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[AquaDame]

The picture of the donkey with the heavy chain wrapped around the muzzle made me extremely sad. I can't imagine what the flesh looked like underneath.

I won't lie, it was a little bloody. I felt so badly for them as well, they did not spare the whip getting the donkeys up and down. The horses seemed better taken care of, but they were only used down below, there was no way they could traverse this trail. Its donkeys or walking... we walked.

We made our way down the rest of the trail earlier than I would have thought, but I was thankful as it was getting quite hot. There were more tourists heading our way, and most of the groups would ask us how much further to go. I am not sure the ones towards the bottom that were already incredulous made it, but I hope they did. I can imagine what I'd think of this trail if I dealt with only the bother and none of the payoff at the top! It never did get crowded on the trail, but maybe it does in the afternoon.





It was before 11am when we made it back to the Basin restaurant which we had intended to have lunch at, but they did not open until later. We didn't much feel like sitting around hot and sweaty amongst people who may keep trying to sell us things so we carried on, to the Nabatean Tent restaurant which is far more basic. It is just a counter with outdoor grill but had plenty of shaded tables. Folk online knock it for having high prices but... look where you are. 6 Jordanian dinar for a chicken shawarma IS high compared to other places in Jordan, but it's in the middle of Petra! And it was tasty, AND enough for us to split. No complaints from us!



As we ate we discussed whether we wanted to hike more or not, and decided we were good. I was still a long walk back to our hotel, and was only going to get hotter. I know, seems crazy, but we had already been hiking around for six hours at this point and had seen our must dos already. We just killed it and made it through both much faster than the internet had us believe.





We passed of course by the Treasury again and finally found a significant number of people. They were still mostly stuffed into the entrance from A-Siq, but plenty were running around in the plaza area. The cafe was by now stuffed full of folk too.



That's me for scale in the below picture!





They also had the golf carts running now, carrying tourists to and fro as an alternative to riding the horses. FWIW I only saw horses from the entry to Al-Siq; I'm not sure they are allowed to go any further.



On this part of the trail you can see they keep them VERY separate... horses to one side, carts on the other. I'm sure the tires appreciated it as much as my shoes did.



As we walked riders were going up and down calling out to us to rent horses. They really were beautiful!

 

[AquaDame]

While we were in Al-Siq I entertained the thought we could come back after a rest, but by the end of the long walk between that and the entrance..? Nah. It was SO hot! Folk streamed towards us though, undaunted and hardier than us in the strong sun. No shade on this part..!



View from the entrance to our room:


We made it back before one, and rested for awhile. Kyle would have been quite content to stay, but I was getting restless and convinced him we should head over to the Petra museum and then over to the Movenpick for afternoon tea. Yep I snuck another one in there..!

Turns out the museum is free! It IS small, but it's still surprising they did not ask for anything at all. On entry there are signs explaining that it was designed by a Japanese firm on a Japanese grant. Thank you, Japan! Inside are ancient artifacts from the city and explanations on plumbing and other aspects of life. It was definitely worth stopping in, though it only took about 45 minutes to see the whole thing.





I was then blown away by how extremely ornate the Movenpick hotel here is...! The entire tearoom seemed gilded and the main entry opens up impressively as well. If we make our way back I think I'd stay here instead, after all. I'm a sucker for interesting places. The tea menu is expansive though there is no true "afternoon tea" just drinks and plates of sweets. Kyle opted again for a coffee instead.







We talked about whether or not we wanted to buy any souvenirs and decided we didn't really want anything in particular other than some coffee and snacks for our family and coworkers. We went to a couple of different little markets - including one in this hotel which was quite expensive as the owner does special blends and such - and made our purchases. On the way back we popped our heads into the Cave Bar, expecting it to once again be packed and smoked out, but it was empty! SCORE! We snuggled into one of the caves and enjoyed some drinks. The orange kitty from the night before joined us for awhile on my lap.





When the bar began to fill up we gave our spot to a family that wandered in and went on another long walk down the main drag looking for dinner. We purposely waited until much later, thinking surely the restaurants would have guests by 8pm but... no. No they didn't. We knew there were a lot of people around.... we had SEEN them streaming into Petra! We also walked through some kind of large gathering in the plaza by the I <3 Petra sign. They had music and lots of people dancing. I'm not sure where they all eat though... there were no food booths or anything like that. The only places packed that had food were the hotel restaurants it seemed. We decided to take the hint and ended up going back to the same lounge in the Movenpick and split a large platter for dinner. I am so glad we did not order two meals...!

