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June 27, 2005

Petra and Wadi Rum

Petra

After a two hour mini bus ride from Dahab we were dropped off at the Egypt/Israel border. Only private vehicles are allowed to drive across, so we were on foot and on our own. We passed through the Egyptian departure offices and then into the Israeli arrival area. Here, we had to go through security where all our bags were x-rayed and searched, customs, and immigration. Visas are free but there are some Muslim countries that will hassle you or even not allow you in at all if your passport contains an Israeli stamp. Malaysia is one of the countries that does not recognize Israel as a country and as we plan on going there, we asked the Israeli officials not to stamp our passports and they obliged. The girls at the desk were young and friendly and got a kick out of Kevin’s town of birth: Dawson Creek. Apparently they watch the show “Dawson’s Creek” and it sent them into a fit of giggles when they saw the town name in Kevin’s passport.

So there we were in Israel, standing at a deserted border crossing with not another traveler in sight and no guide book. We had no idea what the Israel currency was called or what the exchange rate was. A taxi pulled up and offered us a ride the 15k to the Jordanian border for 40 shekels, but for all we knew, that could have been $1,000. So we said “no thanks” and stood there looking dumb until a guy working at the border came up and explained to us the currency and its value. We were then able to take a taxi for 30 shekels (about $8) across the country to the Israel/Jordan border. There, after passing through various other official checkpoints, we walked into Jordan where we took a two hour taxi ride to the town of Wadi Mousa, which is where Petra is. Our taxi driver was very nice and showed us the sights along the way. For a while the road followed along the old Silk Road which is marked with rock piles and is still used by the Bedouin. There are lots of Bedouin still in the area. Their large black tents dot the hills and their livestock (camel, goat, sheep, donkey) seem to roam free. At one point our driver asked us to close our eyes and when we opened them we were looking over a stunning vista, reminiscent of the desert in Arizona.

Our driver “kindly” took us to a hotel in Wadi Mousa where we checked into a somewhat shabby room but with a beautiful view of the town. We took a short walk down the street and stopped into a small hotel to inquire about a Petra guide book. There we learned that we were being overcharged for our hotel room as well as for the trip to Wadi Rum that we had booked through our taxi driver. We were committed to our original hotel for the night but agreed to return the next day.

Back at our hotel we enjoyed what we believe to be the national food (or possibly the only food) of Jordan, Magluba. This is a mix of chicken, vegetables, rice and spices that is layered, cooked, and then flipped upside down. Apparently “magluba” means “upside down” in Arabic. We were enjoying the Magluba when in walked Joe, a guy from England who we had met in Luxor about a week before. He had arrived in Wadi Mousa the day before we did.

The next day, after changing hotels and thoroughly pissing off the hotel guy (he said he would give us a good price if only we gave him a chance!), we walked with Joe down to the gates of Petra. Petra is accessed by way of a 1.2 km walk through a very narrow canyon with sides that rise straight up to a height of 80m. The canyon itself is stunning… sheer walls of beautiful sandstone in red, pink, and yellow. At the end is the most famous view of Petra, the face of the 2000 year old, 43m high Treasury, carved right into the rock wall.

For those of you who don’t know about Petra, here’s a bit of history: It is by far the most famous tourist site in Jordan. It was built over 2000 years ago by ancient Arab tribes: the Nabataeans. This important location was on the trade route and was inhabited for many years during which time many monuments, temples, courtyards, theatres and tombs were constructed. Most of what remains today are the tombs, which range from simple square rooms carved into the cliffs or huge, elaborate monuments built for royalty. The Treasury was actually a tomb built for a king in the 1st century BC. The entire site was abandoned and “lost” in the 1400’s and was not “found” again until a Swiss traveler rediscovered it in 1812.

