2014.3.30. Wind Mountain + Spirit Falls

Sunday. 2 great short (but steep) hikes close to each other. Native American site filled with vision pits on the Wind mountaintop made for a terrific morning, and the wildly dramatic waterfall in the afternoon. Lucked out with the weather: was pouring yesterday, but mostly cloudy today, a bit of rain drops and sunshine (sometimes together).

Wind Mountain is a cone-shaped sentinel a couple miles west of Dog Mountain on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. The river narrows dramatically at this point and the prevailing westerlies are squeezed and accelerated as they blow upriver, resulting in the near constant wind that gives the mountain its name. (Not today, unless you are on the west side of the slope). At the summit, numerous Indian pits are preserved as well as several terraces made by Salish youth to achieve vision (after fasting). It's said that the animal spirit you see here will stay with your life. There is a sign near the top of the trail with information about this. The views of Dog Mountain to the east are as good as it gets and the summit offers unparalleled views downstream. Looking across the river, great views of Shellrock Mountain, Mt. Defiance (still snowy)... On the way down, we took a minor spur for a vertical rock for the view. Here is a good topo map. ~2.5 miles RT, 1500' gain.

Direction:
From Hwy 14, about MP 51, turn north on Wind Mt. Rd. turning right after 1.4 miles on Girl Scout Rd. Another Quarter mile brings you to a small parking area on the right side of the now gravel road. The unmarked trailhead is about 200 yards down this road.

Spirit Falls on the Little White Salmon River is hidden gem. With all the rain last week, it's now a thundering spectacle. About 7 miles to the east on Hwy 14. (Park next to the 2 mile mark on Cook Underwood Rd.) No sign or indication for a trailhead. Look for orange ribbons on the trees down the steep slope. We were told hardcore kayakers would walk down these loose rocks in sandals carrying their kayaks, and finally jump off into the water water.

This is a women only group. One lady is turning 62 today. Today's hike lead: Julie, is excellent. Knowledgable, easygoing and caring. She bought a 5-litre water bottle to distribute for those who need it, she gave one of her poles to another participant. Map and detailed description beforehand, and warn us about steep or slippery parts along the way. I'll watch out for her future hikes.

2014.3.19-24 Nebraska and South Dakota

My impetus is the Sandhill Crane festival, or rather just the crane migration. The best time is end of March, when half a million cranes stop around the shallow Pratt River and feed in the neighboring fields. March is not the best time. I decided to swing to the Black Hills after birdwatching. March is not a good time: too cold with a high likelihood of snow storm, some roads are still closed (all winter). A month later would be ideal: warmer weather and green grass.

3/18 Tuesday after work, my parents and I flew to Denver, checked into a hotel in Sterling at 2:00 (1 hour ahead of Oregon). Denver Airport is rather large. All rental cars require shuttle bus. Big lots full of cars. So it takes time. There's a toll peripheral Hwy 470 next to the airport. The toll isn't much, maybe $6, but Hertz charges you ~$25 to use the payment pass (for rentals under a month). No other payment method available. The Hertz clerk showed me a detour, which is fairly easy: north on Tower Rd, west on E 120 ave, which has an ramp to I-76.

3/19, Wednesday. Late start, arrived at Fort Kearny" ~3pm (lost another hour to Central timezone). Saw some wild turkey right by I-80, and some cranes. More cranes after getting off the highway and onto 50A. The old gentleman in the information center of state park showed me a printed map, places to be for crane watch and the best time to be there (7:30pm and 7am, because sun sets at 7:40pm and sun rises at 7:40am). He also told me that the blinds were already full. We paid $5 parking fee, dad bought a crane book, we ate lunch in its picnic shelter. Quite windy and chilly. Not much to see here, so we went to scout out the bridge we'd be tonight in Fort Kearney's camping area 2 miles east. Once we found the trailhead, we left for Rowe Sanctuary ~7.5 miles further east. On the way, we saw big flocks of bird to the left and right of Elm Island Rd. So many that we stopped for photos. Rowe Sanctuary is on a gravel road, built on corn stalks. Big windows facing north (to the Pratt River) with binoculars on window sills, full of light. Bird-feeds outside. There was a talk when we arrived. Lots of posters and books. Toilet. Busy. It organizes guided watch at 6am and 6pm. I noted this place for tomorrow's morning watch because it's indoors (less cold).

Checked into the hotel in Kearney, ate dinner, and then drove to Fort Kearny's camping area. Walked the bike/hike trail to the bridge, bundled up with windstopper hat, gloves and scarves. There were already quite a few people when we arrived, some carrying big telephoto lenses. We waited. Cranes flying overhead, lots of noise. Finally some decided to rest on a piece of land in the river. More and more followed the suit, until there's no more room on that piece of earth. Those at the edges moved into the water. More and more landed. Some departed. This all happened right at sunset. No need to come earlier. However, when we left, the parking lot was completely full. We are lucky: not too much windy.

