As much as I had read and seen ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") about Petra in Jordan I was prepared to be underwhelmed. Few places can live up to the hype that they inspire. Perhaps it was because it was in the last few days of an exciting, exotic Middle East tour or perhaps it was the over half a mile hike through the narrow passageway called The Siq, that created the emotion of the moment. When the last narrow slit in the red rock canyon hinted at the masterpiece, The Treasury, straight ahead, tears flowed, surprising me greatly. It was as though subconsciously I had been on pilgrimage and finally had reached my goal.
I seldom ever use the overworked word "awesome" but if any place deserves that appellation, it is Petra. The Nabateans, who created this masterpiece of red sandstone, did so in the 3rd. century BC. From here they controlled the trade routes from Arabia to Damascus. Little is left of the great city that was once here. Most of the ruins are of the magnificent tombs they built. The Monastery was built as a tomb around 86 BC but was probably used as a church in Byzantine times, hence earning its current name. In the late 1980's there were over 700 Bedouins living within the Petra area; today only 20-25 still do and help with security.
One of the most memorable experiences of our recent trip to the Middle East was the climb up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night. This is purportedly the setting where Moses received the Ten Commandments. I now have an even greater respect for this patriarch. After all, he was over eighty when he made the trip (but it did take him 40 days). We were picked up at our hotel on the Red Sea at 11PM and rode for 2 hours to get to the foot of the mountain at 1 AM. We sleepily stumbled off the bus into a surreal world of Bedouin camel drivers, desert smells, sounds and pitch-black night, punctuated with billions of stars. A tall Bedouin man straight from central casting met us and led us into the dark. Each of us was directed to our own camel which we rode for an hour and a half. I saw at least 3 shooting stars from my slowly rocking saddle. It was cold, in the forties and when we dismounted we went into a warming hut where we shared hot tea and tales of the last hour with our young camel drivers. Later we began the trek up the remainder of the mountain. There was a fingernail moon peeking out from the scudding clouds. We walked the rocky trail, pausing to rest periodically until we reached the 7450 ft. summit. And it was worth the trip to see the sun slip through the surrounding mountain tops to greet us with a changing array of colors. We may not have come away with two tablets as Moses did but unforgettable memories came with us.
Years ago we spent 4 days of our honeymoon in Israel, in 1968… the year after the Six Day War. Although we saw a couple of burned-out tanks and we gave rides to hitchhiking Israeli soldiers, we were naively oblivious to the potential danger we might be courting. We realized there weren't many tourists, but considered that our good luck. Our second trip to Israel, as part of a trip to the Middle East, occurred earlier this year, bookended between the revolutions of Egypt and Syria. More politically aware than forty+ years ago, we deliberately chose to go despite cautions by family and friends and are very grateful that we did. The focus of the trip was biblical history. Israel is replete with sites that anchor the Bible stories we've heard since childhood. Although religious traditions stake out specific pieces of real estate as THE place where certain events happened, to me, those are unlikely and really of no import. What touched me most was knowing that we had the opportunity to walk, if not literally where Jesus walked, we were at least in the neighborhood. Just knowing that he lived and laughed and taught and loved in that geography was enough. The Sea of Galilee was the venue for much of the teachings of the Nazarene. This synagogue in Capernaum is built on the site of the one where Jesus preached. The Dome of the Rock sits on the ground where Solomon's Temple was built and houses the rock where it is said Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac and from which Mohammed is said to have ascended into heaven.
What an incredible journey we recently made to the Middle East, bookended between the beginning of the revolutions in Egypt and Syria. This month the focus is on Syria. Whatever I expected on the front end I did not anticipate the warmth and friendliness with which we were greeted. On the streets of Damascus some people shouted out "Welcome to Syria!" Shy robe-clad women came up and motioned to ask if they could take pictures of the American woman with the camera so I posed with them so one could use her cell phone to take the picture. Every where women, children and younger men smiled and nodded…not so much the older men. The history is incredible, from some of the earliest recorded writings on clay tablets, to Crusader Castles perched on hill tops overseeing the arid, desert terrain. The first night upon our arrival in Damascus a full moon welcomed us to Syria. Palmyra, a Roman city was magical in the golden setting sun. Krak des Chevaliers was every kid's dream of what a castle should be like. All this to say it would take months to savor and years to learn all the mysteries and history Syria has to offer.
Everyone knows Disney World as the premier theme park in the world. You may not, however, be familiar with its neighbor, Gatorland, the first theme park in Central Florida which will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary. It is 110 acres of swamps, alligators, daily shows, and too many activities to enumerate. It's a great half to whole day adventure for families and a heaven for wild life photographers, especially in the spring when hundreds of herons, egrets, storks, cormorants and other water fowl show up to build their nests. The boardwalks provide direct views into the nests for viewing that typically are only seen with telephoto lenses. Here are huge gators, baby egrets and a Tri-Colored Heron turning its eggs.
For Westerners I suppose the Far East is one of the most exotic places for us to visit. There seem to be few similarities in architecture, terrain, language, clothing or food. My husband and I had the privilege of spending some time in China, Vietnam and Cambodia. Each was different from the other. All were fascinating. It is almost overwhelming to process because the colors, smells, sounds seem foreign to us. But what a marvelous opportunity to experience different cultures and learn to appreciate their way of doing life. Hong Kong Harbor with its modern buildings and constant boat traffic was a real contrast with the more ancient, slower paced life we observed elsewhere.
