Wadi Rum - places that amazed me

I wanted to write few articles about places that amazed me the most. I was thinking about my different travels, sightseeing, places, monuments and what I realized is that mostly I am getting impressed by nature.

One of that places I have found in Jordan. We went from Amman to the south - to Petra and Wadi Rum. At first we got to Petra - one of the new 7 Wolrd Wonders.

Petra is a rose-stone city built in the 3rd century by Nabataenas, who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables from the sandstone cliffs.
I had there a very nice walk (what is quite difficult in Amman) and spend a nice afternoon, but if you want to go to Petra book the whole day for that. I was all the time said faster, faster we don't have time. And unfortunately I even didn't have time to make a good photos and fully enjoy. MAybe therefore I will say that this place was just nice...



Then we moved to Wadi Rum (Rum Valley). It was already the night when we got there and we was enjoying the sand storm, after it was raining. I haven't seen a lot. When it finished in the middle of the night with my firends we decided to walk around. There was nothing to see, but we claimb up some rocks and we have a very nice view on our camp. The plan was to wait until the sun rise. It was cold so we moved to our camp to wait there till the morning.

Of course we oversleep the sun rise, but when I woke up and went out of the tent I was shocked. I was so impressed, so amazed. The surrending was so wonderful, the rocks all around, the colours, the shapes... breath taking...





Then we decided to take a jeep trip through the desert. As well we didn't have enought time for that, and we took one of the shortest trips just 2 hours, but it was worth. Driving on the desert with the jeep, seeing amazing views ot that extraordinary desert, claimbing sand mountain and the rolling down the hill :) climbing the rocks over there and taking too much sun!



Yes - Wadi Rum it is this place I have to come back :)

You would never believe - airport story

Amman airport - people are waiting for flight to Istanbul, Aga is not there


People are getting into the place to Istanbul - Aga is still not there


All the people who were waiting are on the bord - Aga is not there


Amman Airport is sorry for Aga, she will not flight home tonight


But no!!! Aga is coming!!! How come? What happened?

read the whole story...


After two amazing weeks in Amman it was time to come back home. I went to the airport (with 4 more polish people and 4 swedish) to catch the plane Amman-Istanbul and then Istanbul-Warsaw. We came to the ariport with few friends but only people with tickets and passports could enter the airport so we say goodbye and went into the building.

Of course there was a lot of controls in the very baginning. First showing your passport and ticket to get into the airport, then lagguage and personal control. All females went to the special cabin and were searched (instead of going through the gates). After that my hand lagguage was marked that I have to go to the more detailed control.

Well that moment I was still having my passport in my hand. I went to the special table - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AIRPORT WHERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE - and I have started taking out everything from my backpack (small one but I have a lot of things). The officer told that everything is OK and I have started packing.

Suddenly...

I realized my passport is gone. I am loosing a lot of things so I started looking for that. I was sure that it is in my backpack. Then I have asked polish group to help me, because I couldn't find it, and it is always better when someone else will look for that. After few minites the atmosphere was getting more seriuos and everybody was running around and looking for my pass. After around 30 minutes, after checking every lagguage by everyone, checking the movie from cameras on the airport - we didn't know where my passport is.

I am not flying with you...

Time for check-in was ending. I couldn't come so I told to my companeros de viaje that they have to check in, and take care about themselfs. In my head there was only one question - what next? I was trying to talk to those officers, but their English was pritty bad and they were saying all the time "don't worry" but not what to do.

After Polish Group came back from check-in we prepared they for going back and me for staying:
- i gave Ania all important documents - train tickets, other tickets and all I thought they might need
- I gave Ania all money thich we got for travel reinbursement
- I took the simcard with Jordanian number (I thought I will need that)
- I took from Grzes postcard to his Grandmather, he forgot to send
- I gave them all unnessesary stuff I had
- i ensure myself that I know what to do (with going to embassy, police and so one)

Looking on that from this perspective I was very calm and racional. I was freaking out only once, when I realized that I might not go to US for my exchange. Well of course staying longer in Jordan it will cost me a lot of problems in my University and my boss at work would freak out (especially that I was in the last phase of preparation to the next project, and only I knew whats going on). But from the other hand having a bit more holidays in Jordan it was tempting:)
I was laughing from to things - firstly we said with my Jordanian friends few hours ago - see you soon, and it was very soon, that noone was even dreaming about:) Secondly I had a lot of contacts with polish embassy in Amman already this year and it would be funny to go there and visit them and say that yes it's me the person who was anoying you for almost 2 months with calls, faxes, e-mail and so one:)

Splitting with the polish group

It was already time for me to go to police station and for polish group to go to transit. I have found some helpful people on the airport (especially the manager of Turkish Airlines - he was amazing! and so helpful thank a lot) and also that time I got SMS from one of my Jordanian friends, so I answered (I think not so polite) what happened and I was exchanging with him SMSes till everything was fixed.

I went to the police station on the airport, I was there not alone, of course I had to wait, but finally one policeman who could speak English came:) So some people were making the report and I was sitting and chatting with this one who could speak English. The guy from Turkish Airlines ensure me that I will not pay for a new ticket. I took some contacts where to call in order to rebook my ticket, I was getting my papers confirming that my passport was stolen (or I lost it - or something in between).

