Archives for February 2014

Sydney’s Corner: Foods of Greece

February 21, 2014 by Sydney 2 Comments

Have you ever wanted to know about Greek food? This blog is about Greek food. Let’s start with some facts about Greece.

Greece is located in Europe.
Athens is Greece’s capital.
The Acropolis is in Greece.
The flag has blue and white stripes and on the upper corner it has a cross.

Now let’s get to the fun.

Souvlaki

Souvlaki is a thing on a stick or in a pita. Generally it has meats like lamb and chicken and some vegetables. It is ok. It depends on the restaurant.

Souvlaki

Moussaka

Moussaka is like a layered pie or a lasagne. It has eggplant, sometimes meat and vegetables with potatoes. It is very good.

Moussaka

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is a very thick yogurt. It is plain yogurt. You add fruit to it sometimes. Generally you eat it plain.

Traditional Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt with fruit

Feta

Ooooohhhhhh my, Greek feta is soooo good. You just put some Tabasco sauce or olive oil on it. It may sound weird but it is soooo good.

Feta with olive oil

Vasilopita

This is a cake. You can only find this on New Year’s Eve. It has a coin in it and whoever finds the coin gets good luck for all of a year. This is really good.

Vasilopita

Melomakarona

This is a cookie. It is almost like gingerbread, but different. Once you try it, you cannot stop eating it. It is really good.

Kourabiedes and melokarona

Kourabiedes

A Christmas cookie covered in powdered sugar and inside it’s nuts. It is okay.

Kourabiedes and melomakarona

Baklava

It is a really sticky thing. It is SUPER sweet. I do not like it. Actually I only like it a tiny bit. It would be good if it was not so sweet.

Baklava

Now you know all about Greece and its food.

Photo of the Week: Giant Reclining Buddha

February 17, 2014 by Jason Leave a Comment

While staying in Bangkok, Thailand we had to go see the famous Giant Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. The giant Buddha is 15 meters high and 43 meters long and the giant feet has artistic inlaid mother of pearl. The giant Buddha was very impressive and had to be our favorite stop in Bangkok.

Sydney’s Corner: My Adventures in Wadi Rum

February 16, 2014 by Sydney 4 Comments

This is Sydney’s Mom. I must apologize on the delay in getting this posted, as we had a tragedy…I accidentally overwrote Sydney’s blog with my own. Now on to the post.

I just got back from Wadi Rum. I have decided to tell you a little about Wadi Rum. Here are just a couple facts about Wadi Rum:

Rum means elevation.
Wadi Rum is also known as the valley of the moon.
Wadi Rum is in Jordan.
Wadi Rum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wadi Rum

Now on to the adventure.

When we came to Wadi Rum we rode camels for 3 hours. We stopped at a nice little spot and had a delicious lunch. We got back on our camels and started riding again. Like an hour later we arrived to camp.

Riding my camel

Our guide making a delicious lunch for us

We had a yummy dinner at the camp. The dinner was cooked underground. We had chicken and rice with pita bread and humus. We had a nice night. I learned how to count and write my numbers in Arabic. I slept in a tent. When we woke up we had a gorgeous breakfast of pita bread, humus, and cheese.

0 through 10 in Arabic

Our tent in the desert

Then we went on a jeep ride. We were going to this rock bridge when our guide asked, “Want to drive?” I said, “Yes” thinking I would pretend to drive. I was wrong. The guide started the car and I drove it by myself with help. I did a blind corner all by myself. We were going about 20 or maybe even 25 miles an hour.

This is me driving in Wadi Rum

We also found a skeleton of a camel and stopped the car. It had some leather on it. Our guide did a little dentist work and pried out 2 of the camel’s teeth. The teeth are really cool. The guide also showed me these cute little baby camels. I managed to get one of the baby camels to eat out of my hand. The others were too shy. My favorite camel was the one that ate out of my hand. I named it “Jewel.” I also got to herd goats. It was fun.

Discovery in the desert

My camel tooth

Baby Camel

Petting one of the baby camels

A baby goat

Now you know all about my adventures in Wadi rum.

