Hello from beautiful Jordan

[C Elegans]

I am in Petra, the famous rose-red city in Jordan, and the hotel here has internet So I thought I'd drop you a line from this wonderful country.

Many people may hesitate to go Jordan because of its proximity to Israel and Palestine, but the situation here is totally different. This is a politically stable and calm area of the Middle East, and it is well worth visiting for the spectacular scenery, the historical sites, the delicious cuisine and the friendly people.

One of the most beautiful desert areas in the world is Wadi Rum in the southeast of Jordan. Tose of you who have seen the film "Lawrence of Arabia" knows what the area looks like, all the desert scenes where shot in Wadi Rum and in Merzuga in Morocco (where we were 2 years ago). In Wadi Rum we spent 5 days camel riding with a local beduin guide and hiking. He didn't speak any English, but he was the kindest and most caring man you can imagine.

There are basalt, sandstone and granite mountains in the most strange and pretty shapes, sometimes sheer rockface, sometimes huge pillars and colonns, and sometimes eroded into bridges, deep canyons and shapes that look like the rock has melted. Very suitable for cliff climbing The sanddunes are golden or red, scattered with whitish shrubs and the occational green thistle. It's about 20-25C in the day this time of the year (compared to 50-55 C in the summer) so the winter is the ideal season to see the area.

We have also been snorkling in the Red Sea, that offered a nice contrast to the desert. I tried scuba diving for the first time in my life, that was fun The corals here are IMO more beautiful than for instance Thailand or the Persian Gulf, but you don't meet the same amount of different fish as in Southeast Asia.

Today we've been hiking around Petra, which is of course a very important historical site. I am unfortunately a far too uncultivated person to really appreciate the greatness of any historical sites, but the husband enjoyed it a lot. As for me, I have to admit I liked the view of the canyon and the black and red mountains from the clifftops above the famous mountain monastery the most

Tomorrow, we will go back to Amman by the King's highway, a scenic desert road. Maybe we go for a swim in the Dead Sea, and stop to view some more places, haven't decided yet. In any case, I don't long back to Sweden at all

[frogus]

Oh, the life of a millionairess playboy behavioural psychologist!

[C Elegans]

@Frogus: Heh, it's actually very inexpensive here. The only expense worth mentioning was the flying tickets, hotels and meals are really cheap and we go around mostly with the local buses. 1 Jordan Dinar is approximately equal to a GB quid, and there are hotels here ranging from 5 JoD up to very expensive and luxury which I don't fancy anyway since I only use hotels for sleeping and perhaps some rudimentary cleaning of my sandy self In the desert, you sleep under the bright stars

And the food is absolutely great, you get the best meal of you life for 2 JoD It is almost embarrasingly cheap.

[frogus]

Sounds lovely - I hope that the karmic burden of your wallet is not too great

How long are you going to be there?

It is excellent to hear from you...

EDIT - LOL... I see you are still attached to stealth mode....

[C Elegans]

@Frogus: The karmic burden of my wallet is quite light, I believe

I think you'd like it here, and I am sure you'd have appreciated the beautifully facades carved from the rock here in Petra much more than I did

We are staying 10 days altogether, and unfortunately 9 of them have passed already, so we are flying back early at Tuesday morning since I have to start working again as soon as possible. Well, it could be nice to spend New Years eve with some friends

My internet time is running out now, so see you again when I am back in Sweden.

I hope you have had a good holiday!

EDIT: Yes, I am still in stealth mode, to be able to sneak attack Dottie

[frogus]

I am glad you have had fun - it seems like you seem to be getting all you deserve in life

LOL - You know me too well. I am just a sucker for facades...ah well. Next time you can take me in your suitcase Possibly after the slow burning of my Christmas chocolate though

Well my mother has finally given me positive confirmation on a Florence expedition...possibly not for many years, but she has said that we will go So I am all sorted out for stone carving.

Also - although CE might not read this - can anyone tell me about a giant building inside an artificial cloud in Sweden?

