Adventuresam

Ok, here’s the deal:

We all know I’m just a little behind on my blogging. And by “a little behind,” I mean 5 months behind—okay, maybe 6. But I have some good news and some extra good news for my party sized readership, which is growing.  Welcome new people!!  The good news is that there aren’t many rules when it comes to blogging, which means the blog police can’t revoke my license to spill if I fall behind on a posting or two. Life gets in the way; writing can (and will) get a little bothersome. It happens!

I was so busy this year, I even had to brush my teeth in airport bathrooms! How could anyone expect me to blog, am I right?

Now for the extra good news… drumroll, please… I’m getting back in the game! To finish updating AdventureSam, I’ll be playing catch-up and posting on Thursdays* in 2018, as a “Throwback to 2017” travel tribute. Ultimately, my goal (my pre-New Year’s resolution, if you will) is to both get back to posting in real time AND to catch up on the second half of this year.

*The fine print: I might not post a back blog every week, but when I do, it’ll be on Thursdays.

The birdseye view from a plane window—a favorite view from this year.

So without further ado, here’s a quick summary of my 2017 travels and a lil’ sneak peek of some posts you can look forward to on upcoming TBTs (“Throwback Thursdays” for those who don’t speak Internet):

• Nine weeks exploring Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand)
• Several weeks groovin’ out West (California, Colorado… and let’s generously throw in Ithaca, NY)
• A month living it up in Peru  (the Amazon, hiking around the Andes, and visiting Machu Picchu).  It felt like the end of an era era era when I finished writing about that.
• One long, joyous weekend spent in New Orleans
• Two weeks hanging out with the fam in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine (feat. a long layover in Iceland)
• Living, laughing, and loving in the great outdoors of New York and West Virginia
• Four days catching up with my Peace Corps Momma in Jamaica
• One Thanksgiving weekend, partying with the Amish in Litiz, the coolest small town in America
• An action-packed week schmoozing with Berlin

That moment when you start thinking about your 2018 travel plans.

And for those curious about my upcoming travels, get ready for:

MYSTERY TRIP 2018. Pack your bikinis, pack your snow coats, pack your surfboard and your skis, because there’s no knowing where we’re going! Okay, so maybe it’s not a complete mystery. After all, I’m in on the secret, but our destination, well, that’s for me to know…and you to find out!  😉

En route to endless adventures

The sky’s the limit,
‘mi

Throwback Thursday…

The blog post title is to be read to the tune of “Mambo Number 5.”  And now that we have the same song in out heads,I can begin telling you all about the amazing Chanukah season (last December — yay for getting caught up!)  which began with a chance encounter. I reread the blog from last year’s Chanukah party and saw a good tip – the basketball dreidel is the one who gives out all the gimmels.

That first night of Chanukah, I found a different dreidel on the street. Now, if that isn’t a good sign then I don’t know what is. A sign of what, you might ask? Who knows… maybe just a good omen that Chanukah December 2017 was going to be a blast.

And blast, it was. It was a white Chanukah, and unexpectedly so. While Ben and I were out one night, it started pouring snow… Can you use “pouring” for snow, or just rain? I’m just gonna go with it. It was pouring snow, and since Ben is from California, it was actually the first time he had seen it fall from the sky quite like this. He said he didn’t know it was going to happen all of a sudden.  “It’s snowing!!!! Help, what do I do?!” – Ben He asked if he should use an umbrella, and since he lives by a school he watched lots of children and their mothers do it. He thought he should. Before I could answer him he had walked to work but by the time he got there he had realized that umbrellas are for children under the age of five and grownups don’t use them in the snow.

Goin’ to a shindig.

So along with the snow and the good-omen dreidel, another wonderful standout from Chanukah 2017 was going to Ben’s office Christmas party. You know how in TV shows, the office Christmas party gets a little wild? I was expecting a couple of employees scandalously making out in a bathroom stall, the intern puking on the carpet because he drank too much eggnog, and someone (potentially the boss) walking around with a lampshade on her head. Well, it wasn’t that extreme, but it was a ton of fun. I met his co-workers, who were really great. We talked about their work, inside jokes that I wasn’t apart of, and dynamics I didn’t understand (I promise, it was a lot more fun that I’m making it out to be), and it was incredibly entertaining. There was great food, free drinks, and by the end of the night, I was even in on the office gossip. I think that counts as a success.

Later that week, I met up with one of my friends from the Peace Corps, Andy.  It had been so long (too long!) since we had seen each other, so it was really great to catch up and learn about all of the life events that had happened since we last met. We did some sightseeing and ended up going to an art gallery opening for a professor at CMU.  We also went to go see improv, (her first time!), so I was really excited to share that with her.

Taking a break from catching up to snap a pic.

Of course, taking her to a comedy show just made me crave even more comedy. So I when Ben’s brother Noah visited for the holidays we took him to see a show, too.

Chanukah season — although only 8 days — was very eventful.   I’m going to stretch it and call it most of December, actually. For the first time (out of the rest of forever), I got to use the use the menorah from the kibbutz my family and I bought together in Israel.  Very special.

I think finding that dreidel on the first day was definitely a good sign because without even playing (okay, Bel and I did play), I felt like I got a gimmel (should out to Jimmy Gimmel!) because I got everything I needed this Chanukah.

Festive friends.

Burning all the candles,
‘mi

Throwback Wednesday…

December (2017) is not traditionally the time to visit Berlin, Germany but when Wow Airline offered a $350 roundtrip (!!!!) ticket from Pittsburgh to Berlin it was just too good to pass up — Rachel and I bought tickets.  (Also, yay to me for not letting myself get a full year behind with blogging!)  Rachel and I have known each other for years.  Here are a couple of a refreshers from that time we were in Asia; Vietnam, and Thailand.

We spent over a week in Germany and oh, Berlin…what can I say about Berlin?  My mind is drawing a blank; my thoughts have hit a wall. Haha — get it? Too soon? Ok, just kidding. In reality, there’s almost too much to say about Berlin because it is FANTASTIC. A week wasn’t long enough, there was so much to do and soooo much history.  In fact, even someone who isn’t into history (*cough*) would be convinced to get passionate about it here; an armchair historian, if you will (and I will).  As Rick Steves, my idol, has said: “Germany is beloved by armchair historians, including people who never cared about history before coming to Berlin (a common affliction).” If I’m reading that correctly, Rick Steves thinks I’m normal.

Berlin came highly recommended to me and I can see why, quite simply, it’s the best; The energy of the city is incredible; live music in the subways, everyone spoke English, lots of people are expats and from all over the world, incredible street art, adorable cross-walking signs, gorgeous architecture, and long names for everything like Reichsluftfahrtministerium, which was the former air ministry.   I loved it all.

One of the first things we did was visit the parliament building; the tours are free, but you have to sign up in advance.

Beautiful architecture!

The idea behind the neat glass globe is that government will remain transparent to the citizens and regular people who can look down on the politicians and monitor them from above.

