The Widow and the Spinster: The Search for Adventure, Enlightenment, and the Quest for Forbidden food - Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, and New TR Link! 4/2

[pkondz]

I believe I have an older version that I bought outright. Then again I don't know. I had to download something the last time I got a new computer. I may have paid an annual fee.

If you pay an annual fee, then you should be able to upgrade to the latest version.

Ah. I have a torch but no fuel. Probably could fix that with Amazon.

I would think so?

As long as it's not a big gold eye staring back at me!

I don't think you'll have to worry about that.

So... you're saying... not good?

I kept waking up for bio breaks.

New TR title!
The widow and the spinster and the never-ending quest for the potty.

I think I slept until 4:30 or 5AM when I just gave up,

Not surprising. Your internal clock must've been just a tad confused.

There must have been 10 kinds of cheese. There were cooked to order eggs and omelets, all sorts of traditional British breakfast sides, salad fixins, juice, yogurts, pastries, just about anything you might want.

Whoa! Sounds like a pretty good spread.

I was shy about taking pictures of the buffet itself,

Ah yes. You're not in Disney any more, are you, Dorothy.

The coffee here was really good. Nice and strong, good flavor.

I don't drink it (as you may recall), but I know my mom has always said how coffee on the Continent is much better than what is typically served here.

That's restaurant coffee... not necessarily a good coffee-centric place.

Our driver/guide showed up right on time and after a quick pit stop for gas we were on our way to Wadi Rum.

Hmmm... so is he really on time if he makes you wait while he fills up?

It made me sad to see all these little "towns" that were littered along the side of the highway.

And yet... maybe for the people that live there, they are quite happy with that?
I really don't know.

Some of the things I noticed along the trip were how everything along the highway looked so abandoned.

Huh. I wonder why. Boom vs bust times, maybe?

It was almost like driving through the central valley of California on I-5 or the I-15 to Las Vegas.

I haven't made those drives (yet), but it does look like quite a bit of scenery I have driven through before.

What livened up the journey was camel sightings along the way. This bunch in the middle of the road were a fun sight!

I had no idea that camels would be just out in the open like that. I assumed that all of them would be like horses here. You just don't see any wild horses. Or at least that aren't in a barn, corral, or fenced in enclosure.

At quite a few points along the road there were police stops. Evidently there is someone on the road clocking your speed and if you're exceeding the limit when you reach the police stop they flag you to the side of the road. Otherwise they just signal you to move on.

Huh!

It's easy to stop people because the highways have speed bumps strategically placed.

On highways?!?!?!?

Our driver got flagged at one such stop. Evidently he was going 100km in an 80km zone, he got a ticket.

Oops. Betcha he wasn't too happy about that!

The place we stopped was a restaurant, bazaar, market, and rest stop, all in one. I would have taken pictures, but there was a sign at the entrance reading "All photography prohibited".

Yeah... that's one rule I don't try to circumvent. If the sign says No Photos... I don't take photos. I like to keep both my camera and myself out of the hands of the authority.

I got these. They weren't bad and hit the spot, but I never finished the bag.

Looks like Ritz crackers.

It was at this point that Jill pointed out that the motto of Jordan should be "Land of the speed bumps."

soon we came across these characters.

I see that there's some kind of strap around at least one of them. So, not necessarily wild, but loose?

also saw this kitty cat.

Did it meow with an Arabic accent?

This is when I decided that I like naked camels better than the ones all saddled up.

Hmmm... I'm really not sure! I think it's kinda cool seeing camels, period... but... which do I prefer? Hmmm... Not sure!

These are the standard Bedouin tents.

That's so cool. Have you seen Lawrence of Arabia (the movie)?

Immense!

Huge!

I'm blown away that these are tents and not permanent structures.

Our luggage was transported to the room via 4WD pick-up truck.

Heh. As long as you didn't have to schlep them.

Here is our room.

Love the "ceiling" (That's practically the only thing that gives it away as being a tent).
Is that a heater above the beds? Looks like one.

That is inside the tent?!?!?!!?!?

Jill here chiming in! I had booked flights over New Years using credit card miles. These flights worked best for availability and to minimize PTO days. I was really impressed with Turkish! I was glad to get a shower and real bed though.

I get that. I always arrange my travel based on my work cycle. I can wind up leaving on any given day of the week.
And yeah... after a long day, nothing like a shower (or tub!) and a real bed.

