Applying Principle 2 - Exploration

We don’t have a car and couldn't bring our folding bikes, so we take different forms of transportation, or not.

One of my favorite is a bus with the seemingly fictional name of Abdali station. We really want to go to this station not just because guide books mention its existence as a good source of transport outside of Amman but also because it shares the name of a Southern Arabia sheikh family. However we’ve not met a taxi driver yet who knows where it is.

That's ok. We've got other modes by which to explore (or re-discover) Jordan. One involves biking. In some ways it is difficult for us to imagine serious biking in the Middle East but it exists and we've seen tour groups, individuals and even hard core racers. In fact, our first week in Jordan, we made a great new friend, Nader Zakibeh. He's nutritionist, former racer with the Jordanian National Cycling Team, coach for long distance riders, and the proprietor of Nader Bikes.

Are you in Jordan? Do you live here? Try out Nader's tours at least once - the bike ride to Wadi Mujib is seriously easy and the long straight Dead Sea road is a perfect place for learners. The wadi trip is so much fun. For more details, check out Nader Bikes Facebook page for his weekly rides and other adventure trips.

For cycling, Nader provides the bikes, helmets, water, vehicle support, and food. He often prepare a "Chinese" chicken dish in a large wok on a campfire for his trips outside of Amman. It's very filling after a ride. Our favorite trip involved a simple Jordanian meal known as ghallayeh (2allayeh) bandora. (بندورة = tomato). Sa7tain!



Coach Nader (from his Facebook page)



Principles #2 and #3

As per our last post, our first tip in an evacuation is to set and keep a schedule.Our second and third tips are:

Mar Elias, Ajloun Forrest

#2) Explore your new environs. Nothing does wonder for the soul than to explore. If you know the place, then get more intimately acquainted with it.

#3) Reclaim old friendships and meet new people. Some of the most extraordinary people can become part of your lives in these interesting times. We certainly have come across interesting and interested people! Thank you for adding color and sparkle to our lives!

So applying our three principles of evacuation, we're sharing our special experiences in travel and evacuation to Jordan in upcoming posts.

Principle #1: Schedule and Keep A Routine

When you are evacuated, the most important thing is to adhere to a routine. It might be a slightly new routine but it's important to get up in the morning and dress to go to work (even if it is at home). The idea is to set a schedule and keep to it.

Evacuation?

Yes it can happen. Our next blog post will highlight some suggestions for expats who have to or choose to evacutate.

Do what you need to do

So what happens when you are hiking in the Middle East and your shoes "blow apart" (to quote a college friend)? Well you make use of available materials to help you keep walking in shoes. (I'm not yet into barefoot hiking on rocks.)

I love my Keene's - they've done well in arid lands!