I really never understood why Davey Crockett and Sam Houston left Tennessee for Texas…big mistake! We are so fortunate in Tennessee to have 3 distinct types of geography: the flat Delta of West Tennessee, the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee and the marvelous Smokies of East Tennessee. The whole state is a photographer's paradise. Some of the best sunsets in the world occur over the mighty Mississippi River and there are rivers, creeks and waterfalls to enjoy throughout the state. I spent a couple of days in East Tennessee in the Cades Cove area and nearby in the Great Smoky National Park and reveled in the beauty I saw at every turn. Early morning fog shrouded the mountains and quietly greeted the wild turkey and deer grazing in fields and woods. It was hard not to stop in the road every mile or so just to enjoy singing creeks and the cool shade of fern-packed glades. There are many trails, from easy to very strenuous, winding around the mountains. I missed seeing a couple of bears by minutes, according to others on one of the trails.
I loved seeing whole families hiking together, pausing in wonder at some of the waterfalls, stepping into the spray, but not minding getting wet. Few of us are really spontaneous any more. We carefully schedule every minute, even of our children's time, so it's gratifying to see that there are still some folks who realize the value of getting away from all the electronic gadgets and playing together outside. We live in a state that has incredible beauty, as do all our states. Just look around where you live and get outside the town or city and learn from what you see there.
These are just a sampling of what I saw in the mountains.
Kilimanjaro Climb Blog
It's probably better not to agree on the spur of the moment to do something life-threatening, at a minimum, and life-changing under the best of circumstances. A couple of years ago, however, I did just that when the daughter of a close friend called to say she was turning 40 and had always wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, and would I do it with her. I was so flattered that I am now grateful she didn't throw Everest out there because I might have stupidly agreed to that, too.
We found 5 other women from our home town to join us on this adventure and we trained for 5 months, climbing a couple of mountains in Colorado and adding mileage to our normal runs. The last 2 months we met on Wednesdays at 4 and spent an hour climbing the stairs of a 10-story building with our boots and backpacks.
We made the 9-day trek, 7 up and 2 down, successfully: every one of us did. We reached the summit of 19,340 feet, at 2 PM on October 4, 2008. Our 3 guides among themselves had made about 400 summits and had never had an all-women's group. We never thought that was such a rarity. It was the hardest thing I've ever done but one of the most satisfying. The high point, along with the summit, was sharing the journey with 6 amazing, funny, generous women who never complained or whined but met the challenge with grace. We're headed for the Swiss Alps this year. (Won't have to sleep in tents nor have only a small bowl of water to bathe in…some improvements!)
One of the most exciting trips I've ever taken was to Rwanda to trek up Mt. Karisimbi, which rises 13,500 ft. high, to see mountain gorillas. It's part of the Virunga National Park which consists of 7 extinct volcanoes. We had permits for three days and were fortunate to see gorillas each of those days. It was about 9200 ft. in altitude where we caught up with the Susa group that first day. They are the largest family, with 35 members. We hiked through tall bamboo forests as we searched for them. It truly was "Gorillas in the Mist" with a heavy fog obscuring the bamboo…first there was a pungent, musky odor; then we see dark shapes moving silently through the bamboo. As we approach it seems there are gorillas everywhere. There were two impressive, mature silverbacks. The Alpha male made the decisions, we were told, as to when they get up, where they eat, rest and when to build nests in the trees at night.
I followed his younger brother and watched him eat off alone. When he started to move he headed straight toward me. One of our guides, Patience, was with me and whispered for me to move out of his way. I tried to but the silverback deliberately walked up to me and as he passed, reached out and popped my left thigh playfully and knocked me down! He never broke stride. I was laughing, part in awe and part in relief that he didn't do the King Kong bit and pick me up over his shoulder! After Patience was sure I was OK he said that it was something the silverback did occasionally just to show who was boss. I was pretty sure I knew that before he showed me.
Day two we found Sabyinyo Group which had the largest silverback in Rwanda. There were only 10 members of this group. The last day we saw Group 13 and were privileged to observe for an hour its 7 members: most of that time, the silverback with two females with young, one a four-month old and the other a four-day old. It was an idyllic scene that we wished we could have observed quietly all day, but the viewing is limited to one hour and the guides time it carefully as soon as you make first contact with a group. There are only about 700 mountain gorillas in existence and close to 200 of them are typically found in the Rwanda section of the mountains. These are a few of photos from that memorable trip.
There's no doubt I've been blessed with some exceptional travel opportunities. My first trip in an airplane wasn't until I was 16. I was chosen to be an exchange student in the Philippines and we had to get an atlas to find Zamboanga, my destination, the southernmost city in that archipelago in the South Pacific.
This early adventure gave me a real thirst for seeing and learning about other cultures. It was a true milestone as I learned firsthand the ups and downs of being a minority; of living in a Third World country; and of being required to stand up in large crowds and speak about my life and my country.
I was a language major, both in high school and college, at Vanderbilt University. After graduation, I was a stewardess for Pan American World Airways for 3 years, flying to the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and as far as Hong Kong. My biggest claim to fame during that career was the fact that I cooked dinner in First Class on a flight from New York to London for…Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Since marrying and having a family (four children) and two other careers, I've fed that wanderlust with trips with my husband, my family, great friends and sometimes by myself. Over the years I've unpacked in more than 50 countries and almost that many states.
In this space I want to share some of the stories I've lived and, occasionally, the lessons I've learned on those journeys. Typically I will highlight some photos each time that you might enjoy owning. This time, however, the photos are old ones that are illustrative of places I've just mentioned and are only for your entertainment. Enjoy.
