 1915.
We visited Oludeniz Lagoon - a European area with lovely housing and a delightful beach on the Mediterranean Sea.
We arrived in time to see the Sunset. Oludeniz is known for its tandem Paraglides fron dizzying heights - Not Today for the Gledhills! ha ha...
We headed back to Fethiye where we were staying . Its a seaside town on Turkey's Turqoise Coast surrounded by the Taurus Mountains. Its a charming coastal port with an outer bay strewn with islands. Kevin had a tummy upset so lay down. I went to the local shop for something to eat as we had no dinner provided tonight. I did some on the blog as the internet was free here!
Monday 22nd Decenber. We were up and departed at 8.00am on a cool drizzly day. We drove along the Mediterranean Coast and stopped for only a few photo's in Kaz - a traditional Turkish Fishing Village. We carried on seeing fabulous scenery. We stopped at Finiker for coffee and pastery and a little relax.Its another fishing village.
Then Hayati took us to Chimera to see the Fire Mountains. It was a steep 15 minute climb up the mountain side. We saw the fire going naturally from the rock. It was really amazing!
He drove us on to Olympos, a very ancient city - but now home to the World Famous Tree Houses. We are staying in the "Dingoes House" one of the tree houses.
What a fantastic experience! We arrived at 3.00pm and said our farwells to Hayati, as he heads home. We went down to dinner at 6.00pm and ate our meal with everyone, approx 20 people - all young and no one spoke english - quite a dag!! We went back to our tree house and read till bedtime.
Tuesday 23rd December. Our guide Hayati yesterday told us the company wished to fly us back to Istanbul due to safety reasons - as the inland bus route was suffering snow and heavy rain and there may be long delays. So we were quite pleased as it saved a 10hr bus ride for a 1hr air flight.
We were taken at 8.00am for our transfer to the Antalya Airport from Olympos ( 1 1/2 hr drive). We flew out at 10.45am and arrived back in Istanbul at 11.45am. We met the On the Go representative for the transfer to the Hotel we had before. We had a shower and then went out to explore Istanbul and get some lunch too. It was a cool day but no rain. We also spent some time in the internet cafe .We got back to the Hotel at 5.00 pm and rested as we have a long journey ahead of us.
Its hard to believe our year has come to an end - but were pretty excited about getting back to little New Plymouth and seeing everyone!
Wednesday 24th December. We slept in till 8.00am, then up and breakfasted. We went off for a last explore of Istanbul and a little check of our emails prior to leaving for home.
We got picked up at 12midday for the transfer to the Airport. We had a long wait as our flight did not depart till 7.10pm. Luckily we had a book each to read!
Thursday 25th December. We arrived in Dubai at 1.15am Xmas Morning after a 4hr flight.Our next flight departed from Dubai to Bangkok leaving at 3.15am and arriving at Bangkok at 12.00pm. So we basically had Xmas Dinner in Bangkok Airport - a squashed Moro Bar each!ha ha...We departed Bangkok at 7.30pm for Brisbane, Australia.
Friday 26th December. We arrived in Brisbane and we had a 1 1/2 hr wait, then we flew off to Auckland - arriving at 3.15pm. We got through customs and Immigration fine. We walked over to the Domestic Terminal for our flight to New Plymouth,departed at 7.30pm. We had a nap on the seats there. We arrived in New Plymouth at 8.05pm to see Sarah & Mom meeting us! Wer'e actually home! on good old N.Z.soil.
Here's 2 quotes I like about our travels;
" Travel, like Dreams, is a door that opens from the Real World-
Into a World that is yet to be Discovered". - G. De Maupassant.
"When sights, impressions & phenomena build on Top of each other -
And faces , languages & cities will all meld into each other
And everything will be as if a dreamscape in the Minds Eye".
We had a fabulous year 2008!
On the Go in Jordan. December 12th - 15th.
Firday 12th December. Up at 3.30 am & down to breakfast and picked up at 5.00 am for the transfer to the airport for our flight to Amman, Jordan. We left at 8.00 am and arrived at 9.25 am in Amman. We met up with our guide - Jemelia & driver - Yahyah. We headed to the Dead Sea for a few hours. We floated in the mineral rich waters - amazed as we kept bobbing up & floatıng on the top0f the sea. We had a buffet lunch here - very nice!
Next we travelled to Wadi Rum and stopped to watch the sunset on the way. We arrived at Wadi Rum at 6.00 pm to our Bedouin Camp for the night. The Wadi Rum is a protected area, that was created in 1998. İt covers 720sq km of outstanding Desert Landscape. We enjoyed a Bedouin Style Dinner under the Stars. Chatted for a while , then headed to our tents & bed at 8.30 pm.
Saturday 13th December. İ had a terrible night with tummy pain & running across the desert to the loo. Kevin slept soundly all night long. Up at 6.00 am & we departed at 8.00 am for a 4/4 jeep safari in the Wadi Rum. Just lovely for my tummy!
We visited some of the sights of interest: Lawrences Spring, Khaz'ali Canyon, Burdah Rock
Bridge, Alameleh İnscriptions, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Bedouin Village. Then we drove next to Petra through the desert. We arrived at our Hotel at 12 noon.
