TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Now back in the Netherlands, and with all my fotos uploaded to my laptop, I can now begin my Jordan travel diaries. You might have noticed [grin] that I love chronicling my travels and this is mainly because the act of writing what I have experienced is akin to re-experiencing the experience. Like déjà vu. Besides, it somehow seals the whole experience for years to come, for me to come back to and live through them again. This is hoping that Google, the owner of Blogger and Youtube, and Multiply (this did and I have to re-upload the pictures to my Google storage) as well will not go into administration and I can turn back the clock and look at my blog entries and fotos with a smile and a hint of familiarity—oh yeah, I have done that, I was there. Arrival at Queen Alia Airport + Pre-entry Visa So I will start with our arrival in Amman. We landed just before 18:00 in Queen Alia International Airport. Dutch nationals are not required to have a pre-entry visa but Jordanian immigration ...

So Dutchman and I went out for Koninginnenacht (Queens Night) last night in Utrecht Centre albeit quickly because I cannot handle the maddenning crowds anymore, all these (drunken or want to get drunk) kids screaming-pushing-dancing-jumping and running around. ARGH. They are making me dizzy. I am so getting old, I do not fancy these street parties anymore and when Dutchman asked me if I want to see the free market, I was like—'What free market? You mean the RUBBISH???' Managed to take 2 fotos last night in Oudegracht and by the Dom Tower grounds. So today, Koninginnedag (Queens Day) I am staying inside the comforts of my home pretending that the rest of the Netherlands is not celebrating. Anyway, there is always TV to reconnect to reality if need be... As for the Dutch Royal family, they are visiting Thorn and Weert in the south of the Netherlands. They always visit 2 towns every year during Queens Day, see foto slideshow from NU.nl website here: Dutch Royal Family during...

Hi, I am back in the Netherlands. Jordan was lovely and will be posting detailed entries and fotos about the trip. For now I am astounded and woeful about the Marrakesh blast that happened yesterday. Many of the dead and wounded are foreigners—tourists. Go here for the story at BBC: Morocco probes deadly Marrakesh cafe blast Precisely 2 years ago me and Blondine were sitting on this same café restaurant on Djemma el-Fna. The Café Restaurant Argana is probably the most popular traditional café restaurant on the square because it has a nice balcony with a view down to the Djemma el-Fna square. Blondine and I had lunch here twice and I have a few fotos below to remember the events. It is scary to think that major tourist spots are not safe anymore these days. This is not confirmed yet but police are suspecting a suicide bomber or someone who left a bomb in a bag in the restaurant and left just seconds before it detonated. The cafe restaurant on Djemma el-Fna Moi here 2 years ago ...

Marhaba everyone! Now its time for us to relax a bit and pamper ourselves at the Dead Sea... het is hier heerlijk. Maá as-salaamah. Laters. Tot zo! Travel Period: April 2011 Destination: Dead Sea (Madaba), Jordan

Hi! I have been busy travelling around Jordan. Here are some postcards I am leaving for the blog, hopefully this will encourage those with itchy feet to plan a trip to this beautiful country. More stories and fotos when I am back. Soon. Camel traffic near Wadi Rum. It's either their way or no way =) Magnificent Petra, the Nabatean Rose-Red City in Wadi Mousa. This is 'The Treasury' on the foto, all carved out from a boulder by hand. Driving on the desert highway. Jordan is bordered by Iraq to the east and Saudi Arabia to the east and south (Israel to the west and Syria to the north). It sounds a bit surreal to know Iraq is just a few hours drive and Syria up north is currently going through major clashes. Here in Jordan, everything is peaceful and the locals are wonderful.

Amsterdam to Amman is about 5 hours. Flight was uneventful and I was able to sleep for an hour. The Royal Jordanian airplane was half full, obviously due to the Middle East situation very few tourists are travelling to this part of the globe. Lekker rustig. Royal Jordanian has the only direct flight from Amsterdam to Amman. KLM flies via Paris and we would have arrived past 11PM if we chose this option. Old Times Restaurant at Al Rainbow Street After checking in to our hotel, we went to Al Rainbow Street (a local hangout area with many coffee and tea shops) located in 1st Circle, Amman and we had dinner in a restaurant that has a bar and outdoor cafe terrace called -- Old Times Restaurant . The view from our table is the terrace and the busy Al Rainbow Street. We ordered Tahini Kufta, a typical Arabic (Jordanian) lamb meal with potatoes and while enjoying our first meal in Jordan we did some people watching as well. It was so tempting to do the hubbly bubbly but we'll wa...

Hi, I am off to Jordan in the Middle East and I am quite excited about this trip but I must admit I did feel a little bit apprehensive of the current unstable situation of the region. I booked this trip last December, before the uprising in Tunisia and Egypt and ever since I have been hooked to BBC World News everyday following the Middle East status quo. So far nothing on the news has convinced me to pull back. From what I understand, Jordan is a secular, modern and advanced Arab nation. The King with the lovely wife is the boss, like Bahrain, it is a constitutional monarchy country. So far the protests were quite peaceful except for the clashes that happened in Amman last Friday but this is minor in comparison to its neighbours. According to the Global Competitiveness Report, Jordan ranked 1st in the region in terms of police services reliability and 14th in the world. For prevention against organized crime, Jordan ranked 1st again in the region and 9th in the world. Quite impr...

I've heard from friends who have been in and around San Francisco that I should not miss visiting the charming little coastal town Sausalito, even the KLM flight attendant highly recommended this place. Now Sausalito has piqued my interest... There are a few ways to get to Sausalito from San Francisco and the two easiest ways are by car and by boat. I have no experience with the boat, although I would love to—they can be boarded in Pier 39 and Embarcadero. By car the drive is about 10-15 minutes from San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. Funnily, because we arrived at the other part of Sausalito town where it’s a bit quiet, Dutchman started jeering, taunting me albeit jokingly—‘Now, show me... where is this Sausalito hype...?’ We drove around a bit and decided to park the car to explore further on foot. After walking past the harbour filled with yachts and down to the main street where many shops are located, we saw a beautiful coastal promenade with spectacular views o...