AQABA JORDAN

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MONDAY 18.6.2013
Up early for earlybirds breakfast and off on our trip to Petra and the Wadi Rum, WHAT CAN WE SAY!!! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! First off the ship and our guides were waiting for the five of us, thought we could not top yesterday but this was certainly up there. Two hour drive to Petra - through the changing landscape of mountains, colours, desert and camels walking (shackled) across the 3 lane freeway- then a 2km walk down into the Siq (following in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, amazing) and then to the Treasury, then another 1km down past amphitheatre, urn thumb etc - absolutely unbelievable the height of the rocks beside you as you walked down through the Siq, and then around the corner comes the Treasury - so beautiful! The walk back out was all uphill but we managed in total 7km walk. Our guide said we must come back as you can spend 3 days seeing everything and doing some hikes, our guide said we could easily do some of the hikes. After only 3 1/2 hrs in Petra, had a yummy traditional Jordanian lunch in a lovely location overlooking the township above Petra, we then did the Wadi Rum as we wanted to see both seeing we were in Jordan, this protected area of Jordan is so surreal! Poor John amongst 4 girls but he did manage very well - one had to hop into the front seat of the Toyota - whilst the guide and 4 others of us jumped up onto the back tray for a good view and drive through the red sand and into the Wadi Rum - feeling like Lawrence Arabia sailing through the dessert!! Thousands of years ago there were Arabian Caravans going through here - consisting of around 10,000 camels each with a handler and usually a security guard along with other people in the caravan - basically it was a moving city in the dessert. How they ever found water was absolutely amazing. Our heads were just constantly turning, everywhere you looked there was different rock formation of cliffs come mountains When you visit Wadi Rum you have to take a Bedouin driver as they are the only people allowed to control this area - he was lovely and the old girl Felecia in the front with him said she had become engaged by the time we finished! These girls were so funny, all widows or divorced and the driver and guide thought it was their lucky day! Such a great place - just felt like we could have been the only ones in the Wadi Rum as it is so huge - could see a couple of four wheel drives in the distance but certainly not tourists everywhere. How are we ever going to get back to all these great places and spend loads more time!! Back Aqaba and the ship an ice cold Guiness at 7.00p.m. Tomorrow a day at sea and through the Suez - a nice change!

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Photos

CAMEL ON FREEWAY
enroute Safaga to Petra

PETRA
By Donkey

PETRA
The Treasury

WADI RUM
Can only be seen from angle

WADI RUM
we climbed the sand dune

Comments

[anne]

holiday time
great to see you having wonderful time - so many places to go and see -look forward to your next communication....luv anne & doug xxxx