Epilogue

From the desert of Saudi to the Ruins of Palmyra trough the mountains of Lebanon and along side the shores of the Dead Sea, this has been an unforgettable vacation and a memorable ride to treasure for years to come. After 7500km and 21 days of riding, here are some of the tips I would like to share with you, if you are planning to undertake such a vacation.Total cost of the trip 750KD, that's inclusive, Petrol, Insurance, Food, 5 Stars hotel accommodation.
Cost can be reduced with cheaper accommodation.
12 people was a bit of a crowd , it is recommended not to exceed a number of 6, that eases most of the movement.
Objective, make sure you know your traveling companion very well, before you embark on a such a journey, and you all agree on the same objective.
Riding Skills, I do not recommend this trip for novice riders, driving in Syria and Lebanon whether in the mountain or in the city can be pretty hazardous and involves swift reaction and proper vehicle control.
To insure safe riding, make sure to take thermo undies, Goretex, Cordura Jacket & Pants, Flip Up helmet to enjoy the weather on mountain trips, warm gloves, 2 pair of jeans, 5 T-shirts, fleece sweater, 2 long sleeves T-shirts.
Basic understanding of motorcycle repairs and proper tools.

I am in the process of planning my European Vacation in 2009, so expect some interesting blogs, meanwhile I will keep updating this blog with more pictures so keep visiting.

Day 20 - 21 Aqaba - Home

1825km covered in the past 48 hours, I just arrived into Kuwait at 16:00 local time. It was the most grueling part of this journey, as we had to cover over 924km on the first day through the barren desert of Saudi, where a cruel cold weather cut through our defenses, we arrived to Ar'ar again where our trip started, slept at 22:00, woke up at 5:00am and drove the toughest 901km back to Kuwait, I caught myself napping out of boredom on the bike. I needed to reach deep down inside to build the stamina to continue, as the combination of lack of sleep, cold and sore muscles were taking over. On the bright side and a welcomed break from the monotoneous roads in Saudi, we were escorted by the Saudi Highway patrol granting us safe passage across the kingdom at a blistering speed of 160km/h.

Day 19 - Wadi Rum First Class Passenger

I was a bit under the weather today, this is our last day in Jordan today and I had only 3 hours of sleep last night. the guys insisted for me to come, but I was in no condition to drive as I felt pretty tired and dizzy although the distance did not exceed 120km both ways. I got offered to ride as a passenger onboard one of the Goldwings. I must say this bike is pretty impressive smooth & spacy. The ride to Wadi Rum was breathtaking, beautiful landscape and scenery. It is said that Lawrence of Arabia have stayed in this area. We stopped there for a cup of coffee and chatted with Alex Wettstein, I will have a full post on Alex.

Day 18 - Petra

Whichever way I think of it, I fail to find the right words to describe what I have seen today. The words stupendous, marvelous etc will short fall of The Petra Experience. This is one place which is a must see, and its only 1400km away from Kuwait and 550km from Lebanon. I stood in awe today facing the this beautiful city carved in the mountain. Unfortunately since time is not on our side we had to rush the sightseeing process, it would take at least 2 days to cover the area, which I am planning to do in the future. I will not bore you with any details I will let you enjoy the pictures of this wonder.

Day 17 - Karak - Aqaba

Majestic landscapes is how I can describe today's ride, we set off from Amman at 9:00am, taking the coastal road to the Dead Sea, the weather was exquisite, we passed by the newly opened Movenpick resort with excellent amenities and surroundings worth taking the kids to, on a vacation. We continued to Karak, An ancient Crusader stronghold, situated on a hilltop about 1000 meters above sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Karak commands a magnificent view of the Dead Sea. A city of about 20,000 people has been built up around the castle, I did have enough time to view the place, due to our tight schedule. After Karak we headed down towards Dana Reserves and took the Desert Road to Aqaba, the wind was chilling and as usual I broke away from the pack.

One incident was about to end this journey for me today, was a flock sheep on the motorway, that appeared out of nowhere that made my heart sink to the abyss of my stomach, as I applied the brakes in vein, I managed to pass between 2 sheep within an opening of less than a meter.

Day 16 - Jerash - Ajloun

Yet another great of riding today, Jordan does not ceases to amaze me, today we rode to Jerash which is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa. Jerash is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East. We had the opportunity to watch a Gladiator Show, the historical facts narrated were highly interesting, depicting the combat tactics of the Roman Army. Our trip continued towards Ajloun Castle, which built in 1184 by a nephew of Saladin who defeated the Cruisaders in 1189. This castle is considered a fine example of Islamic architecture. It was built atop a hill and protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria, and was one of a chain of forts that lit beacons at night to pass along signals from the Euphrates as far as Cairo.

