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Our flight from Aqaba took us over the northern most part of the African continent.  We were treated to views of the Suez Canal as well as the coastline of Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.

Upon arrival in Marrakech, we transferred to the hotel, had dinner and then did an evening walking tour of Djemaa el-Fna Square.  This is the main square near the Souk but in the evening it is a hotbed of activity with open air restaurants, singing and dancing groups, sellers of goods and lots of families enjoying being together.  We had a guide as well as a security person.

In the morning we did a tour of the Medina, seeing  Ben Youssef Madrasa, a religious college founded in the 14th century, the Bahia Palace, seeing the craftsmen making the goods being sold in the Souk and a final photo stop at Koutoubia Mosque.  The cellphone towers are disguised as palm trees!

In the afternoon, we went shopping in the Souk, looking at the leather goods, the tin and silver work, Moroccan oil, and the beautiful fabrics.

We then had our last cocktail party and farewell dinner.  It was suggested that everyone wear something that they had gotten on the trip.  It looked like a costume party with saris and other clothing articles purchased along the way.  Traditional Moroccan food and belly dancers rounded put the evening.

The last time to put out the big bags and repack our wheelies.  It was close to time to get back home.

Fitbit – 12755 steps, 6.04 miles, 4 floors

After leaving the Petra area we headed to Wadi Rum on our way to the airport in Aqaba.

Think Lawrence of Arabia.  Think the newly released movie The Martian ( we found out it was filmed here).  

We got into 4 wheel drive jeeps and off we went at breakneck speed.  The scenery is “Martian-like”.  We saw old petroglyphs.  Then it was on to the airport and our flight to Morocco.

Fitbit – 3597 steps, 1.71 miles, 3 floors

Our hotel was right across the street from the entrance to Petra.  We were offered rides on horses, donkeys and carts, but chose to walk in.  The first 1/2 mile was on a gravel path with ordinary rock formations all around.  Then we reached the Siq – the canyon entrance to the Petra complex.  It twisted and turned – our guide showed us the old water trenches – one for agriculture and one for personal use.  The colors of the rock walls were amazing.  Then we rounded the last corner and got our glimpse of the Treasury.  Red sandstone carved over a 1000 years ago.  The area was full of other tourists and lots of camels and small shops selling souvenirs.  

Around another corner and the city of Petra was before us.  It is only about 30% excavated.  There were temples and houses and monuments.  Quite amazing.  Lots of small shops selling all kinds of items.

We had lunch at the restaurant in the “basin” – lots of wonderful veggie dishes and great hummus.

After lunch Bob hiked to the monastery 892 steps up, and then on to the top lookout point.  He was surprised to find a shop at the top.  

I did the reverse walk in 95 degree heat.  I could have taken a camel or donkey or cart, but they all looked dangerous and walking felt safer.

That evening we went to “Little Petra”.  We walked down candlelit paths on carpets and came to a large open area with waiters serving drinks.  Then suddenly there was booming music and the area was lit with colored, dancing lights.  You could see lots of stars in the mostly dark sky.  Then we were led to tables and had dinner under the stars with more music and lights.  We had entertainment with Berber dancers.  Quite wonderful evening.

Fitbit – 15,765 steps, 7.18 miles, 52 floors
   

Another early start to our day.  We had to take bush vehicles to the dirt airport, to get onto bush planes to take us to the Kilimanjaro Airport to get on the jet.

We had some visitors at breakfast.

Morning visitors at the watering hole

The rest of the day was spent traveling.  After we landed in Aqaba we had a 2 hour drive to Wadi Musa, which is where the entrance to Petra is located.

Petra in the morning.

Our lecturer this evening was Louise Leakey, granddaughter of the famous archeologist Leakeys, who discovered the remains in Olduvai, near Ngorongoro Crater.  These remains were some of the first humanoid ones dating to 3.5 million years ago and “proved” that human life started on the African continent.  She is also in the same field, doing paleoanthropoligist and raising a family in Kenya.

