Dead Sea and Petra in Jordan

Dead Sea and Petra in Jordan

We visited Jordan just a little after Christmas and came back so happy. The middle east is one enchanting place for it being the cradle of three major religions and in that context Jordan is of great historical significance. We hired a car with a driver from Thrifty, visited Petra taking the scenic King's highway - Route 65 and then stayed at the Dead Sea region.

Petra
Petra is an ancient rock cut city built by the Nabataens as early as during 312 BC. It remained unknown to the world until 1812 when Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt discovered the ruins. Petra is listed in the modern new wonders of the world and is a UNESCO preserved site.

How far from Amman? There are two roads that lead to Petra the route 60 (Desert highway) and the route 65(King's highway). Route 65 also called the King's highway is the more scenic route of the two. The road cuts across various Wadis/Valleys of historical significance. It takes about 5 hours through the scenic route and about 3 hours in the less scenic desert highway. We rented a car with a driver from the car rental Thrifty who was very familiar and patient. If you are familiar with driving in the Middle East/ Desert terrain you can easily rent a car and drive around on your own. Just watch out that the roads are pitch dark after sunset and largely uninhibited for several kilometers so it can be a little risky in case you have any problem.

Some pictures below taken from the Kings's Highway.

How long does it take inside Petra? The anicent ruins open at 10 AM. The entrance fee is 50 JD (Jordanian Dinar) for an entire day which is inclusive of a pony/camel/horse/mule ride for one way. It would take about 3 hours minimum to go uptil the tombs and about 5 hours to go uptil the monastery. The walk can be a little tiring considering the desert terrain and the Bedouins constantly going up and down hauling people in the horses. There are a lot of sellers who almost surround you in several instances. Food and drinks are expensive and scantily available inside so we would recommend you packing your backpack suitably. The view of the Khazana or the Treasure house is spectacular and the overall experience is very unique.

Pictures inside Petra.

Inside Petra

Places to see near Petra?
Wadi Musa/Wadi Moses a valley where it is believed that Moses lived here and once struck a rock and a water spring originated from that rock which remained as a water source for Nabataens.

There was a small tea shop here and we took a break to this view.

Dead Sea

We stayed at the Ishtar Kempinski at Dead Sea and simply loved it.A place filled with a lot of trivia on History, Geography, Science and lots more. Officially, the lowest point on planet earth (-400 meters). It is believed Cleopatra knew about the wonders of the Dead Sea and often bathed here. The dip followed by the clay bath is a very unique experience. We loved our 2 days here and would love to go back,life willing. Dead Sea is about 4 hours from Petra by drive. The width of the Dead Sea is about 11 Kms and just across on the other side is the turbulent West bank.

                                                    Some pictures from our trip.

Maldives

The country of Maldives is formed by a group of Atolls far off in the Indian ocean.

What we did? The usual stuff like people do in most islands
Snorkelled, Dived,Watched Sunrise and Sunset, Hopped on a boat to other islands, Sat and gazed at the waves endlessly and packed bags to leave.

Where we stayed? Bandos Atoll and resorts. The resort is about 15 minutes by Speedboat from the Male International Airport. The resort is comprehensive with all the sports activities. The only problem we faced was us being vegetarians did not find enough choices. If you are very particular about your food be sure to carry some cereal bars or fruits as a snack. The island is pretty expensive for buying common stuff.

What we missed? I think we gave a shot everything the island offered.

Postcard- Greetings from Maldives.

Some rich dude's yacht.

Silvery sunset.

Sunset from the ocean.

The dolphins responding to our whistles.

The dolphin cruise which was culminated by a 'Noah ark type' rainbow.

Coffee bay.

The plane over the turquoise waters.

I loved this kid's hair cut. When I complemented him for that his mom told me not to pass positive remarks since they were trying their best to convince him out of it :)

Keukenhof- Netherlands/Holland

I hope some day to meet God, because I want to thank him for the flowers.  ~Robert Brault

We had visited Keukenhof during the Tulip festival and think we have never visited something more prettier. The colors were amazing and is a must see place for everyone at least once in a lifetime.

Where we stayed? We stayed at a Mercure joint  in the Hague and took the bus from the Hague Central station. The location is perfect and the bus ride is all inclusive of the entry to Keukenhof. It takes about 30 minutes from The Hague. These tickets can be purchased online or at the Hague central station. There are similar buses from Amsterdam central but Hague is more closer. If you are visiting exclusively the Tulip festival then staying at the Hague is more convenient.

What we did? We spent the entire day at the Keukenhof garden and visited the flower garden.
In the little time we had at Hague in the evening. We visited the International court of justice. Shopped in the busy market streets and called it a day. Clothes shopping is really good in Amsterdam and the Hague.

