Retrospect
Trip Start
May 04, 2007
1
19
Trip End
May 20, 2007
New York, New York
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Overall, I'm still happy that I went. Traveling in the Middle East was just a mind blowing experience. Every preconception I had about the area turned into a complete misconception. Everyone (well almost everyone) was beyond friendly. The Middle East is not just one big country, nor is the whole area at war. It's sad that countries are being all lumped together because the Iraq conflict. Each country should be approached individually. I feel that was something that I managed to accomplish on this trip.
In Jordan if we looked lost for a minute we had someone who would lead us to where we wanted to be and not expect anything except for a thank you in return. As we walked around Amman people would call all welcome and hello. It was an amazing feeling. Jordan is definitely a place that I could spend some more time, in fact I will have to if I intend to see the Dead Sea from that angle. The few Jordanians that attempted to rip us off or ask for money gave up quickly; it was as if they all had an it-doesn't-hurt-to-ask attitude. The backpacker trail was well worn here; however, as it was low season we didn't meet many travelers. I got some sort of special thrill from throwing my pack under the bus and smooshing in with the locals. Jordan was our Middle East of Today destination.
Some aspects of Oman seem caught in time. There were more women covered up and following the old rules here. The souk looked much as it would have 100 years ago, with only some of the wares changing. Here everyone was friendly, however much more standoffish. Not many people seemed very interested in speaking to us and we did not attract stares as we did in Amman. It was really a pity that the infrastructure is not made for backpackers; there are not enough busses to enough destinations to get around easily. Between that and the heat, Oman was a tough place to see. However, it was our Middle East of the Past destination.
For the future of the Middle East we traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Everyone was from somewhere else; it was much like New York. We spent those days cruising around in air conditioned cabs to air conditioned malls. It was very foreign, as we had quickly gotten used to roughing it in Jordan. Here we could have five star meals and dress like ourselves without getting funny looks. However there was no backpacker trail to speak of here either. The only indication that they ever even came here was the one hostel. Still, we were able to ski and take a vacation from our vacation.
This trip taught me several things about myself. I had already figured out that group travel is simply not for me; however I didn't realize how much I enjoy just being alone when I travel. I love the freedom. It is also very important to pick a travel partner with the same idea of travel as yourself. I had a great time on the two trips I took with my German friend Markus. We worked well together and had two fabulous trips. Rachel and I have very different travel ideologies. That made the overall trip more difficult and less enjoyable.
Despite the difficulties of travel, some poor travel luck, and the challenges of traveling with someone else I still had a good time. I'm left with the desire to keep traveling and I can't wait until the next moment when I pack my rutsack and board a plane to some foreign place!
