The group finally all together, we met our local guide Tarun and set off for our first destination, Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid is the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal,in the year 1644 CE and completed in the year 1658 AD, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. Being A Mosque, you are not allowed to wear shorts, or be a Short Round

at least not without covering up in holy mumuus. Once past the entry gate the mosque comes into view.

Jama Masjid is a reference to the weekly Friday noon congregation prayers of Muslims, Jummah, which are usually done at a mosque, the "congregational mosque" or "jāmi' masjid". The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. or three times that many pigeons

Muslim Architecture does not allow representations of any living creatures, that being the sole province of God. Instead elaborate geometrical designs fill the walls, offering worshipers a focus while they contemplate and pray

We took the opportunity to indulge in a bit of contemplation of our own before heading on a brief rickshaw ride through the streets of old delhi to nearby Red Fort aka Lal Qil'ah

Lal Qilah is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan  in the walled city of Old Delhi that served as the residence of the royal family. It also served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian government. We entered this elegant complex through the hilariously named Whore Gate

Probably does not mean what you think it does.

Red Fort is so named because of the red sandstone which makes it up. It is filled with intricate inlaid and carved designs of flowers, which demonstrate the influence of Hindu architecture, which shows gods in everything on the muslim architecture, which strictly forbids representations of living things

Above is Diwan-I-Am, the hall of public audience, where the shah would hear resolve the peoples problems, in what I can only assume was a hilarious Dr Seuss-like fashion based on the name of the hall. You Shall not have your neighbors land, from this country you are banned, you shall not take your goat or cow, you must leave here, must leave right now!

I have no idea what this structure was originally used for, but damn did it look epic. Off in the background to the right you can see the barracks used by the emperors military, and then when the British took over, used as their military barracks, meaning this fort was in use long past its expected prime, though now it is overun by tourists and wildlife

Ch-ch-ch-chip and Dale!

Of course, surrounded by all this cool stuff, some of the locals begin to take it for granted and just stare at passerby. LIKE A BOSS.

Next Post: Humayuns Tomb and Qutb complex!

-Indiana J

Greetings All!

Indiana Josh and his trusty sidekick Short Round, accompanied by longtime fellow adventurers Dr Han and Miss Crystal recently returned from their yearly trip exploring yet another continent. This year, our intrepid band of thrill-seekers decided to explore the exotic experiences of Northern India, and search the mysterious heights, and brave the worst lows of bordering Nepal. Stuffed with the usual Danger, Despair and Deeds of Derring-Do, the following journal entries and their accompanying photos will hopefully make you laugh, cry, and keep you at the edge of your seat while you read the latest epic

INDIANA JOSH AND THE TEMPLES OF DOOM

Day 1: 16 Mar 2012

Have Just arrived in India, another third world bastion of developing culture, industry, and yes, aromas.

The Crowds are palpable, a post apocalyptic throng of poverty stricken zombies searching for change instead of brains. Brains they have aplenty, as they must to survive from day to day, but not a street goes by but is populated by working stiffs in one form or another

First order of business then, is to find some means of conveyance to get to our hotel. We learn quickly that there are three rules to good driving in India

1. Good Breaks
2. Good Horn
3. Good Luck

Suddenly, New York Cabbies make a lot more sense as we are whisked away in what can only be described by Dr Han as "like playing a video game for two hours with MY LIFE". Traffic moves at a steady 30km per hour, but it does so by whisking in and out of lanes that clearly exist only in the minds of the drivers as any extraneous material such as painted road lines, traffic signals, and pedestrians are simply ignored.

One moment our cab is driving down the left side of the road (thanks a lot Britain!) only for the cabby to decide he doesnt like his current position so he abruptly honks his horn to let other drivers around him know he is about to attempt manslaughter of his fares, then cuts across 4 lanes of traffic (in a 2 lane road no less), driving briefly against the flow of traffic toward several oncoming cars, only to duck back in to a lane somewhere in an intersection, all while sipping his chai and answering a text. Everyone hear drives like this, and after the initial terror, the car rides become a blur

By the end of the trip, we all agree that No racing game or driving simulator in the world will ever match up, and the previously loved Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland is now less thrilling than a trip to the Mall.

