For those of you who do follow this blog (no idea how many, if any), I have moved most of my web life under one roof. Finally, my Creative Meanderings blog/site is able to house all of my posts in one place.
So, this blogger site will remain up for a few more months, but after this anything new will be posted on my main site. Travel bits will be found in the "Meanderings Abroad (General)" tab and you can enjoy perusing the rest of my meaningless web presence there as well.
It's been great on Blogger, but I hope you'll continue to lurk on Creative Meanderings as well.
-T
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Jordan: Day 1 (Night 2)
Somehow I managed to get as much sleep as is possible in a strange hotel room. Though I did leave the TV on for much of the night to comfort me - not much of a comfort still....
Breakfast, like dinner, is included in the hotel fare so I went down for a very meager meal. The standard breakfast in this part of the world seems to be fake sausages, hard-boiled eggs, pastries/breads, cheese and meat slices, and then the same kind of salads that you might see on the dinner buffet. Still, I cannot complain too much as coffee was available - unlike when I went to Egypt and was dying of caffeine withdrawal. Also, I wasn't left for want of something to fill my stomach in the end.
The tour began at 9:15 with Yammen(?) the driver for the trip picking me up first. I met the guide for the next four days, Mohammed - if you can't remember someone's name here, you have a high chance of success with guessing Mohammed - who offered an interesting element to the overall experience. As suspected, the tour was to be in Spanish and we headed to the Regency Hotel to pick up the Olaverri family of four.
Our first stop was Mt. Nebo, where Moses stood overlooking the promise land for the Israelites. It is also said that he died nearby this area. The view was hazed-over, but a map directed our eyes to Jerusalem across the river and other famous areas.
From there, we made a requisite tourist stop at a handicraft center where handicapped men were working on mosaics, which were nice, but nothing worth buying to bring home.
The first day was a short one and so the Olaverri family requested that we make a trip to the Dead Sea even though it was scheduled for our return trip from the south later in the tour. It was fine by me and so we spent the afternoon at the Amman Beach, had a float in the Dead Sea and then a refreshing swim in the pool.
After a couple of hours, we made our way down to Petra where we would stay the night. Along the way, we stopped to check out the salt build-up on the shore and passed through the hot springs area, which seemed to be a stomping ground for the men to get together and be men.
Also, as an extra to our tour since it was along the way, we stopped at Karak to see the castle ruins there. It was a location of battles between the Christian Crusaders and the Islamic armies as well as the capital of the Moabites. It was good fun to climb up and down the ruins and in some ways reminded me of visiting Japanese castles and looking through the arrow slits to ward off unwanted visitors. Also, the importance will become clearer later, but Mohammed made sure to mention to me that he was separated from his family at some random point in my exploration of the ruins. I left it alone without interest nor concern.
Finally, we made it to Petra. As we descended, the lights of the city made me feel like I was truly entering a historical area. My hotel was King's Way Hotel or Tulip Inn according to the bathroom amenities. The dinner on offer was much better than the Dana Plaza, though eating alone is an interesting experience. I had decided to wear a ring on my left-hand during the trip whenever I was alone to avoid any unwanted proposals, etc. However, when you eat alone in a hotel restaurant full of tourists, some people offer looks of pity, interest (why is a young woman eating all alone in a foreign country?), and confusion. The staff still offered me extra attention, but I do believe it was less than if I were perceived as single....
Thus, ended my first full day in Jordan.
More to come...
-T
Breakfast, like dinner, is included in the hotel fare so I went down for a very meager meal. The standard breakfast in this part of the world seems to be fake sausages, hard-boiled eggs, pastries/breads, cheese and meat slices, and then the same kind of salads that you might see on the dinner buffet. Still, I cannot complain too much as coffee was available - unlike when I went to Egypt and was dying of caffeine withdrawal. Also, I wasn't left for want of something to fill my stomach in the end.
The tour began at 9:15 with Yammen(?) the driver for the trip picking me up first. I met the guide for the next four days, Mohammed - if you can't remember someone's name here, you have a high chance of success with guessing Mohammed - who offered an interesting element to the overall experience. As suspected, the tour was to be in Spanish and we headed to the Regency Hotel to pick up the Olaverri family of four.