Beef bacon is an abomination!

Oh and I want to defend my carb fest breakfast…..there were two pieces of cheese on my plate!!!!!

That was cheese?? I thought it was pineapple!
Besides... calories don't count when you're on vacation! That's a rule.

 

[franandaj]

Jill here chiming in! I had booked flights over New Years using credit card miles. These flights worked best for availability and to minimize PTO days. I was really impressed with Turkish! I was glad to get a shower and real bed though.

And since you already had these flights booked, I didn't want to travel to a country alone when I couldn't speak or read the language! It was a pretty impressive airline, but yes, nice to have a shower and real bed!

Beef bacon is an abomination!

 

[franandaj]

What an interesting drive.

Well sort of. I only showed the actual interesting parts. Most of it looked like the one flat road with desert on both sides. Occasionally we would pass through a town with buildings that looked abandoned.

Speed bumps in parking lots annoy me, I can't imagine them on a highway

I can't imagine driving in that part of the world. Speed bumps are a way of life. Just wait until we get to Cairo!

Those views though

There were some stunning views, just wait until the next update!

And hey, just random camels hanging out on the side of the road, no biggie lol

Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny too!

Love the tent hotel idea, pretty swanky for the middle of the desert - that dining dome especially, how pretty!

I'll have some fun facts on that one in the next update too!

 

[franandaj]

Oh and I want to defend my carb fest breakfast…..there were two pieces of cheese on my plate!!!!!

Duly noted!

 

[Flossbolna]

Somehow I feel that a long car drive through the dessert is not the best way to get over jet lag. I am surprised the two of you didn't just snooze through the whole trip!

The camp looks very fancy. I didn't expect marble bathrooms in a tent. How much temperature control was available to you? I would assume no air conditioning? And I wonder how cold it got during the night.

 

[franandaj]

Very interesting trip report!

Can't wait for more updates!

I'm working as fast as I can! With some places having spotty internet at best, it's been a challenge, but I'm still one update ahead!

 

[franandaj]

If you pay an annual fee, then you should be able to upgrade to the latest version.

I guess I will find out in the next few months if I get a renewal notice.

I don't think you'll have to worry about that.

Good.

So... you're saying... not good?

Blech

New TR title!
The widow and the spinster and the never-ending quest for the potty.

Yeah, funny story about that in the next update...

Not surprising. Your internal clock must've been just a tad confused.

I think it still is.

Whoa! Sounds like a pretty good spread.

It really was. I think there was something there for any nationality, just no bacon.

Ah yes. You're not in Disney any more, are you, Dorothy.

I did get brave later in the trip......

I don't drink it (as you may recall), but I know my mom has always said how coffee on the Continent is much better than what is typically served here.

That's restaurant coffee... not necessarily a good coffee-centric place.

Yes, I remember you don't drink it. And she is right, almost anywhere has better coffee than the Americas. Then again, Canada has a slightly higher bar on coffee than the US.

Hmmm... so is he really on time if he makes you wait while he fills up?

Good point.

And yet... maybe for the people that live there, they are quite happy with that?
I really don't know.

That's a hard call. Perhaps they are OK with that. I could be inflicting my American values on them, when they are perfectly happy living a simple life. The indians were just fine when the Europeans came over and enslaved them, so who am I to judge?

Huh. I wonder why. Boom vs bust times, maybe?

No, I think the buildings may actually have been in use. After some of the things I saw in Egypt they just don't have the same thoughts about aesthetics that we do.

I haven't made those drives (yet), but it does look like quite a bit of scenery I have driven through before.

I bet you have......

I had no idea that camels would be just out in the open like that. I assumed that all of them would be like horses here. You just don't see any wild horses. Or at least that aren't in a barn, corral, or fenced in enclosure.

Well later in the trip (the next day), I heard someone say that all the camels out there belong to someone, but they just let them roam free until they need them for something. Then they just go out and find them and get them.

On highways?!?!?!?

Well, not on the open road. But every time we would drive through a little town there would be speed bumps. I took pictures on the way back and meant to put them in, but I forgot on that update so I'll have to show them in the updates when I actually took the pictures.

Oops. Betcha he wasn't too happy about that!

No he wasn't happy at all.

Yeah... that's one rule I don't try to circumvent. If the sign says No Photos... I don't take photos. I like to keep both my camera and myself out of the hands of the authority.