3/20 Early rise. We arrived at Rowe ~6:50 in pitch darkness. It was closed. We were directed to the bridge from Gibbons. 2 cars were already there. We waited. More and more people came, more and more cranes flew away, but in small groups. The big flock in front of us was not bothered. Only after the sunrise, all of a sudden, for no reason, they decided to rise in unison. It was quite a sight. We went back to the hotel for breakfast and packing. Overall, there're less birds than I thought, because they are scattered, so not an impressive spectacle that led me here.

2nd stop: Willa Cather's Red Cloud. I read two books by Cather, neither was her more celebrated works. I don't like either, actually. Her prose is good, images live, but plots and characters are sentimental, even cheesy, very 2-dimensional. Cather is more famous on writing the early settlers' lives on the prairie. She modeled many of her characters on her neighbors in Red Cloud, even though she only spent her childhood here (age 9-17). We went to Willa Cather Foundation, housed in the old opera house (now still hosts events). We were the only visitors, watched a video, and signed up for a tour. The lady showed us 3 buildings (my choices): The Farmers' and Merchant's Bank Building (built in 1889, owned by Silas Garber, former Union Army Officer, the founder of Red Cloud - 1871, and the fourth governor of Nebraska 1875-1879. Governor Garber and his wife were Cather's prototypes for Captain Forrester and his wife in A Lost Lady. Impressive brick building, nice woodwork, terribly steep stairs), Cather's childhood home (nice looking front where childrens are not allowed, but poor or no decor in the back and attic where the children slept. 10+ people shared this little house), Grace Episcopal Church (lovely stained glass windows imported from Germany, paid by Cather. She also paid for daily expense like utilities, and donations helped the poor members of the congregation). All three are now locked. I drove out of this sleepy town around noon, thinking maybe I will try one more book by her.

Long drive from here to Wall, North Dakota. We stopped once for gas and once at Valentine Wildlife Refuge area to break the monotone of the long drive, and shed some clothes (20°C). The communities around the state border (Todd County, part of Rosebud Indian Reservation) are visibly poor: garbage, rickety houses.

We arrived at Badlands National Park at sunset. The color is amazing. The 23 mile Badlands Loop Road (hwy-240, I-90 exit 131) among the pinnacles is surreal: a paved ribbon in the moonscape. My favorite drive of this entire trip. Being this late, we only saw ~5 cars while we were there. Hwy-240 loops back to I-90 at exit 110, where Wall is. We checked into hotel at almost 8pm (Mountain timezone, gained one hour).

3/21 Friday. Light snow. Windy. Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The National Park Service has its visitor center off I-90 exit 131, south, next to the Conoco gas station. In winter, it only opens on weekdays, and tour of the control facility at 10am and 2pm. I called to check if the tour would be canceled due to bad weather. No. So we showed up at 10:00. We were shown a short video about Minuteman in this "trailer", and then both rangers (in their SUV) led us (in our car) to I-90 west for 1 exit for Delta-01. A one story innocuous looking ramble with high fence and radar. The daily (boring) life of the personnels (20+ beds, but only about 6 people + 1 cook) was described. Then we descend ~10m in an elevator. The cabin sits on pillars that minimize shakes in case of bombing. The door is pretty impressive, ~1m thick. We were told the procedure of actually trigger a launch: multiple security check whenever anyone enters, multiple keys (metal and daily changed decryption codes) and always with both officers acting together. On top of this, only if 2 sites both decide to trigger, then a missile will be launched. Delta-09 Missile Silo is located off I-90 Exit 116. You can peek the underground missile through a glass window.

Back to Wall and visit the huge Wall Drug Store, whose billboard ads show up 50+ miles away. It took almost an entire city block, with multiple rooms, covered alleys, yard, even a church. Many stuffed animals on the walls. Yes, there's a map for the store! We had lunch in their cafeteria, in one of the many connecting rooms. Not particularly good, but not bad either. Yes, coffee is 5c in a small mug.

I wanted to drive Badlands Loop Road again. But Dad is not impressed with Badlands, claiming that China's 魔鬼城 in Uyghur territory is better with more colors. Since it's really very windy and cold, we only checked out the Sage Creek road, west of Walls. Saw many buffalos, white tailed deer, and prairie dogs, a family of goats. Quite nice indeed.

Black Hills was now black and bleak. Snow started in earnest when we approached Rapid City. We pushed on to Wyoming, and 4 hours after lunch, we came out of the snow, and reached Devils Towel. It is quite impressive. Long strands of igneous rock columns, almost man made with hexagon-like cross-section. Plenty theories as how it's formed. The rocks at the base is reddish in color, totally different from the black tower. We are thankful that the bathrooms were available, even though the visitor center was closed (after 4pm).