Looks pretty transparent to me…Maybe we can learn a thing or two and make the White House the Glass House…

Damn, check out the syllables on that strasse! Also pictured here is a way to display billboards…  This method we learned about on one of our many walking tours, thanks Rick Steves.

Because there was so much to see, I’m essentially breaking this trip up into three sections: The Holocaust, The Wall, and Modern Berlin.

And in this current climate of anti-semitic rhetoric, and since this Friday will mark two weeks since the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting, I’m going to start this post with…

T H E    H O L O C A U S T

One thing I noticed about Berlin, which I really loved, was that they handle their history with dignity and respect. That is, they acknowledge it. They don’t try to hide it, but they also don’t wallow in it or capitalize/exploit the tragedy by setting up tourist traps. Their memorials are tasteful and subtle, they aren’t in your face, though you know they’re there. For example, the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe” is extremely powerful and moving yet simplistic in nature.

Jewish memorial; the pillars vary in height as you get deeper into the maze-like structure.

They also have these literal stumbling stones placed throughout the city so that as you walk, you’ll remember the Jews who were forced to move from these spots.  Back in the 1930’s there was an expression that, if you tripped, a Jew did it do you – which is why these stumbling stones, designed to actually trip you today, are so powerful.  Tripping, changing your foot pattern, brings you back to reality, back to the present moment and forces you to remember these people who used to live in these buildings and then were mercilessly murdered.

Some of the stumbling stones. This was a family of four.

Between the memorials — the book burning memorial in Bebelplatz was one of the most powerful, a room full of empty bookshelves — Hitler’s bunker (denoted by a simple sign and definitely not a tourist site because they don’t want it to become a real attraction), and the museums, we learned about Berlin’s Holocaust history.  Rachel also ended up going to one of the former concentration camps, but I couldn’t bring myself to go. It was too painful.   

In a bit of a more uplifting lens, we decided to visit the Otto Weidt blind museum where we learned about heroes of the Holocaust — the survivors and their advocates.

This guy & his amazing mustache brought us some much-needed cheer while at the Otto Weidt museum.

Another interesting thing we noticed was that the government seems to be still making up for its wrongs from years ago. In addition to all of the memorials, they also still protect Jewish structures; synagogues, Jewish schools, etc. all have barriers in front of them with armed guards standing in front for “protection”. They also have made these buildings blend in with the other houses on the street to help ensure their safety.

A subtle, powerful entryway.

Noteworthy, was an international event that happened while we were there. The United States acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel (because…a different country can just decide that for another one…?) and announced that the government would be building the U.S. embassy there. There were protests and police presence in the streets — it got pretty loud and aggressive as we hurried to get off of the streets.

Although somber, this part of our Berlin tour was really important, and I think that you can’t really understand Berlin unless you learn about its dark past.

And so now, in true systematic fashion, we’re moving on to…

T H E     W A L L      (1961 – 1989)

Gettin’ nice and cuddly.

Explaining, in any sort of depth, the situation with the Berlin Wall is way above my paygrade.  I’m just going to touch on that it’s an amazing sight to see in person. Rachel and I did an incredible Rick Steves tour, got a history lesson about the wall and learned how the allies (France, Britain, USA, and the Soviet Union) all got parts of Germany — Berlin itself was divided (thus the erection of the Wall). We got to see Checkpoint Charlie, which was a famous crossing point between the Eastern and Western sides of the wall.

At Checkpoint Charlie, a lot had changed since it was an actual checkpoint.  Today, capitalism prevails; there was a McDonalds and plenty of souvenir shops.  Rick Steves told us that even the larger than life poster of the famous (so-called) “Soviet” soldier is actually a Dutch model, photographed years after the fall of the USSR, wearing a nonsensical uniform of random medals, with a Russian (not Soviet) flag on his shoulder.

WARNING: DO NOT get your passport stamped here…; it will invalidate the document.

Famous picture of a soldier crossing over.

A cool thing about the wall, besides the history, is that is has become a haven for some really awesome graffiti (in this way it’s similar to the Palestinian wall).  After taking an in-depth tour of the museum and grounds (thank you so much, Rick) we had a lot of fun looking at all of the art on the parts of the wall still standing.

A piece of history.

The Wall… somebody get Pink Floyd over here.

Jokes about Trabi, cars made in East Germany.  Courtesy of Rick Steves.

I N T E R M I S S I O N:

Ok, so I know I said I was going to separate this trip into 3 sections, but…food!!  The food in Berlin consists of sausages, spaetzle, kebabs(!), AND MORE.  Some of it is seriously delicious; like the Turkish food, for example. One night, for 3 euros, Rachel and I ate the best kebab I have ever had and so, the next day, we headed back to try another one in order to see if it was really that good (it was!).  So, think of this as a commercial break where I advertise (or rather, make you jealous of) the food that I got to put into my mouth.

The most memorable spot was a restaurant that Rick Steves recommended; old world style food that was incredible.

Get into my belly, please.

Or, in contrast, was it this insanely delicious Vietnamese vegan meal with Couchsurfers and friends?!

Vietnamese and vegan! I’m salivating.

Some more dreamy food:

Homemade candy at a traditional sweet shop.

We went out to a breakfast and ordered the Hansel and Gretel. I think it means that the restaurant staff could’ve fattened us up and eaten us if they had wanted to. This food was mesmerizing.

Another breakfast (not pictured) was at a place so cute it’s name is worth mentioning — Romeo and Romeo — in the specifically gay area of Berlin.

Spaetzle is special.

We had to go to this famous biergarten, it’s in the Berlin rulebook (and also there’s a branch in Pittsburgh!).

This was a former men’s bathroom turned restaurant. Can somebody say sausage fest?! Just kidding, they serve burgers.

M O D E R N      D A Y      B E R L I N

Rick, if you’re reading this blog please know that your book and your tours completely influenced our time in this city for the better. We used all of your walking tours (and I mean all of them) to take us around… Having you in our ears and in our hands (in book form) was a fantastic idea because Rachel and I learned a ton that I won’t bore this blog with trying to convey but I will show off some of our pictures.  I HIGHLY suggest the Rick Steves Berlin book for anyone heading to this marvelous city.  

Of course we saw the main sights like Brandenburg Gate (or Unter den Linden).

Come in December, you’ll beat the tourist crowds.

And also the hotel where the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, held his kid over the balcony.

Where’s a baby and a blanket when you need one?

One day we went for a hike in the Bavarian forest to an old spy station but we had to turn around after several hours of not finding what we were looking for because we didn’t want to get lost in the dark.

Into the woods.

Are we still in Berlin?!  (yes!)

Rachel and I continued to see lots of street art, went to the Monster Gallery (a loud moving art exhibit), and saw A TON of graffiti. No seriously, the graffiti is everywhere:

Most definitely not a crack den. Don’t let the walls fool you.

Moritzplatz (not pictured below) is a train station where we spent most of our time.

