Obama in Jordan

I waited by my phone all day... but Sen. Obama never called. When will this campaign get its priorities in order?

Photo courtesy of the AP.

Here (http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3150549/8935718) is some cheesy video coverage from ABC. (Judging from Sam Donaldson's tone, it looks like ABC is worried about the "Right's" criticisms that the press is goo-goo-ga-ga'ing too much over Obama's foreign tour. I think Sen. Obama has been nothing short of spectacular and presidential.)

Here is what the BBC had to say.

And here is a bit from Maureen Dowd that made me smile:

The king of Jordan personally drove the prince of Chicago from the palace to the airport on Tuesday night to catch his flight to Israel, leading a motorcade in his slate Mercedes 600 across the tarmac and right up to O-Force One, as The Chicago Sun Times mockingly calls the candidate’s freshly branded 757, with the captain’s chair embroidered with “Obama-’08/President.” As the senator got out of the passenger seat, King Abdullah jumped out to chat some more, as though the two, who had only met in passing on the Hill, were old pals.

Obama finally found a Muslim with whom he’s willing to be photographed.

At moments, Obama was acting as though he were already “on a coin,” as Jon Stewart would say. But cocky or not, he needs to swoop up to conquer so Americans can picture him in the role.

The One left them swooning in Jordan. A member of the king’s inner circle who attended the chicken-and-rice dinner with King Abdullah and Queen Rania said that Obama had gone a long way toward assuaging their fears that he would be so eager to run away from his paternal family’s Muslim roots and to woo skeptical American Jews that he would not be “the honest broker” they long for after W.’s crazed missionary work in the Middle East.

“The guy gets it,” the Jordanian official said after dinner with Obama. “Sharp, aware and a very good listener. He doesn’t seem stuck in preconceived positions. He said he would get straight to the Palestinian issue as soon as he becomes president.”

And finally, a funny piece about the Obama staffers accompanying him to Amman.

Petra by Night and Day

I just returned from visiting Petra, Aqaba, and Karak. It was an amazing trip with too many stories for just one post. So today I will begin with Petra.

There is only one word to describe Petra – incredible. Well, I guess I can also use: astonishing, amazing, extraordinary, staggering, unbelievable, remarkable, fantastic, huge, tremendous and wow. My words, nor my pictures, can do justice to Petra’s splendor.

I would like to begin by giving a brief (if possible) history of Petra and then I’ll share some pictures and give some Petra-travel advice.

This history of Petra goes back thousands of years. The Old Testament mentions Petra (Edom) as on the path of the Israelites’ march towards Israel after their escape from the Sinai. Legend notes that it was in the hills just above Petra that Moses struck a rock that then gushed water to quench the thirst of the parched Israelites. It was here that Moses’ brother Aaron died and he was buried on a mountain (Jebel Haroun) that overlooks Petra. Around the time of 1000 B.C., King David attempted to take control over Petra which had become rich from its success as a trading outpost between civilizations. King Solomon then controlled Petra for 50 years and profited from his control of the area. After the death of King Solomon and the collapse of the Israelite kingdom, the power vacuum in the area caused Petra to pass from Edomite, to Assyrian, to Babylonian, and to Persian hands.

After the Babylonians depopulated most of Palestine during their rule in the 6^th century B.C., the Nabateans migrated out of the Arabian Desert to the more moderate climate that was found in the Petra valley. While the previous occupants of Petra lived in the hills above the valley, the Nabateans found out that they could survive much more efficiently down in the canyons between the mountains. It was at this time that the Nabateans found out that they could prosper by setting up a trading colony at Petra, which lied on major trade routes and was protected by its geography.

Profits from the Nabateans' caravaning business allowed them to create a powerful kingdom that stretched from Damascus to parts of the Sinai desert. They fought and won wars and used diplomacy to secure their Kingdom from the Greeks (the great power at the time). By 106 A.D. the Roman Empire became too strong for the Nabateans to hold off and they soon became annexed by Rome. Even under Roman occupation Nabatean culture continued to survive for many more years until the source of their riches – mainly the frankincense trade – was depleted as Christianity replaced the regional pagan religions.