Headed back into the snow, to stay at Spearfish. The town is big enough to have a Safeway. Everything was blanketed with thick fluffy white snow. Streets were not plowed yet after the new snow.

3/22 Saturday. I was hoping to drive the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway (14A) down to Keystone, in the mountains, but was talked out of it by the lady at the front desk. So retrace our step on I-90 and turned south to 16 after Rapid City. Keystone is a cute mountain village, with a western frontier flare. Mt. Rushmore national park is only 2 miles west. Light snow. Not much to do. The trail is closed due to snow. Even if it were open, it doesn't go much closer to the four big statues. So we were content to stay in doors. This park doesn't charge an entrance fee (even though I have a national park pass), but it hires a concession company to build giant multilevel parking lot, and charge you $11 to park (keep the receipt if you come here again in a year with the same rental car :). At this time of the year, it's possible to park just on the road side and walk up (maybe only adds 5 minutes). I paid unhappily. I don't want my money to go to the construction company.

Next, to Crazy Horse, 16 miles south, in light snow. Turned around at the gate, as we were informed that we wouldn't see anything. So we continued to Wind Cave (Jewel Cave, which supposed to be pretty, is closed on weekends). Arrived too early for their 3pm tour ($7). Winter time, there's only one tour available, offered at 10am, 1pm, and 3pm daily, not affected by the weather. The notable feature here is the boxworks - thin blades of calcite that project from cave walls and ceilings, forming a honeycomb pattern. The surface ground of Wind Cave national monument is the edge of prairie. From the video we saw, in spring time, it's lush and beautiful, full of life. We only saw prairie dogs and a herd of bison, right by the road. Drove back north to Keystone for the night.

3/23. Sunday. Blue sky today. Once again, we went to visit (road not plowed) Crazy Horse. $28 per car. Sculpter Korczak Ziolkowski was asked by Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to produce a monument honoring native American heros, soon after Rushmore was "finished". He, alone, starting in 1948, worked with old machines, in the mountain for 7 months. Now his widow, 10 children and others slowly continue his design. A family business, collecting donations, admission tickets, selling souvenirs. Twice each year, (early June and late September), during Volksmarch, people can walk up 3 miles to Crazy Horse with a donation of 3 canned food, and pay $3 access fee. Otherwise, you are not allowed on the trail. We paid $4 each to get on a narrated bus tour which drives ~1Km to the base of the statue where the trail starts. Otherwise, the furthest you can get is the visitor center you are in. However, the wooden buildings that house the visitor center, museum and shops are very nicely done. Airy and full of light (big window).

Before we head out of the Black Hills, we checked out Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, where the road blockade. The prettiest drive - Needles Highway - is closed for the season. The lake is entirely frozen, peaceful. Note, end Sept, there's the annual buffalo round up, to examine their number and health. Would be a spectacle with ~1300 bisons.

We drove past Wind Cave again, and met the same group of bisons. This time, I stopped to allow them approach. Quickly, 5 started licking the dirt off my car!

At the south of Hot Springs, we visited the Mammoth Site $9. Very impressive. ~60 mammoths were found, most Columbian mammoth (most common in North America), only 3 Woolly mammoths (smaller, furry, and supposed to hang out in the arctic). Almost all are young males. I guess boys are more adventurous, easily get themselves into bad situations. There're bones of other smaller animals, as well as tools, labels used to clean up or dig the site. Today, no one was working here.

We crossed into Nebraska again. I was hoping to find where Crazy Horse was fatally injured on 1877.9.5 at Fort Robinson State Park. Went around a couple of military houses reading the plaques outside, couldn't find any clue. Nothing was open on this Sunday. Crazy Horse surrendered here with his band on May 6, 1877. At that time, some 13000 Lakotas were rounded up here. It played a major role in Sioux War of 1876. The expansive grassy land with bluff in the background is quite lovely though.

We drove by Agate Fossil Bed national monument on the way to our hotel. Too windy and late to walk far. May come back here in spring sometimes.

3/23 Monday. Visited Scotts Bluff national monument before heading to the airport. Rising 800+' above the otherwise flat plain, these bluffs offer important landmarks on the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail. We were the only visitor this morning. The ranger was enthusiastic of showing us where to do, telling me stories of Crazy Horse. There's a small paved road right by the visitor center up to the bluff, passing 3 tunnels. Nice view of the farmland down below. Can see Chimney Rock from here. We made a 23 mile (one-way) detour to Chimney Rock before heading to the airport, 3.5 hours away. This concludes the 5.5 day road trip of over 2000 miles!

