Petra: One of the Seven Wonders of The Acient World

06:35 mareku 0 Comments

Camel
Camel
Donkey
Donkey
Siq
Siq
Monestry
Monestry
Treasury
Treasury
Royal Tombs
Royal Tombs
Siq
Siq
Selling Rocks
Selling Rocks
Monestry
Monestry
Stay put!
Stay put!
Temple
Temple
In the middle of no-where (and actually halfway of the famous spice caravan route in ancient days) lies Petra a village that is from about 300 BC. It is unbelievable to see the facades carved out of the rocks. A small caynon leads to the village and it is no wonder that only sice 1812 Petra was rediscovered. We went in very late the first day and very early (06:00) the next day and had the place practically for ourselves. In this quiet surroundings things got even more mystical. It was worth the trip on its own and is something the people of Jordan are rightly very proud.
For me it had the same impact as the Piramids and the valley of the kings in Egypt: Stunning!

How (not) to drive a taxi in Jordan...

03:21 mareku 0 Comments

Azzem
Azzem
After we crossed the heavy security border between Israel en Jordan by foot we took a taxi to Petra - an one and a half drive. The taxi was a Samsung 5 and agreed on a 48 Dinar (about €48) fee. After a minute or so we noticed that the taxi was not heading to Petra but to Aqaba. The driver explained us he had to stop for a moment at his house. Ok we said. After a 5 minute wait, the driver came out with the message that an other car would take us to Petra. In came Azzem with his small Toyota. After crossing Aqaba we stopped again - he had to get a permit to drive us to Petra he said. After a half hour, he came back with a permit and we drove to Petra, at least we expected... we stopped again on the way - he had to deliver the chickens to his wife. After that we stopped several times so he could buy cigarettes and at a mosque so he could say his prayers... :-)
Well: that's Jordan for you. The people are so friendly you simple cannot be angry at them - it their way of life I guess.

Will the Swiss finaly win?

00:46 mareku 0 Comments

Paolo Menneguzi
Paolo Menneguzi
The Euro Vision Song Contest is on its way again. Will the Swiss finaly win in Belgrade with Paolo? In a couple of weeks we will know more. Holland will be - as usual - last with Hind...

Wildlife in the Negev Desert

10:37 mareku 0 Comments

Camel
Camel
Bird
Bird
Hamster
Hamster
Spring Bok
Spring Bok

In the meantime at Lesbos...

10:30 mareku 0 Comments

Maybe Dykes is an acceptable alternative?
Maybe Dykes is an acceptable alternative?

Campaigners on the Greek island of Lesbos are to go to court in an
attempt to stop a gay rights organisation from using the term
"lesbian".


The islanders say that if they are successful they may then start to fight the word lesbian internationally.  The term lesbian originated from the poet Sappho, who was a native of Lesbos. Sappho expressed her love of other women in poetry written during the 7th Century BC.

A ride through the Negev Dessert

09:28 mareku 0 Comments


Guns where ever you look

10:21 mareku 0 Comments

Just two guys - with guns...
Just two guys - with guns...
No pictures please!
No pictures please!
In a country where everyone has to spend 4 years in the army and therafter every year an other 30 -50 days it is no surprise that guns are very common here in Israel. Where you would see people walking around with a cell phone in other countries, Israeli carry their gun - usualy an Uzi.

Makhtesh Ramon Crater

08:09 mareku 0 Comments

Looking for (and finding!) Fossils
Looking for (and finding!) Fossils
Fossil
Fossil
Rainbow rock
Rainbow rock
The Crater
The Crater
The Makhtesh Ramon Crater is the biggest one in the world and is very impressive. It was created 200 million years ago and is still evolving. Lot's of animals live in the crater and we took a full day to explore it. There are interesting fossils of acient creators of a lost sea. 

The Desert

10:23 mareku 0 Comments

Ein Avdat
Ein Avdat
Steep Canyon
Steep Canyon
Beware of... Camels
Beware of... Camels
The Negev Desert is huge and about 70% of all of Israel. It is also beautiful.

Floating in the Dead Sea

10:22 mareku 0 Comments

Really Salt!
Really Salt!
floating!
floating!
View from our room at Ein Bokeq
View from our room at Ein Bokeq

Wow! Talk about salt... This sea is 10 times as salt as a normal sea and you really notice it when you floated in it. Days after it you still taste salt :-) The floating part is really fun and it is funny to notice that it is difficult to try and stand up. Swimming is impossible. So just relax and float away in the perfect warm clear water and enjoy the view.

On our way to the dead sea

10:20 mareku 0 Comments

Qumran cave (where the dead sea rolls where found)
Qumran cave (where the dead sea rolls where found)
Masada
Masada
Masada
Masada
We passed Masada, a high rock plateau and which is the symbol of the jewish resistance against the Romans.
When the Romans sieged the palace of Herod the Great, the jews killed all their families and committed suicide. Untill recently every soldier in the Israeli army should take an oath that "Masada will never fall again". So the whole place is loaded with propaganda and love for Israel.

At Masada

10:19 mareku 0 Comments

panorama
panorama

Last view of Jerusalem

10:36 mareku 0 Comments


View of Jerusalem from mount Olive
View of Jerusalem from mount Olive
Wall
Wall
street in old city
street in old city
Somewhere in the old City
Somewhere in the old City
Boy
Boy

The new face of Gay Life

23:28 mareku 0 Comments

VASSILI & MARC
VASSILI & MARC
A hilarious and insightful article of Benoit Denizet-Lewis in this weeks New York Times Magazines about Gay Life in the 21st century. In turns out that more and more young gays are opting to get married young and settle down. Since gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts a couple of years ago, gay guys in their early twenties want nothing more then to get married and have kids...
Great pictures by Erwin Olaf (but you recognized that already didn't you?)

The many faces of Jerusalem

11:03 mareku 0 Comments

Haram esh-Sharif
Haram esh-Sharif
Tomb of Jesus
Tomb of Jesus
Yet an other tomb of Jesus
Yet an other tomb of Jesus
Cleaning stuff on holy ground
Cleaning stuff on holy ground
It won't hurt to please the gods
It won't hurt to please the gods

Everyone wants a piece of Jerusalem it seems and everyone has there own ideas of what has to be done with holy sites - or even which site is holy at all!
You have to jews, the catholics, the orthodox catholics (greek or coptic and oh: and the armenian), the protestants (in all their variations), the muslims and the nobodies. Let's face it: it is a mess :-)

Mr. Olmert: tear down this Wall!

11:02 mareku 0 Comments

On the Wall
On the Wall
Running across a country
Running across a country
A message from the tourist board...
A message from the tourist board...
Checkpoint Mohammed
Checkpoint Mohammed
Grafitti
Grafitti


Straight trough the West Bank the Israeli are raising a huge concrete wall. It is Berlin all over again...
People cannot cross this wall without special permission and the whole experience makes the security check at heathrow a nice day out :-(
You have to enter through special "Terminals" with the most unpleasant personel and the way in is a total different way then the way out. As usual if you are a Arab guy you get a special treatment. Let's hope this nonsense stops quickly and the wall will be teared down like any other wall eventually...

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