İ had a rest & Kevin went for a swim ın the Hotel pool. We met our guide at 2.00 pm to visit Little Petra - a Archaeological Caravan Stopover Sıte from ancient times. İt was very impressive indeed. We returned to Petra at 4.30 pm & had a pizza together for our lunch & tea - very nice. İ'm feeling a little better thank goodness. We went to bed early as we have another early start in the morning.
Sunday 14th December. Up at 6.00 am & departed at 7.00 am. We have a full days guided tour , visiting the jewel in Jordans Archaeological Crown. Access was by walking through a narrow deep siq & the end prize was the hidden Valley where the Rose City of Petra lies. As we reach the end of the siq we came across the spectacular facade of Alkazneh - the Treasury of Petra.
İts truly breathtaking - it was carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb of a Nabataean Kıng. The carved facade shows the Nabataean engineering genius. Next we passed the streets of facades - rows of Nabataean Tombs with intricate carvings.
The Theatre looks Roman but was built by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD. İt can seat 7,000 people & is carved into the solid rock.Next we saw several Royal Tombs the largest Urn Tomb Silk Tomb Castle Tomb and Corinthian Tomb.We walked along a beautiful Colonnaded street with marble pavement still seen today.We climbed to the top, 800 stairs cut into the rock up the mountain of Ad-Deir and saw the marvellous Mountain scenes along the way.
We reached Ad-Deir -the Monastery - Petras second most famous attraction. Its absolutely beautiful and next we climbed a little further to be at the Top of the World in Jordan. We took lots of photos and then wandered back again to arrive at our Hotel by 3.30 pm after a fabulous day out!
We met Jamelia for dinner at 6.00 pm. Kevin wrote her a poem and said it to her, she was quite pleased I think.We said our farewells and headed home to bed.
Monday 15th December. We were up at 4.00 am as being picked up at 5.00 am for the drive to Amman, to catch our 10.00 am flight to Cairo. We have had a wonderful time in Jordan now its time to leave. We arrived in Cairo at 11.30 am and had a long wait till 6.00 pm.
Then we flew to Istanbul, Turkley and arrived at 8.45 pm and got to our Hotel at 9.30 pm. Now it was Kevins turn to feel nauseated and have a funny tummy! So we were both happy to fall into bed tonight!
Next we travelled to Wadi Rum and stopped to watch the sunset on the way. We arrived at Wadi Rum at 6.00 pm to our Bedouin Camp for the night. The Wadi Rum is a protected area, that was created in 1998. İt covers 720sq km of outstanding Desert Landscape. We enjoyed a Bedouin Style Dinner under the Stars. Chatted for a while , then headed to our tents & bed at 8.30 pm.
Saturday 13th December. İ had a terrible night with tummy pain & running across the desert to the loo. Kevin slept soundly all night long. Up at 6.00 am & we departed at 8.00 am for a 4/4 jeep safari in the Wadi Rum. Just lovely for my tummy!
We visited some of the sights of interest: Lawrences Spring, Khaz'ali Canyon, Burdah Rock
Bridge, Alameleh İnscriptions, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Bedouin Village. Then we drove next to Petra through the desert. We arrived at our Hotel at 12 noon.
İ had a rest & Kevin went for a swim ın the Hotel pool. We met our guide at 2.00 pm to visit Little Petra - a Archaeological Caravan Stopover Sıte from ancient times. İt was very impressive indeed. We returned to Petra at 4.30 pm & had a pizza together for our lunch & tea - very nice. İ'm feeling a little better thank goodness. We went to bed early as we have another early start in the morning.
Sunday 14th December. Up at 6.00 am & departed at 7.00 am. We have a full days guided tour , visiting the jewel in Jordans Archaeological Crown. Access was by walking through a narrow deep siq & the end prize was the hidden Valley where the Rose City of Petra lies. As we reach the end of the siq we came across the spectacular facade of Alkazneh - the Treasury of Petra.
İts truly breathtaking - it was carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb of a Nabataean Kıng. The carved facade shows the Nabataean engineering genius. Next we passed the streets of facades - rows of Nabataean Tombs with intricate carvings.
The Theatre looks Roman but was built by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD. İt can seat 7,000 people & is carved into the solid rock.Next we saw several Royal Tombs the largest Urn Tomb Silk Tomb Castle Tomb and Corinthian Tomb.We walked along a beautiful Colonnaded street with marble pavement still seen today.We climbed to the top, 800 stairs cut into the rock up the mountain of Ad-Deir and saw the marvellous Mountain scenes along the way.
We reached Ad-Deir -the Monastery - Petras second most famous attraction. Its absolutely beautiful and next we climbed a little further to be at the Top of the World in Jordan. We took lots of photos and then wandered back again to arrive at our Hotel by 3.30 pm after a fabulous day out!
We met Jamelia for dinner at 6.00 pm. Kevin wrote her a poem and said it to her, she was quite pleased I think.We said our farewells and headed home to bed.
Monday 15th December. We were up at 4.00 am as being picked up at 5.00 am for the drive to Amman, to catch our 10.00 am flight to Cairo. We have had a wonderful time in Jordan now its time to leave. We arrived in Cairo at 11.30 am and had a long wait till 6.00 pm.
Then we flew to Istanbul, Turkley and arrived at 8.45 pm and got to our Hotel at 9.30 pm. Now it was Kevins turn to feel nauseated and have a funny tummy! So we were both happy to fall into bed tonight!
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