2014.3.9-11. Jerusalem and Dead Sea

Do NOT fly domestic to TLV - Ben Gurion airport. It's at a completely different location. There is, of course, a free shuttle bus that would take you to the international terminal, but it doesn't come often. We waited for 25 minutes, and it is a 10 minute ride. There're buses, but I don't know where they go. The train is only at the international terminal, and guess what, it wouldn't come until an hour later!

3/9 Sunday. The bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is frequent and cheap: NIS 19. I saw one packed full and left, mine left ~15 minutes later, packed full too. I dozed off. The journey is ~1 hour. Seva, a friend's friend, came fetch me at the bus station. Thanks to Skype, the only common messaging app we both use, not my preferred one, neither his. Seva is an American, now living in Israel, with an Israeli wife and a 3 year old daughter. We dropped my suitcase at his parents' apartment (they are here for 2 months escaping some of the winter in US), and headed into the old city. It started raining and didn't stop that day. The problem of having a local guide is that I don't remember well, because I didn't do any research.


My tour started from a tram ride to just outside of Jaffa Gate. There was Mamilla cemetery, a historic Muslim cemetary, where you can find soldiers of Saladin! At its center, a fenced-in big empty rectangular hole is the Mamilla Pool, a cistern older than Jesus. Now it looks like an abandoned construction site with some empty bottles and candy wraps. Once you entered the imposing Jaffa Gate, it's the prosperous and clean Mamilla shopping street, exuding elegance and wealth. We passed many crowded (souvenir shops) and empty alleyways, all narrow, and pedlars for umbrellas.

Western Wall, the remains of the retaining wall of Temple Mount. Part of it is hidden under housing. The exposed part is the holiest for Jews: the wailing wall. Behind it the Muslim controlled Temple Mount with its magnificently shining Dome of the Rock (AD 688-91). Men pray to the left, I went to the right half. Further right is the Archaeological Park. I passed few ladies sitting on plastic chairs reading scripture under an umbrella quite a few meters away from the wall. Most (not too many today) are praying with their body leaning on the wall, some stick papers in the cracks. Since the Western Wall is the closest among Temple's four walls, one prayer here is worth hundreds of prayers elsewhere. The large open square in front of it was once the Moroccan quarter (which stood 4m from the Wall) before it was entirely bulldozed in 1967 by the Israeli military without government order, over bodies of some unwilling Arab residents. There's a walkway, at the moment closed for non-Muslim, to the Temple Mount. Opening hours vary and can change without notice. Summer Sundays – Thursdays: 8:30 am – 11:30 am , 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm. Winter Sundays – Thursdays: 7:30 am – 10:30 am , 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm or 1pm. Expect long lines, which I didn't attempt during my short visit. Something to do next time.

Church of Holy Sepulchre , or rather churches, is mind boggling. Not only it's the holiest of the holy: Christ is believed crucified here, his tomb. Pilgrims line up to touch the marble slab (or Stone of Unction, installed in 1810) which covers the place where Christ's body was supposed to be anointed and wrapped. I touched it too with 2 pebbles I picked outside the city wall. So much to see. You will find rows of supporting pillars, big marble columns which need to be imported from some far away land, one right by the other, maybe 10cm apart. Why? There are additions upon additions. Each of the 6 denominations (Armenian, Copt, Ethiopian, Greek, Roman Catholic, Syrian) has its own dimly lit space. Multiple stairs (it's on a rocky outcrop: Golgotha). Down somewhere in St Helena's chapel (NIS 10), is a cistern, in which St Helena is said to have found the True Cross. I was quite disoriented.

Austrian Hospice is a hotel with a small cafe in front. Ring the bell, and you can walk in the un-decorated hallways to its roof. Excellent view of the city. Lots of domes!

3/10 Monday. Seva took me, his mother and cousin to Dead Sea. The most ugly and obvious thing on the drive out of Jerusalem is the Palestinian Wall. Drove by some towns full of garbage (I was told since that these citizens don't pay property tax, so the city doesn't providing garbage collection services). Then desert. Once a while, we passed small Bedouin settlements, equally dirty.

Our first stop is some Sheik's tomb near Nabi Mosa. Open on all sides, under a double dome, a big sarcophagus big enough to fit a camel, nothing else, except graffitis on the wall. Don't know its significance. Seva wants to show us the Judean desert. But here, it's desert everywhere. We then went into the caravan serai called Nabi Musa (Prophet Moses). Two stories. Thick walls provide welcoming shade. Upper rooms often have windows. Lower floor might be for your camels. The shrine, believed by Palestinians to be where tomb of Moses is, is in the middle. There're some trees, a rare find here. Outside, there's a cemetery with crumbling tombs.