Can you see the Christmas? WELL CAN YOU?

And because it was December, we went to many Christmas Markets, which are just about the most European thing to happen and are popping up all over Berlin. This year (2017, reminder), the security was on high alert with a lot of added barriers and extra protection since last year (2016 because, math) there was a terrorist attack involving a horrible man driving his truck through the market and killing people.  So sad. But this year everything was safe and they all served delicious, warm mulled wine to keep us warm.

An adorable Christmas market.

Okay, okay. Get to the WILD stuff, you’re saying…I hear you.

Welcome to the nightlife.

If you’ve heard anything about Berlin’s nightlife, you’re probably waiting to hear about the crazy sex dungeon clubs that are scattered all throughout the city. So I’ll tell you from my experience, I’ll tell you about the INSANEEE club we went to where we saw some REALLY INTENSE…

..live jazz, sans BDSM, at Zig Zag Jazz Club. Okay, okay. I’ll get to the real stuff. To the gritty and raunchy…

…comedy show we saw at the Cosmic Cat. It was in English, how wild is that?

English comedy in Germany? That’s funny.

Ok, but really. We did go to a club on a random Tuesday night (because Berliners party throughout the week. Going out here is a marathon, not a race). We went to The Suicide Circus (and no, no one was hanging from the rafters in assless chap clown suits). We had a good time, but the music wasn’t our cup o’ mulled wine, and the crowd was not one we would normally find ourselves in.

Graffiti bathroom, typical Berlin.

Flaming absinthe shots. Drink responsibly. We only had one, thanks.

The most fun I had the whole trip was hanging out with Rachel (of course!) and Sofia (introduced below, thank you, Paula!), and a variety of Couchsurfers, both hosts and new friends, who showed us around. Life is about the people you meet (and about the Rick Steves tours you take :)) We stayed with a Turkish guy, Mehmet, for the first part of our trip — he was super nice, and we really enjoyed our stay.  We switched it up in the middle of our trip (because no one wants long-term guests who don’t pay rent except, I guess, for children) and stayed with Silver, a cool Frenchman turned Berliner and his dog, Nacho.

This is Nacho dog ❤

We had so much fun with each of our hosts!  One particular night we decided to go to a Couchsurfer party at a cozy bar. We made sooo many new friends, it was a blast! I really do love Couchsurfing.  And later, we took all of our new friends to a bar on the rooftop of a parking garage where we continued to bond.

Mehmet, our gracious host, with Rachel.

To the couchsurfing party we go!

Everyone we met in Berlin was lovely, especially darling Sofia.  Here’s her introduction 🙂 We met her by chance because Helen had wanted to order some perfume that she could only get delivered to her in Germany and I graciously told her that I would “figure out a way to pick it up for you!”.  Luckily, Paula – whom I love – introduced me to Sofia who said we could use her address (thank you!!!!)  It was through this interaction with Sofia that I learned how WEIRD mail in Germany can be.   If you’re not home, the mail people (that’s what they’re called, right?) leave your mail with the neighbors. Any neighbor depending on who is home when mail gets delivered.  …That means it’s potentially a different neighbor every single day.  CrAzY!  Long story short, Sofia tracked down the perfume (thank you again!) and chatted to us in the courtyard, telling us mail horror stories.  Rachel and I LOVED talking to Sofia and convinced her to “please continue hanging out with us”.  Sofia agreed! And came on a walking tour with Silver where she, too, fell in love with either Rick Steves or us because after that, she was a regular on all of our outings.

On the train heading towards adventure!

We did try to visit this garden in the cold and rain but it was too expensive to enter and was only open for another 30 minutes. We had spent hours on the S-bahn but it turned into a classic tale… more about the journey (and the company!) than the destination 🙂

Berlin was one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever been to – There was so much to do both day and night and everyone, everyone spoke English.   Rachel and I found endless learning, seeing, and eating.  We made lots of good friends from all over the world.  Berlin was SO international AND SO FREAKING WONDERFUL!!  The energy was incredible, we never wanted to leave. I HIGHLY recommend visiting.  It rivals New York as the “City That Never Sleeps.”  Although, I don’t think Berlin is competing.  It doesn’t need a title.  It’s THAT cool.

Ich liebe dich, Berlin.

Rachel and Sammi say: GO TO BERLIN

Throwback Thursday….

Thanksgiving is a great American holiday…you get to stuff your face without judgement and exchange “I’m thankful for you” sentiments with your close family and friends.

I kicked my Thanksgiving weekend off with some pre-festivities (yay for friendship!) — girls I’m extremely thankful for: Helen and Katie. We started off the night as scientists, rationing out gummy bears between the three of us for the next day, then heading to a restaurant named Cantina, which apparently, is pretty basic because “it just can’t even.” When we arrived, the sign (which I’m assuming was supposed to scroll and say “Cantina”) just kept flashing in big, bold letters “CANT CANT CANT CANT” Pretty hilarious…and somehow discouraging.   Helen and I really acknowledged that we were overstayers.  Even with our bladders, waiting until really have to pee.  “You could say we’re mind over bladder.” – Bella

The next day, Katie and I were headed to Findley Lake to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Why separate a friendsgiving and a family Thanksgiving when you can have both at the same time.  Genius.

In true holiday fashion, Katie and I were half an hour late for her rental car pick-up appointment, and the guy working at the counter told us that they had a whopping 75 reservations for the weekend and that ours was probably canceled due to our tardiness. Now, if this had been during Christmas, I would’ve expected a Hallmark movie situation where our reservation got canceled, we had to flag down some unrealistically attractive trucker who would haul us to Findley Lake, and despite initially hating each other, we would somehow fall in love on the road and he would show me the true meaning of Christmas. Sorry Ben.  Well, it was Thanksgiving, so luckily our reservation wasn’t canceled, and also I’m more of a Hanukkah girl myself, so joke’s on Hallmark.

So we get her a rental car (she was driving up later) and as I’m speeding down the highway (I mean…driving the speed limit down the highway), I realize the passenger door of my car is slightly open. I signal to Katie (which is just the regular way you signal to another car) that I’m going to pull over, and she pulls up right beside me. Without saying one word she just rolls down her window, and opens and shuts my door for me. Talk about being aware of your surroundings, am I right?

Holiday pics from my old phone…#NoFilter

Findley Lake extravaganza

So Katie and I part ways and Ben joins me and, instead of laughing until I cry which is what had just been happening, we fight literally the entire way there until we walk in the door.  Would it be an American Thanksgiving without tension?  Anyway, we arrive at Findley Lake, and the decor is superb as usual. My parents’ decorations were so well thought out that there was even a bouquet of flowers in the shower. So beautiful.

As people started filtering in, it was really great to see everyone, especially my aunt Betsy and Uncle Marvin. Not all of my family was there, but one of the highlights was most definitely talking to my 13-year-old cousin on the phone who told me that I was really fun to talk to. Yes, that’s right.  I’m hip. I’m cool. That was a major point of conversation that night…although I was the only one talking about it.