After reaching its historical peak between 100 B.C. – 300 A.D. (approx.), Petra was gradually abandoned after the 14^th century and completely lost to the “West”. It wasn’t until a Swiss researcher/adventurer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, “discovered” Petra in 1812 that it became known to the rest of the world. And I discovered it for myself this weekend.

First piece of advice – Do “Petra by Night”. Petra by Night is an after-dark guided tour through the Petra valley that leads you by candlelight to the Treasury plaza. Guides set out 1500 candles to lead the way. You walk in silence (cameras and cell phones are supposed to be turned off) through the darkness and try to imagine what it was like to live here 2000 years ago. Once you reach the plaza, which is flickering with hundreds of candles, a Bedouin musician plays music on a stringed Bedouin instrument and another plays on a small wooden flute. You are served tea and you listen to a story from the guide. We were lucky enough to have a full moon that night which added to the excitement. I only wish my camera could have captured more of the beauty of the darkness on film.

Second piece of advice – If you visit in the summer, start Petra by day when the area opens at 7am. This is for two reasons: 1. Even in the off-season (which is now) Petra is flooded with hundreds and hundreds of visitors. Getting there early allowed us to wonder nearly alone through the area which made the hike very special; 2. By 2 p.m. my thermometer had maxed out at 50 degrees C. That means it was at least 132 degrees F. Bring a LOT of water.

Now for a short tour. I recommend checking out my Petra photo album slide show here as well. It is worth a look.

The Siq - This is the ancient main entrance to Petra. It is 1200m long and the cliffs rise 80m high. The colors are beautiful, changing from beige to rose to black to white and all kinds of shades in between.

The first view of the Treasury.

The Treasury. The unique archaeological style of this building was inspired by Hellenistic and Alexandrian-Hellenistic influences. It is huge 30m x 40m and breathtaking. I can't really describe it beyond that - you have to see it for yourself. The name "Treasury" is not Nabatean... the local Bedouin could not figure out how or why someone would build such a monument. So they came up with a legend that while the Pharaoh was chasing the Israelites after the Exodus, he was slowed down by all his treasure. So he stopped to have this monument carved out of the rock to store the loot. People have taken this legend to heart because as you can see at the top of the photo, the urn at the top center has been shot at dozens of times to see if there was any gold hidden inside of the rock sculpture.

Insert Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade theme music here.

The Street of Facades.

One of dozens of tombs carved into the solid rock.

The Theater. This theater looks Roman but it was created by the Nabateans in the 1st century A.D.. (Clearly it was built with Roman influence.) It is carved into the solid rock. Initially it could seat 3000 people but it was expanded to finally hold about 7000.

The colonnaded street. This led through the city center. It was flanked by temples, public buildings and shops. The marble pavement is still visible today.

With the temperature now over 100 degrees (F) we decided to hire donkeys from the Bedouin to ride to the top of the mountain where the Monastery is located. Pictured along with myself and my donkey Steve-O is my roommate Holli and her donkey Michael Jackson.

The beginning of the path up the mountain to the Monastery.

Nearing the top.

It was worth the shlep.


The Monastery. At the top of Ad-Deir mountain lies Petra's second most famous attraction - the Monastery. It is huge. The Monastery was certainly a place of worship used for large religious ceremonies. The plaza in front of the Monastery was not naturally flat. It was carved out of the mountain by the Nabateans to serve as an area for large numbers of worshipers to congregate.

The blogger having tea with his Bedouin friends.

I could go on and on about how amazing Petra was and about all of the things we experienced there. And I just may do that in additional posts. But as I said earlier... just go see it for yourself. And bring the SPF 55.

Correction: World's Tallest Flagpole

I find it necessary to send out a correction regarding an earlier post. (This Post)

While doing research for my upcoming trips to Petra and Aqaba I discovered that the world's tallest free-standing flagpole is actually located in Aqaba, Jordan.

