Team Brody

Reflections on a Sabbatical in Jordan

2009-05-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Sabbatical is such a fantastic concept. If only we could easily adapt it for every sector of the workplace.
We are very, very fortunate to have been in Jordan for the Spring sabbatical months…and we know it. The chance to spend four months our of lives out of our comfort zone and out of our schedules was/is priceless. The ability to reflect – and not be planning for…something – is a gift. So…at the risk of getting personal in a public forum, here are some reflections:

- It was moving to witness Aaron being able to focus on research – uninterrupted – and get excited about it, and complete the research.
- Jordan – and the Levant – is a fascinating, complex, beautiful, at times – frustrating, dynamic place to live and visit. I learned a lot and look forward to continuing to learn…
- I have a really cool kid. Sorry – can’t verbalize it more eloquently. Even though the philosophical phase is driving me nuts, I admire and am awed by Noah’s curiosity, reason, creativity, and flexibility. The chance to spend so much time together as a family is truly a treasure.

I think we’re all ready to get back to routines and some familiar elements of our past life, but we’ll keep the memories of this time in Jordan close to us.

P.S. It IS possible to travel through the Middle East with a toddler….and enjoy it.

The Final Countdown

2009-05-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Since the Cinco party, we’ve been laying low and slowly packing. I think we’re all looking forward to heading home. Noah’s drawings of Oakland are becoming more frequent. Our ‘low-laying’ has included some suq shopping, neighborhood wandering, and reading (oh, and working for Aaron).
We went swimming at a hotel and enjoyed every minute, indulging in a muffin break at (gasp) Starbucks after our swim.
Longing for something a little different, we made sushi in our apartment, thanks largely to Kim, the sushi master.
Had a great Mother’s Day that included the opportunity to shave my legs listening to Mozart arias UNINTERRUPTED. We trolled around downtown doing the final shopping and then hiked up to my favorite neighborhood, around Rainbow Street. Saw a fantastic photography exhibition at Wild Jordan and enjoyed smoothies in the café before heading back to ACOR. Ahhh….
We’re now in the final countdown (its Tuesday and we leave Friday) and are about half packed. Kim comes to stay with us tomorrow and we’re looking forward to Denise’s public lecture Wednesday evening (Figurines from Ain Gazal). Thursday we may visit the Children’s Museum one final time and Friday we’ll hit a suq near Wild Jordan before departing for DC at midnight.

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

The next main event was a Cinco de Mayo celebration – an excuse to have Mexican food, drink, and to celebrate Robert’s 29th birthday (he’s had a few 29th birthdays). Noah and I prepared for the party by making a birthday cake. The first cake failed miserably, so we built a hypocaust column out of the bits (these are the columns that support the floors of Roman baths – Robert studies Roman baths). The second cake came out better thanks to Noah and his micromanagement. Complete with margaritas, Mexican beer, chili, tamales, LIMES, and Janet’s amazing spring rolls, the Cinco feast was fantastic. Robert and Noah did a stellar job of blowing out birthday candles. The entertainment included a piñata brought back from the States just for the occasion. Noah put forth a remarkable effort, as did Robert, but it was Samurai James who unburdened the beast. With minimal competition, Noah gleefully cleaned up after the broken piñata.

Gazing at the Golan

2009-05-13T04:45:00.000-07:00

Rattled around ACOR for a couple days, one of which included some rug shopping, before doing a field trip – via public transportation – to a site in the north, near the Golan Heights and the Syrian border. Had a relatively smooth trip (taxi to bus station in Amman, serveece taxi to Irbid, minibus to north bus station in Irbid, minibus to Um Qais) to Um Qais and thoroughly enjoyed the sight. It’s a little creepy knowing that the government kicked out the last folks living there in the 80s so as to turn the site into a park, but the Ottoman houses with reused stones from the older parts of the site are spectacular. The views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights are stunning. Our favorite bit was a Byzantine Church with a crypt under the apse (so cool). Made for some great exploring. We had lunch at the Resthouse (complete with a glass of wine – priceless), enjoyed the views, and tried to figure out where the borders are. Traveled back to Amman without incident (random van [I’m not kidding] from Um Qais to Irbid, minibus to Irbid south station, bus to Amman, taxi to ACOR), and arrived at around the same time at folks returning from the States. Robert, and ACOR fellow whose birthday is May 5, returned with his wife Erin. Robert had arranged with Noah before he left to have some door decorations for Erin. Noah decided that a full body, life-size, trace of him (Noah) would be perfect.

The Steamy Quest for John B's head

2009-05-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

The next day we headed out to Tall Hisban, just north of Madaba on the Kings Highway. Took us a while to find the entrance to the site (apologies to the family whose front yard we canvassed), but when we did we delighted in the ruins of a multi-period tell site. After trolling around the tell, we wandered down the street to check out the late Ottoman (?) remains. Beautiful stone houses that – it appears – the road cut right through.
We packed a crabby kid (“I’m tired of falling down columns and old houses.”) back into the car and headed south for Mukawir, a fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. Mukawir is Machareus, where Salome is said to have danced for Herod in order to secure her request for John the Baptist’s head. Perched on a whopper of a hill next to the Dead Sea, the views and the climb are more spectacular than the partially reconstructed ruins. We arrived at the same time as a bus load of Italian tourists, and were treated to some hymns and a dramatic reenactment of Ms. Salome’s dance and request for John’s head…in Italian. Ran into another archaeologist (that we had seen at Hisban) on the hike up to the palace (who else does this?) and enjoyed the hike up, and even more so down, Mukawir. Drove back via the Dead Sea and stopped at some thermal springs on the way. As you descend, the rock color changes to black, and the temperature rises – both inside the car (as it’s a really steep, treacherous road) and out. The waterfalls and springs at Hammamat Ma’in are 60 degrees CELCIUS. Wild. In our wanderings at the park, Noah was chased and eventually lured (with Doritos…the gals had his number) over to where a family was picnicking. We sat and chatted a bit, learning just how pathetic our Arabic is, and thoroughly enjoying the company. Noah, for his part, kindly obliged and gave good-bye hugs when we left (Doritos are a powerful bribe). We beat a hasty retreat back to Amman so as to be at ACOR in time to return the rental car. Curiously enough, we didn’t get pulled over by the police once today. All bets were lost.

Dana-na-na-na

2009-05-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

The morning after Z’s farewell, we departed for Aqaba – Noah, Kim, Aaron, and me – in a car stuffed to the gills (as Kim was moving down to Aqaba). We left early, made great time, and Kim was settled in by 11 am. On the way back to Amman (Amman to Aqaba is about a 4-5 hour drive), we stopped at the Dana Nature Reserve overlook and enjoyed a picnic and the views. Further up the road, in the Wadi Hasa, we detoured to sneak a peek at a Nabatean site, Khirbet adh Darih. Wow. Though the rubble road had us cringing (of course, the ONE time we don’t get comprehensive insurance for the rental car), the site was spectacular and completely worth the worry. The setting was remarkable too….in a wadi without much else around. Got pulled over by the police several times (we’re taking bets on how many times we’ll get pulled over tomorrow) and ran into a bit of traffic (sheep crossing), but otherwise arrived back at ACOR safe and sound before dark.

Doskoro Zdravko

2009-05-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

We had our first Fellow departure and bid a fond farewell to Zdravko Dimitrov (known as ‘Z’ to us Westerners that have a tough time with more than one consonant in a word) over dinner and Arak. Z was/is the most intrepid traveler here, and we already miss him and hearing of his adventures.

Puttering around Amman

2009-04-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Since the Aqaba adventure and Aaron’s return, we’ve been rattling around the Center. Aaron’s managed to get a lot of work done and is now plugging away at the last item on his list. Noah and I have been up to the usual cartoons, drawing, fort building, soccer (and now football) playing, and general exploring. I have discovered a lovely, private corner of the Center (that I can’t tell you about, lest my solitude be broken) where I escape for an hour or two of alone time each day (insha’allah) while Aaron and Noah work on their male bonding. Priceless.
Buddy Kim returned from the States a couple days ago and we’ll be moving her down to Aqaba tomorrow at some funny hour in the morning and hopefully, while we have the rental car, heading to Dana for some hiking on the way back to Amman. We have the car for a couple days, so we’re going to head for Mukawir the following day to continue the quest for John the Baptist’s head. Stay tuned…

Taking Aqaba by storm...sandstorm

2009-04-29T22:42:00.001-07:00

After a delightful down day – during which Noah and I did a lot of drawing, soccer, and fort building – we headed to the bus station to pick up tickets for our trip to Aqaba the following day. Hiked up to Paris Circle in search of an ATM (silly, really, there are lots of ATMs near the bus station) and then headed back home.
Funny… Noah seems to miss Aaron when he hits the threshold of the ACOR kitchen. He’ll zoom down the stairs and through the dining room, will pause to turn on the kitchen lights, and will then announce, “Mama, I miss Abba.” Interesting.
Headed down to Aqaba on the 11 am bus (so civilized) on Saturday. It didn’t dawn on me until we were on the bus that a) it’s a 4+ hour ride with a wiggly kid; b) I’m traveling by myself in the Middle East with my kid. I got over it pretty quickly and Noah, compared to the other kids on the bus, was a total prince. We arrived in Aqaba without incident and checked into to the admittedly swanky hotel. Faster than Superman could have changed in his phone booth, we were in our bathing suits and on the beach working on our sand castles. We had dinner at the beach restaurant and we were fawned over by the Chef (nice). Noah out-ate me (pizza) and beat me at tic-tac-toe, while I sipped beer (rough) and enjoyed the moment.
The next day brought more beach time and some swimming. The sandstorm didn’t stop us. I had forgotten that it was Easter (Eastern Orthodox – decreed by the King to be Jordan’s Easter) and when we returned to our room, there was a Greek Easter break and a chocolate bunny. Three Feet of Fun was overjoyed. After another romantic dinner with Noah and we tucked ourselves in. There was a little excitement in the evening…our neighbors were having a party and one of their guests knocked on the wrong door (ours) and proceeded (without thinking) to walk in. He apologized profusely, I slammed the door, and when my heart stopped racing – no harm, no foul.
Crammed in some final beach hours the next morning before checking out of the hotel, heading out to lunch (McDonalds – a big treat…for both of us), and over to the bus station. Rode on the double-decker bus back up to Amman, but not without doing an unexpected 30 minute stop for gas first. Between the sandstorm and the tinted windows, it was an eerie ride home. Noah slept through most of it though and we arrived at ACOR in time for bed. Aaron arrived home at 3 am and we were all knackered but happy to be together the following day.

