My Jordan experience- Wadi Rum

The middle east is not as bad as I thought after a trip to Jordan recently. I enjoyed the 2D/1N tour of Jordan, and spending a night in Bedouin Camp site. Jordanian people are warm and friendly and things are cheap. Regretted not spending enough time there as I did not get the chance to visit Anman and Aquaba. Well, can't be help as we were a large group together and quite hard to coordinate. There were a total of 8 people, including me who went for this Jordan trip.

My fave part of the tour was at Wadi Rum, the desert jeep tour.

It was fun riding on the back of the pick up with the wind blasting in my face while racing through the desert.

I think me and uncle Simon were the ones who enjoyed ourselves the most. He seem like a totally different person suddenly. Guess this place can really change a person. Anyway, we were the only ones who bought the headgear, called mendeel. ( besides the American couple in our tour).

I'm glad hubby tried to climb this ( the last climb before heading back) coz he had height phobia.

Our lunch in the outdoor desert. What an experience! It was cooked on the spot using the woods we gathered for BBQ fire. The vegetables were also cut and prepared on the spot. The chicken marinated by Mohammed was awesome. Besides being an agile climber, he is also a good chef.

Our guide, Mohammed was really fun and nice. He seemed so full of life and smiles and I had a great time scaling the rocks and cliffs together with him. It was scary but so fun and thrilling! We climbed on top of arches, scaled a high sand dune and even a sheer vertical cliff wall, things that I never imagine myself doing. I had never taken rock climbing lessons before but I guess I got a knack for climbing as I actually climb more than the guys in my group. Haha...! Maybe because I have no fear in me or simply I just dun care. The feeling was liberating and thrilling and I felt much more alive than I can remember. I felt sad and close to tears when the day ended and I had to go back to my 'Prison' life in Israel.

 

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2012

Today, the 19th of April is Holocaust Remembrance Day also known as Yom Hashoah in Israel. Woken up by the sound of sirens at about 10am lasting a few mins. During this time, people are supposed to stop whatever they are doing and stand at attention and cars are also supposed to stop even at highway and the whole country is supposed to come to a standstill during this time to pay tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.

All tv shows, even on my cable tv will only be aired programs or documentaries about WW2 and the Holocaust. No comedies or any entertainment shows are allowed to be shown. During this day, all cinemas, pubs and public entertainment places ( I believe all shopping malls) are closed. The flag is also hung at half mast.

I had visited the Holocaust Museum here before. It's a place I never wanted to visit again coz I believe one traumatic experience is enough for me and had no wish to revisit such horror again. I can't imagine how the Jews felt about this, remembering these horrors done to their race year after year, something like making the people in SG remembering the atrocities done by the Jap occupation every year, reminding us never to forgot the sufferings they had done to us. However, there are no such thing in SG. I guess people simply dun like to be reminded of those unpleasant past.

 

 

US Trip-Philadelphia, Tennessee, Kentuckey and NYC-final

The last and also my most fave part of the entire trip- Longwood Garden, situated about 45 mins drive from downtown Philadelphia. Hubby posing at the entrance.

Tulips tulips everywhere, all sorts and colors of tulips. Never seen so much flowers in my whole life! It's like stepping into some flower paradise...

Despite the sun, it's freakingly cold....

My fave color :)

Think these are called narcissis ( shui xian hua)

These are called Sherwood purple.

Japanese cherry blossoms

Hubby in the tree house

Inside the conservatory

Some strange kind of orchid

Hubby posing with bird of paradise

Sea lavender

Looks like candy

It's a real plant!

The rose is huge and smell so nice that I am very tempted to pluck it and keep for myself...hehee

The bell tower

The topiary garden

I still can't believe this is real

I wish I lived here....

Sadly, it's time to leave this beautiful place. I din pluck any flowers although my hands were itching to do so. How I wish could bring the flowers home. I love Spring the most, it's the most beautiful season yet so short.

We ended the day with dinner at Red Lobster. Lobster bisque soup.

Cesar salad

Main course with 1 lobster tail and 2 grilled sticks of shrimps over rice. The broccoli tasted surprisingly nice. Ate 20 shrimps in total coz each stick contained 10 shrimps. Think we had calories overdose that day but it felt good :)