After looking in awe at the Treasury for a while, we did a steep climb to the top of the cliff behind it where there remains the High Place for Sacrifice where the Nabataeans worshiped their gods. Here we were rewarded with a great view of the valley where we could see hundreds of rock cut tombs, most just visible as doorways into the cliffs. We scrambled down the hill, making our own trail but sometimes finding ancient, weather-worn staircases cut into the rock as well as countless tombs. We spent the rest of the day climbing around, looking at the royal tombs, the amphitheatre (very similar to Greek theatres but entirely carved into the rock cliff), and climbed 800 rock steps to the Monastery which was actually built as either a temple or a tomb. It sits high atop a mountain overlooking the valley and Israel beyond. Petra would be stunning based on the landscape alone, but the beautifully carved monuments and tombs make it even more spectacular.

When we had had our fill of Petra, it was back to our new hotel for a fine dinner of Magluba which we enjoyed with Joe. We had originally planned to spend two days at Petra but decided that we had seen all we wanted in one day so the three of us booked a trip to Wadi Rum through our hotel – at a $100 savings over the tour we had originally booked with our “friendly” taxi driver.

B.

Wadi Rum

After initiating the hotel war of Wadi Mousa (the two hotel managers fought it out on the phone and then recounted the whole thing again with me) and with full bellies from the previous night’s special treat of Magluba , we set off with our guide Raed. The trip started to go a little sideways when our friend Joe started to enquire about the sites of Wadi Rum we would be visiting. The mountain desert of Wadi Rum covers several thousand square kilometers, the protectorate or park within that covers 720 square kilometers. It became apparent that we would be visiting around the park. We were firm that this would not be good enough and after several loud phone calls by our guide, we were transferred to another vehicle and guide with the promise that we would see our bags and Raed at lunch. We were making friends fast in Jordan, first the taxi guy, then the hotel guy and now the guide guy!

Wadi (“valley” in Arabic) Rum is the land made famous to Westerners by T.E. Lawrence of Arabia and is where much of the movie of the same name was shot. We were in awe of the place as soon as we entered through a narrow passage. It was a sea of red, rose, and white sand with lone massives rising out of it in varying shapes, no two the same. There were huge sandstone blocks several kilometers square that reached 1700 metres into the sky with machine-precision sheerness. You can easily see why this is such a famous climbing area. The multi-coloured dunes are picture perfect waves of sand with skins of wind ripples. We visited a couple of mountain springs where water seeps from the rocks collected by eons of stingy rains. At Lawrence Springs we were joined by a mother camel and her two offspring. Camels drink every two or three weeks we were told, which is believable given their obvious inexperience as they slurped and snorted the water inches from where we sat.

We had lunch at our Bedouin Camp, the Palm Camp and Resort, a cluster of palm huts and a three-sided, goat hair common tent that opened to a fire pit courtyard. The afternoon tour with Raed was incredible as he took us to a huge natural rock bridge, a real Bedouin Camp where we stopped for tea, and incredible vistas of the desert. Raed showed off his driving skills by climbing, jumping, and descending the desert dunes. After watching a magnificent sunset we washed up for dinner and to my surprise, another “special treat” - Magluba! Three nights… three Magluba.

Raed appeared wearing a traditional Bedouin costume complete with bandoliers and he and other Bedouin serenaded us as we ate. As the drinks started to flow between the guides, my fears were realized when I was tussled up in costume and dragged out to dance and sing for an endless song. Brandy and Joe joined the troupe but wisely refused the costume as once in, you can never escape. We received Bedouin names, Brandy was Gamara (moon) and mine is Homed (king), though don’t quote me on the spelling. At about 8pm, some Jordanian college kids started to roll in and Raed asked if we minded sharing the camp as the kids were going to have a “little music for one or two hours”. It sounded okay with us, as what harm could come from a dozen or so kids. As the second truck rolled in carrying people and four foot high speakers with multiple turn tables, talked turned to a DJ dual. We relocated our tent to the farthest reaches of Palm Camp/Disco and hoped we could find some quiet. The disco scene was pretty cool as they set fires around them against a shear red cliff and danced to a mix of new age and traditional music. Lying awake, around 3am, the generator ran out of fuel but was replaced by drums and singing and I looked forward to being able to be very noisy in return come morning. At 7am the drums ceased with the sunrise… oh what a “one or two hours of music” it was. After breakfast and endless tea poured by Joe from a massive tea pot, we said good bye to Raed and thanked him for a great trip. The journey through Jordan, across Israel, and back to peaceful Dahab, Egypt was easy as we knew the ropes.