 

[AquaDame]

At home my breakfast beverage of choice is a matcha latte, and I hadn't had one since that morning oh so long ago when we left home, making do with steeped tea. So I was a little... enthusiastic... when I saw a coffee shop called Qahwa BLK right there with a big ol' matcha sign. I was able to hold out until we were ready to leave (I was still concerned about caffeine what with my insomnia), but did get one to go as we were leaving and it was delicious. No regrets. I got a cookie for the road too. They had a few types I'd never had before, Lotus lattes and Rose lattes... really I should have just accepted my American-ness and gone sooner to try them all. I fight with trying only local things sometimes, but honestly? This isn't an American chain and even if it was the local bent on a McDonald's hamburger in Japan or squid and corn on pizza hut and stuff like that IS a window as well. We should all be less hard on ourselves... life is short. Get the latte. Don't worry about what folk think.



Our route took us through some very steep roads on the way out of Peta and we finally hit a highway with a nice overlook (and another I <3 Petra sign). I filmed the route we'd wandered through the day prior from above but only took a picture of our hotel and the entrance.



We didn't have too far to go today - our goal was our camp in Wadi Rum. It was an easy couple hours to get there.







On our way in we talked about lunch but weren't yet hungry, so we decided to head straight in to the JHRC Railway (Jordanian Heritage Revival Company). Kyle had really wanted to do this https://jhrc.jo/BookingInfo2.aspx?TripId=11 but it was not running on the days we were in Wadi Rum. Basically they drive the train out into the dessert and robbers attack you. Fun? Sure is, because of course its all fake. They do park the train and leave it there as a photo op, so we were able to walk around and take pics of the train and cars.







We decided to go ahead and head to camp and check in, THEN figure out lunch. There was not much around (of course) so we'd need to backtrack anyway.



Definitely could not read the signs which are mostly in Arabic.



Thankfully Google Maps did not steer us wrong! When researching camps some had made it seem like you have to leave your car at some sort of visitor center and have them take you the rest of the way, but that was not at all the case. We drove right up to our camp at Sun City and checked in.

 

[Minnie1222]

Sorry for interrupting your lovely journal. May I ask where you stayed in downtown Cairo? How long were your drive to the Giza Necropolis? How long to Cairo Airport? Despite my grievances, I still want to go back this Fall for another quick visit. Maybe only 1.5 days this time.
Thanks

 

[AquaDame]

Sorry for interrupting your lovely journal. May I ask where you stayed in downtown Cairo? How long were your drive to the Giza Necropolis? How long to Cairo Airport? Despite my grievances, I still want to go back this Fall for another quick visit. Maybe only 1.5 days this time.
Thanks

We stayed in two places - the first at the start of the trip was Mena House and the second was the Four Seasons Cairo. From Mena you can walk to the Giza Necropolis entrance and ticket booth in under 10 minutes. From there they have hop on/hop off buses or you can pay for a VIP golf cart. Our ride from the airport was over an hour though - this can vary wildly based on traffic. We passed an accident which backed it up somewhat.

From the Four Seasons it was more like 30 minutes to the airport (we left very early in the morning) but took about an hour to and over an hour from the pyramids.

 

[Minnie1222]

We stayed in two places - the first at the start of the trip was Mena House and the second was the Four Seasons Cairo. From Mena you can walk to the Giza Necropolis entrance and ticket booth in under 10 minutes. From there they have hop on/hop off buses or you can pay for a VIP golf cart. Our ride from the airport was over an hour though - this can vary wildly based on traffic. We passed an accident which backed it up somewhat.

From the Four Seasons it was more like 30 minutes to the airport (we left very early in the morning) but took about an hour to and over an hour from the pyramids.

Thank you! We also stayed at the Mena House and it took 1.5 hours to travel the 22 miles to & fro the airport. I'm currently in contact with the Four Seasons Nile Plaza for transportation and they said 40 minutes to the airport and 45 min to the pyramids. But it sounds like it could take over an hour from your experience.
Did you stay at the Four Seasons First Residence or the FS Nile Plaza? Was there a lot of cigarettes smell like the Mena House? Fewer birds and cats?

