Unfortunately for various technical and human reasons, my blog has not been published daily. I am catching up to undertaking daily blogs in Jordan when my laptop and the internet decide to work, with a plan for also uploading the final Turkey events (visits to ancient archaeological sites and other experiences) by the end of this weekend, and I will then add Egypt as groups (Nile River, ancient temples, other experiences). For my own record I will then update this into a more credible blog through June, including info on the country and regions’ population, economic, religious, agricultural, historical background to the archaeology and other matters.

20 May 2024

Thank goodness we had later times to get up given the really early starts over the past week. Breakfast from 8am and checkout 9.30am.

We had breakfast and then left the hotel to drive from Aqaba to Wadi Rum. I have not looked up the schedule for Jordan or any information on the various towns so as to be a surprise.

Some of the information from our tour guide (Abed) included that the population in Aqaba had increased from 100K to 240k in 10 years. This is an occurrence across Jordan with many migrants which I will provide more info on at the end. Aqaba is also Jordan’s only sea port, being situated at the north of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Jordan’s working week covers the period Sunday to Thursday, with Friday being the main day off, and Saturday sometimes as well. There is a lot more about Jordan that our tour guide has provided which I will wrap up together at the end of the Jordan section of the trip.

Prior to leaving Aqaba, we stopped at the Red Sea for photographs, from where we could see Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. We are travelling to Wadi Rum, a protected desert wilderness in southern Jordan, including dramatic sandstone mountains and natural arches. It also includes many petroglyphs, inscriptions and carvings going back over 12,000 years.

The drive to Wadi Rum was through mountains that were very rocky. We reached the accommodation site, checked into the 5 star “glamping” tent before lunch and I had a nice hot shower which was great set because I didn’t have one before checking out in the morning.

We went on a 4 hour “jeep” ride through the desert. It was meant to start at 1pm but postponed to 3pm due to the heat. The jeeps were actually Isuzu D-Maxes of various ages with seats set up like Troopies in the back tray with a canvas shade roof above.

The drive was along sandy tracks between various rock formations. The ride was very hot and dusty. However it was worth it. There were so many amazing formations. The horizontal layers and vertical textures were really great. We also got to see petroglyphs in one area, akin to the rock art in Dampier but on one piece of rockface.

Due to the amount of dust in the air, the rock formations became less clear the further they were away.

We stopped off 4 times at various tents set up in the desert area for selling drinks, linen materials and touristy stuff. We even came across a volleyball game going on. Finding these places in the heat of the desert itself was surprising but I guess there are a lot of tourists. We had 5 vehicles ourselves plus saw another 4 or 5. The guide says they get up above 25 at one time in peak season. One of the specific sites included a reference to T. E. Lawrence’s House (T. E. Laurance being the British lieutenant known as “Lawrence of Arabia”). See the photo with the yellow “Trips Slips Falls” sign. At this site there were many piled rocks similar to Scottish cairns.

We stopped at the top of the hill overlooking our campsite to watch the sun go down. Interestingly there wasn’t a real sunset as the sun just disappeared as it got close to the horizon. There was no change in colour as we see in so many sunsets at home. We had dinner at 8pm. It was quite a spread. They cooked chicken, lamb, vegetables and rice among hot coals in a “kiln” below the ground, then brought it in to go with the rest of the food. Delicious.

I wanted to take photos of the stars however it being 3 days before a full moon so the skies are quite bright. There are also at least 200 camps in Wadi Rum. Whilst I wandered around through the hills and rock formations for an hour until 10.30pm, I could not find any sites to see stars or where there were no other camps with shiny lights, so I didn’t capture anything of value.

19 May 2024

Today we flew from Cairo, Egypt to Amman, Jordan and then onto Aqaba.

As has become usual at airports, the security people wanted to check my cameras. They also asked to see an artwork I had bought as was in my checked in baggage (in bubble wrap within cardboard outer casings). So I had to unwrap it to show them what is was. They were happy once they got to touch it. Thankfully one of the TripaDeal people was able to help me put it back together and get onto the bus.

After checking into the hotel, Peter and I went looking for a place for dinner. We wandered the streets for about 45mins checking out the shops (went past at least 8 minimarts, 12 cafe restaurants, 4 mobile phone stores and 5 bottle shops in a 2 block radius). Everyone was very friendly, welcoming us to Aqaba as we walked past.