After settling in at our hotel, The Shangri La, an undiscovered paradise indeed, we briefly search the surroundings for some type of sustenance

Knowing the dangers of getting the dreaded Delhi Belly from street vendors, Indiana Josh gets in touch with local contacts, their information obtained from an associate stateside

The modern, ultra hip decor of the punjabi restaurant belies its humble surroundings, and a delicious meal is had with new friends

From Left: Miss Crystal, Dr Han, Indiana Josh, Mansi, Pavan, and Siddharth

Bellies full, we return to our hotel to await the fourth member of the party set to arrive tomorrow, when the adventure will truly begin

Welcome, my friends, to India.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Okay, enough maudlin whining crap for now. This weekend, I participated in a massive produce battle. I received an email from thrillist offering a discount on a tomato battle. This is what $25 bought me for the day:

Returning to the AUstralia trip, my trusty travel quartet and I decided to continue exploring the environs of Sydney, namely Darling Harbour. We decided to take the ferry from Circular Quay to the harbour

"I'm on a boat, muthaf**ka" became a regular catchprase and inside joke during this trip. You will see it come into play later as we include such variations as "I'm on a plane!", "I'm on a rock!" and "I'm on a kangaroo!"

After a short 10 minute trip we arrived in what I can only describe to my fellow Californians as a nicer, cleaner version of Long Beach. Our Quadrumvirate set out looking for the next adventure!

Actually, Koh and Ward decided to take some R&R time, leaving Crystal and I, the Dynamic Duo to amuse ourselves like the mature responsible adults we are

Or Not...

That stuffed kangaroo and I have come to the decision that this instrument should be called a digiri-dont.

Crystal geared up like some sort of wolverine/crocodile hunter fusion

Crocodile Hunter, you say? All the Ho's will love action adventure Josh

Of course, what would Crocodile Hunters be without Crocodiles?

Having Narrowly escaped certain death due only to our quick wits and definetly not by being kicked out of the store, Crystal and I decided to go find some easier prey...like whale

And then we decided to package it up for you and put it over an elevator.

Alright folks, more travel blurbs and tales as time permits...that said, it's good to be back and writing again.

-J

The last time Koh and I traveled together, it was on a 21 day tour through Egypt and Jordan. During that time, we were fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of the Wilsons, who in addition to teaching us how to throw a frisby forehand and play a number of card games, also happened to mention they live in SYdney and to drop by if we were ever in the neighborhood. We managed to keep in touch through the years vis a vis our blogs, so it was a simple matter to look them up when we arrived. As a welcome to Sydney they offered to take us out on their boat

I'm  on a boat muthaf**ker dont you ever forget!

yes, this is a real nautical signal AND concern. cant stop drop and roll on the ocean

Sailing Sydney Harbor we were exposed to sun, sea, and sand (although I personally only took part in two of the above. I leave it to you to determine which) and even learned a couple basics of sailing like tacking (and how to dodge the boom!)

Above is fort dennison, a former garrison and penal colony when australia was first being colonised by British convicts, and now a restaurant and museum. That tower you see on the end is a Martello tower, an early siege defense fort that became outdated in the 1850's with the introduction of rifled artillery. It was also the last Martello tower built in the British empire

Our mate, in both the nautical and australian senses of the word was Andrew. The captain, TD, is not pictured.

Andrews lovely wife Jess (aka FushMush) who came along for the ride and packed a heaps of sandwiches. Good times were had by all

Yes, by the end of this trip we had all become mighty seafarers, some of us using the assistance of dramamine to quell our seasickness, and some of us using beer. Having no more fears we decided to go on a ghost tour of SYdney

Were my blogging muscles not so sorely atrophied, I would happily relate a number of tales we learned that night, from the apartment where multiple 21 year olds met their death on their 21st birthday, to the ghost of the sydney harbour bridge or perhaps most disturbing, the grisley tale of the madames boarding house and the dismembered member (that was a penis joke). However, the tour itself was quite amusing and well worth a story in person should we ever meet. So on from sailing to our next adventure...

-J

As our final few days in Arabia drew near we decided to head out to the desert, making a brief stop in route to Little Petra.

Far down in the valley below is the Petra we have explored the last several days. But while the majority of the ruins in Petra proper are charnel houses, little Petra contains the remains of the day to day buildings...the restaurants, the trading posts, the daily places of business.


Almost feels like jawas are about to pop out any minute, doesnt it?