Pam's visit - No JO (northern Jordan)

2009-04-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

The next day Pam and I explored Amman while Aaron and Noah puttered around ACOR. We started at the Citadel, taking in the Museum, the Umayad palace, Temple of Heracles, and Byzantine churches and houses, before heading down the stairs to the Roman theater and its Folk Museums. We visited my favorite art/cultural center, Darat al Fanun, where we found that all of the exhibits were closed for installation. Bummer. Its still a beautiful spot though. We wandered around the neighborhood (Jebel Weibdah) and trolled through the National Art Museum before heading back to ACOR and out to Reem al Bawadie for dinner.
The following day we all headed to Jerash. We climbed around the ruins and admired the wildflowers (which really were spectacular). Back at ACOR, Pam and I walked to our local suq and did some shopping.
Aaron left at some funny hour in the morning for Malta and Noah and Pam and I headed for the airport after breakfast the next morning. After a fairly uneventful send off (during which Noah and I bluffed our way all the way up to immigration with Pam. In bluffing our way out, I was told that I spoke ‘camel arabic’. True. But ouch.), Noah and I hopped the airport bus and headed back to the city.

Oh, Jerusalem

2009-04-23T05:53:00.000-07:00

Headed to the Allenby Bridge bright and early the next morning. Crossed the border with much less excitement than we expected (Team Brody’s passports are pretty colorful these days) and were in East Jerusalem by lunch. A delightfully unexpected snafu allowed us all to stay at the St. George Guest House and we were able to check in early and head out to lunch at Big Al’s (Al Shukri? Al Somebody…. those who have spent time at the Albright know what I’m talking about). We spent the afternoon in the Old City and wandered down the Via Dolorosa (not remembering the significance of ANY of the stations of the cross – such lousy tour guides). We tried to get up to the Temple Mount, only to be turned back and told to try again tomorrow. Pam and I went to the ladies side of the Western Wall and took in the scene, reverentially backing out of the area as the other gals were doing. We wandered over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and got swept up in the confusing, diverse, and overwhelming services there. Having first been barred entry into the church because a Bishop (?) parade was entering the church, we headed up to the Ethiopian area of the church (this is my favorite) and hung out on the room listening to the Christian chants coming from the central dome while the call to prayer sounded from the neighboring mosque. Following a sign, we entered the Syrian Coptic area of the church and descended some stairs into an ancient cistern still containing water. We came out of this area of the church and managed to sneak into the main section – in between processions – and were swallowed by a number of different services. While we couldn’t go into the sepulcher itself, we had front row seats for some service that included a slew of folks marching around the structure three times and singing. Noah was mesmerized by the ‘smoke’ (incense) and a couple of the clergy pinched his cheeks each time the procession would march by. Went down to St. Helena’s chapel (another favorite spot) and up to the area where the Medici altar is. Couldn’t see the altar through the people, but we were able to admire the stunning mosaics in this area. Spent a lot of time trapped near the stone where Jesus is said to have been laid out before burial. It’s not the real thing, but it treated as such by the pilgrims visiting the site. Lots of kissing, cloth rubbing, touching.
Left the church and headed back to East Jerusalem straying to the rooftops of the Old City for a different view and wandering back through the Jewish Quarter. After a dinner that included a much anticipated Taybeh (Palestinian microbrew that is as good as we remembered), we headed back to St. George’s to sleep.
The next morning we delighted in colored eggs at breakfast (western Easter) and headed over to the Albright after we checked out. Aaron and Noah delighted in hanging out with the Masters (Dan, Emily, Jeffrey, and Lucy) while Pam and I headed back to the Old City to visit the Temple Mount. After wading through the crowds at the Wall (it was Passover) and the police with riot gear at the foreigner’s entrance to the Temple Mount, we ascended to the Temple Mount. We weren’t allowed in to see the Dome of the Rock (as we’re not Muslim), but we drank in the beautiful construction and decoration of the buildings. Had a great view of the Mount of Olives while we read the guidebook and listened to the caretaker of the shrine yell at an Italian tourist to cover herself. After the Temple Mount, we headed to the Jewish Quarter – again, clogged with Passover celebrations – to see the Burnt House (the remains of a Roman period house). Watched a movie about the house in Hebrew only realizing AFTER the movie that the headphones we were handed would have allowed us to listen to the movie in English. Oh well. From the Burnt House, we headed to the Tower of David. We were stopped by a procession of kids and bagpipe players marching down the street of the Old City. They apparently followed us to the Tower of David and we were able to see them (and their security) from the top of the Tower. Can you spot the sniper in this photo? Really enjoyed the seemingly incongruous Chilhuly (sp?) sculptures (here’s the ‘grass’) sprinkled throughout the Tower.
Made our way back to the Albright to catch up with Dan and Emily (many thanks for the hospitality!) before heading back to the border and on to Amman. While the trip over to Jerusalem took five hours, the trip back took only three.

Pam meets Petra...and a few fort/castles

2009-04-23T05:20:00.000-07:00

Pam (my aunt) arrived on April 8 to great fanfare - because she’s Pam and because she brought with her four (or was it six?) dozen tamales and salsa. There was MUCH rejoicing (and feasting) throughout the Center.

The next morning we left early and drove to Petra. Stopped on the way to sneak a peak at Shobak (a Crusader castle) before continuing on south. Vowing not to hike to the Monastery again (sorry, Pam), we hiked the siq, trolled around the churches and temples, and explored a Wadi looking for the entrance to a Crusader fort. Aaron managed to locate and snap a photo of a mosaic of Oceanus for use in his presentation in Malta next week (nice). No forts in the Wadi, but we did find a family living in a cave instead. Noticed the path to the fort upon our exit. Nuts. Next time…
Rolled out of Petra in the late afternoon and drove to Aqaba to spend the night. After a traditional meal in a ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant downtown, we succumbed to the ‘I-hiked-Petra’ sleep.

The next morning, Noah and Aaron worked on sand castle construction, while I dragged Pam around Aqaba. We visited the spots I excavated a million years ago (the photo of the mudbrick walls is part of what’s left of the oldest putative church – built as a church) and Pam was very patient while I got excited about chunks of mud and windblown sand. We then walked along the waterfront to the fort (cool spot) and Islamic Ayla (great presentation) before returning to the beach to check on the boys.

After checking out of the hotel shortly thereafter, we were on our way to Kerak, a Crusader castle, on our way back up to Amman. WOW. I had never been to Kerak before….man, I love the castles here! We did our obligatory search for knights, coming up empty handed (shocking). A highlight of the visit included a couple guys playing instruments in the castle (including an oud - a guitar-like instrument). Noah, who had run ahead with Aaron, yelled back at me over the din of the tourists, “Mama! There’s the oud Dude!”
Drove back to Amman via the Kings Highway with spectacular views in the Wadi Mujib. Made it back to Amman just as night was falling (we turn into pumpkins – or road kill – if we drive after dark here) and tucked ourselves in gearing up for a weekend (Easter) trip to Jerusalem.

Salt on the Mother of Camels

2009-04-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

Had about a week of downtime at ACOR in which Aaron studiously worked (and got to check out the collection at the Citadel) and Noah and I “puttered around”. On Friday, we went out to Umm al Jimal (“The Mother of Camels”), near the Syrian border, with every intention of taking the bus. We ended up taking a taxi out the site (thankfully – as we learned that buses don’t go there on Fridays) and were enthralled. We’ll have to go back. It’s like the Dead Cities of Syria met the Desert Castles of Jordan. FANTASTIC. Very cool city made of basalt and sprinkled with cisterns.
The following day, we headed out to Salt (about 30 mins. outside of Amman) with the unflappable Kim. The bus is conveniently located right across the street in front of the University. It was a gorgeous day and we oogled the Ottoman architecture and headed up to see the English Hospital, now a school for the deaf. The generous caretaker took us on a tour of the facilities and offered us tea (Noah was a big fan). After a chicken lunch, we headed back to Amman.
We also enjoyed a visit from a friend from Ashkelon days…..and Noah is still asking, “Where is Peter Chomowitz?” Peter, you left a mark.
My aunt Pam arrived hours after Peter left and we embarked on a whirlwind tour…hang on to your hats…..

Brody Family Visit

2009-04-21T00:33:00.000-07:00

After being back in Amman for a little over 24 hours, Aaron’s intrepid family (Mom, Dad, and brother Dave) arrived in Jordan. Exploring locally, we went to the Amman citadel and Archaeology Museum (where Noah forced Grandma to read to him) on their first day in the country. The beautiful weather accentuated the ruins. That evening ACOR fellow Geoff Clark gave a riveting lecture on the origins of early man. A reception followed and we (Aaron and I) ended the evening happily chatted with ACOR fellows and visiting fellows from the sister institution in Jerusalem.
The next day Aaron and family went to Iraq al Amir while I got to catch up with dig buddies. Ahhhh. Girl time.
Jerash was on the docket for the following day. While Aaron worked, the Brodys and I headed for the classical ruins.
Having visited some of Amman’s (and environs) sites, we headed south in a rental van with Aaron at the helm. Our first stop was Umm er Rasas with its rock “Omestic” houses and fantastic mosaics. The public presentation of the site is well done and just about finished. Our favorite was the “car bark”. Thank goodness that it was “disabled”. Continuing south, we stopped at Shobak – a beautiful desert castle perched on a steep hill. The main excitement occurred when we tried to leave via the one, narrow, hillside road that leads to and from the castle. There was a stand-off (our van going down, three cars coming up and our van could not back up) that resulted in some negotiation and our pulling as close to the mountain as possible so that the cars could eek by us. The rest of the way down the mountain, I ran – Rocky-style – in front of the van so as to head off oncoming traffic. Not quite sure what we would have done if we had encountered any. We rolled into the hotel in Wadi Musa later in the afternoon and enjoyed a drink while watching the sun set over the mountains of Petra. One of the hotel cats jumped into Aaron’s lap, curled up, and went to sleep. Very sweet. The next morning we headed into Petra. After Mom and Dad departed in their chariot (very brave of them), Aaron, Noah, Dave, and I hiked into the site. Even with a million tourists (or so it seemed), Petra is remarkable. Still breathing normally by the time we reached the museum, we decided to hike up to the Monastery. I should mention that Noah had been riding on my back for the walk in – except for a brief period when he chased Uncle Dave. We did actually make it up to the Monastery, which is in fact not a monastery but a spectacular Nabatean tomb. The view was worth the climb even with an extra 35 lbs on your back (40 lbs if you count the rocks that Noah undoubtedly had stashed in his pockets). The walk out of the siq seems so much longer after hiking to the Monastery, but we met up with Aaron’s folks at the hotel swimming pool (ahhh) in the later afternoon.
After a great night’s sleep, we left the next morning for Aqaba, taking a drive through a paved part of Wadi Rum on the way.
While Aqaba has developed substantially in the ten years since I worked there, the mountains, sun, and sea remain the same. We stayed at a beautiful hotel and – after visiting the sites where I excavated – we all just relaxed and enjoyed the hotel and the beach. Noah – who had been bugging us for months to go to the beach – FINALLY got to play in the sand. The next morning our beach time was tempered by the near-drowning of a German tourist, but thankfully Three Feet of Fun was oblivious.
We headed back to Amman via the Dead Sea and marveled at the scenery around the Wadi Mujib. We stayed around ACOR the following day, while the day after Aaron’s family headed out to see the desert castles in eastern Jordan. Dave left the next morning and the final few days with Aaron’s parents included outings to the Mall (where we found a good French restaurant – who knew?), to the Royal Automobile Museum and Children’s Museums, and to Madaba and Mount Nebo (where Moses is said to have looked on the ‘Promised Land’). Wow. Aaron and I had never been to Nebo before and we were floored by the view. Noah summed it up, “isn’t this a gweat view, Mama?” Since the departure of Aaron’s folks, we’ve been laying low: Aaron’s looking at collections (having finally secured the necessary permissions) and I’m working on revising an article and honing my soccer skills (so that a three year old doesn’t beat the pants off me).
April 1 was Barbara Porter’s three year anniversary as Director of ACOR and there were a couple of celebrations – a party hosted by our West Point neighbors on March 31 and a pastry and coffee celebration on the day of the anniversary. Here’s to many more years, Barbara.