The prime contractor of the flagpole, Trident Support Corp., is responsible for erecting the world's 3 tallest free-standing flagpoles. The pole in Aqaba is 426 ft. (130 m) tall. The second tallest free-standing flagpole is the one in Amman (126 m) and the third is in Abu Dhabi (123.1 m).

The flagpole in Aqaba can be seen from 4 countries: Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Here is a picture from Wikipedia.

I hope you will accept my apology.

It's Good to Be the King Vol. I - The King's Cars

King Hussein was an avid car enthusiast, racer, and collector. Cars played a major role in his life, and one of them in particular - a 1968 Mercedes-Benz SEL 6.3 - is where he survived two assassination attempts. After King Hussein's death in 1999, King Abdullah II established the Royal Automobile Museum in honor of his father. Housed within the massive building are dozens of rare and beautiful cars and motorcycles.

This museum was a sight to see. I left with mixed feelings. On one hand, the collection was incredible and so was the history that went along with it. The place was simply "cool". On the other hand, in a country where nearly 15% of the people are living below the poverty line, and many many more are living just above it, it was a bit hard to see millions of dollars of beautiful cars just sitting under a museum roof. My friend described the museum as: "Hey poor Jordanians... In your face!". But then again, its good to be the king.

If you like cars I recommend checking out the slide-show (HERE).

And here are just a few of my favorites:

1952 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Sedanca de Ville

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SC Roadster

1948 Packard Super Eight Convertible Victoria

1940 Packard Super Eight Convertible Coupe

Holy Moses! - Mt. Nebo

“Get thee up into this mountain (range) of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession; and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people.”

--Deuteronomy (Devarim) 32:49-50

I have floated down the Nile River. I have wondered through the Sinai Desert and climbed atop the Holy Mountain there. Now, finally, I have completed my Moses tour with an ascent of Mt. Nebo. And unlike Moses, I live to tell about it.

Mt. Nebo is the single most important religious site in Jordan for Muslims, Christians and Jews. After leading the Israelites on a punishing journey of the Sinai Desert for 40 years, it was from Mt. Nebo that Moses finally viewed the holy land that G-d had set aside for his chosen people. Moses was also commanded to die here at the age of 120. Joshua would complete the Israelites march into Israel.

Christian and Jewish tradition proclaims that Moses was buried in an undisclosed location atop the mountain. However, Muslims who also regard Moses as a prophet, believe that he was carried across the Jordan River and buried in a tomb outside of the city Jericho.

On a clear day you can see as far as Jerusalem. I think the desert winds kicked up enough dust today to prevent me from achieving that view. The Dead Sea and Jordan Valley were certainly easy to see. It was sad for me to see just how much the Dead Sea has receded since I first saw it 12 years ago. It is, unfortunately, starting to look more like the Dead Puddle.

Here is a short video of the panorama. (Click Here)

Unfortunately, the Moses Memorial Church was closed to visitors. This church, which by the year 394 A.D. had become a triapsidal structure floored with mosaics, was visited by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000. Although the church was closed, some of its ancient mosaics were moved temporarily to the exterior for viewing. These particular mosaics date to the year 587 A.D..

Maybe it was the 104 degree heat, but it was really hard not be caught up in the history and spirituality of the place. I was flooded with memories of my religious studies, and I said the mourner's prayer for my mother. It was amazing to see what Moses had been commanded to see from this vantage point – The Promised Land.

Turkish Bath - Amman Style

I have never been this clean in my life.

The guys and I decided to treat ourself to spa-day today, and oh-boy, was it worth it.

Welcome to Al-Pasha: http://www.pashaturkishbath.com/index.htm

This was my first Turkish bath experience and because a genuine Turk went with me, I have validation that it was genuine. I wouldn't dare bring a camera into the "bathing" area so I hope you will trust my description of the event. Allow me to break it down into phases.

Phase I: After changing into your bathing suit (locker room nudity does not occur in Jordan - privacy during this phase of the event is of utmost importance) you enter the lavish bathing complex. First you enter a steam room. This room is all stone and the ceiling is embedded with colorful globular-glass lights. There is a steam mist that fills the room and it is hot. Very hot. Once seated on the stone benches inside you are brought a glass of water and prune juice. Both are consumed immediately. After 15 minutes you move out of this room, and after a quick shower you move into Phase II.