2nd stop is a view point of the 5th century St George Monastery in Wadi Qelt. Incredible setting. Down on the cliff of a narrow gorge of a little stream in the otherwise barren desert. A Bedouin guy tried to sell me necklace made of camel bones. Eventually he went to the bus-load of Korean tourists. From here, you can see the town of Jericho to the north, one of the oldest human settlement in the world.

We turned south along Dead Sea. To our right (west of the lake) is reddish sandy hills called Qumran, where Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We went straight to Mineral Beach. NIS 60. Seva got some 50% coupon. It's a great deal. You can sit here until it closes. No one is pestering you to buy anything or hurrying you out. There's of course a cafe. I brought my book. Seva brought food. Very relaxing, even with many tourists. A hot mineral pool under straw ceiling, next to a cold pool and one shower rinse (more shower stalls up near the gate). An Ohio lady in the tub told us that she came on a bus! Her husband just waited by the pool, never once went in the water. 39° is very warm, feels hot to me. There are 1cm-sized flakes floating in the water, and lots of them. After lunch, the mother and I walk to the ever receding sea. ~10 minutes, over stony path. Make sure to bring some water shoes, and walk carefully not to twist your ankles. Dead Sea has been shrinking for some years, leaving several bar huts estranged high and dry. There is no longer any mud bath. They bring buckets of mud dug from somewhere else. I put the black mud all over and took a photo. No one can tell that's me. Dead Sea is true to its reputation. Yes, you float. The "beach" is very rocky. I got some scratches, and picked some rock and salt. I got some sea water in the eye, and boy, it's VERY painful. There're 4 cold shower rinse to get rid of the mud and pain in the eyes. A bit chilly, I went back to the hot pool. By then, most people are gone to the Sea or wherever, and I fell asleep lying on the warm water.

3/11 my last day. After dropping Maya at her kindergarten, and a croissant stop (Maya loves pain au chocolat), we went for some short hikes in the Judean Mountains. First is Tsuba, also my favorite, at the western suburb of Jerusalem. The 12th century ruin Belmont, a Crusader fortress, is up on the hill, overlooking the road to Jerusalem. Actually good 360° view. Now overgrown with vegetation (in spring at least). I tasted a kind of Irid, the flower. Quite good. I was told its root is poisonous. Tsuba seems to be a quite prosperous community. I saw young people (volunteers? tourists) living in the houses. Vineyards, lots of almond trees, apple trees, ... There is spring water. If you come here a couple of weeks earlier, you'd be greeted by white blossoms of almond everywhere.

Next we went to a site where, legend has it, St John the Baptist baptized believers. Next to it is a trail in a gorge (or rather a small valley) by Nahal Sorek (the Comb Creek). Part of the Israeli National Trail. Very green now. It's between Sattaf and Tsuba.

Last we stopped at Sattaf, a bit parking lot on a hill with old terraces and big boards showing ancient agriculture in Hebrew.

On our way back, picked up the wife from her work. I asked Seva to drop me off at a grocery store so I can buy some halva for my coworkers back in Oregon. The airport van Seva reserved in the morning came to pick me up. It's NIS 64 to TLV. He picked up 2 religious students, one guy who's traveling for 7 months in Israel, and an old couple. All from US. Took about an hour, even though I was the first one to be picked up. We arrived 4 hours ahead of my flight. 3 is enough. During the lengthy security check (they go through EVERYTHING), I saw they confisticated someone's sea salt in a nicely packaged gift bag from stores (power not allowed). My salt, a lump of mud, and a pine cone are in my checked-in bag. You can buy them in duty-free stores once you past security. There, everything is marked in US$. I bought more halva with my leftover Shekels. 11-12 hours later, when I picked up my checked-in luggage at JFK for customs, I saw a note in Hebrew / English: the content of my bag was completely rearranged. My questionable items all survived though. The only trouble is that I felt quite sick, and I had another 2 legs to fly. When I arrived home 27 hours after I left Seva's home, I checked my temperature: 38°s2. It was an exhausting trip.

Summery: Israel is not friendly to people who don't speak Hebrew, including Jewish immigrants and Arab residents, let alone tourists. The locals are, in general, unfriendly, if not a bit hostile. Even in the tourist industry, the hotel clerks or restaurant servers are not welcoming. Maybe it has something to do with how kids are brought up: defensiveness is engraved in their brains. Those who are nicer are immigrants themselves. There're trash on streets, even in the ruins, like in NYC or other poor US towns, as dirty as in China, better than, say Bolivia. People cut in lines, don't give up their seats for elderly on trains.

2014.3.7-8. Petra and Wadi Rum, Jordan

You have to plan around Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, when public transportation doesn't run, most places closed, restaurants serving pre-prepared food if open. Sabbath: no work for the Jews. My solution: leave the country. However, without advance planning, this side trip became quite expensive.