More to come....

2009-04-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

Sincerest apologies....we have so much to report on....a two-week visit with Aaron's family, a visit with Chrissy's aunt that included Easter in Jerusalem....
I promise that we'll get to it in about a week (Aaron's currently in Malta at a conference and Noah and I are headed to the beach for some serious sand castle building). Please stay tuned...

Beirut to Damascus to Amman, oh my

2009-03-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

Day 15 –
Met up with John (back from a mission somewhere, I’m sure) and headed out of Lebanon. Weather was kind of blah – rain and fog – and it made us glad that our hands were being held (in terms of travel arrangements). No exit tax in Lebanon, but the border was pretty crowded. No problems getting into Syria either and John dropped us at the service station at noon. Organized tour or pre-arranged transport lull one into complacency and we were bombarded by the shebab in Damascus. Somebody carried our bags and argued for a pretty nice tip. The official service guy marched us to the appropriate car with loud protests from somebody else. Found another traveler and eventually took off. You have to register – so the service driver took our passports and sauntered back…a while later. Then there’s paperwork before you leave the station and again on the road out – wouldn’t have noticed it as much if the car weren’t a sauna and our other passenger was glaring at the driver…adding to the heat in the car. Made it as far as the turn off for Jordan and our driver pulled over and kicked us out – quickly – into another car. Luckily, the fourth passenger grabbed the passports from the driver, the new driver grabbed the luggage and we were off again.
Huh?
The new driver stopped to pick up olives – conveniently at a place where they sold exit vouchers and we got our vouchers and left. Our new driver was the ultimate Operator. Told us that Noah needed a voucher and when we were in Amman (after being told by Syrian officials that Noah did not require the voucher) he ‘kindly’ offered to take it off our hands. (We played dumb and will give it to someone at ACOR to use.) Got to the Syrian exit point and the driver takes off to duty free to buy two cell phones (for him and the fourth passenger – they’re sharing cigarettes and are fast friends at this point). They throw some trash out the window (between Syria and Jordan) and ask Aaron to mule over the phones. Aaron stuffs them in his coat and we head to the Jordanian checkpoint where all luggage is removed and checked and the driver has to open the hood and the trunk and the car is thoroughly searched. Looking for duty free cell phones, I’m sure. All our bags were checked. We eventually scooted off and the driver ran off to get a Jordanian phone card (?). Just past the last checkpoint, there were a lot of ‘tislamu’s and requests for the mule-d phones, which Aaron produced. Not too much further, the fourth passenger bid us goodbye and we headed to Amman. Noah – having passed the opportunity to have his diaper changed at the border – loaded up a big stinky one (sorry – I’ve run out of polite ways to put that) and demanded to have it changed. After I explained that it can’t happen until the car stops, Noah finally acquiesced and fell asleep – bum up (pee eww) in the seat. We arrived in Amman safely (after seeing a couple serious accidents) and battle, lightly, the Operator over the fare. We dodged the Syrian mafia (not really, but the transport guys can be pushy) and caught a very mellow cab back to ACOR. Noah was still loaded – so to speak – at this point and super crabby because his beauty sleep was interrupted. He perked up immediately when we arrived at ACOR and yelled, “Look, Mama, its Jebel Nuh (Noah Mountain)!!!!” One day, three countries, four backpacks, two adults, and one…Noah – back at ACOR safe and sound. Many thanks for the prayers and well wishes. We had a fantastic journey!

Anchors away - Byblos

2009-03-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Day 13 – Byblos, Beirut
Met Amelie and a different driver today and headed for Byblos. There was a big thunderstorm and rain last night and residual rain today making the drive up the coast really dramatic. Byblos is SO beautiful. Ottoman fishing village made of stone. Like the Jewish quarter in Jerusalem – only by the sea. And the tell…wow. There’s so much there. Amelie flashed her ICOM card and got us all into the site. There’s a really nice museum in the Crusader castle. Wandered around the site for a while – so spectacular – and went on a quest to find a temple where 5 ancient stone anchors are built into a staircase. Was hilarious and fun as Amelie was on the phone to an ex-department of antiquities friend and we were all scrambling over the site. Persistence paid off and we finally found them 15 feet high and covered in weeds. Aaron and Amelie scaled the perimeter of the 15 ft. ascent and Amelie – tislamu (bless her) – battled the weeds so that Aaron could get a photo.
(Aaron wrote his dissertation on the religion of ancient sailors and Byblos – and its anchors – featured prominently.) Looks like one of the five anchors had fallen a bit from its perch (evidently it was wobbly a couple months ago). Wonder if any will be left in a few years. Mission accomplished, we got back in the car and headed back to Beirut where we bid adieu to Amelie and grabbed a sandwich and a nap.
Can’t believe how fortunate we are to be here. The elections in June could make it difficult for tourists to travel here. So glad we had the chance to experience it – albeit much too briefly – now. Would love to come back and do a ‘beach vacation’ at Byblos. The old dig house is magnificent. Think anyone would mind if we moved in?
Everybody napped in the p.m. and about 5 pm we headed out down Hamra Street in search of an ATM. Not only did we find one that worked, but it spoke to us in English, French, or Arabic and dispensed Lebanese Lire or US Dollars. Crazy. We noticed last night (and again this evening at McDonalds) that the two currencies are used interchangeably. Wandered down to the sea and strolled along the promenade. The older houses of Beirut – the ones still standing, of course – are so beautiful. Very Mediterranean-meets-Middle East. Ended up near a McDonalds where we obliged Noah with a cheeseburger and ice cream before walking all the way around the promenade (the “corniche”) back to Hamra Street. (AUB’s campus is restricted to students, staff, and faculty only so you have to circumnavigate the campus to get our hotel – above campus.) Aiming for Lebanese food, we ended up at an Italian pizza place where we delighted in pizza with HAM and PEPPERONI and WINE. Heathens. Amazing. We’ve been eating no “Lebanese food” while we’ve been here – only in Syria. Pork and alcohol, however….
Headed back to the hotel and we’re settled in. Amazed at our travels and experiences and so thankful that we’ve been able to do what we have, when we have and looking forward to – inshallah – reaching our apartment at ACOR tomorrow night.

Sigh....Sidon

2009-03-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Day 13 – Sidon
Noah seems okay and is happily watching Disney Playhouse, but our neighbors had a raging party last night. They finally stopped talking at 3 am. We’re knackered.
HALLELUJAH! Met John and the van outside at 9 am and the ergo was on the back seat. Whew. Headed out to Sidon, about one hour south of Beirut. Drove through a neighborhood that was pretty clearly Hezbollah. There were military checkpoints. Then later at an intersection a couple guys flagged John to stop. They came to the window and tried to give him Hezbollah leaflets…and then tried to give it to Aaron. John smoothed out a, “la habibi” and we drove off. Its easy to see – after that – how things can go wonky in a minute here. To that end, I’m convinced that John is ex-military or something. So smooth. Went to the Qa’la (the castle) on the sea in Sidon, where Noah delighted in building a sand mountain in one of the rooms for about 20 minutes. After throwing a few handfuls of rocks into the sea, we convinced him to leave. We wandered through the suqs (manageable because it was Friday) - which were incredible. Narrow streets, in some areas it looked like we were walking through basement rooms in a castle (stone corbelled ceilings). Came out of the suq looking at a castle built on top of the old tell. There was a pile of columns and a sarcophagus peeking through the wildflowers at the bottom of the hill. The adjacent hill, Murex Hill, is the old dump pile and is now a cemetery. The old city climbs up the tell at bit on one side. Walked back on the promenade along the sea. Beautiful. Headed back to Beirut and got dropped at the National Museum. Spectacular stuff and really great exhibits and layout. There was a movie that we sadly didn’t get to see about the rescuing of the collection during the civil war. There is a small exhibit highlighting the damage that some works sustained. Frightening. The museum is relatively close to the Green Line in the East, or Christian, part of town. Managed to catch a cab and head back to the hotel. Cabs are weird. They’re essentially services (shared taxis), until they decide they don’t want to be. You have to tell the driver where you’re going and he’ll decide whether or not he’ll take you. Tried to move rooms at the hotel, but the hotel is full. Management will ‘speak with’ our offending neighbors. Fingers are crossed for a quieter night. Tried to nap. Aaron did. Noah harrumphed, “this nap is too long” and so we headed out to an internet café to download photos. Going to meet up with Amelie in an hour.
Tried to feed Noah leftover hamburger (we have a fridge in our room) knowing that we’d be eating late. Poor guy must still be having tummy troubles because we saw that burger again. Seemed okay after…so we met up with Amelie who drove us downtown. Downtown was virtually a shell after the war – ground zero, if you like. When they started to rebuild, archaeologists worked non-stop, following bulldozers, for four years. Amelie’s descriptions are incredible. The rebuilding is pretty incredible too. Pedestrian streets, buildings redone in “French Mandate” style but without years of grime, and a glittering mosque that looks like the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Went into the Greek Orthodox church of St. George to see its stunningly beautiful paintings. There’s some archaeological feature visible in the basement, but it was closed. There are three St. George churches in one block – Armenian, Greek Orthodox, and Maronite (?) and two churches-cum-mosques within a two block radius.
Amelie very kindly and graciously took us to dinner at DUO. Noah had plain pasta and kept it down. I had a delicious salad bar. So many good green things. Avacado. Green beans not in butter. Was thrilling. The wine was delicious, the company so delightful, and Noah behaved and fell asleep in my lap at about 9:30 pm. Back to the hotel by 10:30 and although our neighbors weren’t silent, there were no parties. Hurray!