And what’s a family/friendsgiving without games? Because someone was going to be left with dish duty (and it was probably going to be me), my aunt Betsy and I decided that everyone should use the same glass pretty much all weekend to cut down on the amount of dishes that were going to inevitably pile up. In order to designate people’s glasses, my aunt and I decided to put colored rubber bands on the glasses to distinguish glasses. But our need for functionality soon took a turn for the weird, because we made it into a game and went a little overboard with the rubber bands. We got really into matching the colors, twisting rubber bands together, putting way too many rubber bands on each glass until was it more rubber than glass?! Is this what the pilgrims used to do for fun?

Another great game we started playing was “Name 5,” to which Alex, when told the name of the game, responded with “Name 5?! I’ll name 10!” Truly, Alex should have won the game with just that statement.

Beyond laughing until I cried all night with friends and family, I also enjoyed our dinner table conversations. Since I had my friends at the dinner, my family was complimenting them (or rather…me on choosing them), saying that I have really good taste when it comes to picking friends. I credited my mom because she would always tell me how great I was at picking friends (shoutout to all my peeps!!). I thought that because she encouraged me in picking friends, I eventually just became really great at it (because my friends are cream of the crop, as you all know). My mom, however, dispelled my theory saying that she thinks I became good at picking friends because she taught me how to make good choices in general.

She told stories of how she would always make me practice making choices by letting me choose between a few things whenever I needed to make a decision. She said it was really important that I had things to choose from from the start so that I would eventually grow into making good choices. Once she offered that theory, I thought hey…that makes a lot of sense. Either way, I’m going to go ahead and credit my mom. Thanks mom! You’re the original pal.

Games, dinner, laughter…all that was missing was a movie. By the end of the night, we sat down to watch the movie Gifted. There was one scene where the characters were depressed so they went to a hospital to watch parents’ reactions once their babies were born, and it was the first time Ben had laughed until he cried (it wasn’t supposed to be funny but I was beaming anyway).

One of the best Thanksgivings to go down in history. I wouldn’t be surprised if they teach about it in school, kids.

Leftovers-giving.

The next day, Andrew and Brian stopped by for leftovers. We finished the “weekend” off with a wonderful yoga class led by my mom, so it was one of the best leftovers-givings I’ve ever had. With the Thanksgiving weekend becoming nothing but a memory and a food baby in my stomach, Ben’s birthday weekend officially commenced. We headed to Harrisburg, but stopped in Penn State for dinner first where Bens motor skills cracked me up.

Because he wasn’t really sure where he wanted to go and didn’t really have a preference, I took the lead on the trip destination and combined his birthday trip with a dream trip of mine, which was to visit Harrisburg– or as no one calls it: The Burg. But they should call it that. They really should.

Anyways, I had never been to Harrisburg even though it’s the state capital of Pennsylvania so I was really excited to go for the very first time. It was everything I dreamt it would be. It has amazing wide streets, it’s super clean…they even have multi-tiered street lamps… It almost kind of felt like we were in DC. The capitol building was lit up purple at night; the moon was huge and hanging beautifully above the purple capitol, and it was so beautiful. The senators have parking spots right in front of the capital building.

The ‘burgh.

There was also a restaurant named Sammy’s, so it seemed like fate that I we ended up there. Of course we were too full from leftover-giving to eat anything but it was still neat.  The city also had one of the cutest train stations I’ve ever seen. It was pretty empty–there was no one selling tickets, no homeless people…it was just so quaint. It was an adorable piece of Americana. It was super clean and well taken care of.  I was only there for 5 hours, but I would love to go again….hint hint

So even though we got to stop in one of my dream destinations, the main event was Lititz.   As some of you may know, Lititz is Amish country, so we had a great time experiencing the culture. It was also really funny because this was Ben’s first time in Amish country (he’s from California), so he wasn’t used to the culture and had a lot of observations.  He didnt realize that amish lived right in the middle of regular people — living their lives.  “Did you?” In my opinion some of his comments should be put on t-shirts and sold at the tourist center. Some of the top musings included:

-“Did you see that guys beard? I feel like the Amish and Orthodox Jews would really get along… visually.”

-“Why don’t they just ride the horses [as opposed to riding in the buggy]?”

-“Is that how you tell how well-off an Amish family is? By how many buggies they have?”

-“Do they have buggy races? They must.”

-“At least mean and women both wear different outfits.  Like they both commit.”

(As two men pass and wave to each other) “They probably all know each other.”

Taking pics on stealth mode (you’re not supposed to photograph the Amish)

You go to West Virginia once and you think that all small town america is just drugged out then you come to lancaster and its flourishing small town America.

While in Lititz, we stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast, complete with Amish garb that came along with the room. Did you know they have Amish electricians?

Hello, everyone, meet Rachel.

So of course, I just had to try on the Amish outfit. You know how sometimes you wear the clothes, but other times the clothes wear you? Well, I’m not sure exactly what happened here, but I definitely became another person when I put in on. My friends, I’d like to introduce you to Amish Sam, also known as Rachel.

Ben also tried on some of the men’s Amish-wear and he transformed into Ezekiel.

Ezekiel.

So while Rachel and Ezekiel continued on their journey through Amish country (“aw look at that, your sticker book.  Welllll, thats not what I call it.”), they indulged in the Amish goods throughout the town. For example, they had homemade, fermented root beer (which is honestly as disgusting as it sounds). They also ate their weight in baked goods, because the Amish know their pastries. We–I mean Ezekiel and Rachel– stopped at every roadside bakery that they encountered. They devoured regular whoopie pies, chocolate chip whoopie pies, shoofly pies, chocolate shoofly pies…the list goes on.

When we assumed our normal identities, we decided to bore ourselves at the Landis Valley Farm museum; however, although the exhibits were a snooze fest, we got to take a private buggy ride at the end, which was actually very cool.

Another highlight was being able to see all the cool animals that inhabit this part of town. There were wolfhounds, clydesdale horses, and baby goats. There were also actual wolves, which was awesome to see.

We visited a wolf sanctuary where we learned that wolves would make terrible pets, confirming our previously held suspicions. We also learned some pretty interesting facts, besides that they make bad pets, like that wolves can be trained to smell bladder cancer in other animals and in humans. Another thing is that other pack members will lick the pack leader’s face in order to make him howl (so that the rest of them can howl).

Because we were so impressed with the buggy ride we took previously, we decided to check out other buggies. We also were looking for houses with no lights who looked like they might be using candles.  One night we spent time looking for tricked out buggies that could’ve been on the Amish version of Pimp My Ride, but unfortunately we didn’t see any. But we did stop for baked goods along the way and talked about brand equity side of the road stand, so the mission wasn’t a complete flop.  

The trip was definitely a success, and even if you don’t want to assimilate and become a Rachel or an Ezekiel, I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Amish country, if only to eat a buggy’s load of whoopie pies.

