Victoria's Secret International

    
     Thursday after class, we went on a trip to another area of Irbid to visit one of the factories here. The trip was treacherous, as most cab rides are here, and consisted of a persistent metallic smell. It was mechanic row. There were fenders, tires, and pieces of cars everywhere. We went into the factory, which looked like a normal building from the outside. The factory was two levels of women working on underwear for the Victoria's Secret line, Pink. They gave us orange sodas and told us about the factory as we walked through the assembly lines. As a result of the 1994 Jordan/Israel, the factory is owned by a family in Israel. Jordan can then export products duty free to the United States as long as eight percent of their industrial input come from Israel. In the United States and part of Europe, the products say "Made in Israel," while they say "Made in Jordan" everywhere else. The women seem content and happy, they make between 2-500$ a month, which is more than many women make in Irbid. On our way out, we were given a gift bag of Calvin Klein and Victoria's Secret underwear and Gap tank tops. The tour was a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be, and it was really cool to see the process of Victoria's Secret underwear being made, from fabric to stitching to branding.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

     Spontaneity is key. We had a free weekend, and took full advantage with a trip to the United Arab Emirates. With the help of my ridiculously accommodating friends, Ashank and Joel, the Wisconsinites had a splendid time in Dubai. However, what's the fun in a last minute trip without some last minute drama? We set off on the bus to Amman and upon our arrival (an hour later), Rebecca realizes that she left her passport in our room. With a departure time of two hours later, there was not enough time to travel back to Irbid to get her passport. And thus begins the generosity of Jordanians. A friend of ours found another person with a car to pick up her passport at the hotel and bring it to the airport in Amman. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the airport in time for the flight.  Consequently, she missed our flight and had to wait for the next one, three hours later. 
     
     Ashank picked us up at Dubai International Airport after a day of work with his father. The weary travelers met up with our sharply dressed friend, and headed to a mall to hang out and wait for Rebecca. We saw the world's largest aquarium, fountain, and skyscraper in less than twenty minutes. We wandered around for a bit longer, and then braved the hot humidity to pick up delayed Rebecca. After picking her up, Ashank and his brother took us to an outdoor bar/restaurant. It was ridiculously warm there, even for nighttime. My other friend from UW-Madison, Joel, came out to meet us as well. We had a fantastic night out, and even got our picture on a Dubai nightlife website! Afterwards, we went to Asahnk's place, which is located in Jumeirah. Dubai has the most strict drinking and driving penalties, there is an absolute no tolerance policy. If you're caught drinking and driving, you're put in jail for three years and then deported. Thus, Ashank's brother was our designated driver for the weekend.

View from Ashank's, overlooking the Persian Gulf.

     Ashank's house was beautiful. Right out his window was a gorgeous view of the Persian Gulf. The view from his balcony was overlooking the palm islands. It was so wonderful to wake up to the sun reflecting on the gulf. The next day, we slept in and enjoyed the spicy Indian tea his mother made for us in the morning. We made our way down to the beach and frolicked in the Persian Gulf bathwater. When we were sufficiently steamy, we made our way to the private pool to rinse off and cool down. After the beach, we changed and headed out to see some more of Duabi. We went to the Palm Islands, which are ridiculous. They are composed of rock and sand from the United Arab Emirates. To get onto the island, you drive on a highway that was built below ground. It doesn't even seem like an island, it's so large and architecturally beautiful. We went to the Atlantis hotel and saw the large aquarium, and then headed out to see the Burj Al Arab, the "Tower of the Arabs." It mimics the sail of a ship, is built on it's own island, and is known for being the place where Tiger Woods teed off of the helipad. 


     After this, we went to another mall and saw the indoor ski slope. It was really interesting how they constructed it. Everyone inside was wearing winter jackets, hats and mittens. We went a a rampage to find Mike clothes for the evening because as Joel so eloquently put it the night before, "Mike, tomorrow wear fucking pants and not trainers." The previous evening, Mike was not allowed into the club because he had shorts and gym shoes on. He had to quickly buy a pair of pants, which ended up being skinny jeans. Having learned his lesson, we found him an acceptable outfit for going out in Dubai.