 

[AquaDame]

A few camels were tethered up outside the car park (without water but.. camels so it's OK? maybe? Come to speak of it, I never did see a camel anywhere getting watered tbh, here or in Egypt). There were also only a couple cars and no one else around really... they were clearly in the middle of switchover from the previous night to the next and we were in the donut hole. As we started unloading the trunk a gentleman ran over and showed us where to set our luggage while we checked in.

Reception/firepit & outdoor seating



Dining tent and more outdoor seating



Reception



Indoor seating... maybe this is a staging area for excursions during busier times, or for when a whole tour bus of guests come?



We were brought a welcome beverage and discussed which excursions if any we wanted to book. We had found the hot air balloon company we had been looking at went out of business and settled on a sunrise jeep tour. The host made a phone call and returned letting us know it was set and to be ready at We overheard another couple come in and inquire about lunch... turned out they could accommodate basics so we ordered a sandwich also and saved ourselves the trouble of going back out. Since we weren't though... what should we do all afternoon but go on another jeep tour! Sure, why not. Back to the host who looked at us incredulously that we REALLY wanted to do this, and we confirmed we did as long as we wouldn't be repeating anything so he made the call and yes, the same driver would be available. As we left the tent to go to our room another couple of folk wandered in and Kyle correctly guessed they may end up on the tour with us in a couple hours.

A staff member put our luggage on a cart and brought our bags down to our Martian Dome. Many of them were still being turned over from the previous night. It was a long trek past the standard tents to the domes!











I went with the dome for two reasons... first... the view, shown here from the bed:



Second was that unlike the other non-dome rooms there is marginally less fabric for dessert crawlies to hide in. I was particularly worried about scorpions since some reviews mentioned them... and if you got stung it meant a jeep ride to the closest hospital which isn't very close at all. I was intent on not letting that happen...!

 

[AquaDame]

Thank you! We also stayed at the Mena House and it took 1.5 hours to travel the 22 miles to & fro the airport. I'm currently in contact with the Four Seasons Nile Plaza for transportation and they said 40 minutes to the airport and 45 min to the pyramids. But it sounds like it could take over an hour from your experience.
Did you stay at the Four Seasons First Residence or the FS Nile Plaza? Was there a lot of cigarettes smell like the Mena House? Fewer birds and cats?

It was the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at the First Residence - I did not catch a single whiff of cigarette smoke there unlike at the Mena House! We also saw zero cats, we had not seen any at Mena House either, but plenty of birds at the mostly abandoned zoo across the way. We were so high up we could not see the smaller birds though, only flocks of white ones in the pics I shared earlier, and a few birds of prey circling way off in the distance. There was no garden to wander through, so not surprising there were far fewer birds....only a concrete pool deck.

 

[AquaDame]

We really enjoyed the jeep tour we took this afternoon! Pickup was at 3pm and we stayed out to watch the sunset before heading back, which gave us about three hours. The two women who had checked in behind us did indeed end up joining us. I'm not sure if the camp host suggested it, or they heard us talking and asked or what, but it was nice to have them along as it was great fun! They had hired a taxi to drive them all the way down from Amman, and asked us how we were planning to get back. They seemed amazed we had rented a car, and we were similarly amazed they just booked a taxi, and even more amazed they had no definite way to get back! We considered offering them a ride but decided that would be weird, and might make our stops along the way difficult.

Our stops for the afternoon were:
Mushroom Rock
Lawrence's Cave
Filming site for 'The Martian' (neither of us have seen it...)
Small Arch
Giant Rock Bridge
Ancient writings (and rock mosque)
Sunset View



There were many Bedouins about riding camels, and lots of camels just chilling in the dunes as well. They all had halters or saddles, so I highly doubt any were wild.





At the top of one particularly high dune they had ziplines and snowboards/sleds if anyone wanted to ride down (for a fee - we were not interested so I am not sure how much).



Once again, me for scale:



At a few points we would ride up tall dunes and the driver would slam on the gas heading down for quite a wild ride..! I missed the best one, unfortunately, which was at the zipline/sandboarding site as I hadn't expected how thrilling it would feel, but filmed our next zooms a couple times. Kyle snapped one of me filming a fast flat runway takeoff. He mostly takes the good still shots and I just take whatever pictures suits my fancy and lots of short videos from my phone.