Beirut Bound

2009-03-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Day 12 – Lebanon, Baalbeck
After breakfast, we got a call in our room, “Good morning, Mr. Brody? Would you like to go to Beirut?” Yes, please. One loaded diaper and paid hotel bill later, we met John, our driver, and piled into a very nice, large, van. Breezed out of Syria (about 45 min. to the border) with John’s help and bribes. Similarly, our entry into Lebanon was also easy thanks to John. At one point, we had to pay for the entry visas into Lebanon. The road was divided – one way in and one way out. The ATMs and money changes were all on the ‘way out’ side. John walked Aaron up the road about 200m to a man with a huge roll of bills who changed the money. Funny.
Headed up the Bekka valley – a fertile valley known for its wineries, Hezbollah strongholds, and hash growing. It was weird to see the mix of conservative (i.e., women without their heads covered) and ….not. There were posters everywhere of the three amigos – two clerics (one Iranian?) and one General. Propaganda abounds. But there were also a few hospitals. Checkpoints everywhere too. Baalbeck is… WOW. It’s the most complete, extensive Roman temple site I’ve seen. It might beat out…gasp – the acropolis. There’s a very cool hexagon–shaped area. Carvings and ornamental architecture in situ. The columns were colossal. Ran into a group of Americans on tour – teachers (many retired) from a Community College near Philadelphia. Really enjoyed chatting with them. We may see them again as they head to Jordan on the 18th. (Postscript – we DID run into them at Petra later. Small world…) The guides at Baalbeck were joking with Noah when we first arrived – they asked him not to knock over the columns. There was also a very funny scene near the ‘medieval castle’ where Noah and an armed solider were making faces at each other (fingers in the sides of mouths and tongues stuck out). There are some really nice site museums as well. One highlights the necropolis just outside of town. They have a sarcophagus open with a burial (bones and dirt inside). Sandwiched in between plexi, just above the bones and dirt, are the burial ornaments (jewelry, gold laureate). Noah was fascinated. He wanted to know why you put dead guys in sarcophagi and why dead people stink. (Try explaining that. I dare you.)
Fighting off the persistent chicklet and Hezbollah t-shirt hawkers, we headed for Beirut, stopping about an hour out for a pee and a sandwich with HAM and cheese. Can’t tell you how excited we were about the ham. Real ham. PORK ham.
The drive is beautiful and there are really lovely 1800s stone buildings with veranda and shutters along the way. Some empty, some occupied. Drove along the sea in Beirut and got to see all of the rebuilding downtown. It’s wild. Brand new 21st century buildings next to bombed out hulls. I hope to get some photos. Its’ remarkable. The promenade is beautiful. Made it to the hotel where I realized that I committed a near fatal mistake – I LOST THE ERGO. I hope against all hope that I left it in the van and that we’ll see it tomorrow. (We called the tour company that we used and explained the situation.) If we don’t see it tomorrow, I’ll cry….(my greatest fear is that I dropped it at Ballbeck on the way to the van. I don’t think so, but…)
Aaron got in touch with Amelie (a friend of Aaron’s from grad school) and we agreed to meet at 4 pm to see the American University in Beirut (AUB) museum. The campus is a beautiful…gasp…college campus – in the middle of Beirut. Wild. Its now mostly smoke-free, there are well-fed cats creeping around campus, beautiful flowering trees and shrubs and a spectacular view of the sea. The museum is amazing – great stuff, recently renovated. It’s fantastic. Noah was into a hawk mummy and a Tell Ghassul (?) burial, while I was drooling over Islamic pottery.
So good to see Amelie…and to see her in situ! She was fantastic with a cranky Noah who took about 20 minutes to ask her to read to him. She recommended ‘Roadhouse Diner’ (we promised Noah a cheeseburger when we got to Beirut) and we were on our way. Had cheeseburgers (one with PORK BACON!) and beer, paid with a credit card, and everyone spoke English. Where are we? Going through a bit of culture shock…
Noah was a little lethargic and complained of his ear and belly hurting. Hope he’s okay. Got some Lebanese pull-up diapers (that Noah’s not sold on – “they’re too poofy, Mama”) and headed back to the hotel for a Dude shower, a cartoon, some children's Motrin, and bed. Hope he’s better tomorrow. Poor guy…

Back to the big D - Damascus

2009-03-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

Day 11 – Damascus
After breakfast today, we came back to the room where Noah promptly barfed. Nice. Poor guy. He seemed okay…we made him drink a lot of water, wiped up the barf with a towel (the room still smells though), and then headed out. He was a little bit subdued, so I ended up carrying him most of the day, which was fine. Wandered around the old city, admiring and shopping, for most of the day. This is the one place in the world where I could just keep shopping. There are so many beautiful things. Had lunch at the Narcissus Palace – yet another beautiful old house. The best was a plate of plain rice for the little guy with a rumbly tummy – who ended up making his specialty, a rice filled pita sandwich.
Stressing a little bit about the border crossing tomorrow (into Lebanon – we don’t have any US dollars left), but ‘sababa’. I’m sure everything will be fine.
Went to dinner at Aldar Restaurant. Wanted to see what a modern take on a historic house was like. Interesting. Low lighting, modern art, open portion of the kitchen (meaning you could see it – it was glassed in) – old Damascene house. Wild. After ten days of not catering (too much) to Three Feet of Fun, we broke down (on account of a sick kid) and asked if the kitchen could make a bowl of pasta with butter for Noah. They obliged -Noah was thrilled. We shared a bottle of wine - we were thrilled. Had a really good Greek salad and a fantastic sojok (meatballs in tomato sauce). Worried about Noah hurling after eating the majority of his pasta, I made him walk (make that jump) part of the way back. Headed back at 9 pm (late for us), it appears that Damascus operates on toddler-time too; the streets were rolling up.

Krak is wack - Aleppo to Damascus via Hama and Krak

2009-03-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Day 10 – Aleppo, Krak, Damascus
Said our goodbyes at the Baron Hotel this morning. There was a very funny scene where Mr. Walid was doing some antics that were making Noah howl with laughter. It got him (Mr. Walid) a goodbye hug from Noah that he seemed to genuinely cherish. Met Jihad (yeah, yeah) and began our journey south. Note to self – two nights without a lot of sleep (I shared a bed with Noah, who travels in his sleep) + a five hour taxi ride trapped in the backseat with a 3.5 year old going through his philosophical phase = some creative and some crabby answers to the question WHY. I’m ‘why-ed’ out. "I don’t know" doesn’t seem to be an acceptable answer. What a drag.
Jihad’s family is from Aleppo and Hama (three brothers died in the 1982 massacre and this led to his mother’s death as well). He stopped in Hama and showed us the waterwheels and drove us through the old town and by the citadel. It’s a beautiful city. Lots of Ottoman architecture still left, streets bisected by overpassing aquaducts, and lush countryside. Quaint.
Several ‘why’s later, we arrived at Krak le Chevalier. The surrounding area is so beautiful – green, fertile, with streams, happy cows sitting in fields chewing (and I thought happy cows came from Berkeley), fat sheep wandering around, and wildflowers highlighting the livestock….beautiful.
And Krak. Krak is wack. The most complete castle I’ve seen. Built (or beefed up) in the 12th and 13th centuries (?) by the Knights of St. John, the castle could garrison up to 2,000 soldiers, but housed 2-300 at the time of its takeover. There are stables, toilets (two kinds!), large arched and domed halls, a HUGE oven, storage area with the jars half buried in situ, and a basilica reused as a mosque. Words can’t describe it and photos won’t do it justice – it was awe-inspiring. Walked the ramparts (a near death experience when factoring in the wind and Three Feet of Fun) and got lost in – we think – the sewer with Noah leading the way with a cell phone flashlight. No worries – we clung desperately to Noah’s little hands. Old castles are scary places with a toddler. You never know where there’s going to be a 400 ft. drop. Wonder if the knights did that on purpose…
Finally ended our eternal quest to find a knight in a castle (unsuccessfully, I might add) and headed down into Damascus. Jihad kindly dropped us at the Afamia hotel (no small feat given Damascus traffic) and we delighted in an hour of cartoons. Thank goodness for the one-eyed babysitter. Headed to Al Khawali, off Straight Street (which is not so straight), for dinner. Its in a beautiful old house (you’re noticing a theme with our dining choices, yes?) built in the 1300s, renovated in the 1800s and again in 2000-2003. We were famished and dinner didn’t disappoint. The restaurant makes its own bread – and it was divine. The hummus with meat had cashews instead of pine nuts…so tasty. The zaatar salad was different from the one Aleppo, but very good. The shish tawook was served in a pot, like korma, but was delicious. A big basket of fruit for dessert excited Noah, who carefully peeled and chopped up a banana (after chatting into his ‘banana phone’ – “Hello? Mama? Are you there?”). Headed back to the hotel and ran into a man from Tunisia – a sociologist. He claimed not to speak English (but did quite well) so we had a conversation in Arabic and Fren-glish. Cute. He kept praising Noah (who was falling asleep on my back) as “very good”. There’s a shop next to our hotel where Noah dismounted. The owner came running out and offered us candy from a plate explaining it was for the New Year (? Mohammed’s birthday was yesterday). He told Noah that he could take two candies, which pleased Noah no end and he chanted as we climbed the stairs to our room, “TWO, Mama. He said I could have TWO.” Sigh. Was a very good Damascene evening.