Yell if you need anything.
-Rachel.. I mean, ‘mi.

So I’d like to change the pace a little bit for this blog post, as I’d like to dedicate it to my Momma in Jamaica who passed not too long after I made this trip. As many of you know, I was in the Peace Corps (if you didn’t know, well, then, now you do), and was hosted by this amazing family who I go back to visit as often as I can. This last time in Jamaica, I went to take care of Momma, who had been sick for a while, so I visited the family house to help out as things were getting worse.

RIP Momma.

The beginning of the journey was sweet. I met Tyra (my sister, 23) and my 6-year-old godson (Tyra’s son), OJ (September 21, 2011 and, at 6 years old I really like him) near the airport in Montego Bay.  It was beyond great to see them! But then, within the first hour of our journey to the house, my rental car succumbed to the horrendous potholes in the middle of the road, which…based on the quality of the road, I guess was inevitable. With a popped tyre, we ended up on the side of the road next to another car who had met the same fate as we did. The other guy who was fixing his tyre was kind enough to fix mine…I thought it was hilarious (and very Jamaican) that, as he was fixing my tyre, instead of complaining about the road quality and how the potholes should be filled, he talked about opening up a tyre repair shop on the side of the road next to the potholes. Funny, but I’m also not saying I wouldn’t invest.

With the tyre fixed (reminder to myself: it’s so cheap to fix cars in Jamaica), we hopped back on the road, but the potholes weren’t the only treacherous aspect of driving here. The roads were insane, and I kept having to remind myself to drive on the left side. It took double the amount of time to get to Elim that it would have on a bus.  Meanwhile, in the backseat, Tyra was changing a baby’s diaper… I can confidently say that’s the first time time that that has ever happened to me.  Here’s to new experiences.

Look at my G-d son repping the Pittsburgh Steelers!  (Oh my gosh, is this what people feel like when they post photos of their own children??)

We finally arrived on the dirt road at the house in Elim, and I had a mix of emotions. Momma wasn’t there as she was still in the hospital at Back River, but it was great to see the yard and the family again.  It was a mix of emotions and everyone moved over to make space for me in the three room house. When I used the outdoor bathroom there was the constant sound of running water and I could only find one shower shoe, so whenever I went, I hopped around on one foot. I started referring to myself as “one-footed Sam.”

Everyone slept two people to one bed (minimum).  I was sharing with OJ, whom I love but — bless his heart — he snores.  And it was hot and stagnant in the house, I needed air so I let him lay and went to get a better rest in my car.  I cleaned my feet – which were covered in dirt – the only way I could, with my other foot (…which was equally dirty).  But sleeping in my rental car was a blessing in disguise, it provided me with an extra level of comfort. I had privacy; it was clean; I could roll the windows down. The night sky was amazing, and I had never seen it look bigger or brighter.   It was such a clear night and the sky was covered in twinkling stars! I loved Elim.

The next day, I remembered some more things I love about Jamaica — besides the language, the night sky, and my family — the beauty of the people.  I went with Tyra and OJ to see OJ’s dad. It was the first time OJ had seen his dad in years.  His dad, who shares exactly the same name he does, Oral Amardae Andre Morgan (junior), or Oral Morgan, or Oral Junior (OJ), is now with another woman who was unexpectedly at the house that day.  I braced myself for hostility and awkwardness, but Tyra and the “other woman” got along great and bonded over Tyra’s new baby (that she has with another man). It reminded me of how much Jamaicans seem to love children, and their love for the baby had overcome a potentially awkward situation.

Is my skin always this reflective?
But also…family  ❤ Love these people.

At a cook shop in Santa Cruz, picking up fried chicken for dinner.

I think about Elim so much and am always touched by the people when I go back. After all, it is people who carbonate an experience.  I made sure to find time to walk around my community and visit members of Landlease and New Town, including Pooh, who I love to see every time I go back.  She was the most loyal member of my exercise club which met at 5:30am during the week in order to beat the heat.

Five years ago, when my Peace Corps service was coming to a close, I had given most people in my community who I was close with a departing, tangible photo of us together and wrote a note on the back. When I came back this time, some of the people showed me that they had kept their pictures all this time.

A picture I had given her 5 years ago, still in mint condition. Jamaican me cry.

Paulette and Marvette.

Visiting Bumpy in Blue Fields (Patrick’s host mom).

I loved being back, but this time it was a bittersweet trip. It was hard to say goodbye to Momma, especially since she passed not too long after I returned to the states. She’ll always be in my heart, and I can’t wait to go back to see the rest of the family again (which… is happening soon). Stay tuned for a new Jamaica blog, folks.

I asked Tyra before this upcoming trip if OJ is still so sweet and she said “Yes. Maybe sweeter”.  AWWWW!!!

All the love, ‘mi soon come.
Aunty Sam

Throwback Thursday…

After the extraordinary trip I took with my lovely parents (read all about it here), we got semi-stranded in Reykjavik for a bit. There were a ton of employees quitting (going on strike?) at the Tel Aviv airport, and thus the Travi were forced to spend two nights in Iceland before flying back to the US.   I, on the other hand, only had to spent one night in Iceland with my parents, and then realized that our travel “woes” were the perfect excuse to get re-routed and fly directly into NYC where I had plans to see Turbulence!  No, not turbulence as in I want to feel like my life is in danger while the plane tries not to disassemble in mid-air, but Turbulence as in the off-Broadway show Molly was performing in! I had been planning on taking a megabus from Pittsburgh but this was a way better option.

I made it to NYC (such a great place) and Molly and her friends — the now newlyweds — Steph and Michael (shoutout!) took us for amazing Italian food that I still dream about — it was unbelievably delicious.  And we got to sleep in Long Island at their gorgeous home ❤

The next day, Molly and I met up with Monica and decided to get some cookie dough in the form of ice cream. Let me be clear– not cookie dough ice cream, but just scoops of cookie dough. It wasn’t as good as it sounds, we ended up dashing some of it away.  But that night I saw my first (of two) Turbulence performances and Molly and co. did a spectacular job!

The next day we walked around the city with Kat and decided to go to the park (You know what Kat always says, “One is fun, see the fun.”  but Sammi says, “One at a time.”).  We spend the day relaxing and found the impossible burger to eat. As we walked around, we stopped in Central Park under a tunnel that’s known for its echoing capabilities, and Molly and Kat harmonized to gorgeous songs from their previous show. It was like a private concert featuring two angels.

While in New York, I was also able to catch up with the one and only Laura Cat and I had the pleasure of meeting Katie (I want to say her last name so badly but I won’t!), who I fell in love with almost instantaneously. It happened one afternoon…we all went to the Whole Foods in Central Park, and we were overwhelmed at how large and bustling the store was.  We took deep breaths and spent time to making fun food-based decisions and trying out free samples. There was a certain drink that had different flavors, and of course, the people handing out the samples only give you like a single drop of liquid in the cup. So we each picked up a cup with different flavors. We decided to each take a quick sip of a flavor and pass the cups around so we would  all get a taste of each. My girl Molly (always) and now Katie were both so quick and willing to share with me, a complete stranger at that point, that I knew we were destined. 

