The Cairainian Zoo

This is unlike any zoo I've ever been to for a number of reasons, first I was never sure what the show was ourselves or the animals, and second I know of no other place where you can bribe the zoo keepers to take you into the back to pet and take pictures holding the animals (I have a picture with a 7 month old Lion to prove it). There was a group of 8 of us who all went to the zoo. It was fascinating watching how certain girls in our group attracted attention from the Arab patrons there, mostly it was little kids and a few adults, but it was such a great 'people watching' experience. Some of the Arab women would take their youngest children and stick them in the girls arms, for some type of approval or something, and they would all smile and laugh and talk in mixed Arabic and English. Meanwhile, all the other children are crowding around, laughing, running around each other and asking that we take their picture, at which point they demand to see it and then shout for joy and run off happily, that is they finally ran off after we told them no more pictures, which was usually and the 5th or 6th one. It was a lot of fun for me, but mostly because I got to watch these interactions between our group and those we met.

There is another aspect of the zoo which isn't so positive. Because the zoo “allows” you to get very close to the animals, to feed them, to touch them, to take pictures with them (discreetly), it is actually not a very good place for the animals. I don't think they are treated very well at all. One elephant I saw was standing next to the keeper and all of the people were feeding him lettuce leaves. Initially I thought nothing of it until I realized that he was chained there in such a way that even if he wanted to back away he was unable to do so. I'm sure the lion that we got to pet and take pictures with was either abused into submission so that it was use to that type of treatment or it was drugged. All I know is it was a mixed experience for me as far as the animals go because of my new experiences, but these were at the expense of many of the animals.

Umm Qais & Border Guards

Umm Qais is located in the far north of Jordan near the city Irbid and right near the border between Israel, Jordan, and Syria; specifically, next to the Golan Heights. It is an ancient Roman city and contains the remains of Roman Theaters and the old Road to Tiberias, an ancient stone road that ran for thousands of kilometers. The ruins also contained an old Ottoman village that aren't as old but still have some fascinating aspects to them. What I liked about Umm Qais the most was many parts of it are don't attract a lot of visitors, only the main sites, so we were able to walk among the old Ottoman village amidst dozens of weeds and growth which made it seem more ancient and more obscure. Plus there is always the added factor that there weren't many people around, tourists or workers so we were able to go all over the place, climbing things when we wanted to, walking through houses, standing and overlooking the Golan and climbing through the old Roman Theaters.
At one point we walked over to the edge of Umm Qais to get a better look at the valley and we saw a couple of Jordanian soldiers camped out near the edge of the hill with their weapons, binoculars, and a military field phone. We walked up and started talking to them and they were really friendly, mostly I think they were surprised by how much Arabic we knew and how much we could talk and understand. Unfortunately it wasn't as much as I would have liked. We talked about a number of different subjects but when one of the soldiers just went off about relationships and marriage I got lost despite the fact that we have spent almost all of the last two weeks in my Jordanian Amiya Culture class talking about marriage. I managed to keep abreast of the conversation enough to grasp the general ideas, or at least what I thought they were but my ability to really understand is severely limited. I know that it is better now than where it was a month ago, and certainly better than where it was a year ago, but some days it doesn't feel like I am really picking up the language even though I know it is just slow process that takes time and consistency. I asked the soldiers a couple of questions about what they were doing there and what they were looking for but if they answered the question I didn't understand it so I might as well not have asked, but then again at least I tried and was able to hear more Arabic.

Wadi Mukheiris

Today we spent about 7 hours under the sun hiking Wadi Mukheiris. From the information I had from a guidebook I thought it was suppose to be like Wadi Mujib with wide streams and a number of waterfalls but it looks like they have been pumping a lot of water out for use by the hotels down near the Dead Sea. There was only a small stream for most of the way up but after about 2 hours we did manage to climb far enough up the river to find a large 20 meter waterfall streaming down. The valley we were hiking through was gorgeous in its own way. It isn't beautiful like you think of a Caribbean beach or the Swiss Alps but it has its own amazing beauty that I love. After spending 30 minutes at the waterfall we were able to backtrack and find a goat path that led up the mountain and around the falls. After another hour of hiking we found some stalactites and another small falls that were simply picturesque. By the end I was exhausted from the hike but also from the 7 hours spent under the sun. It was a lot of fun but tiring. Half of our adventures each week are getting to and from our destination. The ride there was pretty simple we all showed up at the bus stop and I was able to talk a driver into taking us directly there for 3 JD each, which was a little more expensive than if we had just done the various buses but it got us there quickly so we could start hiking. For the ride back we stood on the side of the road waiting for someone to stop, which didn't take long, about 10 minutes, and we were off toward a city with buses that run back to Amman. The total trip back to the Amman bus station was only 1.75 per person, so all in all it was a great day and another great adventure in Jordan.