There are no mosques in the dessert of course, but they mark out sites for prayer here and there pointing towards Mecca.





There are many camps like ours - it seems the ones who can are all switching to the domes from the older style Bedouin versions. We saw a few older sites completely abandoned.



Here is our Jeep at the sunset spot - you have to be able to climb in and out for this journey.



At some point during the journey, Kyle asked about animals in the dessert and our guide said it was very unlikely we'd see anything other than camels and birds, though he sees foxes pretty often. On my behalf he asked about scorpions and he said no way, they don't come out this time of year as it doesn't get hot enough during the day. They're asleep now... all that worrying of mine, for nothing. Thank goodness!

 

[AquaDame]

Once the sun was fully down and the colors started muting we made our way back to camp, arriving just before 6pm. Unfortunately there was a full moon, so we weren't able to get amazing star pics, but we managed well enough later on in the evening.



For now there was still some twilight.



They asked us to come to dinner around 6:30 or so, where we were offered tea and shown our seats. After that they encouraged us to take any pics of the food we wished ahead of time. Smart.







I didn't open all the trays but there were some influencer style filmers going down the line opening and talking about each dish... I guess I'm falling short here!





I'm certain it is impossible to go hungry here. It's always wild to me that you can have this huge mountain of food included in the cost of your night but then... still have to pay for drinks. Even water, $2 for small, $3 for large. We'd brought a bottle from the room, so didn't purchase anything here.

 

[AquaDame]

During our time in the dessert the camp had filled up quite a bit - we had a large group in the camp at this point, but I think during busy times there would be even more. We had a large six person table just for our party of two after all. We all sat around by the fires sipping tea and chatting away until it was time.



In addition to the huge buffet already present they do a little show somewhat similar to luaus if you've been to Hawaii where they dig up your Zarb dinner from an underground oven. They use a metal tiered tray loaded up with meats and vegetables to roast. They called us to the pit for the unveiling and after we were all invited into the tent to dinner.



When I visited the restroom I found there were indeed quite a lot of cats around here too... all waiting for the leftovers. And there were a LOT of leftovers... bags and bags would be filled of food we did not eat.



Following dinner there was the requisite dancing show back outside, but we headed back to the room instead as we had another very early predawn wake up on the horizon. The music filled the dessert and we could hear music drifting in from the camp across the way into the night as Kyle attempted more star pics.

 

[AquaDame]

Truth be told, I did not sleep well at all this night. I was too cold, then too hot. My fears of scorpions had been laid to rest, but there was a mosquito or two buzzing around me as I tried to read on my kobo to wile away the hours. I burrowed under the sheets and comforter even though I was hot and eventually was able to nod off. Before I knew it off went our alarms and we hurried to put on as many layers as we could as we knew it would be chilly. Driving in the back of the jeep with the wind blowing was at my limit tbh! I was very glad it was not one degree colder and I had skipped my shower for now! Kyle thought the view was well worth the hassle. The man loves a good sunrise!





It was well attended by others, both by jeep and camel.



We even saw one lone hot air balloon - our guide said there would be more, but we never saw any.



Then it was off to see some more sites! This morning we would visit:
Lawrence Canyon
A viewpoint
Face rock
More ancient inscriptions
Sand dune viewpoint
Star Wars filming spot
The Martian filming spot (a different one)





We saw a few signs but it seems they just do not survive in the dessert.





Even now as we were getting to the end of this tour it was STILL quite cold! I had thought it would warm up quickly as the day before was quite hot, but it was not to be. There were a lot more folk out and about this morning! We had to move quickly in some spots as we'd get there without a soul in sight just to see a line of them coming at us..! This was at the Star Wars location.



This was a particularly large group from China, we assume they were on a group tour but their tourbus of course would never make it.

 

[AquaDame]

Another filming location for The Martian... I STILL need to go back and watch this!





Since we were out and about this morning I'm not sure what breakfast would have been like... we had breakfast boxes once again and nibbled a bit on those as we went. When we got back there was once again hardly anyone left at the camp... it seems most folk arrive late and leave very early after just the one night. It was time to shower quickly and checkout to make the trip back up towards Amman. We said goodbye to the Sun City camels chilling by the carpark and were on our way!



