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Published: June 23rd 2007
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Petra
Siq leading to the Treasury Country of the Hashimite Kingdom (which means the kings are direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad), Jordan is richer and more orderly than Egypt. With phosphate and cement export, mostly to China, and aids from US for its important role in Middle East peace process, Jordanian economy is very strong. 1 USD = .7 Jordanian Dinar. Jordan's strengths is also visible in its work force. Egyptians, Philippians, and Africans fill most of the service jobs here.
Day 13 - Wadi Rum
Wadi means valley in Arabic. This is a well preserved national park, with landscapes resembling that of Utah and Colorado. It also contains many TH Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) sites, such as the valley where the Arab army camped when fighting the Ottomans in the Arab revolt during WWI, the mountain range he named 7 pillars of wisdom (also name of his book, which is full of exaggerations and lies, according to the tour leader), and the natural spring where he took a wash. What's more interesting are the rock inscriptions by the Thamudians, dating back 5-10 thousand years ago. Aside from the cryptic text, the drawings are similar to the works of my nephews. The landscape is very
climbing friendly. With holes and cracks chiseled in sandstones, with a bit of caution it's not hard to get to the top. Here we camped overnight with local Bedouins.
Day 14 - Petra
After waking up 5am for the sun rise, we drove to Wadi Musa, the town next to Petra. Petra means rock in Greek, and it's known as the rose red city since Biblical times. It was created by Nabateans, nomadic tribes that dominated the spice trade for centuries. Petra is a large (and I mean large) religious city, full of tombs and temples. It's interesting that up to 20k Nabateans lived in Petra, yet there are only remains of tombs, not actually settlements. Archaeologist believed it's because they lived in tents similar to Bedouins. Everyone has seen photos of Petra and/or Indiana Jones, with the all too familiar scene of the rock valley leading to the large stone temple. Well, that's only about less than 1% of what Petra has to offer. Only 5% of Petra has been excavated, and there are already over 800 tombs.
The main entrance is called the Siq, a valley formed by plate tectonics, and this 1.5km trail leads to
the Treasury, which is the stone facade that everyone knows. Again, I'll let the photos speak to the grandeur. After the Treasury, there is a wide street with tomb facades towering on both sides. Then the valley opens up to a wide plan, with a theatre on the right and large royal tombs high up in the mountain on the left. Next comes the Hellenistic Great Temple with colonnaded street. So far the trail totals about 3.5km. After another 1.5 km climb on stairs, the Monastery comes to view. It's another great facade with similar size as the Treasury.
Day 15 - Petra
I took another route into the main Petra site. This is a natural valley with complex waterworks built in by the Nabateans to prevent flash floods and to transfer water. Climbing to the back of the mountain, I was able to get good views of the Treasury from up above. After climbing more stairs, I ended up on the highest point in the main city, the High Place of Sacrifice, where stone baths and blood containers were carved on the mountain top for animal sacrifices. Wanting to get away from the crowd, I took a
back alley trail to visit the Solider's Tomb. This is when I realized the expansiveness of Petra. Every where I turn, tombs, carvings, and ancient ruins are dotted throughout eye site. Majority of the entrances are still partially covered with sand, waiting to be discovered someday. After good 7 hours of hiking, I decided to snail back to the hotel.
If you have not heard about the New 7 Wonders, check it out at http://www.new7wonders.com/. Vote for Petra. It's amazing. I rank it as #1 on all of the places I've been in my life. BTW, don't vote for a modern building like the Eiffel Tower.
Day 16
A day of traveling. We first drove north to city of Karak, where a crusader castle resides on the King's Highway, overlooking the Dead Sea. Then we spent about 2 hours on a Dead Sea beach. I liked the Dead Sea beaches better. Cleaner and mud for free. Then we drove to the top of Mt. Nebo, where Moses supposedly died before god showed him where the promised land is. No one in the group can spot Jerusalem from the mountain top since it's really hazy. Then we arrived at Madaba, a town known for its mosaics and high Christian population (35%).
Day 17 (Today)
It's only 4 days before Kilimanjaro. I decided to take today off and not do anything too strenuous. I visited St. George's church, which has the famous mosaic of the holy land. Later I'll be visiting the best preserved Roman city in Middle East. Tomorrow I'll be on my way to Kilimanjaro, which includes 8 hours of flying and 16 hours of layovers. Unless something dramatic and/or interesting happens, my next blog entry will probably be after the climb and safari, which is 13-15 days from now. If the internet in Tanzania cooperates, I might be able to squeeze in a blog right after the climb and before the safari.
Wish me luck everyone! Here comes the most strenuous task I've encounter so far (excluding applying to b-school).
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Ming, hope you had a wonderful birthday in Jordan! Take care and good luck with the climb.