A Wandering Sole

Montage Monday: A Bedouin in Petra (Jordan)

// April 18th, 2011 // 6 Comments » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

I loved how the donkey is hanging out on top of his owner’s house. To see more photos from my time in Petra, click here.

Wet Trekking in Wadi Mujib, Jordan

// February 10th, 2011 // 15 Comments » // Jordan

Looking back towards the Dead Sea.

Wadi Mujib is a gorge on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. I think it’s a bit of a hidden gem, since the only way here is by taxi or private car. While I had planned to hop over to Israel for a few days while I was in Jordan, I met some people, changed my plans, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get to Wadi Mujib. I had read about it in my guide book but just thought there was no way I would get to go. (more…)

Montage Monday: Glimpse at the Treasury

// May 31st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

Petra in Jordan is one of the most fascinating sights. As you meander your way through the Sikh (literally means ‘snake’ but referring to the gorge) you walk for a bit before coming upon the Treasury. It’s incredible to get your first glimpse of it before the walls open up, and you are suddenly standing in front of this magnificent piece of history.

Sole Purpose: Questscope (Jordan)

// May 28th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Jordan, Philanthropy

Sole Purpose is the fundraising portion of my website geared towards education and microlending. I run, you donate, I find awesome projects, and together we raise awareness for the amazing work that people are doing to improve others’ livelihoods.

Amman, Jordan

You may be wondering how I find these projects, and the truth is, it varies. (more…)

Montage Monday: Tractors & Boats & Deserts, Oh My!

// May 3rd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

When I first started posting Montage Monday, I said it would be a collection of some of my best travel photography to inspire others to travel. This photo doesn’t exactly qualify as a quality photo, but I felt the content deserved a post of its own (and maybe you, the reader, can offer an explanation!). While staying in Aqaba, Jordan on the coast of the Red Sea, I ran in this location twice. I ran south towards the Saudi Arabian border, and both times, I came across this tractor only a few miles north of the border. I snapped this photo of it the second day, as I just found it so bizarre. On my right side was the beautiful sea and on my left side was this desert land. I could not figure out why a tractor would be pulling speed boats through the desert in Jordan. Why isn’t a truck pulling the boat? And why is there a tractor in this part of Jordan- there’s no farmland! And where are these boats coming from in the desert? The combination was quite odd! If you’d like to venture a guess (or fabricate some ridiculous story), feel free to post it below!

Montage Monday: Making Mosaics in Madaba

// April 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

Madaba has one of the largest Christian communities in Jordan. The town was abandoned for about 1100 years, until 2000 Christians migrated from Karak in the 19^th century due to a dispute with Muslims. While settling the area and building their houses, these people discovered the Byzantine mosaics that are now Madaba’s tourist attraction. Today you can find all sorts of mosaic souvenirs from drink coasters to wall mounts. While walking around Madaba, I stopped into a mosaic workshop and found this girl working on a large mosaic rug. She said she had been working in the shop for about six weeks, entirely on this commissioned piece. The sticks you see in the lower right are slices of the stone, which she would then cut with clippers to make the small stone pieces. You’re actually looking at what will be the back side of the finished product. Such a tedious job!

Montage Monday: Wadi Dana

// April 12th, 2010 // 7 Comments » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

One of my favorite stops in Jordan was in the village of Dana. Set in the Dana Nature Reserve, which is run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the village has magnificent views of Wadi Dana (the valley). It is great stop for nature lovers, offering lots of different hiking options. See the tallest building in the photo with the brown shack on top? That was my hotel. My room didn’t have a number, just a name: Crazy Camel. The magnificent colors in the limestone are best seen at sunrise, but the village is a great place to sit and watch the sun set on the valley as well.

Montage Monday: Over the Edge in Petra

// April 5th, 2010 // 5 Comments » // Jordan, Photo of the Week

After being in Petra for about four hours, I made it up the 900 or so stairs to the Monastery. I snapped some photos and walked a bit further for an overlook of the Rift Valley. On our way back, we caught a glimpse of some local Bedouins and tourists on the top of the Monastery. There were stone steps to the left but higher up the mountainside which meant there was some rock climbing involved. After a short discussion my new travel buddy and I decided to give it a go. And I’m glad we did. At the top, I laid down and hung over the edge to take a picture. But the top was further out than the face of the Monastery so I couldn’t see anything but the ground. Inching my way forward, I leaned over a little further and snapped this photo, just as two people were approaching the Monastery.  This is one moment from Petra that I definitely won’t forget!