RTW Budget: Turkey and Greece

February 12, 2014 by Kerri 6 Comments

The month of December was a busy one for us, as we finished our stay in Fethiye, Turkey, spent 3 days in Pamukkale, Turkey, 3 days in Selcuk, Turkey, 1 night in Izmur, Turkey and then flew to Athens, Greece. We spent Christmas in Athens and then drove down to Kiveri, Greece to ring in the New Year.

Fethiye, Turkey

Greek Soldier Athens Greece

The Greek Peloponnese

Although it was a busy month for us, we saw some amazing places and really enjoyed our time in Turkey and Greece. The highlights for us were seeing the calcium terraces of Pamukkale, Ephesus, and the Acropolis. We were also pleasantly surprised by how much we liked Athens and how Christmasy it felt compared to our Christmas last year in Paris.

So how did we do for the month of December? Not nearly as well as we did the previous month. We, unfortunately, went over budget. For the month of December, we spent a total of $3705.03 or $119.52 per day or $39.84 per person per day. For the month of December $1 USD was approximately 2.02 Turkish Lira and $1.38 USD was approximately 1 euro.

Food

Our biggest expenditure for the month of December was for food for a total of $1,159.61. Sheepish grin. I guess we must have been really hungry or something. We spent $262 in dining out and $890.95 for groceries. We spent 7 days in hotels and during that time we did not have access to a kitchen. Part of the increased cost for groceries can be attributed to Christmas. Instead of buying presents we splurged on food for several nice meals including a turkey and pork roast. Sydney and I were also really enjoying being able to bake again after not having access to an oven for over a month.

Gözleme

Turkish Coffee

Christmas Eve Dinner

Soulvaki

Lodging

Our next biggest expenditure was for lodging for a total of $1035.46. We spent $246.06 for 7 days in hotels, $625 for 2 weeks in Athens and $164.95 for our apartment in Kiveri, Greece. Our most expensive accommodation was the hotel in Izmur, Turkey, which cost $105.38. The hotel was located right next to the airport, so we really paid for the convenience.

We really loved our apartment in Athens, as it was centrally located, very homey, and had a great kitchen. The apartment owner was incredibly kind and even surprised us with a fully decorated Christmas tree and traditional holiday cookies. We also really liked our apartment in Kiveri Greece. It had an amazing view of the Aegean Sea and there was this really cute stray puppy that we would have adopted if we could have.

Our Christmas Tree

View from our apartment in Kiveri

Jack the cute stray puppy

Transportation

Our total expenditures for transportation were $884.99. We took the bus from Fethiye to Pamukkale, Turkey for a total of $42.50 and a bus from Pamukkale to Selcuk for a total of $29.41. We then took a train from Selcuk to Izmur for a total of $6.86. We flew from Izmur, Turkey to Athens, Greece via Pegasus Airlines. Our flight cost $252. At the end, of the month we also rented a car to be able to explore the Greek Peloponnese. Our 2 ½ week car rental cost us $219. Our total cost for fuel was $137 and tolls from Athens to Kiveri were $11.64.

During the month of December, our total expenditure for local transportation was $161.34. A weekly pass for the Athens metro and bus cost us $57.96. We had to buy a separate 1-time-use metro pass to get into Athens from the airport for a total of $32.85. We were really impressed by the metro in Athens, as it was very clean, efficient, and even some ancient Greek ruins can be seen in the tunnels.

Skeleton remains in the metro

Entertainment

Out total expenditures for entertainment for the month of December was $228.17. This included Sydney jumping on the trampoline in Fethiye, going bowling while in Fethiye, and the entrance fee for the Athens Christmas Factory. We also had several splurges this month. While in Fethiye we decided to do a Turkish bath, which was well worth the money spent. I have never been so clean or relaxed before. We also went and saw the Nutcracker ballet in Athens and saw the second movie of the Hobbit.