This dilapidated staircase is an alternative pathway to the monastery we saw before. It is even steeper than the 800 steps we took, and takes about half a day to complete.

And of course, what would little Petra be without a little Siq?

That completed, it was off to Wadi Rum! Wadi is arabic for desert, and Wadi Rum is best known as being the adopted homeland of T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia

The title comes from proverbs 9:1: "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars". While only 5 pillars are visible in this formation, the arabs and the desert itself make the last 2

Our transport was a 4x4, so we could drift, skid, and jump among the dunes

The sand of Wadi Rum is soft and yielding, not at all like the hard gritty gravel like sand I am used to in Los Angeles.

One of the bedouins who calls this unforgiving landscape home, and wouldnt have it any other way

The size of this sand dune is immense, although the perspective doesnt do it justice. So, being the mature traveler I am, I figured the best way to show you would be to climb to the top and then RUN DOWN!
 

minor slip, but I am okay

Wheeeeeee!

Once again I adopted the local dress over my usual Indiana garb. Xanga, meet Josh of Arabia.

During our mad max like tooling around the desert we managed to get a flat tire. Actually, whatever jeep had our guide Okla in it (guide pictured above) seemed to break down. You can imagine he wasnt too popular with us waiting in the sun to fix a flat

The house of Lawrence of Arabia, the british engineer who helped organize the arabs during their revolt against the ottoman empire in 1915-1918. (It's a bit of a fixer upper)

Aramaic Graffiti (Jesus wuz here)

The rock bridge, again not quite to scale

You know me though, I take it as a personal challenge from nature to do these things

As the sun began to set, we decided to head to our campsite for the evening

Pretty swanky, eh? Camping doesnt always have to be "roughing it"


Another one of my favorite shots of the trip

While I was busy getting my adventure on, Short Round was celebrating in his own way

by taking a nap and enjoying the scenery



hmmm...a fire pit?

MARSHMALLOW TIME!

after the marshmallows we had our almost nightly ritual by this point of smoking hookah and playing gin rummy before bed


Our tent.

Well it was time to set off for the village and from there home...

but with the 4x4s gone, how would we cross this vast expanse?


The way they did it in olden times...on camelback!

I was taught by my guide to click my tongue and pull on the reins to talk to anf guide my camel along the path. From my understanding my commands meant "hey camel, do whatever you feel like and periodically wander back in the right direction when the boss is watching or the other camels get too far ahead"

...And so came to an end my Road to Jordan. I had seen wonders of the world, explored ancient ruins, discovered the stargate and holy grail, swam in the dead sea and camped among the desert nomads. Truly no more adventures could be crammed into a single vacation.

I hope you have enjoyed my trip as much as I did. When next you visit, you can continue to read about my ongoing adventure, my medical Residency. Watch in awe as I puzzle out how to diagnose and treat patients! Be amazed as I resume sharing my medical misadventures! Wonder how anyone trusts somebody with only days of clinical experience with their well being!

THE ADVENTURE NEVER ENDS WHEN YOU ROLL WITH RVEBLADE

til next time...

***This is a continuation of Road to Jordan: The Red Rose City. Please read previous post for full trip***

Onward and upward we climbed, the sun beating down upon us at every turn, the steps becoming steeper, and the precipes more precarious by the moment until finally we reached the top, and beheld the Monastery gazing down upon us

Larger than even the treasury itself, the Monastery was buried deep within the hills of Petra

With slight trepidation did we walk through the cavernous entrance, only to discover...

...Absolutely nothing? It couldnt be. We had come so far, endured so much to be confronted at the end with what seemed a blank wall?? I, Indiana Josh, refused to accept such a defeat. Instead I decided to backtrack, convinced that whatever relics had once lain within the monastery had simply been moved to a more secure place to keep them safe from time and, well, people like me.

The Palace, one of three royal tombs carved into Petra, seemed a likely place to check next. After all, so many societies have king and clergy at odds, it seemed only natural each would want the treasures held by the other.

Through the cavernous opening I hesitantly stepped

Only to find within...

A room scarred with the evidence of prior inhabitance. While the red and white were the natural colors of the stone, the black on the ceiling was a remant of smoke from campfires, built by those who had usurped the caverns of the dead for their own abodes. But it appears that the royal tombs were not the location of holy relics either.