As we spent the day being playful and having the best time (I even got to go see her apartment) we decided, you know who should know about our fun times? Siri. Siri should know that we’re having a blast, and we were positive that she would care to know that things were going well so Katie told her often.

Introducing….Katie!!!!!! ALL the heart eyes.

That night, after the second of Molly’s shows that I got the pleasure of seeing, I got on an overnight bus to Pittsburgh.

Best time of year in one of America’s best cities.

I got in that next morning and dashed in to take a shower at my lovely apartment. Oh, how I would’ve just loved to stay put and take a nap, spend some time lounging around, sleep in my own bed…you know, the basics of coming home. But I am a trooper, and memories don’t happen in those moments.  And when Ben wanted to go on a weekend getaway to West Virginia, I of course said yes. So after I showered, I picked up Ben, and we headed to the Wild and Wonderful state.

The West Virginia Wild.

The West Virginia Wonderful.

Once we made it to West Virginia, we went to the visitor’s center to get some information about the state and all it has to offer. The woman working at the center was very…shall I say, open about giving us info. She told us a little bit about the sights, about how the residents of West Virginia are inbred and have a low IQ, which is why it’s difficult to teach them proper English, and last but never least, about how the state is just oversaturated with drug use. In fact, there was a heroin dealer outside the door just then. Definitely wild.

After receiving all of that info, Ben and I decided to go on a few hikes, pick some apples (as many as we could), and stay as far away from people as possible. There were beautiful spots and, despite coming off of a whirlwind, international trip, I’m glad we went. The trees were changing, it was a beautiful weekend and a stunning time of year! We stayed in a cabin.  

America, the beautiful.

However, I will say that when we got back to Pennsylvania, not even Pittsburgh, it felt like we were coming back to civilization, a developed, booming metropolis which is hilarious because that’s not how I would have described Pennsylvania before this trip.

Picking some red, delicious apples. But not Red Delicious apples.

When we got back to Pittsburgh, I was more than happy to resume my life hanging out in my apartment and with friends, enjoying the city that I absolutely adore, which included soaking in all the beautiful scenery that comes with a Pittsburgh fall.

I mean, honestly!

View from outside the dream flat.

Playing tennis (we love tennis!) near the dream flat.

The fall also included more of the Pittsburgh Speaker Series and more friends. You can imagine how ecstatic I was when Katie, Helen’s “new friend, good friend” told me about how her old friends, good friends Alex and Emily who had just moved to Pittsburgh. So of course, that meant that I got to meet them! ❤

And Arcade Comedy Theater had their new theatre’s opening party! It was very memorable.

Nerds.

We’re fans.

Also during late fall, I helped Andrew and Brian celebrate their one-year anniversary (*insert one years worth of heart-eye emojis here*). During their anniversary dranks, where I ordered a light beer, but it came in a light glass instead, I decided to overshare about how much I love getting the last bits of toothpaste out of the tube. Like I will cut open the tube and scrape the rest of the toothpaste out.

Funny enough, even though it was their anniversary (and Brian birthday!), I was the one that recieved gifts. A few days later several people from that evening bought me brand new tubes of toothpaste and new methods of extracting every. last. drop.  Thanks you guys!!!

I encourage everyone to get friends who give toothpaste as gifts; they’re good listeners, practical and funny. And lastly, I encourage you to always, always let Siri know when you’re having a good time.

Siri, I’m having so much fun.
‘mi

Happy birthday, Mom!!!!! I hope you have a really great day!!  I love you!!

***********

When I tell people I planned a family trip to Palestine…

“Isn’t the Israeli–Palestinian conflict still going on?”
“Isn’t that area dangerous?”
“Why would you take your parents there?”

I totally get it. In fact, I welcome those questions because I think it’s an awesome learning opportunity.  Even though Palestine has a major ongoing conflict and a reputation for being dangerous, I did my research.  There weren’t any active flare ups and I decided that, at the time we were there, the trip over the boarder wasn’t any more dangerous than getting into a car.  There’s risk in everything we do.  And most Palestinians are actually trying to lead a normal, happy life.

So, without further ado, here’s a glimpse of Palestine from my perspective.

*

My parents weren’t comfortable using public transportation, so they had opted to wait until the next day when they could go on a tour.  But, I didn’t want to wait since there was so much to see.  So, I hopped on a bus and went by myself.

As I was crossing the border into Palestine, I learned that people with Israeli passports can’t enter Palestine at all; however I did notice that some Palestinians do commute into Jerusalem for work. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again until your ears hurt (or eyes…since you’re reading this), but traveling makes you appreciate the things you’ve been given in this life. As I was crossing the border, I thought about how lucky I am to have a US passport that allows me to travel so freely.  In Israel, you can’t even cross a border IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY, and here I am, an outsider getting free access.

Crossing the border into Palestine, there seemed to be arbitrary treatment. Apparently, individuals who cross the border will occasionally have to be fingerprinted (although I wasn’t).  No one looked at my passport.  No one even entered the bus to check anyones identity and almost before I knew it, I was in Palestine.

I took in the sights and, at one point, went to charge my phone in a restaurant.  The guys who were working there were very friendly.  After some casual chit-chat, they asked if I was a Christian or a Catholic; woah, woah, woah, we’re jumping from straight-up casual small talk into a “3 glasses of pinot and pondering the afterlife” type of conversation? Or “Another Coca-cola Zero, please!” Cool.  Let’s do it.

The thing is, I’m Jewish, and found it interesting that they didn’t even consider that that was an option, especially considering we were 30 minutes away from Israel.  I decided to go with: “I’m kind of Christian, but not really a believer,” which they found to be a satisfactory answer.  A couple of beats later, out of curiosity, I asked what they would have said if I had told them I were Jewish. They responded that I woudn’t have mattered, as they have business friends who are Jewish but…Why didn’t they list that as an option?!

With my phone fully charged, and my belly full of Coke Zero, I thanked the men (the cokes were on the house) and gave them a sticker as a souvenir.

Now, you can find Pittsburgh in random restaurant in Palestine.

It was time for me to meet my parents back in Jerusalem and since I couldn’t figure out where to catch the bus, I surrendered to walking the couple of hours back. Unfortunately, you can’t walk across the border.  You’re not allowed to walk across the boarder?!  That still seems bizarre.  Luckily, I was able to hop on an empty tour bus who refused any sort of payment, and got back into Israel before nightfall.
**

The next day, I told my parents I actually did want to join them on their tour as I had a lot of questions that I was hoping a guide could answer.  Unfortunately for us, the tour was canceled.  My parents wanted to check out Palestine anyway (who could blame them, it was so interesting!) so, as their loyal disciple, I led them back to Bethlehem.

