Aqaba, Jordon --- October 21,2010

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Aqaba, Jordan --- October 21, 2010

When one is flying from Dubai to Aqaba and look out the window you now have the ultimate picture to define desolate. This is some of the most inhospitable terrain, sand for as far as you can see only broken with some of the most rugged mountains around. This is a land where humans were never intended to live.
Jordan has only 61 miles of territory along the Red Sea and Aqaba is their main port. Just across the bay is Israel so there is a fairly obvious police and military presence. From our balcony at the Intercontental we could look across and see the lights on in Aqaba’s sister city in Israel. A few years ago a couple of terrorists blew themselves up in 2 hotels in Amman, the consequence is that when you order a taxi to take you into town you have to walk out to the street and past the large barrier and the entrance to the hotel. The local market was interesting but hot, unlike Egypt or India the merchants here will be there if you have a question but otherwise leave you alone to browse.

One of the highlights that I was looking forward to was a visit to the ancient city of Petra. If anyone has seen the “Indiana Jones movie The Last Crusade” then you have seen the entrance into Petra and the Royal Treasury. The city was constructed in a narrow valley making it virtually impossible to attack. The crucial item in this environment is water, so the inhabitants built a drainage system to capture the water from the surrounding area and drain it into large holding areas where it could later be used for crops. For years the city was a stop on the Silk Road and it prospered. Its decline commenced when the route changed and the caravans no longer stopped. Eventually the city was abandoned visited only by nomadic Bedouins until about 1840 when some Bedouins took a Swiss explorer there. The pictures will give you some idea of the city. Entrance and exit to and from the city is via a single narrow road. There are 3 ways to enter the city, walking which Mare and I did, by horse back down to the cliff entrance then you walk to the Treasury, from there you can go furthered down into the city by walking or by camel. The third approach is to take a 2 person cart from the entrance all the way down the Treasury. The temperature on the day of our visit was over 35C. The trip down was hot but doable since the road gradually descends but a much more tiring trek on the return trip. . It is a different story when returning; you now have several miles of a gradual incline. It is okay when you are within the walls of the canyon because you are in shade but once you leave the canyon walls you have another mile in the hot sun with no shade. I would have paid almost anything if we could have caught a cart for this part of the return since the heat was really affecting Mare.

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Photos

Sharon & Gary
Taking the cart down to the Treasury

Sheilagh
After taking a horse back ride to the passage walking to the Treasury Sheilagh took a camel the rest of the way down

Comments

[Kelly]

Ah!!!
You are too cute Mom. Way to tough out the heat! Love you both!