Oh man, the excitement never ends!! We hiked the Tongariro Crossing in Taupo which was pretty fantastical! Right past Mt Doom. Beautiful blue-green lakes. We spent a lazy afternoon in River Valley - played a little "sand" volleyball. The next morning hiked up a steep hill side and then another hike along a river to a tall waterfall. Really relaxing. Then we went to Windy Wellington - which was indeed windy and not all that pleasant. Onto Nelson where me, Dunja, Corina and Aaron went hiking in Abel Tasman, spent the night in a hut and then kayaked back. Really beautiful when the sun came out!! And we saw some seals. Great trip. Some more hikes, some more seals, three-legged pub crawl (something we need to do in SB), and then there was the poo pub party. Our theme - Christmas. You will definitely have to get a look at the pics on facebook - pretty incredible!! Tons of fun!! Tomorrow we will hike up Franz Josef! Super excited!!! :)

Sweet As!!!!

Phew! It has been a whirlwind since I arrived in New Zealand. I went scuba diving in Paihia in the Maitauri Bay. We saw a giant sting ray, moray eel, and tons of crayfish. Very cool. I went kayaking in Cathedral Cove, luging and zorbing in Rotorua and now skydiving in Taupo!! Sooo AWESOME!!!! Tomorrow I will head out on a 17km hike - the Tongariro Crossing!! Sooo excited. I skipped rafting in Rotorua to save for the way back.

I've been hanging out with a couple of Swiss girls - Dunja and Corina, and a Canadian guy - Aaron. We all went kayaking and skydiving together, and when we can we share a room so we can avoid the sleeping in a room with people who STINK! We had a terrible hostel experience at the Base in Auckland with moldy food in the fridge and and random underwear around the room! GROSS!!! Other than that it's been pretty cool. I hope the skydiving dvd makes it all the way home!

Until later - living the dream in New Zealand.

New Zealand!

Okay, I realize my blogging for the Middle East was pretty lame. But I suppose I can try again for New Zealand! I arrived in Auckland at 5:25am on November 17th - gotta love crossing the date line. I'm going on a day trip around Auckland today and then when I get back to the hostel I plan on napping for a looooong time. Don't leave for Paihia until the 19th so I have a couple days to get familiar with Auckland and New Zealand, and just get settled in general.

Daydreaming in Dahab

Today we took the ferry from Hurghada to Sharm El Sheik and then a bus to Dahab. We are staying at a resort with a private "beach" - more of a coast line with a pier for jumping in and snorkeling in the reef. We can see lots of coral and beautiful colorful fish from the pier. For dinner we (Fiona, Linda and Julia and I) took the shuttle into town and walked around to find a koshary place. After eating koshary we were pressed for time to catch the shuttle back. We ended up walking way out of the way in the wrong direction and having to find our way back to town cutting through alleyways. We say a camel napping in the field and some stray dogs. Ended up missing the shuttle and having to take a taxi back to the resort. But wouldn't trade in the experience of wandering through Dahab's back alleys while Julia did arm exercises with her two 1.5L bottles of water and we joked about Sa'ad being really worried that his habibi was lost in a slightly sketchy area. :) Another good night!

Tomorrow morning we will go snorkeling in the famous blue hole, most of the group will go quad biking after. Julia and I will probably come back and snorkel more at the reef at the hotel. Looking forward to the excitements of the underwater world!!

Float in the Dead Sea & Pepsi

This morning Stephan and I went to the Dead Sea for a float. It was pretty cool although grossly warm...like pee. ;) A bunch of tourists paid too much money for someone to rub mud all over their bodies...but it was pretty funny and I took lots of pictures of them. =P After the Dead Sea we hitched a ride to Madaba to see the (slightly overrated) mosaic map. The first car we rode in was a family that insisted on buying us sodas...one of the few times in my life that I have drank a Pepsi. They were the nicest people ever and I could not decline! After dinner tonight I got some "Ramadan cookies" (I call it Baklava but when I say that no one knows what I'm talking about, go figure).

Tomorrow morning I will cross the border into Israel and head to Jerusalem. Can't wait to talk to Hadas and see someone familiar!