My phone start calling.

In the police station someone was trying to reach me. I was answering but there was no connections. Different numbers were calling finally - I have heard Ania, "We found it" - she was screaming - "We are next to the gate 12". I told it to this policeman who was standing next to me, so he run to take my passport, I took all my documents from the desk of policemen and the guy from Turkish Airlines start calling someone.

I still didn't know what is happening, it was late, I didn't know if I can fly tonight or not. But they stopped the plane and were waiting for me. This policeman who had my passport told me that he will not give it to me and he will company my till my plane. So I went with him to check-in. Noone was there but manager from Turkish Airlines was already calling someone who can open check-in (they even toom my backpack), when we went to border control, but there was no officer and they were also calling for someone, the funiest thing was that this guy even didn't have a pen and I had to borrow him.

And like that waking through the airport we afound gate number 12. Som eof my friends were already waiting for me. Big hug at first, then we started laughing. I couldn't stop. Last SMS that I am on bord, I sit down and felt that all the emotions are gone, totally! And not even connected with this situation, but also with all stay in jordan. It took me few seconds to put my Jordan's experience behind me, into some nice memories.

I was tired...

And where was my passport?

I still do not know how did they found it. They told me that my passport was in the pocket of one German guy. He realized that he has one additional passport and he gave it back. He told that he has no idea how this passport get into his pocket!

.

elevator night

One of the purpose why I have started writing this blog is "save memories" mostly from my travels (I think that this word "travel" will appear in this blog quite often). I still haven't decided if I want to share those "saved moments" with my friends or not, we will see. Besides those moments are important for me, I will not say that they changed my life, but they were somehow enriching, funny, unforgettable and simply worth remember and sometimes come back to them.

One of those moments I would live to save is "elevator night" - the name was created just after "the moment" by it's participants. But let's start from the very beginning. I would say "elevator night" has started in the place called "beer garden" in Amman, Jordan. I was spending some amazing time over there with my friends. I enjoyed that evening because I have spent time with people I really wanted to spend time with, I had few interesting conversation for example about implementing communism in Palestine, I have found other traveller (pilot) with whom I was talking about our best journeys and I was helping him with bottle of vodka, ordered just for him. In gerenal, very nice evening.

We were coming back home as the last ones. I think we were around 12 people, all willing to continue the party. Because in Amman everything was already closed, we decided to move to hotel, to room number 309. We arrived to hotel, got out from the car and get into the elevator in order to continue party on the 3rd floor...

Door closed, elevator moved, then the information to which floor we are going, disappeared and we stucked in the elevator. I am trying to remind myself reaction of people. There was no panic in the very beginning, just all started screaming and calling to ensure that someone will take care about us. Fastly we came up with en idea to open the door to get more air. Ehab, guy from Palestine was communicating, rest was patient - very racional reaction.

Somehow the atmosphere wasn't that nice. In the beginning we was starting hugging and cooperating, but then there was rather feeling of stress around. I was hiding quite often and laughing a bit and I have seen a lot of people wanted, but "society" didn't accept such a behaviour, so we didn't. We were serious.

The crutial moment was when one person fainted. That moment I realized that situation might be somehow serious, but I was not afraid: from one side one guy explained how lifts are build and there is no way that something would happened, from the second hand we had 2 doctors with our.

I was very surprised with reaction of many people. One girl told that she will call her parents after getting out, and she was afraid that we might not get out, one guy was about to faine too, someone wanted just jug someone else.

In the meantime someone came to us. They were trying to lift elevator to the first floor, then put it down to the ground floor; sometimes light was disappearing.  Finally something had happened. Someone jumpped on the elevator and remove the ceiling. It was almost like in the movie "Die Hard". There were firemens and Jordanian Civil Defense forces telling: "give us hands, give us hands", and they were taking one by one out of the elevator. It this moment I gos scared. I really didn't want to go that way, I was thinking, maybe to wait until they will fix the lift. But finally my friends lifted me, then I catch someone's hands and went up. When I was standing on elevator there was not so much climbing anymore, I don't remember exackly how far was that, but far enough to get totally dirty.

When we got out finally - everyone was hugging us, supporting, like after the huge tragedy. There were firemans, jordanian civil defence forces, ambulance and even psychologist! Someone asked me if I am ok, I said: yes, they put something on my finger and said: "yes, you are fine". I didn't want to be over there. Someone was crying, people were in so bad moods, and I was just afraid what have we done! We were to much in this elevator.

But fun started in front of the hotel. We were taking photos with ambulance and with each other; we were just sitting and chilling out, that's what we really needed.

Night ended finally in 309, where we planned to go in the very beginning. Whole night we were sitting, chatting listening to music; being honets it was amazing time, and so integrating for us. We had to fight with our fears together, we needed to cooperate and be helpful for others. This episode change the whole project. We become elevator group hanging around together.

What was interesting: in the elevator there was 10 people, we had gender balance, but within this 10 people 5 of them were Poles!