One of our main destinations was the “The Hotel With The Worst View”.  No reverse psychology here; the hotel actually overlooks the massive, scary wall on the west bank; it’s quite overwhelming — twice as high as the Berlin Wall with barbed wire all over the top and an endless supply of watchtowers.

You don’t have to be an art major to figure this one out.

A 1-star wall with a 5-star sense of humor.

Even though there were some humorous works of graffiti on the wall, once you start learning about the situation it’s overwhelming just how oppressive and sad this wall really is.  This close to Jerusalem, there is no way to get past it without passing through a checkpoint.  The wall was built in 2000, and those born after that were born always knowing this as reality.  There’s no way for Palestinians to get goods across the border, and the better farmland is on the Israeli side. This means that the people in Palestine are forced to find a way to live under these harsh conditions.

Palestinians face this every single day.

One of the really interesting things about traveling to an area like this is being able to, as an outsider, see the way two sides view oppression. In Israel, this is called the Separation Wall and is seen as a security measure built to defend against terrorism. To Palestine, on the other hand, the wall is a symbol of racial segregation; they call it the Apartheid Wall.

Is this comic relief or foreboding imagery? #both

The wall was eye-opening, and while I wouldn’t say it was fun, it was a highlight of my trip to learn about current affairs and see the extent of the turmoil.

Make hummus, not walls— now there’s a sentiment I can get behind. My local government officials will be hearing about this idea.

QUICK intermission to discuss the art:

The hotel with the worst view and several murals in the surrounding area were created by Banksy, the anonymous English graffiti artist. While in Palestine, I got to learn a lot about his work and became rather attached to his art and his message. I even used one of his murals as inspiration for my Halloween costume when Ben asked me to “dress sexy.”

See, look at those sexy flowers, and the sexy backwards cap, and the sexy baggy pants…and that sexy message.

Renegade is sexy.  Photo credit: Ben

–END of my quick intermission (see? I like art.)—
Before that intermission, we had already visited the Banksy hotel.  And after that, we went to see the heart of Bethlehem.  We went to Manger Square, the specific spot where Jesus was supposedly born, although, I doubt it was called that at the time.

*Flashback to the birth of Jesus*

Wise Man #1: Hey, guys, I think we’re lost.
Wise Man #3: Yeah, I think we were supposed to take a left back at Manger Square.
But now, instead of a stack of hay, Manger Square is actually home to a massive church— the room upgrade Mary had always wanted.  It was beautiful, and there was a group of Italians singing “O, Holy Night,” which, it turns out sounds much better in Italian.  We felt pretty special to get such a private performance.

A star to indicate where Jesus was born…like the star the led the wise men…ah, okay, I see what they did here.

We walked around for a while to take in the whole spiritual experience (no rogue rabbis asking for “donations” this time), and then we waited in line for the bus to take us back into Jerusalem before dark.

Overall, our experience was a good one.  On the bus, I reflected.  I’d felt very conflicted the whole time I was there.  It was difficult.   Almost like you have to choose a side in the ongoing, complicated conflict that has no end in sight.

**

It was a powerful place, and I was so incredibly lucky to share this whole meaningful experience with my parents. I made a checklist:

☑Adventurous parents who are always willing to explore
☑Parents who are super supportive of your passion for travel
☑Willingness to learn, experience new things, and laugh along the way
☑Endless amounts of LOVE

And, I was able to check everything off the list.  It was so cool to have my parents along for this trip, seeing things that I usually can’t put into words and learning right beside me.

Here’s to more adventures! Love yinz!
‘mi

Our next stop was Jerusalem where the three of us walked through the winding, twisting, and turning streets of the old city. We eventually found our way to the Western Wall for Shabbat. There were a few really interesting experiences that took place here, I mean, you know, other than actually being there, which is a pretty interesting experience in and of itself.  “Best people-watching of my life” — Jo-Ann Travis.

So, there are two sides to the wall: the men’s side and the women’s side. Ben warned me that the woman’s side, which was smaller, wouldn’t be as exciting during Shabbat. The singing and dancing associated with Shabbat mostly happened on the men’s side, and the women were quieter (minus the crying and touching of the wall). The men’s side is bigger and longer, and women and little girls are not allowed inside.

HOWEVER, it seems the extra perks on the men’s side are not without cost–you get what you pay for, right? My dad came back from the men’s side with quite the story (inspired by true events). Picture this:

You’re slightly overwhelmed by the experience, overcome by the spiritual nature of impending Shabbat and the wall. You watch as people pray and cry; they are touched by something bigger than themselves. So you decide to pray, which you almost never do. You lean your head into the wall to begin prayer, when all of a sudden, someone you suspect to be a rabbi comes over and softly touches your head. The rabbi leans you into the wall and starts praying over you. You’re touched; this experience has awakened you to greater forces and– but wait. As you turn to thank the rabbi, you see that he has his hand held out. Are we shaking hands? Do I thank you for the blessing? Then you realize he’s waiting for you to put some money in his hand.

“Are you kidding me?” You say. “Aren’t you a man of God?”

“Yes,” the rabbi says, “but we’re still asking for donations.”

So you pull out a couple of coins from your pocket, and the rabbi reaches over to take the ones that amount to $5 (the largest of the coins). But what he really took was the little remaining faith you had left. So you leave the wall.

Talk about a spiritual journey…

The divider separating the mens side (left) and the womens side (right).

We shook off my dad’s experience and prepared ourselves for what was to come. It was 5pm, the beginning of Shabbat, and we were surely about to have a synergistic experience. My mom and I went to our separate part of the wall and found a seat. My dad, reluctantly, went to his (and really, who could blame him!).

All of the women were wearing wigs, and they were really beautiful. At 5:30pm the men started singing, and by 6pm it was dark. The men were really getting into it; they were boisterous and lively… if ever I had FOMO (fear of missing out), it was at this very moment. The women were quiet the entire time. So, at 6:34pm, exactly one minute after official sundown, I gave up on the idea that we were going to have fun; my mom and I left to find my dad who was waiting for us and super ready to leave.

Yeah so, we kind of thought that we’d want to be more Jewish after visiting Jerusalem, but this experience may or may not have had the opposite effect. Ben had tried to warn me…

Eating my feelings through mountains of Baklava. Don’t judge– Only God can do that.

I also visited the church where Jesus had risen, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There were so many people everywhere (flashbacks to Petra). And what would be a holy site without loads of vendors selling souvenirs. Giving into the religious feelings abound, I rubbed a clean sock on the stone of Unction where the body of Christ was cleansed. I still use it to protect my sunglasses in their case, just in case it does hold some healing powers. Better safe than sorry!

Two smiling faces (yours truly & Makai) wandering through Jerusalem at night. Thanks to Lynn for linking us up!!