Day 14 - Mount Nebo - Madaba - Dead Sea

Wonderful Jordan, on the 14th day of the trip and after some bad weather encountered in Lebanon , we were greeted with great weather and gorgeous scenery. I am mesmerized by the beauty of the surroundings and the beautiful roads that the country has to offer. On this first day we have logged 200km of great driving through the mountainous roads. Our lunch break was at Haret Jdoudnah in Madaba, I highly recommend you pay them a visit they have a great menu in a great setting. I am truly looking forward for the days ahead.

Day 13 - Beirut - Amman

Departure 9:00am this morning from the SAS Radisson in Beirut. the weather has cleared up, destination is Amman. 80km to the Border, the procedure went pretty smooth, i decided to break away form the pack today, 65 minutes and 150km later I was at the Jordanian border. I sat at the border and waited for 90 minutes till everyone arrived and then we headed to Amman. Total kilometers covered today 333 on the dot.

Day 13 - Grounded

I am not the superstitious type, however today I feel a bit awkward, about us staying in Beirut. On the 13th day of the trip we have been confined tour rooms, due to extremely poor weather conditions. Some of the guys went to see a movie, I opted to catch up on some work and much needed sleep. I am longing to hit the open road and head to Jordan, as I hate confinement and unplanned surprises. I will use this time to catch up with some more friends this never ends when you are in Beirut, you keep bumping into people you know. Tomorrow definitely we are out of here!

Day 12 - Break for me - Baalbeck for the rest

I have been longing to have a day off from riding. During the last 11 days we have covered over 3900km and the weather lately has been rainy and gloomy. Some of the guys decided to go to Baalbeck for site seeing, I opted to stay behind with Abdullah while 3 of the gang chilled at the Hotel. I started the morning on the wrong foot by getting a

5:00 am wake up call by mistake.
7:00am went to the lab and got some blood taken to test my levels of Trygliceride & Cholesterole, the result were within the limits, probably too much sweets and Mashawi.
10:00am Went to nearby car electrician to fix my fog light and my headset.
11:00am Went to ABC Mall, managed to loose 50$ after withdrawing them from the ATM
13:00 Went for a Lahm B3ajeen at my favorite shop.
13:30 Went to the Harley Davidson Dealer
15:00 Went to visit a buddy of mine
16:00 Went to the Barber to trim my Beard
16:20 Stop at Scholl to fix a toe nail
16:30 Went to visit my aunt
18:00 Back to the Hotel
18:30 Fixed the Highway pegs on the Beemer
20:00 Light Dinner
21:00 See my Brothers
22:30 Pack my Stuff

And I call this a day off?

Day 11 - Jezzine

Our destination today was Bab Fatima and Al Khiyam to the south, we started off to Al Mukhtara, and continued to Jezzine, we go to the village before the at my checkpoint and we were instructed to turn around as we needed a permit. Obviously this is a procedure for non Lebanese to guarantee their safety. We returned back for lunch in Jezzine while a heavy fog engulfed the mountain and there was hints of rain which made me scramble to my rain gear, however that was a false alarm that left me sweating all the way to Beirut..

Day 10 - Tripoli -Lost & Bruised!!

Midway in our vacation and only 11 days left, we are racing against the clock to cover Lebanon, today we started off with a typical Lebanese Sunday Breakfast, by heading to Tripoli to non other than the famous Al-Hallab. The guys were ecstatic to try out the Lebanese Knefeh at the sweet palace. After breakfast we headed up to Sir El Dinneyeh, our destination is Al Hermel, after that to Al Derdara Waterfalls and back to Beirut via Baalbeck, I have done this trip about 3 times 10 years ago, but to my luck everything went haywire today, we got the wrong direction and ended up on an unpaved road, the Goldwings were loosing traction and struggling to move up the steep hills and to top it all, I parked my bike over loose dirt which made me loose my balance and hit the ground. After a couple of laughs we decided to cancel the Hermel trip, as we lost over 2 hours on this road to nowhere. On our way down to Tripoli, we managed yet again to loose our way, however we were surprisingly presented with some interesting scenery and a dam that I never heard off called Oyoun Al Samak together with a man made castle that goes by the name of House of Dreams located in the middle of nowhere. As I am writing this blog I can feel the aftershocks of my fall, sore muscles and shoulders.