Our first stop was Mt. Nebo, where Moses stood overlooking the promise land for the Israelites. It is also said that he died nearby this area. The view was hazed-over, but a map directed our eyes to Jerusalem across the river and other famous areas.
From there, we made a requisite tourist stop at a handicraft center where handicapped men were working on mosaics, which were nice, but nothing worth buying to bring home.
The first day was a short one and so the Olaverri family requested that we make a trip to the Dead Sea even though it was scheduled for our return trip from the south later in the tour. It was fine by me and so we spent the afternoon at the Amman Beach, had a float in the Dead Sea and then a refreshing swim in the pool.
After a couple of hours, we made our way down to Petra where we would stay the night. Along the way, we stopped to check out the salt build-up on the shore and passed through the hot springs area, which seemed to be a stomping ground for the men to get together and be men.
Also, as an extra to our tour since it was along the way, we stopped at Karak to see the castle ruins there. It was a location of battles between the Christian Crusaders and the Islamic armies as well as the capital of the Moabites. It was good fun to climb up and down the ruins and in some ways reminded me of visiting Japanese castles and looking through the arrow slits to ward off unwanted visitors. Also, the importance will become clearer later, but Mohammed made sure to mention to me that he was separated from his family at some random point in my exploration of the ruins. I left it alone without interest nor concern.
Finally, we made it to Petra. As we descended, the lights of the city made me feel like I was truly entering a historical area. My hotel was King's Way Hotel or Tulip Inn according to the bathroom amenities. The dinner on offer was much better than the Dana Plaza, though eating alone is an interesting experience. I had decided to wear a ring on my left-hand during the trip whenever I was alone to avoid any unwanted proposals, etc. However, when you eat alone in a hotel restaurant full of tourists, some people offer looks of pity, interest (why is a young woman eating all alone in a foreign country?), and confusion. The staff still offered me extra attention, but I do believe it was less than if I were perceived as single....
Thus, ended my first full day in Jordan.
More to come...
-T
Jordan: Arrival (Night 1)
First, calling the taxi service through the Al Ghazal (Trans AD) system was one of the most responsive services I've ever encountered in this city. Within five minutes of me calling to reserve a cab to take me to the airport, I was in the taxi on my way!
Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of my favorite airports in terms of getting through check-in and immigration. Though the airport itself leaves quite a bit to be desired if you have to spend any amount of time in it. So, I went quickly through all the lines and waited for my flight to board at Costa cafe beginning my writings and feelings of anticipation for the trip.
I flew Royal Jordanian because it's part of the three major mileage conglomerates that I have cards for - One World - and I enjoyed their flights before when my mother and aunt visited last summer. So, the 2.5-hour flight to Amman was fairly uneventful, though the male passengers seemed to enjoy trying to move their seats to wherever they please until someone tells them they can't sit where they like. When I got up to use the restroom some guy thought it was an opening to try to take my seat until I returned and explained it was still my seat...
The food on the flight was average, though I did enjoy the variety of choice from chicken or lamb instead of the usual beef option. :D
It was only 7pm when I arrived in Jordan and once I disembarked from the plane, I was met by a Mohammed, from the tour company who helped me change money, pay for my visa and go through the immigration line. As I had no checked luggage, we quickly met the driver outside and were off to my hotel.
The drive in took about 40-minutes and I immediately felt that it was a much more civilized place than Cairo had been. The first tip-off was that people used their headlights at night regularly - not just when another car was approaching or when passing. Also, I noticed a number of female drivers as we sped by them and in general the landscape looked cleaner. Once inside the city limits, the traffic got denser and horns were heard more - though not nearly as much as one hears in Abu Dhabi at all hours of the day or night.
My lodging for the evening was the Dana Plaza Hotel - a four-star place - with fairly spacious rooms and kind staff. I settled in for the night with a shower, quick bite to eat at the hotel restaurant and some TV in my room. While I would have liked to have ventured out to explore, I could tell when we arrived that the location was not easy for a walk-around and I had read that going out at night alone as a single female traveler was not the best of options. So, since it was only the first night, I decided to just take it easy and wait for the morning when my tour would begin.
More to come...
-T
Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of my favorite airports in terms of getting through check-in and immigration. Though the airport itself leaves quite a bit to be desired if you have to spend any amount of time in it. So, I went quickly through all the lines and waited for my flight to board at Costa cafe beginning my writings and feelings of anticipation for the trip.
