diff --git a/content/posts/aqaba-dirty-disappointing.md b/content/posts/aqaba-dirty-disappointing.md index f41abd38..5f7a3f63 100644 --- a/content/posts/aqaba-dirty-disappointing.md +++ b/content/posts/aqaba-dirty-disappointing.md @@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ date = "2016-10-05T10:46:23+03:00" title = "Aqaba is Dirty and Disappointing" slug = "aqaba-dirty-disappointing" +categories = ["Travel"] tags = ["Red Sea", "Aqaba"] author = "Alan Orth" images = ["/2016/10/IMG_20161002_131313.jpg"] @@ -10,7 +11,7 @@ description = "After a few days in Aqaba you'll be wishing you were stranded on {{< figure src="/2016/10/IMG_20161002_131313.jpg" title="A picturesque view where you can't see the trash on the beach" alt="A picturesque view where you can't see the trash on the beach" >}} -I'm struggling to find words to describe my trip to Jordan's coastal city Aqaba. Initially, the contrast between dry desert, rocky mountains, and the turquoise water of the Red Sea is visually striking — imagine Matt Damon in [*The Martian*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)), but where he goes snorkeling on a coral reef instead of growing potatoes. +I'm struggling to find words to describe my trip to Jordan's southern city by the sea. Initially, the contrast between dry desert, rocky mountains, and the turquoise water of the Red Sea is visually striking — imagine Matt Damon in [*The Martian*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film)), but where he goes snorkeling on a coral reef instead of growing potatoes. diff --git a/content/posts/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis.md b/content/posts/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis.md index 880743dc..5ce2bf0d 100644 --- a/content/posts/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis.md +++ b/content/posts/azraq-wetland-disappearing-oasis.md @@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ description = "A thriving oasis in Jordan's desert is at risk of disappearing." author = "Alan Orth" +++ -{{< figure src="/2016/09/IMG_20160924_101454.jpg" title="A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing soon." alt="Small lake with bridge and vegetation in the Jordanian desert." >}} +{{< figure src="/2016/09/IMG_20160924_101454.jpg" title="A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing soon" alt="Small lake with bridge and vegetation in the Jordanian desert" >}} -There's a unique wetland nature preserve an hour and a half from Amman — in thirty minutes of walking around, I saw birds, snakes, crabs, fish, and even water buffaloes! For thousands of years Azraq was a massive, thriving oasis whose ecological diversity supported human settlements, but in recent decades it has come dangerously close to drying up due to increased water usage from surrounding cities. +There's a unique wetland nature preserve an hour and a half from Amman. In just thirty minutes of walking around, I saw birds, snakes, crabs, fish, and even water buffaloes! For thousands of years Azraq was a massive, thriving oasis whose ecological diversity supported human settlements, but in recent decades it has come dangerously close to drying up due to increased water usage from surrounding cities. -Learn more about the wetlands on a trip with [Wild Jordan](http://wildjordan.com/) or [Experience Jordan](http://experiencejordan.com/), and *turn off the water in your shower or sink when you don't need it!* +Learn more about the wetlands on a trip with [Wild Jordan](https://wildjordan.com/) or [Experience Jordan](https://www.experiencejordan.com/), and *turn off the water in your shower or sink when you don't need it!* diff --git a/content/posts/buying-baklava-amman.md b/content/posts/buying-baklava-amman.md index e14b8546..de998a4b 100644 --- a/content/posts/buying-baklava-amman.md +++ b/content/posts/buying-baklava-amman.md @@ -4,14 +4,14 @@ title = "Buying Baklava in Amman" slug = "buying-baklava-amman" aliases = ["/2016/09/buying-baklava-in-amman/"] categories = ["Food"] -tags = ["Baklawa", "Amman"] -description = "Buying baklava from a jovial young Jordanian in the market." +tags = ["Baklava", "Amman"] +description = "Buying baklava from a jovial young Jordanian at the market in downtown Amman." images = ["/2016/09/IMG_20160810_160953.jpg"] author = "Alan Orth" +++ {{< figure src="/2016/09/IMG_20160810_160953.jpg" title="Everybody likes baklava!" alt="Young child smiling and wrapping up baklava in a shop in Amman" >}} -There's a shop in one of Amman's downtown markets that sells traditional sweets. I'm not sure who was more excited about this half kilo of _baklawa_ — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it. +There's a shop in Amman's main market downtown that sells traditional Arabic sweets. I'm not sure who was more excited about this half-kilogram of baklava (which is called "_baklawa_" in Arabic) — me, or the jovial young Jordanian selling it. diff --git a/content/posts/saint-thaddeus-church-amman.md b/content/posts/saint-thaddeus-church-amman.md index 26d3eebe..de6a0dca 100644 --- a/content/posts/saint-thaddeus-church-amman.md +++ b/content/posts/saint-thaddeus-church-amman.md @@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ tags = ["Church", "Amman"] description = "Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman." +++ -{{< figure src="/2016/09/IMG_20160919_141959.jpg" title="Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman" alt="Armenian church with pointy steeple" >}} +{{< figure src="/2016/09/IMG_20160919_141959.jpg" title="Easily one of the most unique buildings in Amman" alt="Armenian church with pointy blue steeple in traditional style" >}} -Even if the number of mosques in Amman *didn't* outnumber churches by a factor of ten, the Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic church would still stand out. The unique architecture caught my eye once and then I started seeing it every time I glanced at Jabal Al-Ashrafieh. After weeks of squinting and asking myself "*Is that an Armenian church?*" I finally went on an scavenger hunt and found it. +Even if the number of mosques in Amman *didn't* outnumber churches by a factor of ten, the Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic church would still stand out. The unique architecture caught my eye once and then I started seeing it every time I glanced at Jabal Al-Ashrafiyeh. After weeks of squinting and asking myself "*Is that an Armenian church?*" I finally went on an scavenger hunt and found it.