Massive Update...

*Disclaimer: Ignore the shoddy editing/text and photo spacing in this entry. Blogger is a piece of crap is hasn't been cooperating.*

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, especially about the group trip to the Shobak Castle, Baida (little Petra) and Petra. I have been lazy and busy. Anyhow, it was a great trip and we got to see some of the most beautiful natural scenery that Jordan has to offer.

Our first stop was Shobak, a crusader castle on the way to Baida and Petra. This is a first century Crusader castle that eventually fell to Saladin. They said at one point it probably housed around 6000 Christians. Inside there are 2 churches as well as many rooms, cisterns, a pipe system to bring water up from below into the castle. The castle is in surprisingly good condition, given its age. The only problem is that a lot of it is still rather unstable from a bad earthquake in the 20s. It was fun because we got to climb around and explore the ruins at our own place. It was amazing walking through a place that has so much ancient, interesting history.

Shoback Crusader Castle

Me in Shoback Castle

Inside the castle

After the castle, we went to little Petra in Baida. Little Petra is where the Nabatean (early hunter-gatherers of Jordan) people conducted all of their business. The caravans came here and it is where merchants sold their things, etc. All official proceedings, business and other, were conducted in little Petra. Much like Petra, little Petra is hidden away in the mountains.

The Treasury at Little Petra

Desert and sand stone mountains

Last stop was Petra- one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Petra is the main place where the Nabatean people lived and conducted religious rites. The mountains are littered with many small caves in which the Nabateans placed their dead. Centuries later when the Bedouins came to the area, they removed all the the bones and remains of the Nabateans and began living in these caves. Some of them still do. In addition to the caves, the main thing to see in Petra is the Treasury. The Treasury is also where the holy grail was hidden in that Indiana Jones film :P This is a massive structure carved into the side of a mountain and it is thought that this is where the Nabateans held funerals and any other religious ceremony. It was so striking to catch a glimpse of the Treasury while walking in the siq. I have seen many photos, but up close, it is even more amazing. Pictures do not do this place justice at all. Since Petra was under both Greek and Roman rule during the 1st and 2nd centuries, you can see evidence of this in much of the architecture and ruins. At the Treasury, you will see Corinthian-style columns, ornate carvings and statues of Amazons and Nabatean deities decorating the facade. The are is also a very well-preserved colonnaded street in Petra, as well as a small Roman-style amphitheater.

The Treasury in Petra

Colonnaded Street

One of the "must see" things at Petra is the monastery. However, in order to get to it, you must climb 950 stairs up into the mountains. Taking a donkey is an option, but the others in the group and I decided to be hardcore and make the hike. It was rather intense, but the amazing view was totally worth it! I have never been in the mountains like this, so it was an interesting experience. We also got to talk to the Bedouins who live/sell souvenirs in the mountains. Of course they wanted us to buy their things, but they were generally very friendly and talkative. A few of us even had tea with a merchant in his souvenir tent at the top of the mountain near the Monastery. From there, we made another lengthy climb and hike to the point of High Sacrifice. The view was slightly less impressive than at the Monastery and I thought I was going to fall off the cliff and die at a few points because it was so windy, but a nice Bedouin woman took my hand and helped me along. It was a really nice view and she showed me where the Nabateans performed the sacrifices.

The Monastery

View from the top of the mountain near the Monastery

A couple of weekends ago, I went on my own to check out the Citadel in Amman. It is situated on one of Amman's 7 hills and has the Temple of Hercules, an Umayyad Palace and an archaeological museum with a portion of the Dead Sea Scrolls. I got there kind of late and didn't get to see the museum or the Dead Sea Scrolls, but I will be going back.