Especially in places like we were. I need to remember to put in the parts about soldiers with assault rifles in the streets in a future update.

Looks like Ritz crackers.

Kind of like ritz crackers, but then covered in Cheeto or Dorito dust. I specifically didn't get the cheetos because I didn't want my fingers covered in the stuff and then the crackers I picked did the same thing.

I see that there's some kind of strap around at least one of them. So, not necessarily wild, but loose?

Did I cover this in a comment reply above?

Did it meow with an Arabic accent?

I didn't hear any cats reply until two updates from now.

Hmmm... I'm really not sure! I think it's kinda cool seeing camels, period... but... which do I prefer? Hmmm... Not sure!

I prefer the naked camels for sure!

That's so cool. Have you seen Lawrence of Arabia (the movie)?

Yes, Jill and I watched it on Labor Day when I was at her house. He (or his legacy) makes an appearance in the next update.

Huge!

I'm blown away that these are tents and not permanent structures.

Well they kind of are permanent structures.....

Love the "ceiling" (That's practically the only thing that gives it away as being a tent).
Is that a heater above the beds? Looks like one.

That's the AC unit. I suppose it might double as a heater, but when we were there, it never got cold enough for heat. We had the AC blasting all night.

That is inside the tent?!?!?!!?!?

Yup! Why do you think we were so excited about the glamping portion? We got to stay out in the middle of the desert with a flushing toilet and a shower!

That was cheese?? I thought it was pineapple!

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, funny story about that in the next update...

uh oh…

It really was. I think there was something there for any nationality, just no bacon.

No surprise there.

Then again, Canada has a slightly higher bar on coffee than the US.

Oh? Did not know that.

No, I think the buildings may actually have been in use. After some of the things I saw in Egypt they just don't have the same thoughts about aesthetics that we do

Ohhh

Well later in the trip (the next day), I heard someone say that all the camels out there belong to someone, but they just let them roam free until they need them for something. Then they just go out and find them and get them.

Yeah I kinda thought that might be the case. Different mindset from this side of the pond.

Especially in places like we were. I need to remember to put in the parts about soldiers with assault rifles in the streets in a future update.

Kind of like ritz crackers, but then covered in Cheeto or Dorito dust

That sounds pretty good actually.

I specifically didn't get the cheetos because I didn't want my fingers covered in the stuff and then the crackers I picked did the same thing.

Did I cover this in a comment reply above?

Yes, Jill and I watched it on Labor Day when I was at her house. He (or his legacy) makes an appearance in the next update.

Oh yes? Colour me curious.

Well they kind of are permanent structures.....

I was going to say that… but interesting nevertheless.

Yup! Why do you think we were so excited about the glamping portion? We got to stay out in the middle of the desert with a flushing toilet and a shower!

 

[franandaj]

Somehow I feel that a long car drive through the dessert is not the best way to get over jet lag. I am surprised the two of you didn't just snooze through the whole trip!

Neither of us are good car sleepers. I think Jill might have dozed a bit, but I couldn't at all. I didn't bother trying.

The camp looks very fancy. I didn't expect marble bathrooms in a tent.

Well it really wasn't marble, it was just standard tile.

How much temperature control was available to you? I would assume no air conditioning?

Oh God no! We would have died out there without AC! We kept it super cold in there!

And I wonder how cold it got during the night.

I can tell you that it was warm enough to be out at 2AM in just a T-shirt. You'll find out how I know this in a couple of updates!

 

[franandaj]

No surprise there.

Yeah, that's one thing neither of us thought about going into this trip! But we keep hoping we might find a rogue restaurant somewhere.

Yeah I kinda thought that might be the case. Different mindset from this side of the pond.

There's a lot of things with different mindsets.......

That sounds pretty good actually.

They were good. Just only can eat so many in two days. I had to jetison them when we left Jordan.

Oh yes? Colour me curious.

Hopefully coming right up!

I was going to say that… but interesting nevertheless.

You'll see a few in the next update, but not really a lot of detail.

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, that's one thing neither of us thought about going into this trip! But we keep hoping we might find a rogue restaurant somewhere.

I think I might've been mildly surprised if you had.

There's a lot of things with different mindsets.......

I bet!

 

[franandaj]

I think I might've been mildly surprised if you had.

Yeah, but we kept hoping.