I flew Royal Jordanian because it's part of the three major mileage conglomerates that I have cards for - One World - and I enjoyed their flights before when my mother and aunt visited last summer. So, the 2.5-hour flight to Amman was fairly uneventful, though the male passengers seemed to enjoy trying to move their seats to wherever they please until someone tells them they can't sit where they like. When I got up to use the restroom some guy thought it was an opening to try to take my seat until I returned and explained it was still my seat...
The food on the flight was average, though I did enjoy the variety of choice from chicken or lamb instead of the usual beef option. :D
It was only 7pm when I arrived in Jordan and once I disembarked from the plane, I was met by a Mohammed, from the tour company who helped me change money, pay for my visa and go through the immigration line. As I had no checked luggage, we quickly met the driver outside and were off to my hotel.
The drive in took about 40-minutes and I immediately felt that it was a much more civilized place than Cairo had been. The first tip-off was that people used their headlights at night regularly - not just when another car was approaching or when passing. Also, I noticed a number of female drivers as we sped by them and in general the landscape looked cleaner. Once inside the city limits, the traffic got denser and horns were heard more - though not nearly as much as one hears in Abu Dhabi at all hours of the day or night.
My lodging for the evening was the Dana Plaza Hotel - a four-star place - with fairly spacious rooms and kind staff. I settled in for the night with a shower, quick bite to eat at the hotel restaurant and some TV in my room. While I would have liked to have ventured out to explore, I could tell when we arrived that the location was not easy for a walk-around and I had read that going out at night alone as a single female traveler was not the best of options. So, since it was only the first night, I decided to just take it easy and wait for the morning when my tour would begin.
A not so interesting pic of my hotel room. :D
-T
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Jordan: Pre-departure
Well, it's been a year already since I took my first solo trip. Last year, I was pretty excited about my trip to Egypt, but this year I feel a bit differently about my heading to Jordan.
Initially, I didn't really want to do this trip alone as I sorta learned my lesson from traveling alone in this region, but then no one could go or wanted to go with me and I decided that if I have to wait until I can travel with someone I might miss out on the opportunities to see places I want to see. Plus, one of my five reminders for this year is to remember that I came to the area to travel!
So, I found a tour company (Golden Crown Tours) that was able to put me into a small tour group so that I wouldn't have to pay individual tour prices and I could have some company while traveling in Jordan. I've learned that I'll be joining a group of 4 from Spain, so this might be an all-Spanish tour - good for my language skills... - and hopefully it'll be a good group.
Truthfully, I'm a bit nervous about this trip. There's no logical explanation for my anxiety, but I'm praying and hoping it will be fine once I arrive. Last year, I was only excited, but maybe that was because I was going somewhere I had dreamed of since I was eight. This time, I'm not even sure why I picked Jordan other than it was nearby and I've heard good things about Petra and other sites. So... I'll try to update when I can with pics and thoughts.
Off we go!
Until next time,
-T
Initially, I didn't really want to do this trip alone as I sorta learned my lesson from traveling alone in this region, but then no one could go or wanted to go with me and I decided that if I have to wait until I can travel with someone I might miss out on the opportunities to see places I want to see. Plus, one of my five reminders for this year is to remember that I came to the area to travel!
So, I found a tour company (Golden Crown Tours) that was able to put me into a small tour group so that I wouldn't have to pay individual tour prices and I could have some company while traveling in Jordan. I've learned that I'll be joining a group of 4 from Spain, so this might be an all-Spanish tour - good for my language skills... - and hopefully it'll be a good group.
Truthfully, I'm a bit nervous about this trip. There's no logical explanation for my anxiety, but I'm praying and hoping it will be fine once I arrive. Last year, I was only excited, but maybe that was because I was going somewhere I had dreamed of since I was eight. This time, I'm not even sure why I picked Jordan other than it was nearby and I've heard good things about Petra and other sites. So... I'll try to update when I can with pics and thoughts.
Off we go!
Until next time,
-T
Thursday, February 4, 2010
On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 3 (The last for this trip!)