While Petra was spectacular with its ancient civilization ruins, I was more taken with the natural beauty of Wadi Rum. The colours, shapes and vastness were beyond description and unexpected, which made it even more special to me. Many travelers say it is the most beautiful place on Earth. While I may not be able to say that, I can definitively say I have seen none more beautiful.

KLH

Be sure to check out the "Jordan Food" page on our "Food" link to the left...

Photos:
Wadi Mousa Moonset
Petra Canyon
Treasury from Canyon
Petra View
Cliffhanger
Tomb Peephole
Brandy and Petra
Petra Monastery
Petra Treasury
Lawrence Springs, Wadi Rum
Lawrence Dune, Wadi Rum
Raed, Brandy, Joe and our Truck
Wadi Rum Camel
Wadi Rum Arch
Wadi Rum Landscape
Wadi Rum at Dusk
Hamid
Joe and the Gigantic Teapot
Palm Camp and Disco


FFP: This tourist in Luxor all the way from the North Pole is sure to be a hit on the Euro Cat Walks. Enjoy!
FFP 7 - Elf on Vacation


Joe, we wish you the best and we're thinking of you...

Posted by Brandy & Kevin on June 27, 2005 02:16 PM
Category: 07 Jordan
Comments

Happy Birthday, Brandy!!! Have a WONDERFUL DAY!!! Thinking of you guys. Take care,

Jen
xox

Posted by: Jen on June 28, 2005 08:02 AM

Happy Birthday, Brandy!!! Have a WONDERFUL DAY!!! Thinking of you guys. Take care,

Jen
xox

Posted by: Jen on June 28, 2005 08:02 AM

A very Happy Birthday to you Brandy!

Love Deb, John, Gilly & Gage

Posted by: Debby on June 28, 2005 12:29 PM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day.

Davis sends her Love ( She is now walking).

Posted by: Trixie Bon Bon on June 28, 2005 02:08 PM

Happy birthday brandy!!! Just heard simple minds alive and kicking on radio...do you remember that concert in grade 8? take care.........anais

Posted by: anais on June 28, 2005 05:07 PM

HaPpY bIrThDaY SiStEr!!!

I hope you have something special to celebrate with! (wish I could send you some chocolate cake!)

I know I dont have to wish you a wonderful day because it seems like everyday of your trip so far has been an new and amazing adventure!

sending you all my love,
xoxo mica

Posted by: Mica on June 28, 2005 05:12 PM

Happy Birthday to my first born!

Where ever you go, my love goes with you.

mom

Posted by: Sandy aka mom on June 28, 2005 07:52 PM

Happy Birthday to my first born!

Where ever you go, my love goes with you.

mom

Posted by: Sandy aka mom on June 28, 2005 07:53 PM

Happy Bday Brandy...wishing you the best on this very special day of yours. Did send you an email via your email...but I have been thinking of you on your special day and decided to check out the latest on your website...WOW!!!
lol to you and Kevin...oh give Kevin a hug from me!!!
Dar

Posted by: Dar on June 29, 2005 12:35 AM

Happy Birthday Brandy...I'm sure you had a memorable day.
... loving your travel journal (my mom has been visiting and she wanted you to know she'll be checking your site when she's at home).
K

Posted by: Krista on June 29, 2005 02:25 AM

Happy B-Day you old goat.

Posted by: Jason on July 4, 2005 08:07 AM
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