WETZEL'S WANDERINGS

Currently, I’m on the second-to-last leg of a 24 hour travel day back to Saudi (KC-Philly-London-Bahrain-Dammam). I have to fight the travel exhaustion somehow! Here are some photos from the break which I spent in Kansas City.

On Halloween night, my parents arrived at the Dammam, Saudi Arabia airport, via Amman, Jordan via Chicago. The next morning, we enjoyed a walk around the compound followed up with a parade that happened to be held that day. I was walking with a dozen members of a student service club I help sponsor at my school. 

The parade culminated in a celebration.

We then headed down the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain. The line of cars was pretty brutal as it was a payday weekend and everyone’s ready to spend that cash.

We walked around the old Bahrain fort the next morning before heading back in a 2 hour line of traffic at the customs border back into Saudi.

The next few days I had class but my parents made the most of their time that I was at work driving to the Arabian Gulf beach in Ras Tanura, traveling to the Al Qara Caves in Hofuf, and spitting camels along the desert highway.

We also enjoyed some good time on the compound.

We then headed to Jordan for the three-day weekend. We flew in at 11pm, so it was after midnight when we pulled in to the Dead Sea.

After the late drive in, we were pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to the Crown Suite because the hotel rented our room out. Um, yeah. Fanciest room I’ve ever been in.

At the bottom of the hotel’s three layers of pools was the one and only, Dead Sea.

Our room in the picture above is the whole middle balcony in the center of the picture above the fountains. Insanely extravagant.

Then it was on to Jesus’ Baptism site North of the Dead Sea along the Jordan River which borders Jordan and Israel. My mom, Dad, and I were given secret permission by our guide to walk down and touch the stones between the four pillars, believed to be THE site. I guess he could tell it meant a lot to us to be there.

We drove four hours toward Petra after that amazing experience.

Our place was right next to the Visitor Center and entrance into Petra, so it made for easy access the next morning. We got up early and headed in to see the ruins of the Nabatean City. Of course, the Treasury is the crown jewel of the area. You’ll recognize it as the building from Indiana Jones.

We headed up a trail less traveled to the ceremonial sacrifice point at the top of the mountain.

Then a walk around more of the incredible ruins. We finished with a 2 mile hike up to the monastery building, which looks similar to the Treasury building. You can see it as “Ad Deir” on the far left of the map below.

Until next time, Jordan!

Thanks to my parents for making the venture out. If anyone else comes towards the Middle East, let me know and we’ll get an adventure together too!

Cheers,

Peter

For Saudi National Day last weekend, I enjoyed the four day weekend by meeting up with my sister Lois in Georgia, near Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. Lois spent two nights in the capital city of Tbilisi before I came into town. We enjoyed a short walk around town before getting a taxi out of the city.

The city is a great mix between historic and modern. But I was more interested in getting out of the city and into the mountains. Here are some pictures en route towards Stepantsminda (Kazbegi).

We enjoyed a mini fall market with local wine and pastries. Lois was more of a fan of the cheese bread – Kachipuri. We then settled in to our home for two nights, The Rooms Hotel in Kazbegi. Here was the view out our window:

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me was getting a taste of autumn for the first time in three years. The colors visible on our walk up to the church on top of the hill (seen in the photo above) featured trees with all the colors of the season.

Unfortunately, the elevation of the church was shrouded in mist.

The rest of that day focused on lounging and reading at the indoor pool. The next morning, things began to clear, revealing some new-fallen snow! From fall to winter! But enough sun was out for us to get in our token trip run- this, a 6 mile (out and back) run back up the mountain towards the church. The colors and views did not disappoint! Lois and I joked about which shots we’d select for our cover photos for Runner’s World magazine.

By the way, many of the snow covered mountains you see in the photos are on the Russian side of the nearby border.

The second to last photo above was the view I was distracted by while running down hill that caused me to roll my ankle completely. That’ll cause a hiccup in the running routine for a few days! It was worth it though, as I think this route takes the cake for being the most breathtaking run I’ve ever done.

While the mountains were incredible, we decided to have one more day and night in Tbilisi.

You’d also be happy to know that despite being on the vacation, Lois and I still caught the Chiefs game via NFL Gamepass. Wouldn’t miss it! (That is the game on Lo’s laptop)

We enjoyed the time immensely. Lois headed on to Baku, Azerbaijan to meet up with friends after we split ways.

I’m safe and sound back here in Dhahran. There had been action in the area with the recent drone attack, yes, but things at my compound are okay for now. Thanks to all you who’ve reached out to confirm that.

Thanks for reading, happy fall, and I hope to talk to you soon!