The Temple of Hercules

View of the city and Roman Theater from the Citadel

Old columns around the Citadel

Last weekend, most of the group when and participated in a marathon from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea (247 km). I did not participate because I am not a moron. Instead, I stayed in Amman and relaxed. On Saturday, I went with a few other stragglers to hear Mahmoud Darwish do a poetry reading from his new book. It was really cool and I got to meet him. Darwish is a famous Palestinian poet and activist, and I had learned about him/read some of his poetry in the US. It was cool that he came to Amman and that I got to go see him. I may have been acting foolishly, but considering the political climate of the event, I chose to lie about being an American. This kind of spiraled out of control and several people were introduced to me as "Kala from Sweden," including Darwish himself. I believe my photo is in an Amman magazine with a caption along those lines. What a mess.

Let's see... this weekend, we are going to Jerash, a city with some of the best well-preserved Roman ruins you will find. Should be a fun time. I will do my best to update this thing very soon after the fact instead of weeks later... :)

Classes are going well. It is difficult to be as studious here as I am at home, but it will be okay. Getting around and doing basic things is just such a process that by the end of a 9-hour school day, the last thing I want to do at home is more work. Things with the family are going well too, despite the fact that I am having similar issues that I did in Russia; in terms of being very awkward and nervous at some points and accidentally breaking things. Maybe one of these days when the embarassment wears off I will write about how I blew up 2 power strips in 2 days, broke a lamp twice and got electrocuted. Luckily, they are very understanding and don't seem to be TOO put off by me being such a trainwreck sometimes. But, we were told that Arabs like to internalise, so there is a good chance I might be ruining lives without knowing. Great.

Anyhow, I hope everyone is well and I will update more regularly. Take care.

Hashem, bootlegs and the Romans

The last couple of days have been really nice. Most of the snow and water is gone, so it's much nicer to walk around now and not have to worry about slipping all over the place. It has gotten much warmer, too, so that is good. A couple of days ago, some kids from the group and I decided to go downtown and explore a bit. First, we had to check out Jordan's infamous and impressive bootleg DVD market. There are little shops all over downtown selling pirated DVDs-- even movies that are still in theaters in America. The best part is that they are only 1 JD (about $1.40) each, and are generally good quality. I got 10 and intend on making some more trips before I leave. After that we walked around a bit and looked at all the different merchants and their stuff. Downtown is really neat; just how I would picture the center city of a Middle Eastern country. Lots of merchants selling anything you could ever want, from colorful belly dancing costumes, kuffiyehs, shoes, luggage, perfume, fabrics, etc. It's loud, a bit chaotic, colorful and there are lots of good smells emanating from coffee carts, bakeries and restaurants.

After buying out one of the DVD shops, we decided to check out Hashem... one of Amman's most famous restaurants. If you are picturing a fancy, 5 star restaurant, don't. Hashem is literally located in an ally and is the size of a living room. There is some room to sit inside, but mostly everyone sits out under a little alcove beneath a staircase. This place gives new meaning to 'hole in the wall restaurant' and it's amazing. All they serve is falafel, hummus, bread, fuul and tea with fresh mint to put in. This has been the best food I've had here yet. It is simple but so incredibly good. The atmosphere is also great. Very fun because of how informal it is and the workers are really funny and kind. It is also very inexpensive- 4 of us ate enough to get stuffed and it was only 3 JD! It is said that King Abdullah II goes there a lot to eat and pays for everyone in the restaurant. I have a secret goal to at least see him while I am here.... :)

Today I went to the Roman Amphitheater downtown and it was one of the most amazing things I've seen. It is such an interesting contrast to see this ancient Roman structure surrounded by typical Middle Eastern architecture and scenery. It was really cool. I went to the top, and almost had a heart attack coming back down... the stairs are very steep. After that, I wandered around the park surrounding it for a bit and then walked around downtown some more. After a few too many encounters and stares from creepy men, I decided to go home and eat dinner. All in all, it was a great day.

Tomorrow is the last day of school this week, and on Friday and Saturday we will be in Petra on a trip. Expect a million photos from this. I hope everyone has a nice weekend and I will upload some photos when I get back from Petra.