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\n\nThis\nis The Reunion Part II! Since leaving you at a drool-soaked table at Egypt\nairport, The Earthbound Astronauts have ventured through ancient Jordan, taken\na spontaneous detour into the religious epicentre of Israel and were\nunexpectedly stranded in turbulent Egypt, the very place we were attempting to\navoid! We hate predictability, so what comes next will not disappoint!\n\n
\nTo\nlisten to the Part II podcast click HERE!\n\n
\n\nJordan \u2013 Amman & Petra \u2013\nOctober 22nd \u2013 October 29th\n\nCasey\nand I arrived into Amman completely exhausted after our restless night in the\nCairo airport, so we headed to our prearranged hostel. This particular hostel\nhad been so highly recommended by a multitude of people online, with all the\ncomments including how wonderful the proprietor \u2018Andrew\u2019 was. The hostel itself\nwas nothing special, quite rundown and minimalistic, but we did have the\nopportunity to meet this infamous Andrew, completely validating all the\npositive comments. We spent our first day in Amman recovering followed by\ndinner at one of the best restaurants in Amman, the Hashem restaurant. The\nHashem restaurant purely served the mixed selection of falafel, pita, salad and\ntwo dips, yet it was easy to understand how it had earned such an outstanding\nreputation. We now have a new appreciation for falafel and hummus, and the\nvariety of ways to consume said food, but more about that later. We spent a day\nexploring the Roman ruins and visiting the ruins of a citadel, which rest above\nthe remainder of the city. It was intriguing to see the remnants of ancient civilisations\nthat dated back over three thousand years, whilst tracing the progressive evolution\nof these civilisations and observing the variations in culture and religious\nbelief over time. It was here that we started to realise how historically and\nculturally significant this entire area really was. \n\n
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\n\nWe\ndecided we wanted to visit the famed Dead Sea, so Andrew organised \u2018George\u2019 to\ntake us on a day trip to the area. George initially took us to Madaba to see\nthe oldest known map of the promise land, which was an intricate partially\npreserved mosaic on the floor of what is now a Catholic church. We then visited\nMount Nebo, where it is presumed 120-year-old Moses climbed so God could show\nhim the Promised Land before dying there. The view from the top was truly\nimpressive allowing us to appreciate all the elaborate rock formations and the\nDead Sea, which was our next destination. We paid an exuberant price to enter a\ncomplex with pools and direct access to the beach of the fabled sea. Entering\nthe water was a surreal experience, as you expect your body to sink as in all\nother water, but we defiantly stayed buoyant with no effort on our behalves. As\nwe left the water, we could feel the salt now layered on our bodies, which\nslowly precipitated into large salt deposits. We observed a direct contrast\nbetween effortlessly swimming in The Dead Sea and the exhausting swim in the\npure water of Crater Lake in Banlung, Cambodia. Returning to Amman, after\nhelping George out by utilising our duty free privileges, we decided it was\ntime to head to Jordan\u2019s main attraction, one of the Seven Wonders of the\nWorld, Petra. We caught the public bus to the town Wadi Mousa, which acts as\nthe tourist base for people visiting Petra. Andrew had suggest a hotel for us\nto stay in while in the area, \u201cThe Valentine Inn\u201d\u2026 Luckily, they had a twin\nroom available even though there were still hearts on our key...\n\n
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\n\nJust\nlike Indiana Jones before us, we entered Petra through the ominous entrance, a\nrelatively small division between two formidable walls of rock. We were humbled\nby this intimidating stone corridor before the channel opened onto the renowned\ntreasury, currently the most exquisitely intricate building in Petra. It was\nunbelievable and almost implausible to conceive that people had built such an\namazing structure into a rock face. As we continued into Petra there were numerous\ntombs and other buildings erratically scattered within the surrounding landscape,\nlinked by hidden staircases leading to what were once possibly prominent areas.