Day Trippin' - Ebla, Serjilla, and Apamea

2009-03-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

Day 9 – Ebla, Serjilla, Apamea
No sandstorms. And not much sleep – for no good reason. The highlight of breakfast was meeting a Lebanese math professor from Connecticut when he helped us ask for cold milk.
Headed off to the south today – again – with Mohammed, Mr. Walid’s son. Together Mr. Walid and Mohammed are spoiling the pants off Noah. They always have some treat for him – little bags with candy and chips and stuffed mouse that plays the world’s most annoying song. Very cute.
Ebla, the first stop, was amazing. You can see mounds of the city wall surrounding the palace upon temple, upon palace, upon temple….you get the idea. Literally everything excavated at the site is a palace or temple. On the off hand chance that Ishtar (a Mesopotamian goddess) didn’t feel like inhabiting her temple on top of the tell, the worshipers built her another temple at the bottom. Good to be a goddess. It’s an amazing site and the Italians have done a fantastic job with preservation. Every mudbrick preservation technique is there. Very cool to see how it’s weathering. They even dug a shallow channel around one of the areas on the tell to keep the rain and wash away. There are sheep grazing all over the bottom of the city and when you go down the back side of the tell (which you should, if you visit) the wool wallacks come running at top speed. There’s some serious begging, attempts at antiquity selling, and in our case a new born puppy was produced for photos and baksheesh (tips). When refused, there’s some cursing and spitting….I shudder to think of what Allah is supposed to do to us….but if you can weather the storm for about 10 minutes (or until the caretaker comes on his motorcycle and chases off the kids), you’ll be left alone for the rest of the visit.
In defense of the wallacks, the surrounding village is pretty destitute.
Next we headed to Serjilla, one of the ‘Dead Cities’, which are – from what I gather – Byzantine cities that the occupants abandoned. Serjilla is fantastic. Large stone buildings preserved up to two stories…..some of which are still being used (for storage, living?, and one is a sheep pen – nice digs). This stone town is set in the middle of green and stone speckled hills with nothing else around. So fun to wander around. The wildflowers were stunning. Noah was thrilled because some of the pools and quarries had filled with water (it rained a bit while we were there) and he got to throw stones into them. He’s also an expert at locating “falling down columns”. I told him as much and said that before him I missed identifying so many things – broken pots, falling down columns, straw in mudbrick (that’s a whole other story)….”and poop, Mama!!!” (The site was littered with sheep and donkey surprises.) Indeed.
There was a Portuguese (?) tour group at the site and their tour bus was pulling out as we were getting ready to leave. In a rare magnanimous mood, Noah waved at the bus and blew kisses, much to the delight of every grandmother on board.
Headed on to Apamea – our last site. The classical city had close ties with Palmyra, I think. Before reaching the site, you pass a citadel (the name of which I’ll have to look up) – still in use! A fortified, inhabited, city on top of a tell just a stone’s throw from Apamea. Pretty incredible. The area is really lush (the effect of which was enhanced by some showers) and looks like I image Ireland to look. The columnade running down the cardo (?) is most impressive. The site is really extensive and most is covered by grazing sheep and cows. The shepherds and motorcycling uncles try to sell antiquities, umbrellas, etc. – but comparatively, they’re a pretty soft sell. At one end of the street (north?), there’s a building with a the drains exposed. Very, very cool. Those Romans….
Aaron got all jazzed because there were at least 4-5 untouched tells in the Orontes Valley within about an hours drive from Apamea. Oh, the possibilities….
Got back in the car and headed for the Baron. For the past two days I’ve been riding in the backseat with Noah, while Aaron sat in the front (non-related women in the front seat isn’t normally done). The first day the only book we had was ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’. Today I brought other books, but was still forced to ‘Meatball’ at least three times. Oy.
Came back to the hotel to find a cartoon on in the parlor (no, really. A parlor.) so Noah and I parked our behinds there. The cartoon gave way to a fantasy kids show (think Disney’s ‘Never Ending Story’), which we watched and ended up answering questions about it - literally - for the next two hours. (There was a ‘bad lady’ who shot a courier pigeon. I was ready to shoot the ‘bad lady’ after a couple hours.)
Success at the internet café and at the Sheraton (Maestro ATM). Had an amazing dinner at Beit Wakil – Thyme/Zaatar salad (thyme leaves and shaved cheese with an amazing citrus vinaigrette) and cherry kabobs (unbelievably rich and good) were the highlights. No luck on wine – its Sunday and the booze stores are closed.
Can’t believe that this is our last night in Aleppo – its gone so quickly. I feel like I didn’t get to spend much time in the suq, but I’ll relish eating in the Christian quarter in Aleppo and wandering the suq in Damascus. Would love to come back and check out some of the old houses (we were essentially doing this as we dined – nice, eh?). Beit Wakil was so beautiful (it’s a hotel too). Sigh. Aleppo. I (and my stomach) will miss you.
(Noah’s stomach might not miss Aleppo – he’s got Saladin’s Revenge. Thankfully it’s a mild vengeance.)

2009-03-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

Day 8
Woke up to a sandstorm, with a capital ‘S’. Could smell the dirt before we looked outside. There was/is a thin layer of dust over everything – inside and out. Brought laundry down to be washed and met Mr. Walid’s son, Mohammed, who drove us to St. Simeon and Ain Dara. St. Simeon, only about 30-45 minutes from Aleppo is in the foothills. With purple and yellow wildflowers peeking out from behind monumental stone churches, it was hard not to be impressed. The rest of the seemingly bucolic landscape was obscured by the sand, but the churches were fantastic. The story goes that Simeon found monastic life too frivolous, so he went to go live in a cave (party animal). People heard about his lifestyle and piety and came to get his blessing, at which time – sick of people – he moved onto a column. Yep. Up on top. His columns got increasingly taller over the years (40) until his death. The monastery he shunned for the cave became a popular pilgrim spot and two churches were built (one for the pilgrims and one for the monks) and later the churches were fortified. Beautiful remains inspired by a total wack-job, I mean, saint.
Hit some traffic on the way to Ain Dara – there was a donkey in the middle of the road. Literally, the middle. And he wasn’t hurrying or picking a lane. Ain Dara is a site with an amazing Neo-Hittite basalt temple still visible. Again – the landscape probably would have been fantastic – if it was visible. When you’re ¾ of the way up the tell, you’re greeted by a huge, basalt lion, “sticking his tongue out and saying, ‘BLAH’ just like Toad.” (of Frog and Toad. That was Noah’s commentary, not Aaron’s.) The temple is just beyond. The basalt blocks with a few ‘claw’ carving still intact were impressive. Best were the footprints of the deity entering the temple. Fantastic. Thoroughly pig-pen-ed (sandstorm), we headed back to the Baron where Noah is being read, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” for the 400th time today.
Had a couple of false starts in our evening outing. The computer network was down at the internet café, but Noah enjoyed a cherry jello there. A few attempts at ATMs made us realize that we need a Maestro-compatible machine and most ATMs in Aleppo are not. The one in the Sheraton is, but it was out of service (today is a holiday.) We’ll try again tomorrow evening. Headed off to dinner at Beit Sissi, a restaurant in a beautiful old home. We had an early dinner in a balcony overlooking the courtyard. Noah was relatively well behaved (WAHOOO!) except for putting the admittedly crown-shaped folded napkin on his head. Who can blame him? The two guidebook-recommended dishes weren’t available, so we had a delicious ‘Armenian salad’ which tasted like the suq smells (the spice part of the suq, not the meat part). Had amazing spinach, good fried cheese, toshka (the grilled meat and cheese pitas), and pretty good shish tawook. Stopped by to get more bananas, chocolate (I’m big on cocoa bribery now, since I can’t use cartoons), wine (bribery for me), and happened to download photos in the internet café. Came back to find laundry done and arranged to see Ebla and Apamea tomorrow. Our big splurge is to take a private taxi from Aleppo to Damascus stopping at Krak le Chevalier along the way.
This sandstorm is wild. Still hazy, foggy, and everything is covered in dust. Hope I get a chance to see Aleppo….excavated.

2009-03-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Day 7
Had a great breakfast in the historic dining room of the Baron Hotel and headed off to the Aleppo Museum. Ran into an archaeologist at the entrance who went to UCLA to study archaeology and who worked with the Director of ACOR. After a good schmooze, we trolled the museum. Got trapped by a guide in one of the galleries (“this case is Roman Byzantine, 50-50”) and were compelled to give ‘baksheesh’ (a tip). Noah fixated on a neolithic child skeleton and another skeleton with an arrow buried in the spine. Got lost (not in the suq) looking for the Citadel and finally found the backside. The Citadel is amazing. A tell with the latest layers still pretty much intact. The entrance is fantastic. Climbed down into what we think was a Hellenistic cistern (?) – creepy, stinky, and so cool. Went up to a tower to view Aleppo and brace the sandstorm and then headed down to the Museum, while Noah worked on his daily constitution. (A very cool temple was excavated 8 m down next to the theater – spectacular remains) This kid. We’ve changed diapers in the most interesting places. Weary and crabby, we headed back through the suq and ended up at Bazaar Al Charka for lunch. Really good muhammara. Limped back to the hotel where we’re now resting.
Ahhhh. Everybody napped. And we emerged into a full blown (no pun intended) sandstorm. Noah pondered whether it was one from Egypt or Lebanon. “If its red, its from Lebanon, Mama.” Wandered into the Christian quarter and into a courtyard of a church. Was beautiful with trees in the center. French tourists with kids (and strollers!?!?) were hot on our heels, so we took off and went to Kan Zeman for dinner. Had a delicious dinner with some sort of date paste/yogurt dessert. Noah was lamenting not finding any knights at the Citadel (he was looking – let me assure you. At every turn, he would ask, “is there a knight in here?”). He explained it by noting, “they [the knights] died a long time ago, you know.” Managed to find a delicious Lebanese wine, Fakra, fruit, water, and pita on our way back to the hotel. Mr. Walid caught us before we headed upstairs and tried to give Noah a watch. Noah did a much better job than his folks and said, “Well, thank you, but I don’t watch a watch.” Dunked the Dude the in shower before putting him to bed.
Deep thoughts for the evening…
- Why are there so many veiled women in the Christian quarter?
- Is there any regularity to blackouts in Syria?
- Are we really being followed or am I just being paranoid? Does it matter?
- Why is my son still awake?