Sydney and her mud mask

Jason and his mud mask

Christmas Factory

Entrance Fees

Our total expenditures for entrance fees were $198.17. This included the entrance to Pamukkale/Hierapolis, swimming in the ancient pools of Hierapolis, Ephesus, Saint Johns church in Selcuk, the National Archeology Museum in Athens, the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Palmidi Fortress in Nafplio, and the UNESCO site Epidaurus. Our favorite place this month was Pamukkale as it is other worldly. There are no places that I regretted seeing this month.

Terraces of Pamukkale

Ancient theater of Hierapolis

National Archeology Museum

The acropolis

Panathenaic Stadium – Ready, set, go!

Palmidi Fortress Nafplio

Epidaurus

Miscellaneous

Our total expenditures under the miscellaneous category were $165.69. This included new pj’s for Sydney, a new journal, an umbrella, make up, medications, a Christmas gift for Sydney, a gift for our amazing apartment owner in Athens, worry beads, and to have holes added to my belt so that my pants stay up. I think all the walking in Europe has done wonders for me! The only purchase we regretted was the umbrella, which promptly fell apart and we had to chuck.

Communication

Out total expenditure for communication was $32.94. This was for postcards, stamps, and $5 Skype credit.

Conclusion

For the month of December, we saw some amazing sights, ate lots of good food, and got to see how Greeks celebrate Christmas. We absolutely loved Turkey, but were also pleasantly surprised by Athens. I think that Athens sometimes gets a pretty bad rap. But during the off-season, we found it to be a pleasant place to stay with not a lot of crowds, the people are incredibly friendly, and it has some amazing sites.

Two Nights in Wadi Rum

February 10, 2014 by Kerri 7 Comments

At the mere mention of Jordan, Petra immediately comes to mind with its’ ancient tombs carved into sandstone rock, camels and eroded canyons. But there has got to be more to Jordan than just one ancient site, right? In searching our guidebook to answer this question, photos of Wadi Rum immediately jumped out at us. Upon seeing the stunning beauty of the place reflected in these pictures, it intrigued us so much that we knew that we needed to add this to the list of places to visit.

Wadi Rum

Normally we are not a family who goes on guided tours. However, after reading more about Wadi Rum we decided that it was not a place that can easily be accessed without a guide. So after a lot research, we decided to go on a camel and jeep trek with a 2-night stay in the desert through Rum Stars Camp.

On the day of our desert trek, we drove from the Red Sea resort town of Aqaba to Wadi Rum full of anticipation. Our daughter, Sydney, was especially excited about riding camels. After arriving at the Wadi Rum village one of our Bedouin guides greeted us with tea. We enjoyed sipping our tea while the guide discussed with us what the plan was for the next couple of days. Afterwards, we were whisked off on camels into the desert of Wadi Rum.

Jason and his camel

Sydney riding a camel

Riding Camels

I must confess here that the camel riding was the one activity I was the least enthused about. I really don’t like riding horses and riding a camel has got to be like riding a horse, right? But Sydney had wanted to ride a camel since Morocco and we figured this would probably be the best place to do this. Thankfully, riding a camel is nothing like riding a horse, whereas when riding a horse after 10 minutes every part of my body starts aching and the rest of the ride becomes all about longing for that moment when I can get off. Riding a camel is very soothing, almost hypnotic, with a gentle back and forth swaying motion. I am glad that we decided to do the daylong camel trek as it allowed us to absorb the beauty of the desert and the profound peace from a comfortable perch. I must also confess that camels now have a soft spot in my heart. They are surprisingly expressive and are very cute with their long lashes, knobby knees, cute toes, and big flappy lips.

Camels

Cute Camel

Toes of a Camel

Jason teasing the camel

A soft spot in my heart

After a day of exploring the desert, eating a delicious lunch with more tea and riding camels, we arrived in the evening to our Bedouin camp. The guides made a delicious traditional Bedouin dinner called zorb, which is meat and vegetables cooked underground. Afterwards, we enjoyed sitting around the campfire while our guide Salem talked about the life of a Bedouin. Salem has 13 brothers and sisters and his father has 2 wives. He explained that life of a Bedouin is a simple one with little material wealth. Although there maybe little material wealth, most decide to continue with that life even when there are other opportunities available. After our delicious dinner and campfire discussion, we headed out for some stargazing. I must say I have never seen stars like I have in the desert of Wadi Rum.