Soon we were back to civilization.



I'm not sure what they're trying to say here... there isn't a city? Perhaps to let you know there is not a mosque?



Iraq and Saudi on the signs!



On the way I once again turned to Google Maps to find a place for lunch, and found a well reviewed spot called 'SAHARY'. https://www.google.com/maps/place/SAHARY+Restaurant/@30.5909192,35.8032023,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x1503f11503ef156d:0x70b42c0856d2432d!8m2!3d30.5909192!4d35.8032023!16s/g/11tmn3q7vw?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw== Like the previous place there were zero women inside, but unlike that one this was bustling! Lots of folk were coming and going here, with some cars even blocking others in the parking lot. There were tables upstairs but we once again took it to go. We ordered just one dish, having learned time and again not to order more, and while we waited I was gifted a pipping hot fresh falafel ball. <3 Like a subway they ask what sorts of things you would like to add or leave out, though we spoke no Arabic we had to just point - the cashier spoke English but not the gentlemen working the line. Even had there not been an English speaker we'd have been fine, the menu had English lettering in addition to Arabic. Our food was quickly ready and... they basically gave as a shwarma and a half. I am not joking. We had a full portion AND THEN SOME in a second box. I am not sure if this was random kindess, due to them charging us a bit more as we were not local (if they did this we didn't notice mind you, though some reviews claim they do), but was totally unnecessary with the included fries. Why must we always waste food, friends, whyyy. Even though we'd been eating a lot of schwarma this trip, we were not sick of it, in fact I think this was my favorite of all the ones we had. I'd still pick the turkish chicken again if it came down to the two meals, but this was soooo good.

Back on the dessert highway we went through a few bursts of dust clouds - at one point it was very hard to see for a minute or two before it blew past.



In may places we'd see irrigation just tossed above ground like this. Some sprang leaks and were dumping lots of water, but this must be the best way to do it or they'd surely bury them... right?





Our next stop was Mount Nebo!

 

[jimmymc]

Another filming location for The Martian... I STILL need to go back and watch this!

View attachment 1048714

View attachment 1048715

Since we were out and about this morning I'm not sure what breakfast would have been like... we had breakfast boxes once again and nibbled a bit on those as we went. When we got back there was once again hardly anyone left at the camp... it seems most folk arrive late and leave very early after just the one night. It was time to shower quickly and checkout to make the trip back up towards Amman. We said goodbye to the Sun City camels chilling by the carpark and were on our way!

View attachment 1048716

Soon we were back to civilization.

View attachment 1048717

I'm not sure what they're trying to say here... there isn't a city? Perhaps to let you know there is not a mosque?

View attachment 1048718

Iraq and Saudi on the signs!

View attachment 1048719

On the way I once again turned to Google Maps to find a place for lunch, and found a well reviewed spot called 'SAHARY'. https://www.google.com/maps/place/SAHARY+Restaurant/@30.5909192,35.8032023,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x1503f11503ef156d:0x70b42c0856d2432d!8m2!3d30.5909192!4d35.8032023!16s/g/11tmn3q7vw?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw== Like the previous place there were zero women inside, but unlike that one this was bustling! Lots of folk were coming and going here, with some cars even blocking others in the parking lot. There were tables upstairs but we once again took it to go. We ordered just one dish, having learned time and again not to order more, and while we waited I was gifted a pipping hot fresh falafel ball. <3 Like a subway they ask what sorts of things you would like to add or leave out, though we spoke no Arabic we had to just point - the cashier spoke English but not the gentlemen working the line. Even had there not been an English speaker we'd have been fine, the menu had English lettering in addition to Arabic. Our food was quickly ready and... they basically gave as a shwarma and a half. I am not joking. We had a full portion AND THEN SOME in a second box. I am not sure if this was random kindess, due to them charging us a bit more as we were not local (if they did this we didn't notice mind you, though some reviews claim they do), but was totally unnecessary with the included fries. Why must we always waste food, friends, whyyy. Even though we'd been eating a lot of schwarma this trip, we were not sick of it, in fact I think this was my favorite of all the ones we had. I'd still pick the turkish chicken again if it came down to the two meals, but this was soooo good.