Cheap bus rides and mobile phones

Ok, so maybe those aren't the highlights of Jordan but the bus rides are certainly extremely cheap and EVERYONE (and I mean EVERYONE) has a mobile phone. When I was walking around Petra I met a Bedouin trying to offer me a ride on his donkey. I didn't want to pay for the lift, and thought the exercise would be good for me, so I declined but he showed me around much of Petra anyway - and even let me ride the donkey! He took me to see the Snake monument and then to tea with his cousins...in their home - a cave...seriously. The mother of the family (she has 12 kids and is pretty old) had a mobile. Here is this woman that lives in a cave and she has a phone. She is texting on it!!

Before I go into detail and I lose everyones attention, here are the HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR:
diving in Aqaba
beautiful sunsets
every man I meet tells me I look Arabic and have beautiful eyes (literally, like an obsession with my eyes...it's kinda cool since all you American fools obsess with my @$$ ;)
tons of hiking!!! - Petra, Wadi Rum, Dana, Ajloun - my butt is literally sore
friendly people - like, really really friendly and helpful
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD
did I mention the sunsets?

non-highlights:
not only do I have to squat over the toilet but often there is no toilet paper - I have learned to carry extra
lack of seatbelts (and the driving is scary)
cold showers

kay, now on with my story...

I don't remember the Bedouin's name, but due to his dread locks and love of Bob Marley, all his friends call him Rastafari. His donkey's name - Michael Jackson. He took me all over Petra and when we started to run out of time we both jumped on his donkey and boy did that donkey go. Not very fast, but it was faster than walking...and bumpier. At the end of the day we hiked up 850 steps to the Monastary. Definitely the highlight of my trip so far (of course there have been many and it has only just began). As we waited for the sun to set him and his friends sang while one of them played the Ud. I can't wait to show you the video I took. The sun setting over the valley was absolutely gorgeous. After sunset we ran down the steps and jumped on the donkey and rode it up some pretty strenuous hills to the Bedouin village where he called his friend to take me back to Wadi Musa. He wouldn't let me pay him for anything after all he did (except for his friend who drove me back).
The next day I headed to Wadi Rum (EARLY in the morning). I went on a 4x4 tour with a Polish couple - Teresa and Peotr. Even though I was wishing my brother Stefan was around for the hiking and climbing, they made for pretty adventurous company and I was happy to be spending the day with them. Again, another beautiful sunrise in Wadi Rum. Then we spent the evening with a young British family and our Bedouin chef. The Bedouin dinner was good, very interesting taste to the chicken - cooked under the sand. The next morning they gave us a ride back to Rum village from the camp to catch the bus back to Petra.
Once back in Wadi Musa I caught a bus to Ma'an and then from Ma'an to Dana Nature Preserve. On the bus to Ma'an, who do I meet? Stephan - 24, German, studying medicine in Austria but just finished 5 weeks in Lebanon. He decided to join me on my way to Dana where we went hiking for the afternoon and then slept on the roof of very quirky Dana Tower hotel. After not showering in the Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum and spending two days hiking, I was ready for a shower - unfortunately, it was cold. The next morning we went to Karak castle and then on to Amman. In Amman, we are staying at Abassi Palace hotel. Dying for a warm shower I turned the water on and what comes out for the next 10 minutes...cold water. At least it was not as cold as in Dana.
Today we went hiking in Ajloun and walked around the beautiful Roman ruins of Jerash. A French guy joined us for the adventure. Tomorrow we will probably all go to the Dead Sea. Tomorrow evening Guillob (sp?) heads to Ireland for 2 weeks and the next morning Stephan goes to Lebanon and I to Israel. It has been fun in Jordan and I am sad to be leaving such a friendly place.

First of many...