3/7 Friday. I arrived at Eilat airport around 3pm, most business was already closed. Wasn't able to get cash (ATMs don't work for my card, no bank was open). Took a taxi to the Jordanian border crossing (NIS 35 - metered). It was hot. Exit fee is NIS 102 + 5 fee. (Good that they take credit card, as I was running out of cash). Jordanian visa is free. But exit is 10 Dinar (~$14). If you drive, it would be JD 25. To enter Jordan with a car, it's NIS 16 translation fee + JD 50-66 temporary license fee + JD 37-90 3rd party insurance in Jordan. In my experience, the poorer the country, the more expensive it is to visit. The process took awhile due to # of people: there's me, a few Jordanians, and two tour groups, one German one Korean both going to Aqaba for the night. No one else is traveling independently. Since it's now too late to catch a bus from Aqaba to Petra, I paid JD 55 (~$77) for the 1.5 hour taxi ride to Petra. The prices are inflated, but all listed on the big blue board, so no other options. The guy in charge told me which taxi to get on, and I did. He took JD 5 from my driver, and we were off. Gasoline price is JD 0.835 per litre. The rode was somewhat boring. Desert and low mountains, bleak. My driver tried to talk to me, but his English is not very good, so he asked me to talk to "his brother" on the phone twice. He stopped to get some water and snack and offered some to me. He also stopped at a souvenir shop hoping that I would buy something. But I was anxious to get to my unfamiliar destination before it gets too dark. He took me to a nice hotel up on the hill, even though I asked to be dropped off close to the gate. Finally he did, before hooking me up with another driver to take me back to Aqaba.

The town of Wadi Musa where Petra is, sits on a slope. Quite busy. The locals are more up on the hill, and the tourists are mostly down closer to the gate. The bus terminal is on the hill, about 2km, or JD 1 taxi ride. While I was eating supper, Hamed, a tour guide, tried to get me on his tour tomorrow to Wadi Rum. In a neighborhood bakery I found this machine dropping hot pita bread down from above. They are ~1 foot in diameter. 10 for 1 Dinar. Bought 2 to try. Tastes very good. Went back to buy more for tomorrow.

3/8 Petra is truely remarkable. JD 50 (if you spend a night in Jordan, otherwise 90!) for one day, or 55 for 2 days. (1 Dinar for Jordanians who don't live in the area.) Palatial buildings or tombs are carved into beautiful reddish rocks. Capital of Nabataeans, a Semitic tribe speaking Aramaic, from the 3rd century BC until Roman's conquest in AD 106. Although Nabataeans cease to be an identifiable group, Petra continued to thrive. Christians arrived in the 4th century, Muslims in the 7th and the Crusaders briefly in the 12th. It was a metropolis capable to support 20-30k people, on a spice trading route between Mediterranean and Arabia/Asia. After sea trade took over, two devastating earthquakes in 4th and 8th centuries AD brought the city to its demise. In 1812, J. L. Burckhardt rediscovered Petra, after its oblivian of over 500 years.

To get to the main site, you walk the narrow gorge of ~900m. It's called Siq, quite beautiful. A water channel on each side, once a while a small opening with a shrine, or a tree, or a tomb. At 7am (the door opens at 6:30), it is quiet, dim, and lovely. Just ignore the little boys who try to sell you postcards. At the end, Treasury stands in a big opening in its glory. Sit and admire.

Now turn slight right, and continue to the "city", more palatial buildings, a Roman amphitheatre, lots of tombs. You can walk up to them. Walk around the plateau, now with vegetation. It rained! I hid in a tomb. Now turn left, passing the colonnades, big buildings in ruin to your left, some local dressed like crusaders for tourists to take photos, shops and restaurants. Continue all the way up, about 40 minutes up the trail sometimes outfit with steps, and you would reach the Monestery from its back. Another grand building (not allowed to enter) with a big flat space in front. Sit and admire. Not a bad view here down to the valley. As I retraced my track to the entrance, more and more tourists arrived, so are camels outfitted with riding gear and colorful decoration, horse carriages, lines in front of toilets. I exited the gate at 11am. It's probably good to come back when they all leave.

