It’s with hesitation I begin this entry… so much history, so many unbelievable sites, so many people and such a treasure amidst poverty and overpopulation. I couldn’t stop myself from taking photos. When I get home I’ll have to delete many. This stop did not disappoint me and though the things I saw, heard, smelled and were touched by were often overwhelming I’m glad I came. This was an overnight port for us. Our tour was private and a large group of us but our accommodations were superior and the food unbelievable. Here is a link to our private tour so you can read the details of what was provided.
Our trip started by going to Wadi Rum the first day then so ending the night in Petra and going into the monument the next day.
Our guide told us that about 70,000 people live in our sea port of Aqaba but on weekends there can be up to 250,000 people there. We are in Jordan. Aqaba is the capital and the port is in the Red Sea. We are surrounded by Saudi Arabia, an Egypt. North of us is the Mediterranean Sea. The country has 12,000,000 people and and the king is Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein. The port is very commercial. It’s a cloudy overcast day which in some regards is good because it provides relief from the heat. Our entire trip has been HOT! One word I’d advice for those of you traveling here in a year or two, don’t bring denim! I have denim shorts and they are just too hot. You need light weight, drip dry sone kind of polyester. You sweat and the denim just gets wetter and hotter. Wear light colors and have a hat with a string so it doesn’t fly off.
Our guide is Mamoon. We become friends quickly. I have questions and he wants to share his knowledge. Living here is tough and difficult. The city is growing too rapidly with poor infrastructure. They are mining for granite but much of their industries are financed through China or Russia ; countries that really want to take over especially where port cities are involved and the people are poor. You get the picture I’m sure.
The landscape is more Moon scape. They can have heavy rains and snow in the mountains but it has been getting drier every year. Our bus is large, cool and comfortable which is a plus. If you book any tours off ship make sure you read the reviews about the transportation. Many vans are old, little AC and the squeeze too many old fat people in there which is not what I want!!
When the floods come many people die. They can’t escape quickly and have little to no warning. The city buys their water from Jordan. The litter and trash are disgusting and everywhere. There is no pride. UNESCO sites are like garbage pits. It cuts to your core. Our driver says they can’t figure out how to make people pay for trash pick up and where would they put it!!!! On the roads you pay taxes for going between countries and checkpoints but tourists don’t. Our road connects Asia and Europe and is one of the longest in the world. They are beginning to use solar and wind power. Their wind he says comes from all directions. They trade energy for water. A perk on this tour is that our bus has wifi and usb ports. Amazing they figure that out but not garbage.
Water as we know is life. Jordan found a huge underground reservoir that they say will last for over 200 years but they say the don’t need to draw from it yet. Their plan is for building more dams. Wadi Rum is known as the Valley of Rock Cuts. They can grow delicious watermelons here and since 6000 BCE they have grown olives. It all looks like desert to me with mountains that rise up from all sides in the background. Our guide says camels have been here since 700 BCE and Wadi Rum is where they took care of them. They can devastate an area very quickly eating all the vegetation even the roots of the plants and consuming all the water. At the Bedouin site we climb into the back of four wheel drive small pickups. It’s very crowded as they put 6 in the back. They provide no step for us and won’t drop the tail gate down. None speak English. The trees are gone. It’s sand, rocks and looks drought stricken. Our guide said it used to be a forest but the camels and drought have destroyed it. Our guide is a PhD of Astronomy and is amazing. How we ever lucked out getting him I’ll never know. He’s an attractive Jordanian. He is 44 and has spent 24 years studying this area and Petra. Day and night he has spent trekking the mountains, crevices and all the artifacts. It is his passion. He has a book coming out with all the true factual information about Petra, the meanings of the architects, drawings, and carvings and how they relate to the seasons, time, the galaxy and what we would know as an almanac. They were much wiser than anyone knew and developed science much earlier than any other country or culture. He lived in Petra and his father and grandfather were both archeologists. He will be married by now. He told his fiancé he couldn’t marry her until his book was finished! The Bedouins gather twigs to make tea out of herbs. They tell us there are golden eagles here some snakes and other birds but we see almost nothing. The guide says camels can go for 14 days without food or water. When they sweat it goes into their stomachs where it hydrated them. Camels can actually smell where water can be found in the desert because they have special mucous membranes in the nose that activate near water sources. Many camels have coverings over their noses due to flies and insects. They become aggressive when the insects bother them. They also have a powerful bite that they say can break your bones and iron!!! Camels give birth every three years after 13 months of gestation. A camel can typically live up to 35 years. Our ride resumed which was mostly a small circle very rough and bumpy. If you have trouble walking, climbing or on rough roads don’t take this tour. They brought us back to a large area with shade for a typical Bedouin lunch of rice, vegetables, yogurt, chicken and fish. We saw the Bedouin huts where you can signs the night. They are modern with AC!! It’s not a tent. They are really quite a few. Most are domed and have bathrooms. There still was a lot of trash everywhere. The country is taking a huge portion of the area to preserve it so no camels, no visitors, no Bedouins. They say they get most of their rain in December . After we eat it’s a two hour trip to Petra where we will spend the night and then go to the Treasury the next day, the best part of this trip.
A cloudy day as we pass by the port town
The hills are hot, barren and desolate
We pull into the Wadi Rum visitor center for a bathroom break and to the load into our jeeps.
Dan, Chuck and Betsy heading in
The visitor center in the background behind my co races in the back jeep area.
You can see all the tire tracks from the Jeep trips and still desert and rock
There are about 8 groups with us. The desert is a powdery sand. The ride is very rough
These are ancient hieroglyphics showing the cables and give interpreters the impression that camel caretakers kept them corralled here or tied together while trading took place
Today there are many camels here and the Bedouins are selling rides on them. Many looked very thin to us. They give out a deep guttural sound and one is always the leader.
The few bushes that are here look dead and distressed. It’s hard to believe this was a forested area at one time. The mountains colors change with the position of the sun
The Bedouins start a very small fire with which to make us traditional tea. We are served in tiny paper cups.
Fantastic scenery
The Bedouin hits you can rent and stay overnight in. What a back drop for scenery
So many colors in the stone
Carvings at the entrance to their small market
Betsy checking out the items.
Tea is always served and typically at no charge. All the floors are covered in Matt’s and rugs.
Our Buffett lunch back at the visitor center.
Some of the wealthier homes in Petra
An overview of the city.
This is our lodging for the night a brand new hotel.
Our rooms were beautiful and very comfortable
View from our window.
A friend shared a group picture of all of us in the Jeep!
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