 

[franandaj]

So I know that I’m posting a lot of updates right away, but I’m having a lot of down time due to the amount of traveling, and random access to WiFi. I know that once I get home (later today), life is going to get in the way, and the updates will come a lot slower. There’s going to be A LOT of updates in this Trip Report, and I’m going to be at it for quite some time. I thought I might as well, get as much done on the front end for when I get slammed by real life.

One thing I forgot to mention in the previous update was that when we stopped at the bazaar/restaurant/market/rest stop. We had our first introduction to public toilets. In most every situation, a public restroom has an attendant who keeps the place clean, and makes sure that there is toilet paper, either by keeping the stalls stocked or giving you two or three sheets when you enter, after you pay, of course.

I don't remember what we paid in Jordan cause that was so long ago, but I know for that first stop we paid $1US because we had left our Jordanian money in the car. Besides, one Jordanian Dinar is worth $1.50US. This becomes somewhat important as we move forward in the TR. Especially the Egypt portion.

So back to Wadi Rum.

It was 1:30 when we checked into the room and our jeep tour began at 2PM, so we had a little time to chill. We got our electronics all set up and sort of organized our things for bedtime. Then we headed back up to the main building because that was the only place in camp that had WiFi.

Every time we were at the main camp we were rushing to upload posts for Instagram or Facebook. Whether it was waiting for a tour, or eating meals, both of us were trying to post pictures, and catch up with folks back home. It was still early in the trip and we were eager to share our adventures as soon as we could.

Soon our guide for the jeep tour arrived and gave us the basics on how to climb into his truck.

Our first stop was the scene where The Martian was filmed.

Looking out from that same overlook you can see another one of the camps like we are staying in. Our guide told us that ten years ago there were only about four of these kinds of camps, and now there are over 200.

Then we were off to our next destination. Our camp is just out of the picture on the right of this rock formation.

Moving along…..

Then we arrived at our second destination, the canyon where Lawrence of Arabia's home was located.

His image is carved into this rock.

This is the image of King Abdullah I of Jordan carved out in the rocks of Wadi Rum desert. It is said that this was done during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18 when King Abdullah passed through this desert several times.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

There was a Bedouin camp here. From what I can tell there are a bunch of guys who hang out here, sell trinkets, and brew tea. The guides come by and bring their jeep tour folks and I think that they hope they will buy something while drinking the tea in the desert.

They served us the tea in these glasses. I noticed as I sat there drinking the tea that he poured my tea from one kettle. One of the tour guides walked up and the guy tending the fire tried to pour another cup for him, and clearly said “no”. He picked up a different kettle and poured himself a glass of tea from that kettle.

“Ah, they have different tea for the tourists than for the locals.” I thought. So I asked our guide about it. Evidently the tourists don’t like their tea with the amount of sugar that the locals prefer. I asked to try the local tea. He told me that it would be too much sugar, but actually I found it quite pleasant. The other tea was pretty bitter.

After we drank our tea, we set off for the next destination.

We saw these folks riding camels through the desert.

He took us to this overlook. I believe that there was some significance to it, but that escapes me now.

On our way to another destination from the overlook.

Finally we arrived at this Arch.

When we first showed up, I didn’t see the arch right off all I really saw was this “coffee shop”. It seemed to me like something out of Blazing Saddles.

Looking into the sun as we admired the arch.

Then he told us that he was going to take us to a special place.

We’re going all the way across this plain to the rock formation on the other side.

Inside that canyon you see, we are about to find one of their sources for water in the desert.

That hose you see extends up to a crater where a body of water that forms when the rain comes. They use the hose to get water for their people.

Here’s the same shot without me in it.

Another trick that they showed us was how the bedouin people use the native plants for various purposes. This particular plant has qualities of soap. When it is crushed (by a stone) and water is added it forms bubbles and lather. They noticed this when they saw animals eat it and their mouths produced the bubbles. In states we would take that as a sign of rabies!

I believe that this was the plant he used for the “soap”.

In the same location there were these carvings on the wall. Our guide indicated that they directions. This was on the route of the Silk Road. This set of drawings were directions to the water in the previous picture. These drawings were about 5000 years old.

Here we are at the panoramic overlook. I put my wide angle lens on for this shot.

Jill used the panorama function on her camera for her shot.