I was late to meet Hamed for ~15 minutes. He and his 2 Japanese clients were sipping tea in the restaurant we met last night. We got on his jeep and off to Wadi Rum, ~30 minutes south. First stop is road side so we can have a birds eye view of Petra. 2nd stop is a fancy souvenir shop next to one of King's residence (the shop clerks immediately started wrapping headscarf on our head), big window for a view of the Wadi Arabi desert - now too foggy to see anything. Hamed released some air of his tires before we dove onto the sand. Wadi Rum is a large area of desert of gravel with sand on it. Right now, with the rain this morning (and maybe previous days), there are patches of tiny purple and white flowers. Some nice rock formations (three bridges, pillars, a nice mushroom), but not as dramatic as say Death Valley in California. Some sand has a different hue (pink vs beige). At the base of the "mushroom", the rocks are reddish purple. You can use it to write. And yes, there're petroglyphs on the rocks not too far away. We drove by small Benouin camps (for one family at each place) with garbage, tent, cloth hanger, and big jugs for water. At almost 2pm, we headed to a big rock which provides enough shade for a basketball game. There were two jeeps there already. A group of Israeli tourists. Their two guides were cooking. Hamed joined them. We all ate together. I avoided salad, because I saw that the knife cutting the salad is the same that cut the chickens, after one rinse of water. Good hummus, roasted onion and tomato, chicken cooked in different sauces. Quite a feast. After lunch, we visited one sand dune. Two other jeeps went down on the dune after letting all the passengers out. We sat on a side outcrop and watch the "show". Last is Lawrence of Arabia's camp. Rocks piled on the side, open top, only big enough for one person. I dropped my phone out of the passenger window at one point. The car stopped immediately, but the phone was no where to be seen. Four of us kicked the sand along our track. I was terribly worried before Hamed located it. At ~4:20, we reached a big camping establishment, all in black (why?). Had to call to get the worker, just one boy, out. He said he was tired, because there were 400 guests last night. The two Japanese picked their tents, and we rested in the big social tent (open on one side) with divans that can sit ~50 people, sipping (very) sweet tea. They went wash up a bit.

Hamed drove me to Aqaba, on the way telling me stories how he helped other tourists. Since it was still early, 6pm now, the border closes at 8pm, we stopped briefly at its waterfront, where the flag of Arab Revolt (against Ottoman) in 1916 is flying on a 165m pole. Right next door is Aqaba Fort, now closed, and most in ruin. We reached the border ~6:30. I gave Hamed JD 50 (higher than what we agreed upon @35, since he found my phone and was being courteous all the way). I didn't have enough left for the exit fee, so had to go to the exchange to buy some JD. Border crossing was slow at the Israeli side, because of a big group of different nationalities. Jordanian water and food were not allowed. Once past the border, there were only a tourist bus and prearranged taxis. I had to ask a few, and one driver agreed to take me after asking someone to let him go. He asked for 45 Shekels, and I had no choice but to pay. I stayed at the Red Sea hotel right next to the airport (since my flight tomorrow is at 7:10am). Walked 10 minutes to the Red Sea. Bustling here. Aqaba is busy, but didn't have as much light and color as the more opulent Eilat. I sat quietly on the beach (not much sand), reflecting my hectic day in glistening reflection. Warm and pleasant. Finally I could relax, ... until tomorrow at least.

Total cost of my 1-day in Jordan: ~$540 + 2 days = airfare $150 (price vary a lot) + taxi ~$175 + admission ~$70 + border fees ~$45 + hotel ~$100.

2014.3.3-7. Tel Aviv and the west coast, Israel

3/3, Monday. I landed at Ben Gurion airport at 4:45 am, sleepy. Custom and passport control was easier than I feared. I was given 3 months. Took some cash from an ATM at the airport. Around 6am, caught a train to Tel Aviv - HaShalom station. Didn't wait long, and it was direct and almost empty. I bought the ticket, NIS16, from a vending machine, with English option. The ticket itself, however, is printed in Hebrew only. I checked into Crown Plaza by Azrieli Center. Wasn't given a room yet, but was allowed to use the gym. I took a shower, and napped by the pool. Then, I left my luggage at the concierge, grabbed some bourekas (puffy savory pastry), and went to work, on train again. 3 short stops to Herzeliya. NIS10. Had to walk over 2 highways. On the way back, I took a ubiquitous Sherut, a yellow/white minibus, served as shared taxi. NIS9. More convenient and frequent, but you need to know where you want to get off. It was a long day.

3/4, Tuesday. Herut, during lunch, kindly offered to take me out after work, which I declined. There're only 2 concerts this week, both happened to be this evening. I picked the one at the Opera House, because it is only a 10-15 minutes walk from my hotel. Titled Comeback.

