Day One of the Recap

What is this thing... a blog? I have a blog? It seems like it's been ages since I've done that thing you call blogging...

Just kidding. Though it has been awhile since my last post. There's so much to catch you up on!!!

So, a lot has happened and I don't feel its fair to inundate you with the full experience in one or two posts. Also, I don't want to leave anything out (or kill myself by cramming every detail into one novel of a post).  Thus, I have devised of a solution. I will blog about the trip day by day so I don't leave anything out or jump around too much. I could go on and on about the RSCN for four posts, and the New Hope Center for three, but it's probably better to do everything chronologically. That way I don't get confused and leave things out or repeat myself.

So. I guess that means I start with day one? That's probably the best place...

Well, we met with everyone who helped put the trip together the night before we headed out. This was our first opportunity to shake hands with the guys we would spend the better part of the next two weeks with. Everyone got together at Wild Jordan, an amazing restaurant/cooperative/meeting place in downtown Amman. My cousin Malia Asfour (the director of the Jordan Tourism Board North America) and I met with Ehab Eid as well as a whole slew of other people who helped put the trip together, as well as Connor Eberhart and Rick Prebeg, the guys from Jack Hanna's 'Into the Wild.' Rick does the scouting trips for the show and Connor is a camera man who came along to shoot some footage that they might not be able to get in the fall (like grass, for example). It was nice to finally meet the people that I flew across the world to work with. Rick and Connor were both very nice that night, sitting through an epically long meeting on our itinerary for the trip without a peep, despite the fact that they had stepped off the plane two hours before! The meeting was important though, as it helped establish the two main organizations we would be working with - the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and the Princess Alia Foundation. These two groups essentially put together our itinerary and we would work with them almost exclusively looking for wild animals (and some not-so-wild-ones) in Jordan.

After the meeting we had dinner. Wild Jordan is a gorgeous restaurant. It looks out over the city from the side of a hill, with the Citadel right across the way. Once dinner was finished we made our move to leave (it was 11p.m. at this point) and headed home.

The next day we met up early to head to Ajloun Forest Reserve (under the purview of the RSCN). We picked up Rick and Connor in a van along with our guide Mohammed. Also tagging along with us were Ehab, the head of the conservation department of the RSCN, and Louay, the head ecologist for Dibeen. On the way we stopped by the Zarqa river which was beautiful. The Zarqa is called the Jabbok river in the Old Testament, apparently the site where Jacob wrestled an angel. Well, it's a little polluted now. Jordan has a problem with littering and pollution (a la Mexico now or the U.S. before our crying Indian campaigns), so it was a little depressing, but still gorgeous. We continued on our way to Ajloun, stopping by the site of a future school for eco-guides. We dropped off our stuff in the cabins (which are absolutely gorgeous) at the lodge, then headed back out. First we went to the Calligraphy House, which aims to continue the tradition of Arabic calligraphy. With the help of the RSCN and some grants they have sent people to school for calligraphy and are now giving demonstrations on the art form. It was awesome, I can't believe that the words that say the same thing could look so different!

Connor, Rick and I holding our names

Next we went to the soap house where we watched women make olive oil soaps. It was lovely to see, all they were using were natural ingredients from the area and caustic soda from the Dead Sea. Not to mention, the shop smelled AMAZING. Definitely a fan of the pomegranate hand soap. After that we stopped by the biscuit house where they make natural energy bars, fruit leather, and cookies. The shop was closed down as it was a weekend for them (Jordanian weekends are Friday/Saturday). Each of the shops employs all local women and were opened specifically to give women a profession in the area around Ajloun. Their products were incredible - I can't speak highly enough of them.

The view from the Biscuit House

After seeing these places we went back and had lunch. Then we took a hike to a hide where apparently you can see roe deer in the mornings. Roe deer were extinct in Jordan and have just been reintroduced to the area. There is a breeding population in Ajloun now, which is a great success for the RSCN. After that we took a ride over to Dibeen park, which was full of picnickers. The park is a recreation site for people from three different cities and receives very heavy traffic as a result. Despite this, apparently the Persian squirrel has taken refuge there. 

We're out hunting squirrels...

We did not see a squirrel, though we heard much made of them. My aunt couldn't believe that there were any squirrels there. She's been in Jordan since the 60's and wouldn't believe Ehab and Louay. Despite this, we had fun traipsing around in the woods.

Next we went looking for a bat that has taken up residence in old bunkers that served as field hospitals during the last war (which war I wasn't quite sure on). The bats didn't show that day, so we were 0/2 on squirrels and bats... though I did find some really cool seed pods!

Pretty seed pods!

We drove up to the top of Dibeen to look out over the vista which was incredible. What a gorgeous place; no wonder it is so heavily used.

Looking out over Dibeen

After all this we were definitely hungry and tired (most of us were still jet lagged on top of a crazy day), so we were grateful to be back in Ajloun at the lodge for dinner. After dinner we chatted for a bit then hit the hay. I read about two words of Dune before passing out and not moving until the next morning. 

So, that was day one of our trek. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to hear more about our crazy travels...

Well, right now my cousin is going to take me climbing at a gym here. I hope skin-tight running pants are acceptable, though I think climbing communities are going to be the same anywhere I go - at least in terms of what we wear.

Here's something random for you to enjoy this evening. I've been getting into a lot of music that I listened to before my ex and I got together (probably a safe bet at this point), and this is one song I keep coming back to.

Cheers!