[Robnark]

'artificial cloud' as in 'very, very cold fog'?

[fable]

Hi, @CE--sounds great. But do you find yourself being treated as either a second-class citizen (being a woman), or resented because you refuse to recognize yourself as such? My wife's always been against going to any Islamic nations for that reason, and I've heartily seconded her attitude.

[Tybaltus]

Quote:

Originally posted by fable Hi, @CE--sounds great. But do you find yourself being treated as either a second-class citizen (being a woman), or resented because you refuse to recognize yourself as such? My wife's always been against going to any Islamic nations for that reason, and I've heartily seconded her attitude.

I truly believe that has been driven out of proportion. Ive never been to one of the Islamic countries, and Im not a woman, so I wouldnt be able to say first hand, but there are many people I know who have been to those countries and say that it has been greatly exaggurated. I realize there are a few stories from American women coming back from Saudi Arabia and Yemen that have those bad stories to share, but I feel that the lengths to which they describe it are far and beyond what really happens there. But I do realize there isnt, what you could call equality there, though.

[frogus]

Quote:

Originally posted by Robnark 'artificial cloud' as in 'very, very cold fog'?

Yes - floating on the sea. I wonder if Dottie knows anything about this.

[Dottie]

Sorry if I dissapoint you frogus, but I have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about... It doesnt mean much though, as oblivious is a state of mind I often find myself in.

[C Elegans]

@Frogus: Thanks, that is if I deserve a lot!

If my photos turns out 1/10 as spectacular as the facades were in reality, I'll post them is this thread as soon as I've got the film developed.

Good to hear you are going to Florence I haven't been there since I was in my mid teens, but I adored the place when I was there.

I'm sorry I have no idea about the building you mention, are you sure it's in Sweden? I will however ask my more cultivated friends when I come back home.

@Fable: I must say I have never experienced any kind of second-rate citizen treatment or attitudes in any of countries I've visited. With the exception of a climbing trip to North Africa, I waited a long time myself before going to any Islamic country, for the same reason as your wife. However, it turned out I was completely wrong and probably only prejudiced by "scare-stories" I heard from other people (just like Tybaltus says) and I truly regret not visiting the Arab world earlier. There are so many beautiful and fascinating places you don't wish to miss during your lifetime.

As a woman, I have always found it important to behave according to the more gender equal attitudes we have in Sweden, even when I am travelling abroad. When you travel as a couple, it is good to let the woman pay, do the discussions, make the decisions etc just to demonstrate a different attitude in countries where the women's role is subordinate to the man's. This is true in many parts of the world, unfortunately I would say most parts. The Islamic countries I have visited have not at all been the ones to stand out in this respect. So I really hope the gender role issue will not prevent you and your wife from visiting these truly wonderful and interesting parts of the world

Now I only have 20 minutes left of my online time...

[HighLordDave]

With regards to your previous discussion about gender treatment in predominently Muslim nations, there are two things which I think may figure in here. One, Jordan is generally regarded as very friendly towards the West and Western attitudes. Consequently, the role and treatment of women there may be different than in Arab countries which take a harder line.

Second, C Elegans and her husband probably stand out not only as foreigners, but as tourists. Not only will no merchant treat her like crap as long as she is spending money (she may get gouged on some things, but that's probably more a function of her being a foreigner than a woman), but the country itself won't tolerate poor treatment of its guests because it only takes one person with a horror story to scare off hundreds of potential tourists and milions of dollars in business. In addition to oil, tourism is a large part of many middle eastern countries's economies, so I think they are more accepting of western women acting and dressing in a certain way than they are of their own women doing the same.

Enjoy the vacation, C Elegans!

[KidD01]

Definately envy you on this one. Enjoy the vacation

[fable]

@HLD, knowing CE a bit, I strongly suspect she strays off the usual tourist path. And whether Jordan has a government that favors the West or not, it is also a culture rife with Palestinian refugees, a conservative Islamic state, and a former friend of Iraq. Which is why I find CE's comments interesting, since they run against what I've heard, elsewhere.