Driven to drink - Deir ez Zour to Aleppo

2009-03-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

Day 6
Checked out of the Hotel Ziad with no problems and caught a cab to the bus station. Only two bus companies went to Aleppo, and Khadmous left at 3:10 pm, so we opted for Eman. Little bit less posh than previous buses, but it left at 10:30 am. After having tea and registering ‘out’ with the police department, we departed on the five hour ride to Aleppo. Enjoyed watching the mudbrick styles change as we drove west along the Euphrates. Got dropped at a bus station outside of town and caught a cab that – gasp – went by the meter. Were welcomed into a museum (I mean, our hotel, the Baron) by the manager, Mr. Walid, and shown to our room, the ‘Agatha Christie’ room (where the grand dame stayed when she was in town). The bathroom is cavernous and the furniture antique. Noah’s not thrilled because there were no cartoons on, but Mr. Walid brought him a bag with chocolate and chips. Heading out to explore Aleppo in a bit….
Noah’s driving us to drink. That’s the preface of our evening outing. Found a nearby internet café and downloaded photos and then headed into town. It’s Friday, so it was pretty quiet. We found Bazaar Al Charka, a basement restaurant with stone values and carpet-cushioned chairs. Had a fantastic dinner: baba ghanuj, kibbeh, fatoosh, pita with meat and cheese grilled (Noah was a big fan), and lamb tawook. Yum. Finished off with tea in saucer-ed cups. If Noah wasn’t being such a pill, it would have been perfect. Hit the juice and liquor store street on the way back to the hotel (thank you, Lonely Planet). We were buying beer to try (one Egyptian, one Lebanese, and one Turkish) when two kids rode up on horseback. Fresh from Palmyra, we were expecting them to hit us up for a ride. Nope. Just doing a beer run….on horseback. Excellent.I kind of goofed when making our itinerary and didn’t really factor in the five hour bus ride from Deir ez Zour to Aleppo…on Friday (when many things are closed). So I think tomorrow we’ll do Aleppo and (sadly) we’ll skip Lattakia and Ugarit. Se la vie. We’ll see the coast in Lebanon, insha’allah. But now…to sample beer….
P.S. Am writing from an antique desk with a mirror and ink blotter in the Agatha Christie room. So romantic. Wonder if ole’ Ags drank beer….

Mudbrick madness - Mari and Dura Europos

2009-03-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

Day 5
Woke up to a delicious hotel breakfast (I’m becoming addicted to cherry jam), met our taxi driver in the lobby, and headed out for Mari. Drove through small villages and tent camps along the way. Chickens, sheep, goats, cows, a few camels, kids running around, kafiyah-ed men hanging out, shrouded women working, mudbrick enclosure walls and animal pens, and collections of palm fronds, sticks, and balls of dung and tabouns in the front courtyards….an ethnographical delight. Don’t think much has changed in the last millennium.
Arrived at Mari and bought tickets from the Bedouin caretaker. Noah shared his Cheetos with a couple kids his age. A car arrived with two guys (we later learned – we think – that they were our Mahabarrat, or secret police, Minders) who hung out with the taxi driver, Mahmoud. Fully accounted for, we set of in a desolate landscape for a covered area of the site. The covering ‘protected’ a palace – a monumental mudbrick structure. It was FANTASTIC (I love mudbrick). Wandered through more of the site marveling at tombs, fired brick water channels, mudbrick tiles….sigh. Just fantastic. Noah found “a beautiful rock. Have you even seen a beautiful rock, Mama?” We stopped for a picnic atop a mudbrick mound (hopefully it was the dump pile) and marveled at some ants. Explaining to Noah the adage that ants are always the uninvited guests at picnics, Noah said, “We should make a sign – NO ANTS AT PICNICS OF BOYS AND GROWN UPS.” So we did. Wonder what language the ants at Mari read….Hopped in the cab and headed for Dura Europos. Wow. Huge wall with gates rising out of the desert. (While Mari is lower in elevation, Dura is on a step where it is more arid.) Went through the monumental gateway and were met with a series of buildings. Marched through the buildings – stopping in one to change a diaper – to the gate on the other side of the site. (We also stopped at the reconstructed house – now a museum – along the way. Neat stuff.) This wall and associated buildings overlook the Euphrates river. Stunning. Took in more houses (?) and one of the oldest churches before taking off and bidding adieu to our minders. I gather that the non-river gate was preserved because of a siege ramp built up against it. Noah crapped out on the ride back while Aaron and I admired the scenery…
Dinner at Leilati’s again…the cheeseburgers hit the spot. Stopped by our favorite shopkeeper’s for treats for the long bus ride tomorrow.

Dizzy (not really) in DZ (Deir ez Zour)

2009-03-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Day 4
Palmyra to Deir ez Zour
Had a bit of a rough start in Palmyra, after 12 hours of sleep (whoa). No breakfast at 9 am (making for a cranky big Dude, which makes me cranky) and the Pancake House wasn’t open either. Went to the museum instead with two cranky guys and saw a lot of the sculptures and textiles from the site. Pretty great stuff, but the best is in the museum in Damascus. After a failed attempt to find a bakery, we headed back to the hotel where breakfast was ready. Paid the bill after a small battle and took a taxi out to the food stall/ bus station on the outskirts of town. Caught a bus for Deir ez Zour that left right away (2 hours). Got pulled off the bus at the station in DZ to be ‘registered’ by the police. (The station is sandwiched in between the cemetery and the dump – Noah kept yelling, “What a mess! Abba, come see this mess!”) Passports were taken and details noted and then we went in a cab to our hotel. Clean an spacious, the hotel’s bonus includes an arrow on the ceiling that points towards Mecca. Whew. Thought I was going to have to use a compass. I don’t exist (as a woman), but I don’t really care given that the management sent up sodas, gave us a remote control, and is going to arrange a taxi for tomorrow to take us to Dura Europos and Mari.
Still marveling over the difference between a Bedouin town (Tadmour) and Deir ez Zour, the ‘big city’. Guess the other big difference is the absence of industry in Tadmour (dates and tourism…that’s it), whereas DZ is at the Iraq/ Syria crossroads and it has local oil. Between the two towns is…nothing. Bedouin. Camel. Sheep. Lots of sand. Its remarkable.
Wandered through DZ this afternoon, struck by all the puddles in the street (water from cleaning houses, cars, etc.) and the garbage in the mud. Found the museum and thoroughly enjoyed wandering through it. Each time period is introduced by a replica of a gate from that period. Really well done and great stuff. Noah zoomed through and found all the skeletons. Before exiting the museum, you end up in the courtyard (with a fountain and fledgling rose bushes). The guard turned on the fountain and produced a couple of chairs for us. We had tea while Noah ran around the courtyard. So civilized. So perfect. Wandered back through town and had an amazing felafel sandwich, ‘off the street’. Hope we don’t pay for it later (Saladin’s revenge). Boy was it good. The area of town between the canal and the river seems older, the architecture more Ottoman and colonial. Its lovely. Lots of abandoned buildings that I’d love to move into. Met up with a gaggle of Kurdish university students from NE Syria. They were very sweet practicing their English (which was quite good) and getting photos of Noah. We walked to, and looked at, the Euphrates River together. It’s a pretty remarkable river – in the middle of the desert. Its what I imagine the Nile to look like. Images of baby Moses floating down the river in a basket (I know – cheesy – and wrong river) weren’t hard to conjure. Ducked into the suq for oranges and bananas for tomorrow and Noah got blessed by the regal fruit seller. Back to the hotel for a rest before heading out for dinner. (Noah’s giggling at Al Jazeerah Children’s TV.)
Went to Leilata’s for dinner. Seems like it’s the only restaurant in town where families eat together (the guidebook backs this up). No ‘kebaps’, so at Noah’s request we had cheeseburgers. Had forgotten that “cheeseburgers” usually have cinnamon in the mean and are treated like felafel (chips, salad, and sauce included). Good stuff. Tried ‘hummus Beiruti’ (hummus with herbs) and baba ghanuj (with onion, tomato, and green pepper). Restaurant looked like a Communist era Chinese banquet hall with ‘oriental’ reproduction paintings instead of the red and double happiness draped around Mao. I think a fight broke out while we were dining – there was a clatter, yelling, all the staff ran into the kitchen, then most of the staff came out, and the music got turned way up. Stopped by a store on the way back to the hotel to grab rolls for tomorrow. The shopkeeper enjoyed teasing Noah. Noah’s not going to know what to do when we get back to the States and strangers don’t randomly pinch his cheeks.

Camels, columns, and (pan)cakes...Palmyra

2009-03-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Day 3
Managed to get up and out of the hotel by 8 am and arranged a taxi through the hotel to take us to the bus station. The station entry required a walk through a metal detector and luggage screening before landing you in an arcade of bus companies with eager ‘runners’. While Noah and I sat on a bench, Aaron looked for one of the major bus companies, (state-run) Khadmous. Sign was in Arabic (no English) and folks inside didn’t seems interested (we heard that their Palmyra bus left at 11 am), so we went to Ciwan (a Kurdish company). I’m amazed at how orderly the bus/ luggage process is after the chaos of finding and purchasing tickets. Big, comfortable coach bus with a great steward who came by with candy cookies, and water. Noah was in love. Pretty remarkable – you can see Roman ruins on the way out of town, reused in other houses or buildings. About an hour out of Damascus, you reach the desert, where there’s nothing, save for the odd camp or shepherd and flock. There are a couple of checkpoints (I think one wasn’t official – the local cop flexing) and a couple of “Bagdad Cafes” and some amazing mudbrick. The beehive domes are spectacular. After about a two hour ride, we got dropped on the outskirts of Palmyra where, thankfully, there was a taxi. After negotiating the fare, the driver asked where we were from. When he heard, he broke into a grin and belted out “Obama!” The hotel gave us a double run and put in a fold up bed for Noah, where he is now happily snuggled watching cartoons. We’ll head off in about half and hour to the site to wander….
Headed out to the site in the afternoon. Wow. Such an extensive site….so much still standing and still used. Read somewhere that the Bel Temple is so well preserved because some family was living in it until recently. Was struck by the arched subterranean entry for the sacrificial animals. The walk in was roughly a mile…most of which Noah walked, or should I say, jumped, kicked dirt, and threw rocks. Didn’t matter – except for Bedouin on motorcycles trying to sell us something or an escaping camel, we were pretty much alone. This added to the romance of the site. Was like roaming around a David Roberts print. The Bedouin are still living in the site and once, when we wandered beyond the city wall, we had a ‘wave-down’ with two little girls and their family. Seen more kids – free range – here in general. They’re keenly interested in Noah. Noah is interested in rocks and sticks.
Noah was a precocious pain in the rump – lecturing, giving directions, issuing orders, and demanding to be carried, then when asked to walk he took “baby steps”. Turkey. Was a pretty great site for him to run around though and he delighted in a camel’s grumbling and told the postcard-selling Bedu, “maybe later.”
Stopped into the Tourist Office and shamefully blew off a chat with a very helpful gentleman there who gave us info on the bus to Dier ez Zour. The new Palmyra, Tadmour, is kind of a sad place. There aren’t many games in town – so to speak – and tourism is down. It looks a bit downtrodden.
Went for dinner at the Pancake House and Traditional Restaurant (why choose?). Had a good meal (and, of course, pancakes) and headed back to the room. We’re all in bed – its 7:30 pm.
There are parts of Palmyra that are really lovely. Would love to excavate here. Aaron found the spout of a Roman lamp and a coin while we were wandering around. But the modern town….it’s as though nomadic folks were forced to settle. While I love haphazard architecture, there’s something kind of bleak about it here. Just my impressions….