None of the cafe / restaurants would sell alcohol or allow BYO so we ended up at a steak house called Captain’s Restaurant around the corner from our hotel.

Delicious meal! Steak was thick and well cooked (medium rare), tasty with creamy thyme sauce, a range of salad, mashed potato and steamed vegetables. A nice lemon and mint juice and a bottle of mineral water – Totalled about $44 AuD for my serve.

The restaurant had a photographer with a professional setup taking photos of the staff, seating, etc for their Facebook page, and the manager asked if we would mind having photos taken of us as customers, having the food served at our table. We were definitely happy to help so they took a few shots.  Will check their site out in a few weeks to see if any of us were selected.

Then we headed back to the hotel for the night.

4^th May 2024

Visiting Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish) was very special.

Turkey is situated in a critical spot. It bridges the continents of Europe and Asia. Also, shipping from the south is required to traverse initially the Dardanelle Strait through to the Sea of Marmara and then through the Bosporus Strait through to the Black Sea to access a number of countries, including Moldova, Ukraine and the southern part of Russia.

According to one of the plaques, the Allied objectives in the Gallipoli Campaign were to capture Istanbul to force Turkey out of the war, to secure an ice-free supply route to Russia, and to open another front against Germany and Austria-Hungary. ANZAC Cove is situated in the Dardanelles Strait and so by successfully taking over this area, it was believed that the Allies would have succeeded in at least the first stage of their plan.

It was interesting to note that the landing was in the wrong place and should have been a little further down the coast. This made sense to me because I don’t think anyone would seriously land right up against the hillside on which the other side were situated.

Our tour group visited Gallipoli and we were able to spend approx. 3.5 hours at the site, starting with a visit to the Kabatepe museum, known as the Gallipoli War Museum. The building is relatively new and not very large, but provides not only stories but displays with soldiers, uniforms, weapons, letters and other artifacts. Working through the displays gave me a better understanding of what occurred, also that the campaign stretched out longer than I recall being taught at school.

We then visited some of the cemeteries and ANZAC Cove. Although I knew that the soldiers in Gallipoli, it was still heartbreaking to see the ages of the deceased Australian and New Zealand military on their graves. It made me really think about the cost of war, both at the sites of battle but also back home.

Travelling in the bus to the various locations, we saw many red poppies and a number of stretches of what looked like slight gullies in the soil beside the road. These were the trenches used during the war that have been filled with sand over time. Apparently at the closest spots, the trenches between the two parties were only 7 metres apart.

We were able to see the grave of John Simpson Kirkpatrick, known for his role in the 3^rd Australian Field Ambulance unit and using his donkey to cart men down and away from the front. In fact, he used at least 5 different donkeys during his time at ANZAC Cove, with a number of them dying or being injured during the battle, which was a reminder that not only humans lose their lives during times of war.

Simpson landed on the beaches on 25 April and was killed by enemy fire on 19 May, meaning he worked in his role for 25 days during the fighting, with his actions and the roles of the donkeys becoming famous.

We also visited the Lone Pine cemetery, the site of the Battle of Lone Pine between 6-10 August 1915. Over this period, the Allies were able to conquer two Ottomen (Turkish) battalions, with the Turks and then the Allies bringing in reinforcements. By the 9^th the Turks realised they could not regain the land and action ceased by the 10^th. The Lone Pine relates to a singular pine tree that the Turks left when chopping down a field of pines to use to reinforce their trenches on other parts of the site.

All of the cemeteries looked well cared for with flowers and beautiful lawns. The care of these spaces is being funded by the Commonwealth of Australia in agreement with the Turkish government.

The final spot we visited was Conkbayiri. This was a large hill, being one of the highest grounds within the area, and was the site of the Battle of Chunuk Bair from 7-19 August 1915. The Turks controlled this hill which the Allies did their best to win over. At one stage, the Allies took over for 2 days, but were unable to maintain control and lost it back to the Turks. The trenches atop this hill were lined with pine tree shafts shown in photos.

One of the interesting tales from the Battle of Chunuk Bair is that one of the Turks’ battle commanders, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, known as Ataturk, received a bullet or shrapnel from a bullet with that shrapnel hitting his pocket watch, saving his life. A pod of 4 stone balls is placed at the site where Ataturk was believed standing at the time he received the shrapnel shot. Ataturk went on to become a political leader, Prime Minister and the first President of Turkey. He was very popular and progressive as a secularist in a country that has a mainly Islamic, and a population mix of approx. 70% Turks, 20% Kurds and 10% other at this time.

