Swatchless

I find that when I travel I encounter foods that I would rarely find in my hometown. I am generally more adventurous when I travel, which can lead to great discoveries, or a sore tummy. This year on my trip, I discovered fresh pita bread, the kind that melts in your mouth, the kind that boys carry on big bamboo baskets above their head as they bike through the market, it is delicious, but something that I will never find in my town.

I discovered felafel while sitting at a patio in Aqaba with “Captain” and our tour guide and busdriver. A delicious “breckie” to remember. I discovered that a dinner “of sorts” served on an Egyptian night train is NOT really food

I discovered that in Egypt, you can order viagra from a menu….

…but we weren’t brave enough for that one!

The most wonderful food that I thought I’d never eat was found on a felucca. It started out with a holler to the neighbouring fishing boats, asking for Bolti fish (which we later discovered is Talapia). The fish were bought from the side of the boat, freshly caught from the Nile.

They were cleaned by Captain Hamada over the side of the boat

cooked up in the boat kitchen (a square meter of space with a 2 burner gas stove, which I learned to light–how I got the nickname “crew”)

The fish was served up with rice and vegetables, and eaten by candlelight. The fish still had the heads on them! I’d never tried eating fish like that before. I’m not actually a fan of seafood, but this was SO deliciously fresh, cooked in front of my eyes, and eaten with friends who were quickly feeling like family.

We ate, Egyptian style, half with fingers, half with spoons, or pita bread to scoop up the food from our bowls, and enjoyed the lovely view of the Nile. This is food that is very simple, from a world with no refrigeration. All ingredients are fresh, and in season, and cooked up with Captain Hamada’s family recipes. Go see him and his brother Ali on the felucca “Flower 2″ if you are in Aswan. His food is better than the near by restaurants. Tell him Rachel from Canada sent you

This story, like several others, comes from my vacation this summer in the Middle East. Toward the end of the group tour, we found ourselves in Egypt, on the Sinai peninsula, at the monastery of St. Catherine, home of the burning bush (which burned but was not consumed by the flame) where God spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:1-6, 14).

Our group was about to climb to the top of Mt. Sinai. The group was given two options of how to summit this mountain:

1. Ride a camel
2. Walk along the camel path

“Captain” and I had been doing our research, and had heard of an alternate route up the mountain along the path of repentance 3700 stairs (and I use that term loosely) up the mountain. “Captain” We decided that since this is the one time that we’d be climbing this mountain, we should do it the right way and take the stairs. We had hoped that this would allow us the chance to take our time, and enjoy the experience, rather than lurching up a path on a stinky camel or perhaps worse, walking behind the stinky camel. To our surprise, half of the tour group decided to go with us.

To set the stage: it was hot, temperatures were above 30 C. We were unsure of where we were going, or what pace we would travel at. We had eaten a big lunch, which was not sitting so well in my stomach, and we were climbing up a mountain. I have some difficulties with doing strenuous exercise at altitude (I am such a “sea-level” kid!). Although we had been walking a lot every day, and I been training on the treadmill before the vacation, that did little to help with my “stair” climbing ability.

looking down at St. Catherine's monastery

The journey up the mountain started mid afternoon. We walked, scrambled, and climbed up rough hewn steps and rocks (do you see steps in that picture??), following our mountain guide, appropriately named Moses. He has climbed up and down this mountain three times a week for ten years, leading tourists and religious pilgrims up and down the treacherous slope.

Did I tell you that it was over 30 C when we were climbing? Anyway, these steps seemed to go for ever. We’d climb over a rise, and there’d be more waiting for us. Moses would tell us that we were half way there, we’d keep walking, and after another 20 minutes, we’d still be half way there! I took many breaks for water, air and photo opportunities. I began to question why we had chosen this route. I began to understand why the path was called the path of repentance. For me, it was a grueling climb.

My legs and lungs burned as we kept walking. Thank goodness for “Captain” who kept me going forward, telling me that the next part is pretty flat, or that we must be more than half way now, or that the view from the top at sunset will be amazing. I really wanted to reach the top, I really wanted to see the view, but it took all the determination that I could muster, to make me keep going. The monumental task of climbing the mountain became one of putting one foot in front of the other. The task became a matter of “take that next step”, “take that next breath”–a useful mantra in any challenging situation!

success!

We made it to the top, in good time too, arriving just as the stinky camels did. The view from the top was outstanding. Have a look at this movie that Captain took. (I’d share mine, but all you can hear is me sounding like a scuba diver gasping for air)

We sat at the top, glad to be finally done climbing, and feeling surprisingly chilly. Our group made up 15 of the 20 people at the top of the mountain as the sun set. We sat awestruck by the view, giddy from the climb, and happy for the company of our group.