So as most, or all, of you know, I elected not to move to Dallas (booo TX) in February with my company. I have decided to take advantage of my vacation and hit up a few spots on the globe. I guess technically my first trip was to Alaska with my mom in June. But now I'm going on a big trip, just me armed with a large backpack, lonely planet guide to the middle east, and a camera so that I can insure I will never forget my travels. A few of you have asked for details of my itinerary (my mom in particular has asked several times), I've included the details at the bottom. To sum it up though, I leave on August 26th (yes, that's in 2 days!) for Cairo and will immediately make my way to Jordan, then Israel, and back down to Cairo for a tour of Egypt. When I get the opportunity I will try to post something for you guys to read, or at the very least assure you I'm safe. Hopefully you guys will send me some comments, in case I forget about all the people that love me back in the US and decide to stay in the Middle East, or more likely, not catch my connecting flight out of Amsterdam on the way home. ;)

With much love for all of you,
Tiger

"Always do what you are afraid to do." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Itinerary:

8/27 Thurs Arrive Cairo 3:25pm
Overnight bus to Taba leaves at 10:15pm
8/28 Fri Arrive Taba in early AM, cross to Eilat, cross to Aqaba
Stay in Moon Beach Hotel
Diving or Snorkeling if time permits
8/29 Sat Dive or snorkel in Aqaba
Stay at Moon Beach Hotel
8/30 Sun Bus to Wadi Rum at 6:30am
4x4 or camel trip, overnight?
8/31 Mon Bus to Wadi Musa 8:30am
Explore Petra
9/1 Tues Petra in morning
Bus to Amman
9/2 Wed Explore Amman
9/3 Thurs Day trip to Jerash and Ajloun
Bus to Madaba
Stay at Mariam Hotel
9/4 Fri Day trip to Dead Sea - hike at Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve
9/5 Sat Madaba to King Hussein Bridge
Bus to Jerusalem
9/6 Sun Day trip to Ein Gedi/Dead Sea
9/7 Mon Explore Jerusalem
9/8 Tues Bus 405 to Tel Aviv
Explore Tel Aviv
9/9 Wed Bus to Be'er Sheva
Visit Museum of Bedouin Culture
Stay with Hadas
9/10 Thurs Bus 60 to Mitzpe Ramon
Hike around Mitzpe Ramon
Return to Be'erSheva
Stay with Hadas
9/11 Fri Bus 397 to Eilat
Dolphin Reef if time permits
9/12 Sat Hiking in Eilat Mountains
9/13 Sun Cross border to Taba and catch 10:30 am bus to Cairo (9hr trip)

Egypt tour - Day 1 is 9/13 The last day is 9/27.
Day 1 Arrive Cairo
Arrive in Cairo at any time.

Day 2 Cairo (B,D)
Cairo is full of life and movement. Visit the pyramids in Giza, the Sphynx, or get lost in the famous Khan el-Khalili bazaar, a shopper's paradise.

Day 3-4 Aswan (2B,D)
Walk around Egypt's southernmost city, set along the Nile. Stroll the broad Corniche, get lost in the lively market, venture out by camel to St Simeon's Monastery or cross the river to old Elephantine Island.

Day 5 Felucca Trip (B,L,D)
Enjoy the scenery on a traditional felucca as it glides the Nile en route to Luxor, the ancient capital of Egypt. Take an excursion to Kom Ombo, the temple dedicated to the crocodile god and the falcon gods.

Day 6-8 Luxor (3B)
Ride a donkey to the west bank and Valley of Kings. Stroll along the Nile Corniche, or unlock the secrets of the Pharaonic mummies in the world's first mummification museum.

Day 9 Hurghada (B)
Explore clear water, pristine reefs and shipwrecks. Relax in the sun and enjoy watersports, such as swimming, scuba diving, wind surfing or snorkelling.

Day 10-11 Dahab (2B)
Named after the Arabic word for gold, Dahab has great snorkelling and diving, with sand and sun - perfect to relax.

Day 12 Mt Sinai (B)
Climb to the summit of Mt Sinai for spectacular desert views and a visit to St Katherines monastery - an unforgettable day.

Day 13-14 Cairo (2B)
Enjoy a guided walk through Islamic Cairo before the Khan el-Khalili markets to test your bargaining skills. Savour a dinner and show on one of Cairo’s famous floating restaurants to cap off your visit.

9/28-10/3 is unplanned as of right now. I'm going to try to arrange a separate tour to the Bahariya Desert and Siwa Oasis unpon arrival.

Return to SB on 10/3.