Peter

After returning to Saudi from the US/Canada trip, I worked one day before packing my bags again to travel during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, for which I had time off. This time, it’s destination Africa – Kenya and Tanzania to be exact. I write this post in Nairobi. By the end of this trip, I will have been in 9 different countries in the last month (US, Canada, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Bahrain)!

This trip began with a flight and night in Nairobi. I met up with three other teachers from my school for Safari. The next night, we met up with our Safari driver, Jonathan, at the Tanzania border. The first game park we drove into was Lake Manyara:

The accommodations were nice, with a lodge overlooking the lake. The next day was a drive over the ridge of the Ngorongoro Crater and into the renowned Serengeti. We stayed two nights in a tent just west of the central region of the enormous park.

I admit, the first evening, I woke up throughout the night from the wild animal sounds outside. When the hyena calls were coming just outside the tent, I realized I hadn’t properly zipped the door of the tent! I quickly got up and fixed that before being able to sleep a bit better.

After two nights in the Serengeti, we drove back through the park to the old volcanic Ngorongoro Crater, which is brimming with zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, and a host of other animals.

These pictures were all taken with my iPhone. Another teacher on the trip had a nice camera with zoom, so after we share photos, I’ll post them as well.

I’m excited to say that I’m currently planning to return here to Tanzania in the Spring with a student service trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Masai people nearby.

For now though, I have a flight to catch, and school to get started in the next couple weeks. More soon! I look forward to hearing from you soon via email or WhatsApp if you’ve made it this far through my post. Thanks for following the journey!

In the end of July, my parents and I drove up to Banff by way of Iowa, South Dakota, and Montana. The rest of the siblings would fly up to Calgary, and then make way to meet up with us at our place we stayed at in Canmore. First are some photos from the road trip up.

We made a day stop in Glacier National Park on our way up. We did a couple hikes including Moraine Lake and the Garden Wall.

After Glacier, we made it to Canmore, Canada, about 30 minutes outside Banff. The story of the hotel room we stayed at was that Leonardo DiCaprio stayed there while filming the Revenant. Needless to say we hunted down a couple film locations in the hills nearby.

We went on plenty of great hikes including Grassi Lakes:

Mount Lady MacDonald:

Little Lougheed:

Lake Louise, Lake Agnes, Mirror Lake, and the Trail of the Six Glaciers:

The Rimwall:

We ate breakfast at the Banff Springs Hotel prior to a ride out to the Glacier Icefields Center.

The last day included a ride up the Gondola in Banff as well as a boat cruise around Lake Minnewanka.

A happy 40th anniversary to my parents and thank you for getting the whole family together to help celebrate the tremendous occasion. We had a great time in Canmore and we’ll have to make it back again someday!

Great to be home for a while and enjoy some KC people and places!

I’m in the Amsterdam airport now because I’m returning to Saudi from Calgary, Canada where the immediate family celebrated my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary in Canmore, near Banff. Pictures from that trip to be selected and posted soon!

Over the June Eid holiday, I was able to spend a few days with our good family friends the Goodwins: Jeff and Maruska and their kids Alex and Sophia. They graciously welcomed me into their beautiful home in Dunton Bassett, England. It’s about an hour north of London.

While the kids were in school, I’d join either Jeff or Maruska for a walk through town with their dog. Then a run. It was so nice to enjoy some fresh, green space and even some rain. (It is the UK after all!)

They also took me into Leicester to see the newly opened King Richard the Third exhibit.

Perhaps the highlight was the incomparable Chatsworth House and Gardens. I do have to give props to the exhibit featuring dog themed art, aptly named: Chatswoof. Spoken proper British that is.

Sophia and I also spent considerable time on construction of a (lego) mansion of our own.

We enjoyed lots of relaxing time around the house and neighborhood there in Dunton Bassett. Thanks so much to the Goodwin’s for hosting me!

Part 2 is KC and Canada. Part 3 will be Kenya and Tanzania before getting back to a new school year in Saudi. Stay tuned!

Spring Break part two: Krabi, Thailand.

I joined a group trip this weekend to Qassim & Ha’il, which are northern regions of central Saudi Arabia.

First, a traditional drum and dance group in Qassim.

Then, the market in Qassim

The mud buildings of an old primary school in Uyan Al Jawa:

A volcanic crater in Ha’il, followed by some 3-7,000 year old cave art in Jubbah.

Today included a hike through Volcanic rock mountains in Ha’il.

Can you find me in the last picture?

It was a great trip, and I enjoyed meeting lots of new people on the journey, including Saudis who shared their stories and perspectives.

Later this week: Thailand. Cheers!