Journey to the Middle East

JORDAN

Amman

We started the trip in Amman, which was the perfect starting point for our adventure. After our Petra tour, we spent the day exploring a few parts of the city. It wasn’t very big, so we got to spend time at the Roman Theatre (so steep and way cooler than I expected) and the Citadel (amazing views of the city). We went to a few souqs (where the men were yelling and it was very busy) and then went to a new mall before stopping at a woman’s house (literally) to buy some vegan cookies she made in her own kitchen.

Petra

The first day there, we woke up at 4am to do the 3 hr drive to Petra from Amman. We were already jet lagged so it didn’t matter! We loved our driver and private guide, who led us through the entire site leading up to the Treasury. After doing the long walk in, it was so breathtaking seeing it for the first time. From there, we did the long hike through the mountains up to the Monastery. We passed several bedouin sellers along the way — and the hike was quite steep and not for the faint of heart! The view at the end was worth it though — perhaps one of my favorite moments of the trip. It was so peaceful and calming at the Monastery, and truly incredible to see in real life. Petra was truly one of the most memorable and jaw-dropping experiences of my life!

Saudi Arabia

Madinah

We flew down to Saudi Arabia for a few nights. The whole thing felt like a dream and like we were on a different planet! We got in late to Madinah, where Mt Uhud was completely lit up with lights. I’ll never forget that night, walking to the Prophet Mosque and seeing it all lit up (and purchasing an abaya)! The next morning, we did a historical tour and visited Mt Uhud and a ton of mosques around the city before catching our train to Jeddah!

Jeddah

We took a two hour bullet train (yes, we saw camels in the desert) to Jeddah, where were did another tour of the old town (Al-Balad, a UNESCO site). It was gorgeous! Our favorite part was seeing the new Red Sea Museum and then walking around to see the roshan’s on the old buildings. It was like walking through a movie set — everything was picturesque. We loved our guide and had a great time exploring another part of the country. We randomly stumbled upon a super market in the train station and stocked up on snacks for our train ride dinner. What a stroke of luck! We were out of snacks and starving, so we refer to it as the “heavenly supermarket”!

Egypt

Pyramids of Giza & Grand Egyptian Museum

We took Saudia Airlines (the nicest airline we’ve ever been on) to Cairo. We were so happy when we arrived at our beautiful hotel that night and enjoyed sushi at the hotel restaurant. The next morning we visited the Pyramids, which was an experience beyond words! It wasn’t that busy and definitely not as touristy and regulated as I expected. They had a new hop on/hop off bus system which was great; and we took a short horse carriage to see the pyramids close up. Despite the cigarette smoke and horse farting in our faces, we had so much fun. We couldn’t believe we were in the middle of the Sahara Desert seeing the ancient 5000 year old pyramids! They were so cool to see in real life. We learned a lot about them from our guide, and my favorite part was walking around, touching them, and then seeing the Sphinx at the end. From there, we went to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (just opened last month). We saw King Tut’s mummy among a ton of other incredible relics and statues. My favorite was the mummified pita bread!

Cairo

The next day, we explored Islamic Cairo, Coptic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili market. Coptic Cairo was our favorite (loved seeing the church, cave, and learning about the history there). On our last day, we got massages and relaxed before our long journey home. It was an unforgettable trip of a lifetime, full of learning and history. I loved seeing this part of the world, and witnessing how other people live. My heart and soul are very full!