Our descent started soon after the sun set. We all walked together along the camel path, as the “stairs” would be impossible to use in the dark. If you’ve been reading my other posts, you’ll realize that all it takes are a few glowsticks to start a party. I had brought 15 glowsticks with me up the mountain, and handed them out on the way back down to each of our group members…

Our group with glowsticks

…and to Moses, who had never seen anything like that before. He was so excited to bring them home to show his children. Unfortunately the tourist police men were also interested in the glowsticks, and confiscated several so they could play too.

Moses getting his first glowstick

That night, I slept very soundly. I had conquered my challenge, rising 2285 meters above sea level, in the scorching heat, up 3700 steps. The experience was made all that much better by knowing that we didn’t cheat–we climbed the mountain the tough right way. I am grateful to Moses, for his patience, and to all of my group members for their encouragement. Thanks also to “Captain”, I couldn’t have done it without you!

The Siq

My moment of peace came at the end of a rushed day of sight seeing in Jordan this summer.  “Captain”, my traveling friend, and I purchased bread and cheese at a small grocery store, and set off, separate from our tour group.  We ate our dinner on the walk, listening to the call to prayer echo from the near by mosques.  The sun had set, and dusk was upon us.  We met up with around 100 people all eager to enter the Siq (the high walled canyon) that led to the ancient Nabatean city carved into the rock.

Petra by Night is intended to be a silent candlelit walk through the canyon, however many tourists either didn’t understand those directions, or didn’t care to follow them.  Hanging back at the very end of the group, walking very slowly, we allowed everyone to pass us.  “Captain” and I walked together along the trail.  We could see the high canyon walls rise upward, framing a ribbon of star studded sky.  The warmth of the day was radiating outward from the rock, while a cooling breeze blew past us.  We were walking on ancient stones, on a path that was once lost to all but the bedouin, to a city that was written about in ancient Greek and Roman texts.  The history contained within those rocks, the people who had walked along that path, from ancient incense traders, to the film crew of Indiana Jones, and now us.  Our story seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but those moments in the Siq have left a lasting impression on me.

The path was dimly lit, and the cobble stones uneven, which forced us to take our time and walk with deliberate steps.  I was glad to walk slowly, to savour the sights and sensations of this mystical place, knowing that there is only one first time to see Petra.  Each step was bringing us closer to the Treasury building, something that we were eager to see, but something that would bring this magnificent walk to an end.  Almost scared to break the silence, “Captain” and I would stop, and point out different things to each other without speaking.

I have heard of people being moved to tears, but I never thought I would experience that for myself.  I don’t cry easily, but found myself welling up because of the majesty of my surroundings.  “Captain” and I agreed that this could easily become a place of quiet and calm that we could close our eyes and return to at moments of stress in the “real world”; it is a place that I have returned to in my mind several times in the past few months.

in front of the Treasury

As the Siq opened out in front of the Treasury we could hear the music of a bedouin flute echoing against the surrounding high walls.  We sat, in silence, surrounded by candles and silent tourists, listening to the unusual music, staring at the Treasury that was illuminated by the flashes of neighbouring cameras.  We drank hot sweet mint tea, and lay down to watched the stars shoot across the sky.

None of my pictures of the Siq or the Treasury by night actually turned out.  I am ok with that.  The best pictures are in my mind.

I’ve joined a new blogging group for the month of December. You’ll still be hearing all about my knitting and crafts, but through the lens of my past year. It’s important as one year closes to reflect on what was accomplished, and learned, and experienced over the past 12 months.  This begins the  “BEST OF 2009 BLOG CHALLENGE”

This summer I went on the trip of a lifetime. A friend (who will be known as Captain) and I met up in England, and flew to Amman where we started our tour of Jordan and Egypt. We decided to tour the Middle East on a whim, a decision made when Swine Flu was rampant in Mexico (our planned destination), and travel plans needed to change quickly. Visiting the desert in the summer is not everyone’s idea of fun. We did need to have siestas to avoid the 45 C heat of the midday sun

Amman, seen from the citadel

We saw Amman, a busy modern city, and then saw Jerash a city with the most amazing Roman Ruins!

Jerash, Roman Ruins

Jordan is famous for Petra, the city carved from rock by the ancient Nabatean people. We spent a day exploring Petra, and I would like to go back to see more of the sights. We met friendly bedouin people who sold us trinkets and gave us tea. If you go to Petra, be sure you go on the “Petra By Night” tour, and let all the noisy tourists walk far ahead of you. The silence and stillness of the smooth walled canyon is magical.

With stars above, and ancient stones beneath lit only by candles, you forget that you are moments away from a busy world. Time stands still. You want to walk towards the end of the canyon, to see the large carved facades that are so famous, but you don’t want to really get to the end of the canyon as it is also a magical part of the experience. Captain and I took this tour, but the rest of our group decided against it. Their loss!

