Greetings from Petra, Jordan.
So, scuba diving the Red Sea was sweet but the 12 hour ferry across the Gulf of Aqaba was not so much fun (the guide book said it was 3 hours) I got into Petra at 2 am last night (this morning-whatever). found a hotel and spent the day today trekking around the ruins at Petra. It is out of this world!! I bought a two day ticket and will see more of it tomorrow, the place is huge! You all have seen the 'treasury' structure in the Indiana Jones movie. That is just the tip of the iceberg. I took over 100 photos today, you will all be very bored looking at them. I suggest you come and see it for yourself!
As I was leaving the gates of the ruins and heading into town for a cold beer, I was stopped in my tracks when I heard a bomb blast no more than a hundred meters away. This was followed by much crackling of gunfire. Police ran past me and storeowners emerged from their business'. I did not know what to do so I just stood there (nice reaction!) Within moments things seemed to calm, which I thought was strange. I asked what was going on (you know, besides the obvious) but none of the men answered, most people here do not speak much english, if any. So I changed my direction and went the other way to get my beer.
I went back to the area about 45 minutes later, as that is where I had to meet my driver to get back up to the hotel. There was a police station in the area and I waited with a few of Jordans finest, all sporting automatic weapons and flak jackets. I asked what the blast was earlier. They told me it was for training purposes. Apparently they run 'mock' bomb attacks so they are ready for when it really does happen. So you know you are in the Middle East when it is hotter than the sun outside and bombs are set off by the police at happy hour!
It sounds scary but cities here are actually safer than most in America. (outside of Bagdad of course). What you see on TV is a very small group of crazies, most muslims are very peaceful and have been very welcoming to me as an American. So don't worry Mom, I will stay away from the real bombs and bullets and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in a few weeks.
On the lighter side, the food is great! salaam, jeff.
So, scuba diving the Red Sea was sweet but the 12 hour ferry across the Gulf of Aqaba was not so much fun (the guide book said it was 3 hours) I got into Petra at 2 am last night (this morning-whatever). found a hotel and spent the day today trekking around the ruins at Petra. It is out of this world!! I bought a two day ticket and will see more of it tomorrow, the place is huge! You all have seen the 'treasury' structure in the Indiana Jones movie. That is just the tip of the iceberg. I took over 100 photos today, you will all be very bored looking at them. I suggest you come and see it for yourself!
As I was leaving the gates of the ruins and heading into town for a cold beer, I was stopped in my tracks when I heard a bomb blast no more than a hundred meters away. This was followed by much crackling of gunfire. Police ran past me and storeowners emerged from their business'. I did not know what to do so I just stood there (nice reaction!) Within moments things seemed to calm, which I thought was strange. I asked what was going on (you know, besides the obvious) but none of the men answered, most people here do not speak much english, if any. So I changed my direction and went the other way to get my beer.
I went back to the area about 45 minutes later, as that is where I had to meet my driver to get back up to the hotel. There was a police station in the area and I waited with a few of Jordans finest, all sporting automatic weapons and flak jackets. I asked what the blast was earlier. They told me it was for training purposes. Apparently they run 'mock' bomb attacks so they are ready for when it really does happen. So you know you are in the Middle East when it is hotter than the sun outside and bombs are set off by the police at happy hour!
It sounds scary but cities here are actually safer than most in America. (outside of Bagdad of course). What you see on TV is a very small group of crazies, most muslims are very peaceful and have been very welcoming to me as an American. So don't worry Mom, I will stay away from the real bombs and bullets and I'm looking forward to seeing all of you in a few weeks.
On the lighter side, the food is great! salaam, jeff.
posted by Phlip | 3:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home