\nAs we\u2019d decided to spend two days at Petra, we used our first day to explore\nthe major attractions such as taking the long trek to see the astonishing\nmonastery (seen in Transformers 2), which rivals the treasury in its grandeur,\nand used our second day to go off the beaten track and find a great location to\nwatch sunset. Whilst at Petra, we were completely at the mercy of the sun, so\nwe tried to track shade at any opportunity. Even when we left the main trail,\nwe were still coming across the remnants of life in the form of carvings,\nstairs and buildings. We were, and continue to be, completely in awe of Petra\nand the amazing artistry the founding civilization had masterfully utilised to create\nthis former epicentre of trade. \n\n
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\n\nAfter\nimmensely enjoying Petra, we headed to Wadi Rum, an arid nature reserve\napproximately two hours south of Wadi Mousa, where we\u2019d organised a tour for\none day and a night. Jumping into the back of a ute, we were chauffeured around\nthe reserve to various impressive naturally occurring springs and rock\nformations before we were taken to a Bedouin camp to enjoy the remarkable\ndesert sunset. Having decided to avoid Egypt due to the enduring civil unrest,\nwe had intended staying in Jordan for two weeks. However, whilst in Amman, the\nseed had been planted to visit Israel and Palestine. Catching a taxi from Wadi\nRum to a town on the Jordanian-Israeli border, Aqaba, where we nervously\nprepared to cross this precarious border.\n\n
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\n\nIsrael & Palestine \u2013\nJerusalem \u2013 October 31st \u2013 November 3rd\n\nWe\nanxiously crossed the border by foot, passing the armed guards on either side.\nAs we crossed into the Israeli immigration area we were welcomed by what seemed\nlike endless photos of Bill Clinton\u2026 We were heavily questioned by immigration\nofficials about where we\u2019d been, how and for how long we\u2019d known each other and\nour intentions in Israel. After being allowed to enter the country, we walked\nto the city, allowing us to observe the stark contrast between the small town\nof Aqaba in Jordan and the heavily westernized city of Eilat, where we saw a\ndramatic increase in infrastructure and overall wealth. From Eilat we organised\na bus to Jerusalem, but not before we went to an upmarket shopping centre where\nCasey purchased an iPad to replace his water damaged iPhone.\n\n
\n\nArriving\ninto Jerusalem was a surreal experience, a city that has consistently been at\nthe focal point of history and contributed to the evolution of countless religions.\nThe city was such a blend of culture, with an obvious division demonstrated\nthrough something as simple as the architecture in differing districts. We had\norganised to stay at a hostel within the walls of the historical old city, near\nthe Jaffa Gate. Joining a \u201cHoly city\u201d tour we were taken to the main\nattractions that have importance to the differing faiths. Initially, we were\ntaken to the Temple Mount, which is now also the location of the building with\nthe iconic golden dome and adjacent to the Western or \u2018Wailing\u2019 Wall. The\nTemple Mount is only open to tourists for a single hour everyday, and when we\narrived people had already been waiting for hours. Luckily, our tour group was\nable to join the line with another tour group, which saw us clearing security\nwithin the allocated time. We had been in the site no more then ten minutes\nbefore they started aggressively ushering us out. We had been lucky to visit\nthis site, but we did feel a twang of guilt for pushing our way into the line\nand robbing people of this rare opportunity. We later learnt (after\ncontinuously interrogating our guide) that the Temple Mount was part of the\narea controlled by Palestine and an \u2018incident\u2019 between Israel and Syria at the\nprecise time we had entered the area partially explained our rapid expulsion.\nThe presence of police and army members at various points through out the city\nreally does contribute to the already prominent tension we were feeling.\n\n