In 1934, Ataturk wrote a letter that is carved into monuments in Gallipoli and Canberra (on ANZAC Parade). It is believed to be first given at Gallipoli in that year. It states:

“THOSE HEROES THAT SHED THEIR BLOOD AND LOST THEIR LIVES…

YOU ARE NOW LYING IN THE SOIL OF A FRIENDLY COUNTRY THEREFORE REST IN PEACE.

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JOHNNIES AND THE MEHMETS TO US WHERE THEY LAY SIDE BY SIDE HERE IN THIS COUNTRY OF OURS…

YOU, THE MOTHERS, WHO SENT THEIR SONS FROM FAR AWAY COUNTRIES, WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS; YOUR SONS ARE NOW LYING IN OUR BOSOM AND ARE IN PEACE.

AFTER HAVING LOST THEIR LIVES ON THIS LAND, THEY HAVE BECOME OUR SONS AS WELL.”

Standing at ANZAC Cove, looking out at the sea where the Australians and New Zealanders landed in 1915 and thinking how far we have come with Turkey, from being enemies to friends, made me grateful that I was able to visit if only for a short time.

1 May, 2024

I’m travelling with my friends Kelly and Peter, and we travelled to Turkey a few days before our official tour to get over the jetlag, align with the timezone and see some sites not available on the tour.

Today we planned to travel to Buyukada Island (which is one of the Princes’ Islands, a group of 9 islands in the Marmara Sea SSE of Istanbul). During the Byzantine era – which lasted from approx. 330 to 1453 AD – these islands were used as a place of exile. As with much of Turkey, over time they have become places for tourists due to the significant history and artifacts from the past 5000 years.

However our plans were derailed due to May 1 being Labour Day. In Istanbul, most of the freeway entrances into the city and around the city were closed (blocked by police and large trucks), and public transport cancelled. This was apparently due to a directive issued by the President of Turkey to stop gatherings and protests in Taksim Square, the symbolic centre, citing security concerns.

In 1977, the Taksim Square massacre occurred, which was an attack on left wing demonstrators leading to between 34 and 42 people being killed and between 126 and 220 being injured. It was estimated that 500,000 participants were at the square on that day.

(numbers from Wikipedia). None of the perpetrators were ever charged although around 500 protesters were detained.

We took a taxi to see if we could reached the spot from which the ferry to the islands was to leave, however after trying every option, the taxi agreed to take us back to our hotel. On the way we got close to the city and therefore stuck in traffic for longer. There were lots of members of the public walking through the city. We saw later that there were clashes between the police and protesters, and a handful of union leaders were allowed into Taksim Square for some photos.

One of the interesting things we have seen over the past few days when going to the breakfast area for meals is there have been a number of people with bandages and “masks” over their noses, heads, jaws. Looking into this, I have found that Turkey is a prime destination for medical tourism, especially for hair regrowth and dental procedures, orthopaedic and cosmetic surgery. According to the Medical Tourism Corporation, Turkey has world class clinics that don’t compromise on quality, medical practitioners with training in the USA, Canada and Europe, state-of-the-art clinics and no waiting list for treatment. The pricing is also cheap and therefore the country sees a large number of visitors annually.

29 April, 2024

Today we had a sunset cruise on the Bosporus Strait, which is the waterway between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea where all tankers, container ships, cruise liners etc. travel, as well as many ferries so it is a very busy strip. One side of the Strait (the one we are staying on) is the European side and the other is the Asian side, being considered the boundary between the two areas.

At times it looked like there were races between the ships, they were traveling at such a high speed. Sadly our sunset cruise saw no sun, just grey clouds. We did however get to hear about a range of the buildings / palaces and mosques along the river. Given its critical position, it is no surprise that it includes sites such as the Rumeli Fortress from the Ottoman period. It was built in 1451 as ordered by the Sultan Mehmed II with an aim to cut off any military support for the Byzantine city of Constantinople, enabling the Ottomans to take over as their new capital city.

We passed the Dolmabahce Palace (which we are to visit tomorrow), the Dolmabahce Mosque, the charming Beylerbeyi Palace, the Galata Tower etc. There is so much beautiful architecture along the Strait, including various mansions, some of whom have seen better days.