Phase II: Hot tub. Nothing out of the ordinary here. 15 minutes of soaking and Phase III begins.

Phase III: You now lay face down on a large stone tablet, and in my case, a 250 pound Syrian man rubs your entire body with a rough glove for a full-body exfoliation. And I mean full body. The large Syrian man then shows you the skin he has removed from your body. Soon he changes to a somewhat softer glove and rubs you again with a warm soapy mixture. You are then asked to stand and bowls of water are poured over your head until the soap is no more. Another shower and onto Phase IV.

Phase IV: This was my favorite. Another large Arab man lays you down on another stone tablet. You are then rubbed, thoroughly...

Lets pause and explain "thoroughly" - Every part of your body where skin meets skin, is separated with a hand, and you are slathered with olive oil from head to toe. Then you are massaged and stretched.

Phase V: This phase is what makes the Turkish bath "Jordanian Style". This is where you get a full body mud-masque with mud from the Dead Sea. After the mud is applied to your entire body you sit on a stone chair for 10 minutes while you rub the mud into your skin.

Phase VI: Now covered in mud, you return to the first 250-pound Syrian man who pours more bowls of water over your head to wash most of the mud off. This is followed by yet another shower.

Phase VII: Sauna. Hot Sauna. Followed by shower. Followed by application of huge towel tied toga-style around your body.

Phase VIII: Change, tea, complete relaxation...

Ramallah Underground

How did you spend your 4th of July?

I spent mine at a Palestinian quasi-militant hip-hop concert in Amman, Jordan. No fireworks, apple pie, and hamburgers for me this year.


The concert featured Ramallah Underground, an electronica hip-hop collaborative that is based in Ramallah (West Bank, aka Palestine, aka the Occupied Palestinian Territories). According to the band, their group "was born from the immediacy of musical experimentation and the need to give voice to a generation of Palestinians and Arabs who face a turbulent and uncertain political landscape."

Their lyrics and music are "an expression of anguish and defiance, ultimately remaining a defiant voice of the colonized against the colonizer. They continue to play a big role in the Arab Underground cultural scene while slowly gaining wide global and local popularity."

This was the first concert that I've been to where the artist was introduced as, "the group that waited for 6 hours behind a checkpoint to get here...". This fact is true, sad, and a reality of the security situation faced by Israel. And while I do not subscribe to the band's politics, I am really happy that I had this experience. Musically, I found the group to be very talented.

I would like to briefly describe the scene at the concert. I estimate that there were about 200 people in attendance, maybe more. The venue was Books@Cafe, one of my favorite places that I have found so far in Amman. It is a bookstore located in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. It has a bar/cafe roof deck that has a beautiful view overlooking the southern end of the city.

I believe the crowd was about 60% Jordanian and 40% foreigner. There were a number of Europeans and a lot of students from Jordan University. The Jordanians at the concert were not the Palestinian-militant type. They were instead the upper middle class "hip" type. I imagine that the 10 JD ticket charge is not in the budget of the average displaced Palestinian-Jordanian. The Arabs that were there where very excited, and many knew the band's lyrics. I counted about 30 Yassir Arafat-style black and white checkered kaffiyahs.

There was also a group of six not-too-undercover Mukhabarrat (Jordanian Secret Police). I assume that they were there to monitor the show to make sure there wasn't too much anti-Jordanian government rabble rousing, or instigation of violence.

I am choosing not to blog my personal feelings about the songs, or my impressions of how the other "Westerners" in the audience reacted to the band's message. I'm happy to discuss this off-line if anyone is interested. Here is another blogger's recent interview with the band if you'd like to read more (click here).

I am happy, however, to share some pictures and a video from the concert.

Here is a video I took on my little camera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEMZGXvUVyE




UPDATE: This article was recently posted in the Jordanian Times regarding the group and their Amman concert - http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=9221