Blogs from Jordan, Middle East - page 96

After five days at sea we entered the Gulf of Aqaba and docked in Jordan’s only seaport, Aqaba. We were here two years ago and visited one of the most amazing places on earth. Petra is the rose colored wonder of the world. To get an idea of what Petra is like, it would be helpful to imagine the Grand Canyon with a whole city carved into its steep walls complete with amphitheater, houses, tombs, public baths and latrines. Then add camels, donkeys, horse carts and Bedouin merchants and you have the picture of what Petra is like. Many moviegoers have actually seen parts of Petra in the Harrison Ford film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But probably its more famous visitor was Moses, where he struck a rock and water poured forth. Petra became ... read more

Gazing past the ship’s bow, my eyes surveyed the coastline of the Red Sea within the Gulf of Aqaba. My exodus from Egypt was underway and the shores of Jordan lie only a few minutes ahead. In that moment, I simply sat and marveled at the fact that not only could I see Egypt behind me in the distance and Jordan just in front, but I also had Saudi Arabia to my starboard and Israel to my port. There I was floating in the Red Sea with four countries I’d only previously read about or observed on the television, now as my surroundings. But even with such a setting to keep my mind absorbed in the occasion, I was still unable to stop thinking about the crazy events of the day that had led to this ... read more

Swimming in the Dead Sea is a very weird experience... I'd heard about the floatiness, and it really is like that. But not just floaty, you actually cannot get yourself around like normal in water, to get upright you have to manouvre yourself into the right spot. And boy does that salt sting! I thought I should taste is since I was there so I stuck my tounge in. Bad move - I don't recommend it! Metallic and oh so salty, yuck! The dribble of freshwater to rinse off afterwards was welcome - there were a few swimmers who found out that shaving and waxing the day before does not pay off... ouch. The rocky back road we took to get there was also fun, having to do three point turns to get round steep bends ... read more

Wow, another new country. Jordan is lovely, mostly clean and tidy, organised and the food is great so far! Spent the night camping under the stars in Wadi Rum, home of Lawerence of Arabia and so many epic stories. It's beautiful in a stunning, stark kind of way. Got to drive in the truck cab for the day, which was cool. A different view of the world from there, and not so bumpy! In the Wadi Rum park area we took a 4WD expedition around for a few hours, which was the best way to see it all! The rocks are all so huge, and everything is varying shades of red, pink, orange and rust. And so much sand! We came across some local women with their goat herds, which really added to the atmosphere. Lawrence ... read more

Amman is so large and crazy, I went immediately south to Petra by minibus on the desert highway. Really there is nothing to see on that road except sand and camels. However, Wadi Mousa is immediately interesting with two different types of mountains: the rounded top mountains that surround Petra, and then the jagged larger mountains eg. the mountain where Aaron (Moses' brother is buried). And then there is Petra........ Of course, we all know the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" section that was photographed in Petra. But photos, whether moving or still, cannot capture the feeling or the complexity of the place. Multiple cultures for five thousand years have left their mark here, the sandstone is remarkably colored (and I'm color-blind), and then there are amazing wadis and slot-canyons to just hike through. I feel ... read more