From KL, I took a short flight to Kuching, Sarawak located on the Borneo island, but still a part of Malaysia. The remainder of my trip was spent with a friend in this area. Kuching means "Cat city" in Malay, so there were a lot of cat statues around the city. I don't have too much to say about my impressions or daily activities. Most of the time was spent exploring on the back of a scooter and seeing the sights. The weather was fairly unpredictable as it was the wet season there and not many tourists or activities were seen around town. So, here are some photos and more can be found (eventually) on my main website. Enjoy!
One of the many cat statues
A poor mangy kitten on the street, but so cute!
Museum or something...
Chinese temple
Night view of the boardwalk
Top Spot food court...poor fish....
Food court - was really good seafood, actually!
One day kayaking in the highlands
A Malaysian night
While I'm definitely glad I made a visit here, I'm not sure that I would go again..., but you never know! It was a good holiday and I'm already thinking about the next adventure!
Until next time...
-T
On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 2
Feeling refreshed after a good long sleep, I awoke ready to explore outside of the city for a little bit by visiting the Batu Caves. It's a mere half hour bus ride from the city centre to the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur to climb 272 steps to the caves that hold a Hindu shrine. I don't really know much about the history, but Phyllisse recommended that I see it and I figured it was a good chance for me to get out and explore on my own a bit.
While finding the right bus was a bit of a challenge, I did eventually find it and made it out to the cave. It was an interesting experience and while I think the monkeys are perhaps the main attraction to the area, I'm told that the attraction is really the shrine and the Thaipusum festival draws quite the crowd (which I thankfully missed by a week as I'd hate to visit anywhere with thousands of other people...).
After seeing the caves, I ventured back into the city centre and enjoyed Chinatown a bit more.
In the evening, I met up with Phyllise for dinner and she showed me around Bukit Bintang area, which is part of the Golden Triangle section of the city. This area is known as the main shopping and entertainment area where you might find more of the pubs and tourists.
While I really enjoyed getting to see the city of KL through the eyes of a couple of local ladies, I was happy to be escaping the city for my next destination in hopes of seeing a bit more of a quieter and natural-side of the country.
More to come...
-T
PS More pictures to be found on main website.
Entrance to the Batu Caves
Shrine inside caves
Monkey attraction
After seeing the caves, I ventured back into the city centre and enjoyed Chinatown a bit more.
Petaling Street (Chinatown)
In the evening, I met up with Phyllise for dinner and she showed me around Bukit Bintang area, which is part of the Golden Triangle section of the city. This area is known as the main shopping and entertainment area where you might find more of the pubs and tourists.
Chinese New Year decorations inside mall
Food stalls
While I really enjoyed getting to see the city of KL through the eyes of a couple of local ladies, I was happy to be escaping the city for my next destination in hopes of seeing a bit more of a quieter and natural-side of the country.
More to come...
-T
PS More pictures to be found on main website.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
On the plane again...Stop 3 Part 1
It only took me about 24 hours to get to Malaysia from Hawaii, but I made it! I've wanted to see Kuala Lumpur for a while now, though I can't remember what caused me to have an interest in the city initially. With vacation still left to use up, hitting this Southeast Asian country seemed like a good idea. :D
Upon arrival, I caught the KLIA train in to KL Sentral station to drop off my bags as I had decided to take advantage of Couchsurfing and couldn't meet my host until later in the evening. However, through Couchsurfing, I met Nicole who had contacted me about staying at my place when she visits Abu Dhabi. So, she kindly agreed to meet with me and spent most of the day driving me around the city showing me the sites.
Upon arrival, I caught the KLIA train in to KL Sentral station to drop off my bags as I had decided to take advantage of Couchsurfing and couldn't meet my host until later in the evening. However, through Couchsurfing, I met Nicole who had contacted me about staying at my place when she visits Abu Dhabi. So, she kindly agreed to meet with me and spent most of the day driving me around the city showing me the sites.
Thean Hou Temple
Merdeka
The National Mosque
The famous Petronas Towers
It was great to get oriented to the city of Kuala Lumpur via car as I was kept from having to traipse around on the trains in my very tired state.
I finally was able to meet my host, Phyllisse, in the evening, but was so exhausted that we went to her place where I got a short nap and got up for quick Chinese food dinner near her place, then went back and crashed out! More pictures and update for the following day to come!
Until then,
-T
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