Let's rewind

It’s inevitable for things to go wrong when you travel; that’s part of the fun, right?

Let’s rewind a few days…

When I left Brisbane, I had knots in my stomach. I’d been planning this trip for so long & I was annoyed at myself for feeling so anxious about leaving, but it’s just so hard to say goodbye sometimes – to Nate, to my friends, to my comfort zone. The first few days of this trip did not go as planned, but that’s the perfect excuse to take a deep breath & practice patience. It’s also the perfect excuse to reach out to the people around us.

People are so much kinder than we give them credit for – strangers, acquaintances, friends.

My journey from Brisbane to Tel Aviv was one of the longest journeys from point A to B that I’ve experienced. I was emotional, uncomfortable, exhausted. I had two 8-hour layovers. After nearly 20 hours in transit, I stepped sleepily into the line to board my second flight in Singapore & recognized a familiar face: a Turkish student who had just graduated from the school I worked at for three years. He’d been studying 9 months, had just graduated, & was on my flight from Singapore to Istanbul to get back home.

Despite not knowing him well during the months he studied with EF, we chatted while waiting to board our flight, & he gave me excellent tips to explore Turkey during my next layover. I finally felt my nerves settle & excitement to rise.

Layover in Turkey

I met Carrie in Istanbul & we explored the city together. But before we even boarded our last flight, we found out our bus for Jordan the following morning had been cancelled. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world – we easily booked an extra night in our Tel Aviv hostel – but we struggled that Saturday to exchange money on Shabbat, to organize our new bus route to Petra. We woke up at 2am to catch a shuttle to the Israeli-Jordanian border last weekend & the language barrier made it extremely difficult to navigate where we were going.

Luckily, the strangers on our bus were looking out for us. We were never alone, navigating the unfamiliar with others who were in the same situation. Sometimes we had to ask for help, other times it was handed to us. Either way, it was always there. We made it to Petra on two buses in 12 hours, with just enough time to explore the ancient city, soaking in the beauty & historical significance as we wandered through a 1.2 kilometer gorge called the Siq, leading up to the sickest view of the Treasury.

Camels relaxing in front of the Treasury

After three days in Jordan, Carrie & I came to the conclusion that it’s not the most backpacker-friendly destination. Most people who visit book tours, & we decided to wing it, which wasn’t always easy. On our last day in Jordan, we had to find our way from Wadi Rum to Aqaba to catch a shuttle back to Israel, & luckily we had strangers to the rescue once again.

We woke at 4am for a hot air balloon ride over the desert & our pilot Khalid took on the responsibility of getting us to Aqaba one way or another. He hopped in a van with us post-flight to take us back to Rum Village with a Dutch couple who happened to be headed to Aqaba in their rental car. “You’ll take them!” he told (not asked) the couple. We all exchanged hesitant looks, & he continued, “This is how Jordan works, we help each other. You’ll take them.” & then he handed me 20 dinar. What?

Apparently Khalid had planned to let us use his personal driver, but since we had a new ride and he would save money on fuel, he wanted to give us money to buy breakfast. He insisted.

Captain Khalid & our unexpected ride

So with a little help from strangers, we made it to Aqaba. The couple was more than happy to take us, & we had the whole day ahead of us to relax at the Red Sea.

Dip in the Red Sea