Back on the dessert highway we went through a few bursts of dust clouds - at one point it was very hard to see for a minute or two before it blew past.

View attachment 1048720

In may places we'd see irrigation just tossed above ground like this. Some sprang leaks and were dumping lots of water, but this must be the best way to do it or they'd surely bury them... right?

View attachment 1048721

View attachment 1048722

Our next stop was Mount Nebo!

View attachment 1048723

The Martian is pretty good, the filming location looks amazing.

 

[AquaDame]

They had a small museum attached which we wandered through first, then wandered towards the church as well.

Sadly for us, there would be no view of the 'holy land' today.





They had some mosaics on the walls and others on the floor, but had built raised walkways to protect them.









After we'd taken it all in, we continued on our way to our last hotel of the trip, Mt Nebo Hotel. I had originally booked the Fairmont in Amman proper, but then discovered I had booked it so long ago, it was on the wrong day! When we got our flights later on we added a day, and I had never gone back and switched it. Whoops! It was now barely in time to cancel without penalty 24 hours in advance and the day we actually needed was now more expensive. We also didn't really feel like dealing with the traffic and early morning drive to the airport so we switched to this much closer hotel that had good reviews. Having arrived at the end of our trip I now knew I didn't need the 'sanctuary' of a known smoke free hotel, it hadn't been quite the big deal I thought it would be, aside from the two nights at the Petra Guest House. It was also far more affordable, so all was well that ended well.

On arrival we had to go around the block to the back to get to the car park, and we could see a door and assumed that was how you entered the hotel, but it was locked tight! There was a stairway up to the second floor, so begrudingly we hauled our luggage up there just in time to have a woman greet us and ask us what on earth we were doing! Turns out you have to leave the carpark the way you came and go down the street back to the front of the hotel. There are no signs saying this, and she grumbled that folks today were making the mistake and she hadn't a clue why. I declined to tell her she may want to put a sign or note up...

We had exchanged texts earlier this morning as well, where she asked if we'd be eating in the restaurant that night as they would need to buy groceries if so. We weren't sure, but as the day unfolded we knew before lunch that we would, and let her know, only to find out this meant we had actually ordered the big feast dinner! Oh man we did NOT need that much food... but she said that was all they had, there was no choice for ala carte or anything smaller. We felt a bit suckered into it truth be told.... she also asked then what time we would like dinner and we said 7pm. She quickly said no, 8pm. Ooookay.... why ask then? Kyle said it was like an awkward British comedy... it took a very long time to check in. They requested cash, but we were a little short and were able to put the rest on our CC, no problem.

After we were paid up she led us to our lovely room. Each one is themed to a differnet place in Jordan; we ended up with Petra.





We were on the second floor next to the street and it was a bit boistrous with city noises which worried me initially, especially as they provided ear plugs, but it quiets down at night a lot. I can't remember if I used them or not. I was a bit more tired from a bad night in the dessert so I fell right to sleep later on.

The sign at checkin does a much better job of telling you what you are saying yes to:

 

[AquaDame]

I really am getting to the end of this... I promise! ^^;

Since we now had plenty of time before dinner (ahem), we decided to go for a walk a few blocks away to a local bookstore - Kawon Once Upon a Time - and coffee shop. They had plenty of books in English as well as Arabic, with several rooms chocked full of old and new.



After browsing all the rooms I ended up buying a children's book telling of Sinbad's Voyages in both English and Arabic for my goddaughter.



We went around the back and down some steps to the coffee shop next and I enjoyed a hot chocolate and Kyle yet another turkish coffee as we read it together. Folk were smoking inside and out on the patio here, but since we were only here a short while I risked it as I really was enjoying the ambiance.



On the way out I made friends with a small kitten wrapped up in a coat. The owner of the shop was walking around and came over to tell me if I wanted it I could have it. If only man... if only.



We had passed by a grocery shop on the walk where I had FINALLY seen some women going in and out. For whatever reason Kyle was a bit more on edge still than I was as we headed back... we had both walked at a good clip to the bookstore as we didn't know the area, saw no other tourists, and it was after dark, but I had seen women walking around and had relaxed and was able to get him to stop so we could buy snacks for home and to give to coworkers.



Happily loaded up we made our way back to the hotel, relaxed until dinner, and then arrived at 8. They had a few beers in stock, so Kyle took advantage of a new one to him.