Also in Jordan, we floated in the Dead sea (an absolutely amazing experience!) It’s what I imagine being in a “jolly jumper” would feel like….you can’t touch the bottom, no matter how hard you try

Dead Sea Float

We also camped overnight in the Wadi Rum desert under the stars.

It was so hot in the desert that I stayed with several group members and knit in the shade of an overhang all afternoon. As the sun set, we all sat together and watched the sky and sand as the colours changed. The reds faded to purples, the stars came out, and in the distance we could hear our dinner being prepared back at the camp, cooked in an underground oven.

Eating the best food we’d had in Jordan among happy tourists, fun tour guides and a very friendly sheikh was certainly memorable. I didn’t want to sleep that night because the sky was too beautiful. Deserts are places where you can certainly feel how small you are in a big world, like a single grain of sand or a single point of light in the vastness of the universe. It is a place of beauty-a different beauty than I’ve experienced at home.

Crossing from Jordan to Egypt, we camped on the beach at the Red Sea and I experienced snorkeling for the first time. It is a mindblowing experience, just like what I imagine swimming in a fish tank would be like.

taken with a friend's underwater digital camera

We then climbed Mt. Sinai to see the sun set. Captain convinced me that climbing the “stairs” is the only way to get to the top (riding a camel, or walking the camel track would be cheating). The views from the top of the mountain were stunning, and it was finally cold enough to wear a long sleeved shirt!

Egypt in general was less friendly than Jordan, perhaps because we were in busy cities, or because Captain and I were traveling on our own. We never felt unsafe, but just generally more harassed and hassled. We explored Cairo (must sees: islamic markets-watch out for crazy mosque tours…we ended up on the roof without much warning at all!, coptic churches, museum of antiquities–mummies are worth the price of admission, but you can’t bring your camera inside the museum, they do a bag scan like at airports). We got good at bartering for water and taxi fare, and found out that the subway is clean and very reliable and that there are two train cars reserved for women!

We went to Giza to see the pyramids which were colossal, but crowded with tourist busses, and tourist police who want you to pose all over the place for photos. I went inside a pyramid-Captain was too claustrophobic to make the trip inside. If you go to the pyramids, be sure to get the taxi to drop you off at the tourist entrance, NOT with the “camel mafia” at the “alternate entrance”. They are very very pushy everywhere, wanting you to buy trinkets and overpriced drinks.

We took a train to Aswan, and a car to Abu Simbel (near Sudan). The temples there had to be moved when the Aswan High Dam was put in. It was a great UNESCO effort to relocate such amazing buildings and the hills they were carved into.

After our car trip and through a great deal of luck and chance we ended up meeting and becoming friends with Captain Hamada and his brother Ali, captain and crew of the felucca Flower 2 (look for them near the Aswan Moon restaurant on the corniche).

Their boat is bedecked in Jamaican flags (and maybe Canadian ones too if the package I sent ever arrived). We took several short trips with them, and later signed on for a 4 day adventure that brought us down the Nile to Edfu. We experienced such delights as bathing in the Nile (hanging on to a rope on the end of the boat so we didn’t get swept away with the current–we did lose a bar of soap!), making tea and cooking and cleaning (there is quite a ritual to keeping the boat tidy).

We slept on deck under the stars, we swam when it got too hot, sailed with the wind, or drifted with the current. Captain got her name because of her excellent skills as a captain…she learned VERY fast. The two downfalls of felucca travel are

1. it is slow, but at this point on our trip we needed some slow days….I had lots of time to work on my sock.
2. there are no bathroom facilities….so we got used to finding trees and plants to use as a toilet shelter (harder than you might think!)

Captain Ali, and Flower 2 at the shore near Edfu

socks I made for Captain to commemorate our wonderful trip. Photo links to blog post about the socks.

Our last few days included seeing the sights of Luxor (Luxor Temple, Karnak, and Valley of the Kings)

Karnak

It is amazing to wander in those ruins and feel the spirit there. The scale of the pillars and statues is hard to describe, and I imagine how hard it must have been to build it and carve it with limited access to tools and technology. There must have been an amazing abundance of slave labour! Be warned about food in Luxor…stay away from anything involving mayonnaise! There are some good English food shops that keep mayo in a cooler…trust them, and them alone (or suffer the consequences).

At the end of the trip I had finished one sock. I turned the heel in the Wadi Rum, and knit the leg of the sock on the Nile felucca. Talk about a good reason for second sock syndrome. I’m waiting for an equally exciting time to cast on for the second sock…don’t want it to be jealous of the first one!

I highly recommend a trip to Egypt and Jordan. Captain and I have blogged in more detail on the following site, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have–ask away!