After the cruise, which went for 2.5 hours, we walked to a bar and restaurant that did not sell alcohol but did have a number of hookahs set up on a few of the tables. They looked interesting but we didn’t try any whilst we waited for our taxi.

28 April, 2024

I was woken up at 4.56am to the chant through speakers from a mosque down the street, that happens 5 times per day, although the times seem a little out from the Turkish app I looked at relative to sunrise.

Today we had a walking tour within the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. We took a taxi driven by a different driver from yesterday and he stuck to the main roads. After an hour and twenty minutes, and after ten minutes in the one place, we got out of the taxi and walked the last 2.5 kilometres so we didn’t miss our tour.

It happened to be half-marathon (cycling) day with the finish being close to the central area, so lots of polis and officials, roads blocked off.

The tour was very interesting – learnt about a period where part of the Eastern Roman Empire was situated, including archaeological and other sites. We luckily got to walk through the Cistern of Theodoius that was rediscovered in 1985. Lucky as it was closing the next day for some repairs.

There are a number of mosques in the area that we walked around, including the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and the Blue Mosque. Unfortunately the Great Palace Mosaics museum is closed so didn’t get to see the amazing Byzantine-period artefacts. But there were so many other sites to see. We also went through a couple of gift shops and I saw a really nice plate which came from Nicaea (now named “Iznik”), the site of the First and Second Councils (of Christian bishops) meetings to develop the structures around Christendom.

We went through a bazaar – there were spices, sweets (especially turkish delights and baklava), coffee pots etc. I really enjoyed the range of spices available including some red saffron. The photo of the pole with what look like eyes is commemorated to all the workers who lost their lives during the construction of the cistern. The open area with scaffolding is another archaeology site being developed.

27 April 2024

We arrived early in the morning, and had a relatively chilled out day, and the hotel was nice enough to set up my room early so I got in at 11am. My friends had paid the for the night before so they got in when we arrived from the airport.

We were to have dinner at the 360 Panorama Restaurant. Our hotel is around 15 kilometres from the area where the attractions are. It being a Saturday there was to be a lot of traffic so we left early. A couple of hours early. The roads were choc-a-block full of cars and our taxi driver took us around side streets, what looked like some peoples’ back yards and across perpendicular traffic. We named him Peter Brock.

We drove past a number of old fortifications along the waterline. These all have long histories around the various battles over the number of empires that Istanbul is replete with.

It was enjoyable walking around the streets, seeing the different shops and selling techniques of the touts. We went into one Turkish carpet shop and my friends bought a small piece of carpet for their wall.

The restaurant was very well situated, and the 360 restaurant provided around 250 degrees of viewing. But it was high up so I got some good photos especially of one of the mosques across the road.

Today was full of time taken for laundry and finding everything I need to take with me, charging everything (I don’t recall needing so much electricity for so many things in the past) and testing the blog page. Obviously in full consciousness of today being Anzac Day and all that means. We will be touring Gallipoli on 4 May if all goes to plan.

Below is Gabby, glowering that I had the temerity to wake her up for a photo 🙂

Today is my last full day in Canada as I fly out tomorrow lunchtime. I have thoroughly enjoyed my break and what I have gotten to do. Sure the last week has been a little disappointing. I had planned today to hire a small motor boat for a couple of hours and motor up False Creek, through English Bay and around into Vancouver Harbour and to get some good photos. However I’m starting to feel a little better but the cough and dry throat is still there, so its best I attend to that.

Overall I have had a fantastic holiday. The train journals across both Alaska and Canada were so special to me. And visiting the various towns and cities have been such a treat. I’m really looking to come back to British Columbia (Vancouver and Whistler especially) at some point in the future.

So this afternoon I went out to purchase some last minute souvenirs, and bought some Robitussin from the pharmacy. I had the rest of yesterday’s pizza for lunch, then started to pack. I needed to lose about 2kg of stuff from my baggage so some things had to go in the bin or set aside to donate to the hostel clients, but nothing of any great need. Then I read a little and sat down to update my blog.

I leave tomorrow lunchtime to fly to London. The flights (2 legs via Frankfurt) take 11 hours. I leave at 1.30pm Saturday and arrive at 11.30am Sunday. So I lose around 11 hours. Interesting.

It’s now 7.05pm and I am about to upload my last blog entry from Canada. What a sheer pleasure this trip has been. Thank you Alaska and Canada.

Happy 150th Canada!

 

A few memories from the Alaska and Canada legs of my holiday: