A glimpse of Petra

It's been a long time between posts.

The last couple of weeks were hectic as we made a short trip to Oz for a wedding and then returned to Bahrain via Thailand and Jordan. We got back to Bahrain a couple of nights ago and it's nice and cool now, there's a definite chill in the air and it's been raining too...the warm, balmy nights of just a couple of months ago seem like a distant memory.

In Bahrain, just a few raindrops can cause chaos on the roads and even minor flooding (the roads here weren't really built for wet conditions) so when a friend told us (just before we got back) that there was "lots of rain" - we were skeptical. It turns out the rain did wreak some havoc as we returned home to find our phone/internet and television out of order. Luckily, in Bahrain - tradesmen don't make you wait -even on weekends (clearly, there is a surplus of labour in the country - we're not complaining). So it's all fixed and we're back in business.

Anyway, getting back to our sightseeing - Petra in Jordan was definitely a highlight. Getting there was a bit of a disaster - it's a 3.5 hour car trip from the Dead Sea (where we stayed) - and we chose to take the scenic route up to Mt Hor (where Petra is located), which didn't really agree with poor H's tummy. So a couple of vomits later, we made it there to see this amazing site:

Also knows as the Rose City (because of its colour) or the Lost City (as it was unknown to the Western world until 1812), Petra was once home to the Nabatean people and provided a centre for their caravan trade around 100BC. My understanding is that Petra is also referred to in the Qur'an in Sura Al-Fajr where it is called "Thamud".

People say it usually takes up to 4-5 days to explore all of Petra - we were there just 4 hours!

Just a glimpse of our snaps...

Holiday's over - back to real life!

 

Sleep deprivation is definitely a form of torture

I have just returned from a brief (and impromptu) 13-day visit to Oz. (Obviously, I'm intent on making it clear that the trip was short - not quite a fortnight - for friends I missed out on seeing, sorry! I hope to be back soon).

You will recall, in my last post, after a quiet Eid day, I longed for the booked-for-breakfast/lunch/dinner lifestyle that we were once accustomed to in Melbourne. My exact words, drenched in yearning, were, "the grass is always greener"... Be careful what you wish for. Not trying to sound ungrateful or anything...it was wonderful being amongst fam and friends... but a calmer, stress-free, slower paced trip home might have been a little more relaxing.

We landed back in Bahrain this morning and I am EXHAUSTED. I am ready to collapse in a heap. I barely slept two hours on the overnight, 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi (which was followed by a two hour transit and one hour flight from AD to Bah). Why didn't I sleep? Because, I was watching over a toddler who refused to wear her seat belt whilst asleep - as a result of which, she had a tendency to roll off her seat and shout out at regular intervals through the night. Suffice it to say, I haven't been this sleep deprived since...well since this child of mine was a baby. She's usually been a good traveler, so it's the first time I've been this exhausted (maybe second time - my first trip to Bahrain was on my own - with a newly walking toddler. Fun). On this occasion, each time I dozed into slumber, I was woken by a thump or a wiggle, or a cry and then I'd be up again. It was as though toothpicks were keeping my eyes wide open. M was with us, but my dear M (bless him) could sleep through a cyclone - so he was relatively unaffected by these intense sleep conditions...but he did take over supervisory duties once he was up and alert - at which point I happily handed over my sheriff’s badge.

I am in absolute awe of all those mums and dads who frequently travel with more than one child. Does more children mean that you should expect nil sleep on a journey? Given the way I'm feeling today, this is a really unsettling thought. Next time round, something like this (above) might be nice?