On the road IN Damascus...

2009-03-16T11:51:00.001-07:00

Day 2
Breakfast was included with the hotel, so we headed down for tea, fresh bread, amazing cherry jam, and cheese sandwiches. Noah amused himself by eating the white of a hard boiled egg and then "building a house" for the yolk (with pita, olive pits, and bread crusts) before he devoured it.
Back to the room for cartoons and guidebook reading before heading out on a walking tour of the old city of Damascus.
Having every intention of following the Lonely Planet's walking tour, we ended up devising our own. We delighted in the Azem Palace with its serene courtyard, intricately painted ceilings, and stonework...sigh. Absolutely beautiful. Noah's favorite part was the hammam (the bath) - "its a maze, Mama." Great for boys. A little worrying for moms. Ma'alesh. A friendly, royal cat buddied up to Aaron - clearly the spirit of Sappho (our old cat who went to kitty heaven before we left for Jordan) was traveling with us.
Went from there to the Umayyad Mosque....yep. In capital letters. Wow. After donning my druid-like garb (when in Rome...) and removing our shoes (Noah was thrilled), we entered the huge marble-tiled courtyard where shebab ('dudes') seems to clean the floor 24/7. Noah went nuts running at top speed throughout the courtyard and through the carpeted prayer hall. The prayer hall was the fav. - thank god (Allah?) he was doing SILENT running. Went into a room - following a lot of chadored ladies (women wearing - for lack of a better description - sheets over their heads) that led to the shrine of (to?) Hussein (Mohammed's grandson). Reminded me of my childhood in Iran as there were robed women wailing, pounding on the shrine, and gesticulating (not that my childhood was filled with wailing, but we did visit a few Shiite mosques). Later read that it’s a Shiite pilgrimage spot - hence the scene.
Wandered the suq (market) some more - the rugs and suzanis (hand-stitched cloths from Uzbekistan) are AMAZING. We ended up at Khan Assad Pasha, a beautiful Ottoman warehouse decorated with black and white stonework. The size was impressive and the nooks and crannies (was with all of Damascus) so intriguing. In order to explain the function of the Khan to the questioning Noah, I told him that a long time ago, if he were a soap seller, he would have taken his soap to Damascus to sell. He would have left his camel or donkey downstairs in the khan, put his soap in a warehouse, and slept upstairs. The explanation seemed to work, but now Noah is obsessed with soap. He found the 'soap' - a big, pink sponge - in the bathroom where his diaper was changed and marched (the soap - not the diaper, whew) to show everyone.
Its remarkable - right across the street from the 'museum' khan is a functioning khan. There are tons of them throughout the old city.
We lunched at Leila’s and even though the atmospheric rooftop terrace was closed we enjoyed a delicious meal in the courtyard dining room. The highlight was the eggplant kubbeh.
Stopped by Gharoudi Chocolates after lunch (Noah and I read an article about them in Saudi Aramco before we left the States). I think these are the same chocolates that we can get in Amman. Not cheap, but so good.
Wandered through a suq outside of the old city (built up by the Turks?) and picked up rolls and fruit for tomorrow's bus trip to Palmyra. Came back to the hotel to rest, shower, and watch cartoons before heading back to the old city.
Got lost looking for an internet cafe (so as to download photos onto a flash drive) in the Christian quarter. Man, was it dark. Found the cafe, downloaded photos, and set out for pizza and beer at an artist cafe...that we never found. Ended up doing pizza and beer someplace else (Beit Kissri?). Pizza and salad hit the spot, the beer was mediocre.

Goin' to the big D...and I don't mean Dallas

2009-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Day 1 -
Amman to Damascus.
Three backpacks, two countries, two weeks, two adults, and one child.
Left ACOR in snow and took a taxi to Abdali station where we caught a service (shared) taxi to Damascus without a problem. Rode with only one other passenger, a Syrian guy, as we took up the whole back seat of the car. I had forgotten that service taxi's also pick up freight to take across the border. On the outskirts of Amman our driver stopped along the side of the road behind a pickup truck and put something in the trunk of the car.
Crossed the border into Syria without incident and were dropped in front of a tire shop on the outskirts of Damascus, about 3-4 hours later. The highlight of the border crossing was Noah signing his own entry document for Syria. He wrote a tiny N-O-A-H on his signature line. The official didn't bat an eye.
Caught a taxi to our hotel in Damascus and after arguing with the driver, we settled into our hotel. Note to self - always negotiate the price BEFORE getting into a cab in Syria and never rely on the driver to have change. Se la vie.
After a cartoon show for Noah (who was a trooper on the drive up), we headed to the National Museum in Damascus, which was a few short blocks from our hotel. Our stomachs were rumbling so we headed first to the vine covered museum cafe, which fortunately had q'awa ('Turkish' coffee) and cheese sandwiches. Perfect. The museum's collection is spectacular - in particular the Dura Europa synagogue with its beautiful frescos and the hypogeum from Palmyra with its eerie tombs. Great stuff, old building and systems. Amazing that the textiles (from Palmyra) still survive. (Textile room smelled like cat pee - maybe that's the secret.) A guard offered Noah a chair and he sat at an entrance taking tickets for a while. The conference room (?) was also amazing and the courtyards - beautiful.
We walked back to the hotel through the Al Takieh Al Suleimaniyeh mosque and the adjacent prayer hall and handicraft market. So stimulating - beautiful rugs, jewelry, and....cats.
Came back to the hotel to change a diaper and rest, and then headed out to dinner at Abu al Azz. The menu was ascertained by quizzing the waiter or reading the back of the kleenex box. We were seated on the third floor, after walking through an alley, through a door, through the kitchen, up the stairs, through a restaurant seating area and up two more flights of stairs to a Mi Tierra-like (restaurant in San Antonio, TX with lots of dangling twinkly lights) dining hall, complete with bedouin tent alcoves. Seated in a tent alcove, we dined on fattoush (salad with fried pita), muhammara (pepper and walnut dip), hummus with meat, and shish tawook (grilled chicken (yum - so good). We finished up with tea with mint. Stopped by Bekdach on our way back - a shop that specializes in Sahlab (warm rice milk goo with rose water), sahlab pudding, and sahlab ice cream with pistachios. Delish.

Pella Fieldtrip

2009-02-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

Woke up to THUNDER SNOW this morning, a phenomenon I thought only existed in West Texas. Having been in Jordan previously only in the summer, the presence of winter weather is... well, frankly, freaking me out. Boy, are the wildflowers happy though.
Went up north to Pella yesterday and got to take a Tell tour with the director of the site. While the weather was pretty exciting (the intermittent pouring rain turned to sleet on our way home), the site was even more so. Got to see the remains of a monumental Canaanite temple (who knew?) and some very sexy mudbrick (mostly in section, but I'll take it where I can get it). The excavation staff, who were wrapping up their season, kindly invited the group back to the dig house to dry off with tea and biscuits - a prospect which delighted Noah (well...the biscuit bit did).
The drive up and back to Pella goes through villages and checkpoints that reminded us a lot of Mexico. Still not quite sure what to think about live animals (cows, goats) idling next to their butchered, skinned, and hanging cousins....can't be good for the cow/goat psyche....but I suppose if that psyche is destined for the same fate, the cow/goat doesn't have long to dwell on it. Still....
Our neighbors, students at West Point, had a shindig at the Embassy last night and got all togged up. We were less than helpful with ironing and umbrella issues, but thoroughly enjoyed the show. Nice, eh?

2009-02-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

This week started with exciting weather.
Saturday we had tentative plans to go to Salt (to see Ottoman architecture) and Fuheis (to eat). Those plans were upstaged by Mother Nature, who dumped rain and sleet with thunder and lightning. When life hands you sleet, make sleet soup. Noah and Aaron collected sleet from our windowsill and made sleet soup with mango juice.
Monday night, Noah and I went on a haute date (while Aaron attended a lecture at the Friends of Archaeology) and attended the opening of an exhibition at a favorite art gallery, Nabad. Noah, plied with chocolate, was an absolute gentleman and we had a good time counting woodblock print faces and pondering wood sculptures. After the opening (we didn’t last long), we moseyed over to a bookstore/café/bar in Jebel Amman. Though I’ll probably not get any parenting awards for the date (the venue was pretty smoky and it was about 7 pm…about the time we start to wind things down), the pizza was great, the beer cold (for me), the décor very cool for both moms and toddlers (think big 70s bold patterns), and the table was exactly the right height for drawing, eating, and pondering the reasoning behind Tom’s (of Tom and Jerry) face turning red. Our taxi driver on the way home spent a lot of time in Georgia (the US state) and while we puzzled over why Jordanian English stations didn’t play country music, Noah fell fast asleep.
The following night we celebrated Mardi Gras at ACOR by indulging in a fantastic Fat Tuesday party. Noah and two new friends, Nikolo and Ceclia, made and decorated a cake for the party and then headed off to bed. Robert Darby, a fellow at ACOR, whipped up a mean Jambalaya that was just spicy enough to require a gut-busting Hurricane. Barbara provided beads – worry beads – for decoration and a good time was had by all. Yesterday, Wednesday, was a slow day, but it was definitely worth it.
We ventured downtown yesterday and ran a few errands in preparation for a two week trip, starting Sunday, to Syria and Lebanon. Starting to get really excited….
In the afternoon, we had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Liza, another ACOR fellow, on social structure and factionalism in Gaza. Really interesting and eye-opening.
Friday, we’re hoping to head to Pella to see the site….but ole’ Mother Nature may have other plans. It’s supposed to snow. Please stay tuned….