Then it came... plate after plate after plate after plate of food. Roast meats, two kinds of breads, more bread with minced meat, multiple salads and dips, on and on. The hosts were friendly, and there were two other couples with eyes popping out at the food that kept coming as well. We did our best - it was truly excellent - but had to throw in the towel when there was still so much left. Our hosts asked us about breakfast and we told them we would need to leave too early to make it, so they promptly made us some breakfast boxes for the next day. Defeated by the impossible amount of food we drug ourselves back to the room, began repacking our luggage for the final leg home, and promptly went to sleep.

 

[AquaDame]

Just to wake up one last time well before the sun, and start on our way. It joined our party as we went towards the airport.



We went to the rental drop off and then to the departure terminal which was a bit of a walk. We were flying home via Chicago on Royal Jordanian in business class and got in what we thought was the right line.... it DID say expedited! On entry though we were scolded as we should have known to keep going further around the corner to a different business class check in. Mind you, there are no signs, and you can't even see it from the checkin counter so I am not sure how we should have known? He went ahead and checked us in, then we went over there just to wait in a small line again and... be scolded again for having already checked in elsewhere and not come straight there. WE'RE SORRY OK?!



This was a rather fancy check in area! You sat down at individual tables during and are given bottles of water, then walk down special hallways to a private security area. Ours had a long holdup with some elderly women in wheelchairs going through the scanners... I'm still unclear why. Everyone was just standing around, workers and passengers alike. When it began moving again Kyle ended up being pulled aside for them to check his camera equipment but he waved me on, so I wandered through some duty free shops until he joined me. The lounge is upstairs on the second floor, and has a huge buffet of food... of course. Both western and Arabic foods greeted us and we had a relaxing pleasant time until it was time to board.



The expedited boarding was blocked off when we got in the long line to board, and we couldn't tell if we should have gone that way or not, so we just waited in the regular line. Thankfully no one scolded us this time! We spent the time chatting with a gentleman who had been delayed due to the storm system around Chicago, which we were also keeping an eye on. Thankfully there was no delay at all, and we were on our way!

After take off we noticed we'd be flying through Israel airspace this time unlike when we came from Cairo.



As we went our route went a different way so we ended up going basically over Tel Aviv. I admit I was a little nervous.





As we approached the ocean there was a huge THUMP of turbulence that scared the dickens out of me! It was just the one big shudder and then things were calm again... not funny nature.

During the flight Kyle found that his chair was broken and could not recline. Stewards came by several times trying to fix it but ultimately weren't able to, so he did not enjoy the flight as much as he'd hoped. I offered to switch but he declined.

Dinner was pleasant, it turned out you didn't necessarily have to choose as they came by with carts for the courses so if you wanted to go all out and try more you could.



They did not advertise so I didn't know until Kyle stumbled on it, but they also had snacks out for folk at other times. It just kind of sat in the open air, so I don't think I'd have taken any even if I'd have seen it aside from the packaged stuff.



At no point were we offered blankets or help settling in, but I did notice an elderly woman have her seat made up into a bed by the stewards as well, including a little plush topper. That would have been nice... and would have helped Kyle's mood. The stewards ended up having to manually put his seat flat and bringing it back up again later on, but even then no offer.

It felt like this airline has a lot of things you need to just not only already know about, but then actively ask for in order to get it. After we got home he immediately sent a letter to them expressing his issues again, hoping for some kind of consolation as he had a rough flight considering the cost. Shockingly they said they had no record of their being any kind of problem. We had at least four different stewards working on his seat including the head of the flight crew! The seat surely had to be fixed so there would be record of that...? But no, sorry, as if he were lying about it.

We landed into Chicago amidst the wintery storm that was in a bit of a lull with more on the way. Our friends and family were worried we'd get stuck again as we have in the past due to storms in Chicago, but thankfully we came and went with nary a delay, arriving back home in Portland ready to head back to work. Boo...

 

[AquaDame]

The Martian is pretty good, the filming location looks amazing.

I'm going to be so much more impressed when I see it and look back, I'm sure! He insisted I sit and I don't know why... maybe he did in the movie?

They also had a section of the desert blocked off with sticks and flags so folk would not enter there. Something else is being filmed, though our guide couldn't (or wouldn't) say what.