The next day, my parents wanted to sleep in (understandable), so I went for a long walk to another Holocaust museum. I got mildly lost and ended up climbing a steep route, which was fun and added to the adventure. But when I actually reached the museum, I decided I couldn’t handle being sad and found a quiet place to charge my phone and read instead.

When my parents picked me up, we headed 394 meters below sea level to the lowest place in the world– no, not hell. The Dead Sea!!!

View of the Dead Sea from above. Despite its name, the Dead Sea is gorgeous.

At one point during this excursion, we went slightly off-roading for just a couple of minutes because we like to live life on the edge; although, we did have to do some real problem-solving to get back on the main road. Was this a test? Would we be stranded in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights? Only time would tell.

The roads back were either way too steep, way too rocky, or filled with loose gravel. So, because we didn’t want to fall off a cliff or damage the car driving through jutting rocks, we chose the loose gravel as the safest of our three treacherous options. Now, I won’t say that we didn’t get stuck…but teamwork makes the dream work, so when the car did get stuck, we all got out to unbury the car from the loose rocks. Our best helper, though, was a trusty old road sign that someone had knocked down. Two hours later (yikes!), we were unstuck and a little less embarrassed than when we’d thought we were going to have to flag down a car on the highway for help.

Back on the road to FREEDOM!!!!! Tip: don’t drive in loose gravel.

So, finally free from the gravel, we made it down to the water and got in. PSA: the rumors are TRUE! The water in the Dead Sea is just as buoyant as everyone says. It was so fun to bob up and down in the water and float next to my parents. When we got tired of floating, we decided to cake mud all over each other. We deserved a spa day after digging 2 hours to free ourselves from the gravel trap.

Mud monsters in love.

Come to the Dead Sea for an all natural facial!

Like (muddy) mother like (muddy) daughter.

So after a nice, relaxing time floating, soaking in the sun and the rejuvenating mud on our skin, we headed back to Jerusalem that night to get some much needed rest. Of course, we washed the mud off first… no need to scare the good people of Jerusalem!

Salty hugs,
‘mi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This post is about our favorite place on this special family trip!  I think you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I loved reliving it!  I hope that it makes you smile and your day is fun, full of relaxation, laughter, and delicious food.  Can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!  xoxo

********

That blue dot is us!

You know how you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need? Well Petra = not what we wanted, and Wadi Rum = what we wanted + what we needed. Mick Jagger, you can get both sometimes.

Anyway, let me set the scene for you. Worn out, tired, and still overwhelmed from drowning in a sea of people at Petra, my parents and I arrived in Wadi Rum desert. And what did I hear? Was that…silence? And did my eyes deceive me? Was this a mirage, or were there really no people out here? Had we just hit the tourism jackpot? Yes. The answer was yes.

Once we got out of the taxi, we were greeted by Awed, our tour leader. He saw our taxi and came driving up on his jeep with over 300,000 miles on it (they really take care of things out here in the desert).  Before coming on the trip, my mom and I had found out about Awed and his business, Wadi Rum Tour Styles (check him out; he’s great!). We poured over hundreds and hundreds of TripAdvisor reviews (because that’s just what you do when you’re about to go camping in a remote desert miles away from civilization with someone you don’t know), and felt confident enough to book him.

Photo Credit: Andrew Travis

Our fearless leader and his trusty steed.

From the get-go, we knew that booking our tour with Awed had been a sandsational decision (*wink*). He brought us to a secluded, sheltered area and set up camp. He made us some tea while we relaxed, and if we weren’t already feeling like complete winners, I kid you not, he made us the best chicken dinner any of us had ever eaten.

We slept here, in the open air.  My parents snuggled.

Awed cooked dinner.

Morning views.

Breakfast spreads. Hummus, spices, and oils.

Hellooooo perfect day.

My mom, the teacher.

A friendly face.

Please, let us touch you.

Solving world problems, together.

Hiking.

True love.

We did a lot of awesome stuff in Wadi Rum including fraternizing with some friendly camels, stretching and meditating in the sand, hiking through the landscape, and restoring a sense of peace we might’ve lost in the commotion of city life.  Awed took us to some really magical, incredible places, and the weather obliged; it never got too hot, and the sand stayed cool long into the day.  Poking a toe or two into the sand was downright delightful.  

I had traded in my Indiana Jones hat for Aladdin’s magic carpet, and I really enjoyed the change of pace. The consensus was reached: no matter where else we ended up on the trip, this would most likely be the favorite. And although we were sad to leave and dreading the hassle of taxis and border crossings that were waiting for us on the other side, we felt rejuvenated and ready for more adventure.

The Wadi Rum desert might not be an oasis, but it sure is refreshing.

Wadi Rum desert, cooler — in every sense of the word — than we thought,
‘mi

Happy Valentines Day!!!

*********

This was a trip of a lifetime and we were so close to one of the Seven Wonders of the World: Petra.  Thus, we decided to extend our family trip into Jordan. 

My lovely parents.

A little hesitation is expected for first-time Middle East boarder crossers but I assured my parents everything would be okay.  And it was! It was early, it was chaotic, but we made it over the border crossing at 5:30am. “We’ll beat the heat,” I said. “We’ll beat the crowds at Petra,” I said. We did not beat the heat. And we did not beat the crowds.

We walked across the boarder.

Once we were through customs a swarm of taxi drivers offered to drive us to Petra for a “fair price” (glad I did my research and had that itinerary with us!)

Eventually we bargained down a taxi driver who was willing to take us for a fair-ish price. He didn’t speak English, which of course, is fine, BUT it did prove to be a little difficult when we tried to understand why he had pulled over on the side of the road. Turns out, the car had broken down, and he needed his cousin to take us the rest of the way.  #sigh

Eventually we made it without any harm.

Cue the Indiana Jones theme music.

Managed to snap a pic with only a few tourists and a camel!

Like I said, Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. But the thing about Petra was that it felt like everyone in the world was there; although, we did manage to end up in some cool (and relatively empty) spots!

(like this one!)

(and this one!)

My parents hung in there like champs!

Here’s a list of some other fun stuff we saw in Petra:

-Petra

-Sea of tourists amongst Petra

-Sea of tour guides and horses trying to sell us things at Petra

-Sea of aggressive vendors offering “no charge for looking” goods throughout Petra

No wonder it’s a “Wonder of the World” *wink*

Indiana Jones and the Rocks of Petra: Coming to a theater near you in 2018

Don’t get me wrong. It was beautiful, but it felt….like a lot.   When we left, I think it’s safe to say we were all feeling pretty relieved to get out of there, and we fled to the nearest vendor for some much needed ice cream and a seat in the shade.

Modern stone age family #TheNewFlinstones.

If I’m being completely honest, the whole experience was really hot and underwhelming.

Luckily, there was still more to see, more to do… more that could convince my parents that Jordan was really the worthy destination I knew it to be. I had no doubts we would find Jordan’s gems (foreshadowing to Wadi Rum Desert).

And anyways, what’s an Indiana Jones movie without a whirlwind of adventure?