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\n\nAfter\nvisiting the Temple Mount, we headed to a small portion of the Western Wall\nwhere we were able to write a \u2018wish\u2019 and place it into the cracks of the wall, replicating\na Jewish practice. The remained of the tour predominately followed the assumed\nstages of Jesus\u2019 crucifixion. As we walked the small alleyways, we were shown\nlocations that coincided with events that were referenced within the Christian New\nTestament before we reached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church,\nwhich is owned by all the major denominations of Christianity, housed the\nproposed location of Jesus\u2019 crucifixion (Golgotha), the place of his anointment\nand the place of his burial. The people that were there on spiritual\npilgrimages greatly contributed to the ambience and authenticity of the site.\nWe then headed to the proposed location of the Last Supper, which, like the\nmajority of sites in Jerusalem, had been in the possession of, and therefore\ninfluence by, one of the three main religious groups at one time or another.\nThe tour was quite overwhelming in a way as were taken to sites that are\nconsidered sacred to differing people for a multitude of differing reasons.\nWalking through the four quarters (Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim) of\nthe old town was really an experience in itself, but it was fantastic to see\nsuch diversity within the small area. The following day, Casey and I headed up\nto the Mount of Olives; where in Judaism it is said the prophet will descend\nand walk to the Temple Mount. Many cemeteries rest on this mountain for this\nvery reason with their feet facing the summit as we were told, \u201cpeople don\u2019t\nwant to miss the show\u201d. Other prominent sites that rest on this mountain are\nthe Garden of Olives, where it is assumed Judas betrayed Jesus, and the tomb of\nMary, mother of Jesus. We also got an amazing view from the top over the city.\n\n
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\n\nJerusalem,\non a whole, was quite an expensive city, which made eating extravagantly\ndifficult. We found a tiny restaurant next to our hostel that made the most\namazing falafel sandwiches, so amazing (and cheap) that it became our staple\nfood whilst in Jerusalem, so much so that we were consuming two on each\noccasion\u2026 We were originally so apprehensive when it came to visiting Israel\nand Jerusalem, yet we were shocked by how Westernized the city was in parts and\nhow isolated, yet apparent, the ongoing battle for territory really is between\nthe conflicting sides. As we headed to the bus station to leave Jerusalem and\nIsrael, we were shocked by the presence of a metal detector at the bus\ninterchange, yet the large number of 18 to 20 year olds on their military\nservice arbitrarily walking around with assault rifles seemed to make this somewhat\nredundant. We headed north to a border crossing we were assured would not be an\nissue to cross and returned back to Amman where we were catching our flight to\nEgypt and then Argentina the following day. \nWe also had the pleasure of seeing Andrew again, who graciously sorted\nus out with a private room at a discounted price because \u201cwe were friends\u201d.\n\n
\n\nEgypt \u2013 Cairo \u2013 November 4th \u2013 November 6th\n\nAs\nwe were attempting to avoid entering Egypt, we had booked a flight to Cairo on\nthe day of our flight from Cairo to Argentina. To avoid paying for an Egyptian\nvisa to enter the country just to pick up our bags and check-in once more when\nwe arrived in Cairo, we arrange to have our bags directly placed on our next\nflight. All smooth and seemingly easy... As we arrived into Cairo, we were\nferried off to a room or \u2018holding area\u2019 used for transit passengers, having our\npassports confiscated. Feeling like were captives in this highly secured room,\nwe waited for three hours to be presented with our connecting boarding passes,\nyet, we were ignored. Eventually, a man approached Casey and started asking\nabout our visa receipt number. As Casey had travelled to Argentina before,\nwhere he had paid a reciprocity fee at the border, we were convinced that a\nprearranged payment was unnecessary. This situation continued, as we thought this\nseemingly less-then-official airport employee was taking us for a ride, before\nthe man escorted Casey to the Qatar Airways desk. Casey then returned to the\ntransit lounge, shockingly accompanied by our luggage. Unbeknown to us both, as\nof July, this fee must be paid online before departure to Argentina. They had\nrefused to let us board the plane because we had not paid the fee, a fee that\ncan be paid within minutes. I was also erroneously denied using my EU passport\nthat doesn\u2019t require a fee payment; we had been officially rejected from\nboarding the flight. \n\n