Then it struck me...of course I wouldnt find what I sought within such grand structures, for those were the obvious places to place something of value. If I wanted to find a treasure worth having, I needed to explore regions that were more succinct, more intiutive, and more inaccesible

When I saw this rickety scaffold bridging a cliff, I knew I was on the right track

Yes, that really is a single beam bracing a couple planks over a drop that extends much further than the camera reveals. And No, I do not use stunt doubles

A narrow escape from certain doom as the bridge started to crumble underneath my weight and the weight of ages combined. This aint no theme park ride, folks.

And on the other side...a relatively simple abode...and with it...

At last! Could I truly have found the grail??? But which one to pick?



I chose...poorly.

Luckily, right as I was about to drink from the deadly cup, short round came and pulled me away, causing me to drop my hat on the floor, and watch as the spilled water dissolved the surrounding stone. It was a lesson in humility, and the sign it was time to leave Petra with the setting sun...


Our group camped outside the city walls in our cliff hotel one more night, returning at dawn to briefly see the treasury again in its full glory. On the way down, we rode the famed arabian horses. Forewarned that for those without riding experience the steeds could be wild and uncontrollable, we retained a bedouin guide to lead us.

(Attn: animal lovers-scroll down to the pics, as you will not be amused by what happens next)
After ascertaining that we could safely handle the stallions at a walking pace, we convinced our guide to let us move up to a trot. In order to do this we needed to speed up the horses, and asked him the best way of doing so individually. My horse, Indiana Jones (whether or not I was being patronized, this was really the horse's name according to my guide) I was told to kick in the sides and click my tongue. Haydens horse, named Lucy Monroe, was a different matter. Hayden asked the guide how to make the horse speed up. The guide turned around, and without any warning, punched the horse in the side of the head.

I repeat: The man cold-cocked a horse.

It did in fact speed up, after a moment or two of looking mighty confused. When asked why my horse could be kicked, but Lucy had to be sideswiped to speed up, our guide looked as confused as we. We want horses go faster, he make go faster...what problem?

We kept our mouths shut for the remainder of the ride. After a couple snickers because cruel as it is in fact to punch a horse, it happens to be hilarious to watch when nobody, especially the horse is expecting it. Soon we arrived to take a final glimpse of what had brought us halfway around the world...

This is the definition of awesome, my friends.
I turned back once more to gaze upon the wonders I was leaving behind, wondering when, if ever, I would next return...


And as I rounded the bend, the city was once again lost from sight, from time, but not from memory, as I prepared to ride off into the desert to spend my final nights in the middle east among the dunes.

Morning dawned, and our group of brave explorers ventured down the same route we had taken the previous night to enter the fabled Red Rose City in the light of the morning sun
 
Well in advance of the entrance to the city proper stands this tomb. Like the rest of Petra, it is carved straight out of the cliff itself. In fact, Petra means "rock" greek.

The entrance to Petra requires a 3kilometer (1.5 mile) walk through the Siq, a narrow, naturally formed sandstone canyon whose walls tower above you. See how tiny we are?

The sheer scale of the surroundings is indescribable. It is unreal enough that nature created this pathway, but to think that there is a city hidden at the end of it? And those sharply defined horizontal lines you see toward the bottom of the cliff? Those are man made irrigation channels to carry water all the way to the city. Every house in Petra had running water thanks to the Nabateans irrigational talents, and it was that skill that made their desert city an oasis, and eventually, one of the 7 new wonders of the world

From one angle, this rock appears to be a fish, swimming happily in the Siq

Until you walk in front and realize it is, in fact, an elephant on a neverending caravan

Speaking of caravans, a close inspection of the cliff will reveal a man leading a camel to the city. A universal signpost perhaps? Can you tell him how to get to Sesame Street?


Just up ahead, and obscured in the harsh glare of the morning sun, the final bend before the entrance to ancient Petra

Welcome to Petra, The Red Rose City of the ancients.

The Road to Jordan has been long and arduous, but Indiana Josh and Short Round have persevered through countless trials to reach this point, to behold this wonder of the world. Come explore it with us, and see what mysteries we can uncover along the way...

That narrow crevice is where the Siq exits into Petra proper...hard to believe a modern city lies on the far side, isnt it?