Wadi Mujib

Wadi Mujib is a wildlife preservation that consists of canyon lands and rivers. Yesterday I hiked one trail within the Wadi that was incredible. The entire trail consists of hiking up a slot canyon with a river running out of it. Where the trail starts the river is wide and shallow with canyons rising on both sides. As you proceed upriver the canyon narrows into a slot canyon that tower above. Most of the trail is in the shade with the sun breaking through in narrow moments piercing small portions of the river. At various points the water increases in depth up to 4-5 feet and you have to climb over a series of waterfalls until you reach the end of the trail where a 50 foot waterfall is cascading in a sunlit pool. I was able to climb behind the waterfall and dive through it being pushed along with the current. It was incredible to feel the power of the water coming down. The central point where the fall hits is powerful enough that you can't stand directly under it. Those who attempted to walk through were knocked off their feet and pushed out by the rushing water. I enjoyed diving through and letting all of the water continue to push me along the canyon wall downstream a dozen feet. On the way down the group lined up to jump off the falls and slide down the natural rock slides into various pools. We discovered that we could jump in certain areas where the water was deep enough. The deepest we found was only 6 feet deep, but sufficient for the heights from which we were jumping.
At the biggest of the small falls there are two natural slides and a place where you can jump into the pool below the fall. I started a trend I probably shouldn't have by jumping over the rushing water taking a step or two on the opposing wall and pushing off again landing right in the middle of the pool. After that there were others who did it as well. The problem with how we did it is there were some people who weren't as confident in the jump or in their abilities, also there were those who didn't have good shoes and when they tried it they slipped on the wet rock and came off wrong. Luckily they all made it to the pool below, but there were some close calls where people almost hit there heads on rocks as they slipped on the rock when they jumped and almost miss the landing all together. In the end, Mujib was a paradise in the desert which left me feeling tired, but refreshed after our adventure.

Taxi Drivers and Undercover Cops

Taxi drivers in Jordan are suppose to abide by the law, most of the time they, do but there are other times they try to take advantage of foreigners. All regular taxis are suppose to have a working meter to be legal. At night you sometimes get drivers who want to charge you ridiculous amounts of money to take you places and they claim their meter isn't working or that it is broken. Both of those things are illegal but most of the time you can't do much or they don't think you can. Last night Joey, Brieanne, and I were coming back from Umm Qais and tried to catch a cab from the bus station to Shmeisani, which is an area close by and should have coast about a dinar. As I got in I asked him to reset the meter and he promptly told me no that it would cost us 4 JD if we wanted to go. I looked at him and told him that he was crazy, got out, and started walking away. At that moment I wished my Arabic was good enough that I could let into the driver about how he was trying to rip me off because I am American and how I know that what he was trying to do was illegal. Unfortunately, I'm not quite at that point so I just walked off to find another taxi. I made it about 20 feet from the taxi when someone shouted at me and I turned around to see a guy walking directly towards us. I stopped to see what he had to say, because Arabs have an amazing ability to observe interactions and then step in to help, or at least to offer their services at a reduced price. The guy that came up to me was dressed like any other Jordanian youth and looked about 20 but as he asked me what happened he pulled out a police badge to show me. I was quite excited since I was just hoping for some justice and couldn't get it from yelling at him in Arabic. I told the cop what happened, how the driver wanted 4 JD for Shmeisani and claimed his meter didn't work. The cop made him get out of the car and then proceeded to write up the ticket on the spot. It was a little tense because the driver started to argue it, but the cop again turned to us and asked us what happened and I told him again and Joey and Brieanne backed me up and that was it, our word was final and the driver got a ticket. Another cop then flagged a taxi down for us and we were on our way. Sometimes justice does occur, even if only for a moment. About 30 minutes later I was taking another cap and the driver tried to rip me off again....if only there was always an observant undercover cop around to fight the flagrant violations of late night taxi drivers.

Citizens Lives – Everyday Interactions

My favorite part of being in Cairo has been interacting with the locals and watching them interact with each other. It is so fascinating to see how people live, how they talk to each other, their verbal and non-verbal languages, the social and cultural courtesies and everything else the results from human interaction. Some of my favorite experiences are the ones that are least desirable, but they are part of life and I liked see each in its environment.
Orphan Boy: The first I saw while in the Khan al-Khalili the other night around 9 o'clock. I was walking up the stairs of an overpass that crossed a very busy 4 lane road where traffic actually sped by. Along the overpass were a number of street vendors selling their various scarves, clothing, and tourist trinkets. As I walked by I noticed a young boy probably only 8 or 9 scamper by as he looked back. About that same time one of the vendors reached out and grabbed him by the shirt and started yelling at him. The boy looked at him and in a very defiant voice, that comes from having to experience more of life's realities and cruelties than one should at that age, told the man off. The man continued shouting at him and then backhanded the boy. I was surprised by it all because I had yet to see anybody get physically violent. I know it happens but most of the arguments I have seen were restricted to a lot of yelling and cursing but very little physical interaction. It must have hurt bad, I thought so based on the boys age, the mans age, the sound it made when he was hit, and the immediate change in the boys tone. It went from the overly confident, adamantly defiant tone of a teenager to that of a helpless child. He whimpered and spoke some more and by this time I was out of earshot and had started down the other side. It had barely reached the bottom of the other side of the overpass when I noticed the boy run past in a hurry to get far away from the situation. I don't know exactly what happened but from what I observed and the little I understood I think the boy attempted to steal from the vendor but was caught. Because he hadn't actually stolen anything the boy didn't think there was a problem, so he responded defiantly and the vendor decided to punish him for his attempt both physically and verbally. Imagining the things I went through as a kid when I got into trouble I can't really image how that boy must have felt except scared and wanting to get as far away from that place as possible and hopefully to a place much safer. Sadly enough I don't know if the boy even has a safe place to go. Perhaps he might have a physical place where he can be safe, perhaps not, but either way if he doesn't have the ability to secure the necessities of life then no place is secure for long, and no physical shelter is enough when there isn't food or water available. It is amazing how the importance to which you place on something drastically changes when your circumstances change, or when your perspective changes.

A new beginning....

I've decided to graduate my thoughts and adventure writings from the world of Facebook notes and photo albums to a personal blog. I don't know if this will mean more or fewer people read what I have to say, but it seems like a more appropriate outlet. So this is my new beginning.