2009-02-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

As with many of the amazing moments we've witnessed here, I forgot our camera Friday when we were invited to lunch at Sarah and Basel's house in Salt. (Sarah works for ACOR and has twin 4.5 year old twins, whom we see every once in a while and who have graciously lent Noah their mega blocks.)
Tucked in a valley in Salt (about 30 minutes from Amman), Sarah and Basel's house is bucolic bliss. Three dogs and a blind cat met us at the driveway as we arrived. As Noah scampered around with Samantha and Tha'ir, we took a hike (bolstered by glasses of homemade, delicious white wine) to see the chickens, fruit trees, vineyards, and thriving garden. The artichokes, iceplant, and the fog in the valley made Salt seem like a little slice of California...in the Middle East. A terrific lunch of boar (that Basel hunted), more wine, and stimulating conversation rounded out the afternoon and we returned to ACOR sated, smiling, and supremely grateful to our gracious hosts for such a wonderful afternoon. (Noah collapsed into a puddle when told him we had to leave.)
Today's outing was meant to be lunch in Fuheis (known for cement and ...well, food - interesting), but the pouring rain and intermittent hail weakened our reserve. Instead we headed to a local restaurant, Reem al-Bawady. Geared towards tourists, but with pretty fantastic food, Reem al-Bawady was the perfect place to warm up and dry out over a cup of strong, sweet cardamom coffee, dishes of dips, and fresh bread.
I'll wind up with a photo from the Children's Museum (a.k.a. Noah and Mama's office) from a trip earlier in the week. This is a shot of Noah and his buddy Marcus competing (sort of) in wheelchair races.

Stormin' the Castles - part deux

2009-02-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

Its been a while. Apologies.
While Aaron's been hard at work (I finished up last weekend), Noah and I have been trolling downtown Amman. We did an entomological tour of the Citadel, canvased Jebel Amman, visited a beautiful gallery, an old house that is a work/retail space for artists, and we are repeat visitors to Sweifeyyah, where there's a pedestrian street (no cars = running boy).

Last weekend, we went to Madaba with a group from ACOR. After finding the appropriate bus station (more difficult than you would think), we rode the bus about an hour south to Madaba. (I think we got pulled over by the police because we had too many folks in the minibus...but I'm not entirely sure.) The photo is from the church of St. John the Babtist and that's a mosaic of John Soup - so to speak. Saw some spectacular mosaics (for which the town in known) and had a spectacular lunch. Managed to visit the site of Tel Madaba as well before heading back to Amman in a 'party bus' complete with dangling tassles, dark blue curtains, and plush hearts with "I love you" written on them.

This past weekend, we hired a couple of vans and traveled to the desert castles in the eastern desert of Jordan. We tackled Qasr Kharana, Qusayr Amra, Qasr al-Azraq, and Qasr al-Hallabat. The term 'Desert Castle' is a bit of a misnomer, as I think only one of the four was an actual castle, but it works. Kharana's use is still being debated - its either an inn or a meeting place for the local rulers (local rulers of around 710 AD). Pretty amazing place. Noah teetered dangerously at ledges and raced through the 'maze' of rooms, managing to avoid injury thanks largely to the great group of folks with whom we were traveling. We visited Amra next, which is thought to be a hunting and bathing (who knew that the two went hand in hand) retreat for an Ummayad (?) ruler. In spite of the humidity and moisture of an early bath mixed with the arid climate of the desert, some amazing frescos remain in situ. Our favorites were the camels, the banjo bear (really), and this one of a half naked woman. Noah was facinated with a 30+ meter deep well and delighted in climbing the wood barriers that looked as if they were just barely anchored to the ground (are you noticing a 'danger' theme here?). From Amra, we went on to Azraq. Striking because its made out of basalt (a black volcanic rock - Noah gives lectures on it, if you'd like more info), Azraq is best known because ole' Larry (T.E. Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia) hid out here for a while and wrote about life squatting in the castle. A fantastic building with basalt ceiling beams, vaulted rooms, and a mosque in its courtyard, Azraq may have been Noah's favorite. There were stairways to rooms with non-existent floors (an exciting adventure that kept me on my toes - literally) and HUGE basalt doors that Noah "can open if [he] keeps eating [his] vegetables". At one point, I left the poor guy (Noah) alone in a small room in the castle. I saw a lot of 'smoke' (dust) and heard a lot about repairing the ceiling....when Noah emerged - under duress - ten minutes later, he was Pigpen. Covered in dust, he had a cloud about him where ever he walked, but boy was he happy. Had lunch in the parking lot of the Azraq Resthouse where Noah taunted some scrappy looking ostriches. Thankfully, no digits were lost. The last - and unexpected (we thought we were going to Umm al Jamal) castle was Hallabat. Currently under renovation, Hallabat boasts some beautiful mosaics and seemingly ongoing excavations. It was here that Noah delivered a lecture on basalt and the effect of 'earthcakes' on columns.

We celebrated Valentines Day by making valentines for folks at the Center, running down 'walk-a-lot' (no, really - that's its name) street, and succeeding in our quest for 3T-4T sized pull-ups (ouch - not cheap). Tonight we're having a 'picnic' at our dining room table with CHOCOLATE for dessert. Noah's been waiting for this...

Stormin' the Castle

2009-01-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

We're going to make up for the lack of photos for yesterday's donkey-on-the-run entry in today's entry. Set out this morning to visit the Islamic castle at Ajlun, a small town about an hour and change north of Amman. The castle did not disappoint. This could be my favorite castle in the world. Lots of great rooms to scramble in and out of, ubiquitous ballista stones (canon balls to Noah), very cool phases of architecture, and a carving of pigeons. If you squint, you can just make them out in the photo on the right. Pigeon explanation - Ajlun was one in a series of castles through which one could get a message from Cairo to Damascus via messenger pigeon in 12 hours during the Crusader period. (Pigeon? Or was that a swallow? English or European? Joking...that's for the Monty Python fans.) Though our search for knights in the castle (at Noah's request) left us empty handed, we saw an awful lot of cool castle stuff. I - for one - am ready to move in. I have my bedroom and rooftop studio all picked out. Nobody will notice, eh?
Home at last, we're slightly knackered from storming the castle and are getting ready to hit the sack....and dream of pigeons.....

Honey I lost the donkey...

2009-01-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

Just witnessed a hilarious scene, but unfortunately we don't have any photographic evidence. We were leaving ACOR on an evening walk when a young donkey followed by a dog, ran by us and down the hill behind ACOR. This is suburbia, mind you. The donkey proceeded down the hill at a good clip with the dog trailing behind, not really herding the donkey but more overseeing the escape. A minute later four kids scrambled across the street and we pointed down the hill at the donkey, who was now enjoying a hillside snack. As the kids ran after the donkey, the donkey clued in and took off down a side street (again, suburbia), while the dog detoured to chase a cat. The entourage disappeared around the corner and we were left wondering if we really did see....well, what we thought we saw. And now, off to dream of disappearing donkeys....

Settling in, venturing out

2009-01-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy week in Lake Wobegon...I mean, at ACOR...
We're starting to sleep, to settle in, and to venture out.
Last week we went on a family expedition to the Citadel and Archaeological Museum and the Roman Theater in downtown Amman. Aaron found some research related stuff at the Museum that got him excited, while Noah and I had a good time climbing on rocks and ducking in rooms in the Ummayad (?) palace. Noah's into theaters these days and we're making it our mission to climb to the top of every theater in Jordan. Stay tuned for the updates...Wandering around the suk later, we think we've found our favorite rug shop and are bracing our wallets for a return trip.

Noah and I went on an outing to the Childrens Museum in Amman. Its a fantastic place (so many buttons, so little time) complete with a toddler area, a moving skeleton, an excavation pit, and a foam dinosaur that can be assembled. We'll be back.

Over the weekend, we spent the day at Jerash, less than an hour north of Amman. Think Disneyland for Classical Archaeologists.....such an amazing place. We watched Roman soldiers, gladiators and a chariot race in the Hippodrome, wandered through the Cardo, danced to music in the southern theater (and, of course, climbed to the top of both the northern and the southern theaters), and had a time-out in the Temple of Artemis. Probably the most scenic time-out we've ever had. Got to marvel at the earthquake damage and troll around some relatively recent excavations. Sigh. Columns are half buried and walls are peeking through the dirt at the site....makes you want to whip out your trowel and get crackin'.

Yesterday we embarked on more modern (so to speak) adventures and went to Darat al funun (www.daratalfunun.org/main/index.html) and the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Art. Darat al funun is my new favorite place in Jordan. Sigh. Serene courtyards, fountains, a Circassian awning, the remains of a Byz. church and - right now - a fantastic exhibition of Mona Hatoum's work. It's divine. After tearing ourselves away from paradise, we walked through a great neighborhood (that reminded us a lot of East Jerusalem) to the National Gallery. Housed in two buildings with a sculpture garden/park in between, the Galleries are beautiful and the artwork hung is quite interesting. Noah stalled out in the sculpture garden (there was sand) and tolerated the attentions of a very cute 1 1/2 year old girl who alternated between dumping sand on Noah and kissing him on the head.

Went out to dinner last night to celebrate Kim Cavanagh's plenty-ninth birthday and had (among other things) a delicious Thai beef salad (who knew?) in a swank setting. Felt very grown up. As we were arriving, we asked the cab driver to stop at Abdoun Circle near a bank, to which he replied, "Insha'allah", which means, "God willing". Sent me into a fit a giggles, but only because he really did stop where we asked. I suppose I wouldn't have been laughing as much if we ended up on the otherside of town.

More to come....please stay tuned....

We've arrived

2009-01-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

Made it! Contrary to reports, we did NOT land in the Hudson River, but made it safely through New York and on to Amman. Arrived an hour early (who knew?) and made it to ACOR without incident.
Our new digs (no pun intended) are spacious and comfortable. We went for a stroll today after finally making it out of our 'front yard', which contains an excavated Roman (?) farmhouse. Noah loved the 'playground' and delighted in trying to rearrange the architecture (no worries - three year old muscles can't quite move wall stones...yet). Look at him giving his first site tour. "Mama, this big rock is 45 pounds. I think we should move it." Think we're headed back tomorrow (today?) as that's what he was talking about during his brief sleep.
We're currently experiencing some SERIOUS jetlag and have been blissfully sleeping from about 10 to midnight (if we're lucky) and 5 am to noon. Don't think we've done that since college. Someday we'll get into the local timezone. So nice to have a flexible schedule.
Ah...speaking of, I think it might be nearing that magical 5 am mark....eyelids (for all of us) are beginning to droop. Signing off for now.....

About a month to go...wait, where are we going?

2008-12-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

About a month to go before departure and we've managed to locate Jordan on the map. (Kidding - we've both been before, but it has been a while..) Ah....look at those neighboring countries. Can you feel the love?

So....sheesh....how do you pack for this sort of thing? I'm afraid with the arrival of Noah, our backpacking days are over. I guess we need passports....I should remember Aaron (or Aaron should remember me)...oh, and Noah...and I suppose the rest will fall into place.

For those unfamiliar with Jordan, the best vernacular example is found in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (a classic). Remember this scene? It's Petra....in southern Jordan. At the risk of disappointing many, the inside of the tomb/ Treasury looks nothing like the movie....but you'll have to come visit to see for yourself.

Please stay tuned.....