\n\nWe\nwere escorted back to the original terminal, Qatar Airways washing their hands\nof us, after what was quite appalling handling of the situation on their\nbehalves. Unfortunately, the blame rests solely with us, yet I do not hesitate\nto partially condemn the airline for their disorganization and lack of\nknowledge and assistance in what should have been a recoverable situation. Being\ntold we could pay to return to Jordan or enter Egypt, we, still in shock from\nour shattered reality, reluctantly decided to stay in Cairo. Our presumption of\nbeing in South America within 48-hours had been crushed in the space of\nminutes. We had arrived into Cairo on the day of the Morsi trial, so tanks and\nother armoured vehicles littered the streets. We had found a hotel, which, like\nmany of the tourist-centric businesses, was feeling the effect of numerous governments\ncondemning travel to this politically unstable country. We had to determine our\nnext move.\n\n
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\n\nAs\nwe were in Egypt, we figured that we should at least try to see the sights we\ncould in the short time we were here. Fortunately, Casey had made a friend who\nlived in Cairo whilst on his course in Germany, Naggar. Naggar came to meet us,\nacting as our more then capable guide through Cairo, organising a cruise on the\ninfamous Nile River, taking us to an authentic Egyptian restaurant before taking\nus to a hotel where we could look over the city by night. Telling Naggar we had\ndecided to visit the Pyramids of Giza seemed to fill him with slight concern\nand he decided to escort us there the following day, which we were more then\ngrateful, yet perplexed by his concern. \n\n
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\n\nWe\nfought through the incomprehensible Cairo traffic before we started approaching\nthe ancient pyramids. The final approach to the pyramids was one of the most\nstressful situations we\u2019d been involved in thus far. As we drove, people\nstarted to approach the car trying to secure employment as a tour guide. We\ninitially experienced a man being denied by Naggar, yet he desperately\ncontinued to run next to the car as traffic progressed before he collided with\na turning bus. We then came to an area where people were trying to jump in\nfront of the car to the shock of Naggar, who was evasively able to avoid them.\nWe arrived at the pyramids where Naggar secured our tickets and a guide, who\nwas employed purely to prevent unwanted advances. The pyramids and sphinx were\nformidably standing before us, and it was more then obvious why the pyramids were\nconsidered an ancient wonder and also an honoury member of the current Seven\nWonders of the World. Yet, it was hard to fully enjoy the experience, as we\nwere the only tourists present, we were continuously harassed by people wanting\nmoney. Having Naggar with us to both drive and organise everything for us was\namazing. We now know why he hesitated when we told him about our plans to visit\nthe pyramids solo, and I think even he was shocked by the conditions we\nencountered. We are incredibly grateful he was willing to accompany us during\nour time in Egypt. The entire experience of visiting the pyramids really did\nreiterate the pressure the entire country has been feeling during this\nincredibly turbulent time, unfortunately it was evident that the country was\nstruggling.\n\n
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\n\nThe\nmain question we had to answer was, \u2018What do we do next?\u2019. Do we pay for a new\nticket to Argentina? Do we choose a new destination? And if so, where? This\ndebate continued as we frantically searched Skyscanner for the cheapest\ndestination that would partially coincide with our already booked flights. I\u2019m\nsad to say to all our diehard fans out that there that Casey and I chose\ndiffering destinations. The Earthbound Astronauts are splitting once more! I\nhad found an incredibly cheap ticket to Toronto, Canada, so thought I would go\non a journey to find a polar bear. Casey, thought completely outside of the\nbox, and decided to head to Tanzania where he\u2019d organised a work away! Planning\nto meet up in the US in about a month, we said our goodbyes and farewelled each\nother once more. We truly are unpredictably earthbound after all. Keep posted.\n\n
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