What we missed? Renting a bike and circumventing the Tulip fields. One of our friends did it and somehow we missed doing it. I would really like to go back sometime and catch up for this lovely biking trail. 

The entrance

The famous dutch windmill

No. That is not any country's flag.

Tulips all the way.

Verzazca Valley- Switzerland

It can happen that when you are part of a 36-24-36 group since your vital statistics measure 36.1-24.1-26.1 you are given lesser attention :) Verzasca valley is one such place slightly underrated in the Swiss travel campaign. Situated in a town called Tenero close to Locarno in the Italian speaking region of Switzerland, Valle Verzasca is the opening shot of the James Bond move 'The Golden Eye'. The region boasts of the Italian Alps, green Emerald lakes and a beautiful Lake close by. The place is accessible by bus and cars. The postal bus departs once every 2 hours from Locarno, Bellinzona and Tenero. The best way would be a car where you can drive and stop at your pace.

Emerald green lake in the region.

Where we stayed? Lugano Dante at Lugano

AAview: The Lugano Dante is definitely slightly upscale in terms of the usual prices in the region. We paid about 200 CHF for a night. The breakfast was extremely rich (name the cheese variety and it appears) with fruits from every corner of the region. It is situated right in front of the Lugano Furnicular stop. The hotel is situated very close to the downtown. One gets to experience the Swiss safety with the Italian spirit in the downtown. The pizza's are authentic Italian and the place is buzzing with liveliness. You can certainly get something more less priced for a night's stay in the region compared to Lugano Dante.

What we did? 

• We spent time in the Lugano downtown and walked through the Lake Lugano. 
• Shopped at the town of Mendrisio which boasts of the Foxtown Outlet mall.
• Visited the Clooney island town of Lake Como.
• Spent almost 6 hours in the Valle Verzasca region.

What we missed?

• Spending more time at Lake Como by taking a nice cruise.
• Hiking in the Valle Verzasca region.
• This we missed and would perhaps never do - The bungy jump at the valley :)

AA Recommendations:
DO NOT MISS THE VERZASCA VALLEY's EMERALD LAKE.

Pics: 

Lake Lugano.

A view from the valley.

The Bungy jump poster.

A tourist from New Zealand asked us to click his picture when he set off to bungy jump. He is all excited to get started.

Moments before he jumped. He asked us to send him his pictures but we misplaced his email ID. 

Like the pale blue dot. He, as seen from a distance after the jump.

The green lake.

The hidden danger in the green lake.

One more of the lake.

Neuschwanstein-Germany

The beautiful castle of Kind Ludwig II of Bavaria happens to be the inspiration behind the logo of Disney. Built from the king's own personal funds, the castle was a place the King built to take refuge but unfortunately he died soon after it was ready. The castle is near the place called Fussen and in the town of  Hohenschwangau which is about 10 minutes from Fussen.

The castle view.

Where we stayed? Schlosshotel Lisl and Jagerhaus


AAview: We paid about 125 Euros per night excluding breakfast. The room was magnificent with huge pictures of kings hanging on the walls. The view of the castle from the room was spectacular and a night at the town makes you wonder if you were part of a time travel experiment to the 1950s:) The quite town is really a escape from the fast paced mundane life. The hotel is bang on there near the entrance to the castle. Check with the reception folks about reserving your tickets for the castle tour if possible in advance especially during the holiday season. We had been there twice and found a huge line of people waiting to buy tickets. We are pretty sure the wait is a minimum of 20 minutes from there. Make sure you get that arranged prior. The tours with an English speaking guide happen every 2 hours.

How we got there? We took a train from Munich Hbf towards fussen and took a taxi to Hohenschwangau the first time but subsequently drove. The drive is easier with family around and should be very comfortable.

Things we did:

• Trek atop the castle
• Castle tour with an English tour guide.
• Walk to Marienbrucke (Mary's bridge)

A and A's recommendations: 
Please do not miss the walk through the Marienbrucke. The actual castle view is breathtaking from this hanging bridge. Be careful with kids as this bridge is quite crowded and is wobbling randomly.
If you are looking for good places to lunch or dine - go back to Fussen and you can find a variety of cuisines from Asian to Bavarian. We dined at this restaurant called Moti Mahal where the food was fairly good.

What we missed?
The only thing we can think of is maybe spent a day longer and trekked endlessly in and around the castle. Oh! yes we missed visiting the smaller castle.

Pics:

View of the Bavarian region from the castle top.

Quoting Disney- Happy just very very happy :)

Walk to the Marienbrucke.

The small castle.

Who says time travel doesn't exist?  Town of Schwangau.