Fitbit – no info today, all the time zone traveling has confused it and I can’t get a reading unless I remember to look at bedtime.

Sunset cocktail party at the hotel pool and watering hole – out past pool area

Maasai dancers entertaining us

We started on an early morning (6:30 AM) game drive. It is impossible to describe the vast numbers of animals we saw. Bob and I guessed that we saw somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 animals. The extreme openness of the Serengeti can not be put into words. I will let our photos do the talking.

To commemorate my “7th” continent.

Wildebeest migration – there were 100’s in a line

Lioness stalking a Thomson gazelle

Leaving India  was not easy.  We had to go through security 3 times.  They even had the men go through one scanner and the women through another.   The female cabin staff all dressed in beautiful saris.

As we approached the Kilimanjaro Airport, our pilots got permission to fly around Mt. Kilimanjaro.  It was quite spectacular.  Unfortunately the famous snows are not as big.  Another fact of global warming.

Immigration for Tanzania was fairly rigorous with us being photographed and finger printed.  Then we were loaded onto our bush planes for the flight into the Serengeti area.  Once we landed we got into game drive jeeps for the trip to the hotel.  In the 1 hour drive we saw lots of animals.  Some of them were the Thomson gazelle, maribou, elephants, giraffe, hippos, baboons, zebra and Impala.

Our room overlooks the water hole and we have been watching the animals.

Fitbit – 5027 steps, 2.38 miles, 39 floors
  
    
    
    
  Maribou

Hippo

Better elephant photos to follow 😀🐘

Today we slept in and missed sunrise at the Taj Mahal, but we did not miss the Taj.  We did see the sun rising – still on some other time zone – and we can see the top of the Taj Mahal from our terrace – but we did not go there at 5:15 AM.

We had a wonderfully well done guided tour in the morning.  The Taj Mahal actually does take your breath away.  The fine craftsmanship in the design, the decoration and setting are amazing.  I think we must have taken 100’s of photos.  Our guide did a wonderful job of explaining the who, how and why of the Taj. He also found shady spots for us to listen to his explanations.  This was very much appreciated because the temperature at 10 AM had to have been in the high 80’s if not in the 90’s.  In addition to the actual building we went into the working mosque that is part of the complex.  We were very fortunate to have Jack Daulton – one of the expert lecturers on the trip – in our group and he was able to further expound on the mosque and how it is used for worship.  There was a mosque near our hotel and we heard the call to prayer several times.

When we returned to the hotel after our tour our clothes were drenched.  We sent out 6 pieces for express laundry service and got them back mid-afternoon.  This service cost us around $10!

In the afternoon we went to Agra Fort, the Red Fort,  which is a large fortress and palace complex on the Lamuna River about 3/4 of a mile from the Taj Mahal.  Again, we had a wonderfully informative guided tour of the complex with lots of information about the Mughal dynasty that was instrumental in building both complexes.  Both sites were very crowded because it was a Sunday and people from all over India travel to see these 2 World Heritage sites.

Bob returned to the hotel to work out and Bette joined the shopping tour.  First stop was a marble factory.  We were shown how the very intricate pieces of plates and table tops and other items were made.  After that it was on to the tapestry and jewelry stores.  We saw some amazing, museum quality embroidered pieces.  Some had taken over 30 years to complete.  We were treated to seeing some extraordinary jewelry made from emeralds in the crown Mamtez Mahal wore.  

On returning to the hotel, and after my third shower of the day we had a lecture by Terry Garcia, head of scientific exploration for National Geographic.  He told us about some of the projects they are funding around the world.  It was very interesting.

Then it was cocktails on the pool terrace with singers and dancers for entertainment and henna painters. A quiet dinner and then early to bed, our small bags were due at 6:30 AM and our departure was for 7:15.

India is quite a land of contrasts.  We were at an Oberoi hotel which was over the top in luxury, but along the streets were people selling all sorts of goods, road side barbers, water buffalo, 3 or 4 people on one scooter.  

Fitbit – 9276 steps, 4.04 miles, 32 floors