To Taba!

Our trip down to Taba in Egypt was a long one, and not without a bit of intrigue.  The trip took roughly 18 hours in total.  It began Thursday night about 8:45pm catching a bus from Zarqa to Amman and ended collapsing on the comfy beds in our hotel in Taba about 2:15pm Saturday afternoon.  All said it included 3 buses, 1 van, 3 taxis, 1/2 mile of walking, a 50M sprint, 1 highpowered ferry boat, and about 3 hours of sleep mixed in. 

The intrigue begins with the fact our trip SHOULD have included one more bus and two less taxis.  Gabe and I arrived in the port city of Aqaba, Jordan on the main bus with the tour group.  After a few words in Arabic from the tour head the fellow passengers disembarked and began to disperse from the parking lot.  We spoke with the tour head who  told us in clear enough English to be back at the bus in 20 minutes to transport to the dock for the ferry.  So off we went to enjoy the great weather and take a stroll in a nearby park.  20 minutes later we arrived back to the same said spot for the bus but find no bus, no tour head, and no fellow passengers.  "It is the Arab world," we say as we find some shade to await the late arrival of our bus and tour.

Fifteen minutes later with still no sign of bus, tour head, or passengers a bit of concern began to creep in.  Then concern approached alarm as 15 turned into 25 minutes and we realized we had just given 200 JD and both our passports to a man we had met only a half-hour ago with no more identification than his first name.  So with our wallets now light and our identity in the hands of a missing man we needed a plan.

The tour head mentioned needing to go to the Police Station to review passports of non-Jordanians.  So I caught a taxi and headed up to find the station and Gabe remained where the bus was supposed to be.  I didn't see the bus or anyone associated with the tour at the Police Station and was bit nervous to hang around since my passport was not in my possession.   Then Gabe called saying he met another worker from the tour company who was saying we were late and had missed the bus and likely now the ferry as well.  I rushed back and then we jumped into a taxi and with a flourish of Arabic between the driver and the tour rep off we went.  Our driver did all taxi drivers proud cruising past 120 km/h on the open road and handling the parking lot of the dock like a slalom course.  The highlight was the taxi driver shouting in Arabic on our cell phone to the tour head as we were reversing along on the coastal highway after realizing the directions given us had been incorrect. 

Upon finally arriving back at the dock the road way was blocked by numerous tourist buses.  So the driver abruptly swerved the taxi up onto the curb and out we came to finish our trip to the ferry with a sprint.  No kidding; all passengers aboard, engines running, and gate closing as we raced toward the ferry.  We didn't have to make a jump for it as the gangplank gave way but we could have.

From there the excitement let go and the rest of the ferry ride was quite nice.  We went up to the viewing deck enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze over the blue green water of the Red Sea.  Then some Jordanian guys invited us to join them at their table and we enjoyed Gelatto and conversation with them the rest of the crossing.

Our time in Taba was great, though short.  Good food, sand soccer with about 4 nationalities, and snorkeling among coral and some beautiful fish were some highlights.  

Returned

Well my roommate and I returned safely from our trip to Egypt.  For our visa renewal we spent two nights in the Sinai.  Now we weren't exactly roughing it in the barren desert but in fact we never left the comfy confines of our beach front resort.  We joined a pre-packaged tour and it was great.  In my next newsletter or in a upcoming blog spot I'll share more from our trip. 

Quotables

Driving here is always a bit of an adventure.  Here were the first words of advice I heard on driving, “The first rule driving in Jordan is to forget the rules.  And whatever you do don’t pay attention to the lane-lines, that will really mess you up.  And oh yeah, the best defense is a good offense.”

“You can’t hustle in the Middle East.”  The sense of time we have in America is a bit different from here.  Things will get done sometime, eventually, or in a most common phrase, “Inshallah.” (God willing) 

 

“Welcome in Jordan!”  This is likely one of the most common phrase I hear.  Person after person is only too glad to offer this slightly grammatically incorrect greeting.  I know I will miss it when I am gone.

Persons I’ve Met

 

Students

English here is a key to doors in employment, education, and opportunities overseas.  Having a college degree and professional training are good, but in addition strong English skills are needed.  Many students come to our classes after spending the rest of the day at work or university.  Seeing their desire to improve themselves and their efforts towards a better future has been inspiring.  I see that something I have taken for granted, knowing English and the opportunities it provides, is here a hard earned prize.    

Islamic Scholar

So of course you can imagine we might have some differences of opinion.  But as I had the chance to sit down in his home, talk, and more so listen I saw some of my assumptions and judgments no longer seeming so sure.  I saw a man who loved his children and wanted a better future for them and their society.  I heard studied beliefs of a thoughtful and considerate person.  Although his ideas on some key things differed from mine I felt his heart and motivation really were for the good of himself and others.  

Stranger On The Bus

Our first weekend in town my roommate and I took the bus downtown to do some exploring.  Upon exiting the bus a fellow passenger welcomed us in broken English and motioned for us to follow him.  So off into the night we went following this unknown man into an unknown city center.  After a few minutes, a few turns, and few byways we arrived at a local café.  He disappeared inside and then returned with three glasses of juice.  We enjoyed our drinks together and then with a shake of hands off he went.

I Out Greeted an Arab

So Arabs are very gracious . . . and lengthy in their greetings.  An Arab friend told me that they joke that 80% of phone bills are spent on greetings.  It's only after the conversation is near over that you get down to the business of why you called.

Well I am proud to say this weekend I out greeted and Arab.  We were meeting a local friend in Amman and so as usual we were relying on a few key phrases and then the kindness of strangers to help direct us as we went.  Well to confirm we were on the right bus I called my friend.  I began with the normal greeting and reply.  As we continued to talk it was a bit noisy so I couldn't make out all the details of what he was saying.  But I assumed more greetings and questions of how I was were coming my way.  So I continued to reply in kind.  In the end I passed the phone off to the gentleman next to me on the bus and he and my friend arranged the final leg of our arrival.

Later that night my friend who we were meeting said how I had made him mad on the phone.  He had been asking questions of where I was and if we knew where to go next and I just kept answering with greetings and replies.  He said I had told him 10 times how I was doing but not once answered his question of where we were.  So we all had a good laugh as the American had acted the Arab and the Arab had been the American.