Day 164 - Aqaba - Boat ride - Market
Friday, December 14th, 2018.
Today we woke up at 10:30am. I guess we were tired. I wasn't sure if we were going to do something today. We took the morning off. Sunshine had to turn in all her assignments today, which is perfect timing since we are going to the desert tomorrow. I spent some time trying to contact the UPS affiliate to deliver our credit card. Very frustrating because my friend Assam, from the front desk, kept trying to call them but the numbers they list were wrong or disconnected. We decided to move on with our plan and leave tomorrow since it seems that we won't be getting the card here.
I took advantage of my time and did some laundry by hand. Our towels were gross from lying them on the ground. I also had to clean the balcony where I had to hang the towels. I prepared lunch and try to use most of the food we had left. After lunch, well, around 3:00, we left the house. We wanted to show the kids the old castle and go to the market. Instead, we walked by the beach and took a glass bottom boat ride in the harbor. We got to watch fish through the glass. The coral reefs are so close to the beach and there are so many kinds of fish, it's like being in an aquarium. A police boat came to us and said something to our driver, we will never know what. After half an hour (for 10JD), we returned to the beach.
When we came back to shore, a group of guys asked Gregory if they could take a picture of him and Sunshine. My guess is that they wanted a picture of Sunshine and had to ask permission somehow. After they took the picture, I asked them if I could take a picture of them. They were surprised, they laughed and let me take the picture.
We walked to see the ruins of the castle but it was closed by the time we made it there. There is not much to see anyway. [Gregory's note: besides, how many more castles can we see???] Afterward, we walked to the market [which is an area of town with hundreds of shops and stalls] in search of Sunshine's bracelet and a pair of new pants. I guess all our clothes are starting to look old and her favorite comfy pants are all ripped on the bottom. We didn't find her pants but she did find a bracelet. We talked to the owner who was sad to admit that people from Jordan sell things from China and India. He pointed to the lamp that I had liked in Turkey and said those were from China. I don't want those lamps anymore, and maybe this way is better because we can't buy anything anyway. [Gregory's note: just to give you an idea of the prices here, the lamp was more expensive here than in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.]
The market at night is alive. Hundreds of people going up and down, buying, negotiating. We stopped to buy nuts in a stand where they only sell nuts and seeds. There are many in this area and people seem to buy them a lot!
It was cold and I didn't want to go to the grocery store so we stopped by a small falafel place next to our hotel and bought dinner. It was actually cheaper than food at the supermarket would have cost. It was a good day!
Today we woke up at 10:30am. I guess we were tired. I wasn't sure if we were going to do something today. We took the morning off. Sunshine had to turn in all her assignments today, which is perfect timing since we are going to the desert tomorrow. I spent some time trying to contact the UPS affiliate to deliver our credit card. Very frustrating because my friend Assam, from the front desk, kept trying to call them but the numbers they list were wrong or disconnected. We decided to move on with our plan and leave tomorrow since it seems that we won't be getting the card here.
I took advantage of my time and did some laundry by hand. Our towels were gross from lying them on the ground. I also had to clean the balcony where I had to hang the towels. I prepared lunch and try to use most of the food we had left. After lunch, well, around 3:00, we left the house. We wanted to show the kids the old castle and go to the market. Instead, we walked by the beach and took a glass bottom boat ride in the harbor. We got to watch fish through the glass. The coral reefs are so close to the beach and there are so many kinds of fish, it's like being in an aquarium. A police boat came to us and said something to our driver, we will never know what. After half an hour (for 10JD), we returned to the beach.
When we came back to shore, a group of guys asked Gregory if they could take a picture of him and Sunshine. My guess is that they wanted a picture of Sunshine and had to ask permission somehow. After they took the picture, I asked them if I could take a picture of them. They were surprised, they laughed and let me take the picture.
We walked to see the ruins of the castle but it was closed by the time we made it there. There is not much to see anyway. [Gregory's note: besides, how many more castles can we see???] Afterward, we walked to the market [which is an area of town with hundreds of shops and stalls] in search of Sunshine's bracelet and a pair of new pants. I guess all our clothes are starting to look old and her favorite comfy pants are all ripped on the bottom. We didn't find her pants but she did find a bracelet. We talked to the owner who was sad to admit that people from Jordan sell things from China and India. He pointed to the lamp that I had liked in Turkey and said those were from China. I don't want those lamps anymore, and maybe this way is better because we can't buy anything anyway. [Gregory's note: just to give you an idea of the prices here, the lamp was more expensive here than in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.]
The market at night is alive. Hundreds of people going up and down, buying, negotiating. We stopped to buy nuts in a stand where they only sell nuts and seeds. There are many in this area and people seem to buy them a lot!
It was cold and I didn't want to go to the grocery store so we stopped by a small falafel place next to our hotel and bought dinner. It was actually cheaper than food at the supermarket would have cost. It was a good day!
 |
| The white mosque was being remodeled so we couldn't see the inside. |
 |
| Glass boat looking for fishes |
 |
| Sunset over the Red Sea with the hills of Israel and Egypt in the background. |
 |
| The guys that wanted a picture with Gregory and Sunshine |
 |
| Los Amigos |
 |
| The Hashemite monarchs |
 |
| They boil water in hot sand for the tea |
 |
| Daniel has become a tea lover! |
 |
| Myrrh, incense, frankincense and more... |
 |
| Daniel smelling different herbs |
 |
| Some of the small stores sell all sorts of spices. |
Comments
Post a Comment