Getting ready to climb sand dunes

Our tent in the desert

Stars in the night

We woke up early the next day and enjoyed a typical Middle Eastern breakfast of tea, humus, cheeses, pita bread, olives, cucumbers and tomatoes and then set off on the jeep tour. During the day we got to hike through beautiful red sandstone canyons eroded by time, scramble up rocks, see ancient petroglyphs, eat another delicious lunch, drink more tea, and watch the sunset over Wadi Rum. However, the highlight of our day was being able to see baby camels. Our guide, Salem, upon finding out that Sydney loves animals and wants a farm when she grows up, drove until he was able to find his cousin’s camel herd to show her the newborn camels. Along the way he spotted a camel skeleton and immediately stopped the jeep. He then jumped out and chiseled out two camel teeth for Sydney. Sydney is very proud of her teeth. However, I am hoping that this will not become an issue when we travel to other countries as Sydney is rather attached to her camel teeth now.

Natural rock bridge

The red sand of Wadi Rum

Eroded Canyon

Wadi Rum

Jason scrambling on rocks

Petroglyphs

Waiting for the sunset over Wadi Rum

The changing light of sunset

Sydney petting one of the baby camels

Discovery in the desert

With all good adventures, it must come to and end. After 2 nights in the desert, an amazing camel trek, and jeep tour, we returned to the village of Wadi Rum. However, before leaving Salem introduced us to his youngest brother Abduhl, age 7, whose responsibility it is to herd the goats. Sydney and Abduhl had fun playing together and chasing and catching baby goats.

Our amazing guides Salem and Akaba from Rum Star Camp

Sydney, Abduhl and the baby goat

Sydney and I also had the opportunity to get a glimpse of the traditional Bedouin life. Just as we were about to get into our car to leave the village of Wadi Rum, Sydney and I noticed some children peeking out behind a gate giggling. We were waving at them when they motioned for us to come in. We were then invited into the house to share tea with the women and children. Unfortunately Sydney and I don’t speak Arabic and they spoke very little English. At first I felt awkward and uncomfortable with the silence and kept wondering how many wrong things I was doing. But I than began to relax and just enjoy the unique moment in time.

Wadi Rum has by far been one of the highlights for us on our around the world adventure. While there I began to appreciate how much life there is in the desert. There is much more life than what first meets the eye. It is spring right now and there are flowers blooming. On our hike, we noticed fox, rabbit and possibly wolves’ tracks in the sand and saw tiny green lizards scurrying about. However, it is still difficult for me to comprehend how the Bedouin are able to survive in a land that seems so inhospitable. I have never seen so many stars in the night sky than in Wadi Rum and never been in a place that is so absolutely devoid of noise. It was so quiet that it was almost deafening. During my time in Wadi Rum, I was also struck by the level of responsibility that the Bedouin children have. While living in Portland, I would have never dreamed of sending Sydney at the age of 7 down the street to the store. However, Bedouin children every day go out into the desert to herd the goats by themselves. What an amazing, unique, but different life from my own.

Desert flower

Wadi Rum

Jordan has struggled economically within the last couple years with the wars in Syria and Iraq and the influx of refugees. Talking with others, tourism has dropped significantly due to this. But despite these woes, we were warmly greeted and felt incredibly safe while in Jordan. My only regret is we did not have more time to stay in Wadi Rum.

Archives for February 2014

Sydney’s Corner: Foods of Greece

Souvlaki

Moussaka

Greek Yogurt

Feta

Vasilopita

Melomakarona

Kourabiedes

Baklava

Photo of the Week: Giant Reclining Buddha

Sydney’s Corner: My Adventures in Wadi Rum

RTW Budget: Turkey and Greece

Food

Lodging

Transportation

Entrance Fees

Miscellaneous

Communication

Conclusion

Two Nights in Wadi Rum

RTW Information

Photography

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