Ruben Gazarian, conductor (Armenia)
Guy Pelc,     baritone
Elisha Abas,  piano
 
Haim Permont  "Nabucco Blues", words by Roni Somek, première
Beethoven     Piano Concerto no. 3
Khachaturian  Gayane and Spartacus suites
The Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion

The concert itself was quite nice. The poet Somek (informed by my neighbor) went up to the stage after the first work: it was his poem. The pianist is very expressive. He did one encore after ~4 rounds of applause. Getting the ticket is a bit weird. First, there's no way of purchasing a ticket online, nor is there a price list. You can call them. I double checked with my Israeli colleague: not possible on Hebrew website either. The Opera House has no English sign on nor inside the building (I had to ask where the toilets are). I used Google Maps for the location. There are two other buildings in the complex: the library (has an English sign) was closed for the evening, people were leaving the art museum (has an English sign). I walked into the one with the most people and light. Once I was in the lobby, I inquired at what looks like a ticket window, because there was a seating chart. He told me to to buy at the ticket pickup tables. So, at my turn, the will-call lady turned me to the comp ticket lady. She told me 100 Shekels. I asked her if there're other price levels. Answer was again 100 Shekels. So I gave her money, and she fished out a ticket and handed to me. It's a comp ticket of course, no where there is 100 printed on. She probably pocketed the money. Since I couldn't read what's on the ticket, I asked her where I was supposed to sit, and she dismissed me with a wave. I turned to the guy at the ticket window. He showed me where. It was on the 2nd tier on the side. I went back to the comp ticket lady requesting a better seat. She fumbled around her envelopes for a bit, and then gave me another ticket, and said "good seat". So I went to the auditorium asking an usher for my seat. True, now I was sitting in the very middle of the orchestra level. No one gave me a program. I wouldn't be able to read any way.

3/5 My demo. Last day of work. Walked to the beach (not pretty. some are learning surfing in wet suit.) and continued north to Sidna Ali Mosque. There was a guy fostering a camp fire. He let me in the court yard, once I covered my hair. Then I went to a Bit Coin meetup. But left because I was told it's in Hebrew only, even though the event was posted in English, and I asked whether the two talks were in Hebrew or in English. Heck, the organized didn't bother to answer (or even read) the questions. There are quite a lot of meetup activities in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, with all the high tech companies close by. I saw one at Microsoft, one at Google in the same week. I did post a question about the language on the Google meetup (same, no answer). But after this unsuccessful experience, I dropped my sign up, and won't bother looking for others.

3/6 Thursday. Caesarea National Park is not easy to get to by public transportation. I took a train to Binyamina. On the other side of the track, you can find bus 9, which goes to within 2km from the park. The problem is bus 9 runs every 30 min or an hour. I happened to see it leave, and the next one was an hour later. So I started walking. Out of many vehicles passed me, one truck gave me a 5 minute ride. So, it took me about an hour to get to the park. On my way back, I got 2 lifts, still walked a lot. The park is NIS40 for individual. Within a group, each only pays 32. The short movies are quite good, provided imagination of the grandeur it once had. Not the best Roman ruins (fallen or sunken) I've seen. The Roman amphitheatre is now used for performances, and the higher seats were blocked from the tourists. The Roman aqueduct is grand and quite a bit north of the main ruin.

Acre is more interesting to me. It's walled old quarter is mostly Arabic. Narrow streets. Houses seem to build one on top of another. Looks ancient. Lots of tiny shops, closing or already closed by sundown (or when I got there). Its grand mosque is not grand at all. 10NIS allows me to peek inside. The central plaza and the harbor is lively and picturesque.

Train fare in Israel is cheaper if you buy round trip ticket, or travel without stopping on the way. Tel Aviv - Binyamina is 26 Shekels, Binyamina - Acre/Akko is 38, Acre/Akko - Tel Aviv (passing and stopping at Binyamina) is 41.5.

3/7. Took a free city tour offered by Israel Diamond Center. Twice daily. Its map and ad is probably in every hotel. The tour is pretty bad. No getting out of the bus. Long wait to start. The driver drives to Jaffa and a few places in the city on the way, and plays recording (everyone gets a receiver which plays in your language). However, I often had no idea which one it was talking about. The goal, of course, is the last stop: a diamond shop. I left soon.

Left my suitcase at the hotel, I bought some food, and took 2 days of clothing, headed to Tel Aviv's own Dov Hoz airport. Small, convenient, more flights, small planes (4 seats per row). Plenty buses go within walking distance to the barn-looking terminal. The ID check took quite awhile. Two officers came to ask me questions: what's my purpose in Israel, where I am going, why I'm traveling alone, why not joining a packaged tour, why my co-worker didn't come, ... My lunch: a small apple and 2 persian cucumbers, 2 energy bars, some pastry, was deemed dangerous. But I can check them in. I was allowed to eat them, but not inside the building. So I had to go through security check again, after I consumed my apple and pastry. Then everyone board on a bus for quite a few minutes to the plane. Flight to Eilat is less than an hour, but checking-in took 2 hours. Flight between Eilat and Ben Gurion is less frequent, bigger planes (6 seats per row, 40 rows). But no convenient way to go to Ben Gurion domestic terminal.