Here’s where the whole thing took a bit of a turn for me. About this time I was feeling the need to use the facilities. As you can see we are not in the best of places for that situation, but it was becoming rather urgent. I asked the guide if there was any place close by where we could make that happen. He said that our next stop had the necessary resources. Well not exactly those words, but you get the idea.

So it was another one of those Bedouin camps where they serve tea and sell trinkets. The guide told one of the men there what I needed and he led me to a little room off the back of the tent. He unlocked it, and I thought, “Oh good, they keep it locked so that it stays somewhat clean.”

I could not have been more wrong.

I won’t go into the gory details, but just imagine you are having a rather uncomfortable and unpleasant potty situation (think @Captain_Oblivious Taco Bell experience on steroids) in one of the most disgusting bathrooms you have ever encountered.

And there is no toilet paper whatsoever.

So here’s the thing about Jordan. Every toilet has a little sprayer thingy like this. Now don’t take this picture as an example of where I was at the time. This photo is from the next day, taken in the public restrooms at the Sun City camp. It’s a beautiful and clean restroom.

The one that I was in, was all white at one time, but since then the paint had peeled, the floors had cracked and it was in bad shape. There was no way I was putting my butt down on that toilet!

This was my first and ONLY experience with the spray gun, and after that I never wanted to experience it again!

At least I didn't have to pay baksheesh to use that toilet.

While I went back into the Bedouin tent to try and recover from my traumatic experience Jill walked down to the carvings on the rocks just below where these camels were resting.

Evidently these carvings were another message in the series that we had seen at the previous stop. This was also on the route of the Silk Road. These drawings were "highway" directions for the caravans that came through on the Silk Road. These drawings were also close to 5000 years old.

This is a shot looking back up at the tent. Imagine me sitting in there drinking a tea trying to get that experience out of my head.

Inside the tent.

Jill came back and she turned down a glass of tea, but they also offered us a nice chilled water. Now I’m not sure that I have mentioned it thus far, but going into the trip we knew that the water from the faucet in Egypt was not safe to drink. Also neither is the water from the faucet in Jordan as we found out when we arrived. So all the water that you drink comes from bottled water. Also there are virtually no ice cubes, unless some of the high end hotels make their own ice cubes from bottled water. I think we had ice on two occasions in the entire two weeks.

I recovered enough emotionally to finish the tour, and I asked Jill to make sure you couldn’t see anything through my pants. Remember my butt took a shower without the benefit of a towel dry? Luckily there was no evidence. I still just felt icky though.

[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Our guide took us to this sand hill that we had the option to climb, and this is when it was clear that Jill and I were going to get along just fine this trip. This was a hard pass for both of us, so we asked our guide if we could just move on to the next stop.

I wasn’t going to be one of those idiots with my shoes filled with sand climbing around up there!

So we went to the next stop which was the formation also viewed from the visitor's center. One of these is taken with my DSLR, the other my cell phone, can you pick which is which?

Our Jeep Tour was scheduled to end at Sunset, but when we went to the sunset spot, it was pretty clear that we weren’t going to be seeing much.

It was pretty cloudy and the sun went behind the mountain without a lot of fanfare, so we decided to head back to the ranch.

Here we are approaching our camp from the Jeep ride in the desert.

Next up: Dining like a Bedouin!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Oh no on that toilet situation. I would be hovering so much.

I love the landscapes! While Jordan isn’t on our list of places to go - it’s cool following along with you.

 

[pkondz]

I know that once I get home (later today), life is going to get in the way,

It always does, doesn't it?

We had our first introduction to public toilets.

You've seen this video?

giving you two or three sheets when you enter, after you pay, of course.

If they had Taco Bell there, they could make a killing! Really clean up, so to speak.

Every time we were at the main camp we were rushing to upload posts for Instagram or Facebook.

And I enjoyed following along, too.

Soon our guide for the jeep tour arrived and gave us the basics on how to climb into his truck.

So... a few things...
1. Not a jeep.
2. It just seems to me that you'd have been more comfortable in the back seat? I could be wrong.
3. What were the basics? Did he bring a stepstool?

Our first stop was the scene where The Martian was filmed.

No way! Cool! And... now that you've said it... I totally see it!

Our guide told us that ten years ago there were only about four of these kinds of camps, and now there are over 200.

Whoa. Business is booming.

Then we arrived at our second destination, the canyon where Lawrence of Arabia's home was located.