     We went back to Ashank's to change and headed out for the evening. We went to a few different places, and we quite happy to find that women get free cover everywhere. Perfect for Rebecca, Cassidy and I. We thoroughly enjoyed Dubai's nightlife and consequently woke up late the next day. We headed to the pool for a little bit of sun, and then headed out for sushi, shopping, and the Burj Khalifa. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure is the world, at two thousand, one hundred and twenty-seven feet tall. It just opened in January of 2010, and is so sparkling and new. The view from the top was amazing. You could really see the distinction between old and new Dubai from the top. We could see the largest fountain, which looks similar to the Bellagio's in Las Vegas, but on a much grander scale. We also could see The World (archipelago) from the top. Dubai is such a development. They have the most advanced everything, it's so exciting! We heard that now they're going to replicate the new Seven Wonders of the World, which should be interesting.We went to Dubai's "markets" which are still very similar to regular stores, with admittedly cheaper pricing. We picked up a few souvenirs, and headed to the airport. Leaving our carefree weekend was especially difficult knowing that we had class at eight thirty am the next day. I can't wait to go back.

Petra/Wadi Rum/Aqaba, Jordan

View from the hotel outside of Petra.

     We began our 6 hour journey to Petra with thirteen students, three university employees and two bus drivers. If that doesn't sound like a long chaotic bus ride, wait until the ride back. We arrived in Petra to a resort with the most amazing view. There were a lot of foreign visitors and everything was ridiculously overpriced. Those minor annoyances did nothing to dispel our excitement with the amazing resort and seeing Petra in the am. After a long incident involving the youngest member of our group and alcohol, we settled into our queen sized beds with custom pillows. After waking up at the freakishly early hour of 5:45, we were excited to head to Petra. 

     Walking through the Indiana Jones canyon was ridiculously cool, and the heat was not unbearable at all. As we headed into the main area of Petra, we were greeted with an amazing sight-the treasury. 

At the end of the Siq, viewing the Treasury.

     I thought this was what we came to see. Alas, there were millions of undiscovered carvings and viewpoints within Petra. As we started early in the day, there was minimal heat and we were ready to explore. After climbing 850 steps, Petra became a hot, sticky adventure rivaling that of climbing Table Mountain. At least there was shade in South Africa. I don't know how the Jordanians manage that heat. There was minimal shade, and the sand becomes impossible to walk in. In the end, the pictures were worth it. At the time however, I wanted nothing more than to climb aboard the donkey and be carried around. As one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Petra lived up to its reputation. However, I would suggest a nighttime tour where the sun is not beating down upon you and the sand is not forcing a treacherous walk. 

     Our next stop was Wadi Rum. Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here. There was a sandstorm the night that we were there, and this impaired our ability to see the magical sky that we were promised. The Bedouin men were interesting, they forced us to dance with them, and the tents were miserable. I would suggest skipping Wadi Rum entirely. Sand is only so exciting. 

On a yacht in the Red Sea.

     Next, we reached my favorite part of the trip, Aqaba. Besides the abysmal dormitory that made me so grateful for the hotel we are living in, Aqaba was amazing. After spending 30 JD for a lackluster night in Wadi Rum, we were reluctant to spend another 30 on a yacht excursion in Aqaba. It turned out to be the best decision that we've made yet. Our private yacht sailed the Red Sea, and offered the beautiful landscape of Jordan, Egypt, and Israel. Along with these breathtaking views, we snorkeled in the cobalt blue sea. One of the divers caught a Pufferfish, and we all held him. His prickly spikes were sharper than I expected. The coral was gorgeous, and we were reluctant for this day to end. Two other UW-Madison students, Cassidy and Mike, are along on this trip, and we've spent a lot of time with them. I only wish we would have known each other before we went! Tan and exhausted from the day, we headed back to change and go out in Aqaba.

Inside a club in Aqaba.

     We began our night at the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. bar which is the exact name of the tv show in the United States. As it is difficult to integrate a big group of people, the Wisconsinites, Cassidy, Mike, Rebecca and I headed out to explore Aqaba discos. Stopping at about 6 other clubs/bars, we quickly realized the party scene is very small in Jordan. At this lovely top floor bar, we were the only ones inside. But we made the evening fantastic and had a blast. As our cab took us home, our driver professed his love for Cassidy. We giggled and ran inside our temporary home, and jumped into bed. Successful day. I would love to go back to Aqaba.