The treasury, carved top down straight from the cliffs, and made famous as the resting place of the holy grail in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, is the first building that greets your eyes upon entrance to the city.

If Indiana Jones can find a grail with hokey 90's special effects, there's no reason Indiana Josh shouldnt be able to track one down in the REAL city. Let's gather up my trusty pack animal and set out to explore!

How many of you were expecting a picture of Short Round when I referenced my pack animal? Shame on you, he is my sidekick and used mainly as a decoy for danger, not a beast of burden.

Petra is a city of the dead crammed to overflowing with the living. The majority of the edificies you espy in the succeeding pictures are mausoleums and charnel houses. And since the method of construction in ancient Petra was to carve from the top down, there are countless more tombs hidden beneath the entire city, waiting to be uncovered by future generations

Let's take a look inside one shall we?

Who knows what evils could lurk within these tombs?

It's quiet as a crypt in here...and why are all these graves open?

OH NOES! THE MUMMY HAS FINALLY TRACKED ME DOWN!

Heh, just kidding, folks, no need to worry. Indiana Josh is not so easily defeated, especially not by anything with zombielike properties. Let's get out of this tomb and up to higher ground , shall we?

Short Round and I made it up the cliffs with minimal danger and found a cave leading further into the mountain

A Pleasant Peaceful Petra Panorama

From the top of the hill, we could see clear to the coliseum, the first structure we had seen in the city NOT built for the dead. Carved out of the mountain like everything else in Petra, it could supposedly accomadate 7000 people. Dont think it is big enough...take a good look at how high up we are..see the tiny camels and people? Yeah, it's that big

The steps above led to an area called the temple, at the end of the market street

We continued on our way, climbing ever higher

Not every resident could afford fancy tombs such as those we saw earlier...some just cut holes into the rock and tossed their dead into the DIY catacombs. However, the sandstone of Petra was not only handy for burial purposes, it also contained a variety of colors

Being students of the waste not, want not school of thought, the Nabateans took these natural rock pigments and made makeup from them. Cant imagine how that would look? Hey Short Round, c'mere a sec...

Doesnt that yellow eyeshadow just scream elegance?

Leaving behind the caves, off in the distance we spied the three grandest tombs of Petra



However, we decided to continue our journey onward and upward to the monastery,  before returning to the dwellings of the dead.

Join us next time as we climb the 800 steps to the monastery and unlock one of mankinds greatest treasures...

After a refreshing dip in the Dead Sea, our intrepid band of adventurers continued their journey onward into the heart, or at least the liver of Jordan. By evening, they had reached the ancient Nabatean City of Petra. The ancients used to live in caves carved into the very hills themselves. Not to be outdone, our adventurers decided to do the very same during their stay


Alright, perhaps they had a little more luxury in their caves than the ancients.

Our first exposure to Petra would be the most mysterious. Led by a bedouin guide down a pitch dark path, it was impossible to tell where we were going, or what was around us, the only sounds to be heard the hushed murmurings of our fellow travelers

After what seemed an impossibly long walk, we were greeted by the hazy glow of candles scattered about the canyon floor, their lights giving a ghostly impression of the surroundings

Following this was our first glimpse of the legendary city

The stygian darkness of most of our surroundings meant we would be exploring no further tonight, so we all made ourselves comfortable among the candles to simply absorb our surroundings


Amidst the pools of light, a mysterious figure appeared within the shadows, the keeper of Petra, to tell us the story of the city. As we listened, we could hear a haunting melody coming from the very cliffs themselves

We returned to our caves and called it a night, for the next day, we would explore in full the rose red city

Have you been getting fidgety stuck in Dahab for several days? Now you know how I felt....in order to liven things up a little, Short Round and I decided to join a biker gang


Ready to set out to terrorize the desert dwellers and admire the beautiful scenery

The Village of Dahab from on high

striking through the mountains en route back to the coast


Short Round loves it when you call him big poppa...

respectful word to your mother...
 

ATV's are awesome...after about 5 minutes on one you are actively steering for bumps and potholed because it is so fun. Eventually we made our way to a hidden oasis

Short Round and I stopped briefly at the Oasis to take shelter from the heat of the day

From there, Short Round and I parted ways for a while, him to go scuba diving at the blue hole, and me to spend the evening hiking the biblically known Mt Sinai...