Coooool!!
And... It's been a long time since I've seen it, but those high cliffs... there was a scene where Lawrence rides off with the other men... to war? Sabotage? Don't recall. Anyways, the women are all at the top of the cliffs, ululating. That looks similar to what I remember.

His image is carved into this rock.

I wonder how they feel about him now? Do you know?

The guides come by and bring their jeep tour folks and I think that they hope they will buy something while drinking the tea in the desert.

Some things seem fairly universal...

They served us the tea in these glasses.

Ah! I remember reading about how tea is served in glasses in Russia. I guess the area is close enough to have influence (in one direction or the other.)
I find that interesting.

“Ah, they have different tea for the tourists than for the locals.” I thought. So I asked our guide about it. Evidently the tourists don’t like their tea with the amount of sugar that the locals prefer.

Heh. Well you know me. Gimme the high-sugar tea!

We saw these folks riding camels through the desert.

Locals or tourists?

Finally we arrived at this Arch.

That's cool. Very striking.

When we first showed up, I didn’t see the arch right off all I really saw was this “coffee shop”. It seemed to me like something out of Blazing Saddles.

Then he told us that he was going to take us to a special place.

Did you know what it would be, before setting out?

That hose you see extends up to a crater where a body of water that forms when the rain comes. They use the hose to get water for their people.

Huh. Here I thought it would've been underground. It's up, instead!

This particular plant has qualities of soap. When it is crushed (by a stone) and water is added it forms bubbles and lather.

Huh!

They noticed this when they saw animals eat it and their mouths produced the bubbles. In states we would take that as a sign of rabies!

Good point!

In the same location there were these carvings on the wall. Our guide indicated that they were sort of directions. They told of where the next location to find water would be and how to get there.

I think I read that you had to be Bedouin to be able to decipher them.

About this time I was feeling the need to use the facilities. As you can see we are not in the best of places for that situation

uh, oh...

I thought, “Oh good, they keep it locked so that it stays somewhat clean.”

I could not have been more wrong.

oh dear...

I won’t go into the gory details, but just imagine you are having a rather uncomfortable and unpleasant potty situation (think @Captain_Oblivious Taco Bell experience on steroids) in one of the most disgusting bathrooms you have ever encountered.

And there is no toilet paper whatsoever.

So here’s the thing about Jordan. Every toilet has a little sprayer thingy like this.

Sure. Basically a bidet.

This was my first and ONLY experience with the spray gun, and after that I never wanted to experience it again!

Not a fan, I take it.

This is a shot looking back up at the tent. Imagine me sitting in there drinking a tea trying to get that experience out of my head.

Also there are virtually no ice cubes

Ah. That explains a recent FB comment you or Jill made.

I recovered enough emotionally to finish the tour

Oh dear.

I'm sorry... butt....

Our guide took us to this sand hill that we had the option to climb, and this is when it was clear that Jill and I were going to get along just fine this trip. This was a hard pass for both of us,

I can imagine the scene. You look at Jill... Jill looks at you... "Nope!" (said in unison)

I wasn’t going to be one of those idiots with my shoes filled with sand climbing around up there!

One of these is taken with my DSLR, the other my cell phone, can you pick which is which?

1st photo is phone.

 

[franandaj]

Oh no on that toilet situation. I would be hovering so much.

Yeah, not one of the highlights of the trip.

I love the landscapes! While Jordan isn’t on our list of places to go - it’s cool following along with you.

We only had two days/three nights in Jordan and its a very nice place to visit. There are lots of places to return for, but so many other places to go see!

 

[Nora03]

I love your pictures! We just rewatched The Martian this weekend with our youngest grandson and were wondering where it had been filmed. So neat! Yuck on the toilet experience. I had a bad experience in Venice with a squat toilet in a nice restaurant. It was filthy! “Stuff” everywhere. I was sick the next day and wondered if it had anything to do with that. Looks like you’re having a fabulous trip.

 

[jgl130]

There were "strip malls" along the side of the road (for lack of a better term), and many of them looked like they hadn't been used in years.

We were in Jordan in February and asked our driver about it. Apparently, like in Cairo (my family lived there 2000-2005), if a building is “finished” they have to pay some sort of property tax on it. If it’s not they don’t. So a lot of “unfinished” buildings everywhere!

I feel you on the bathrooms! Though we had quite a few squat pots along the way. I actually preferred those!