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February 21, 2005

Southern Trip

My entries have been lagging a bit lately because early Thrusday morning I left for a trip to the south of Jordan. The trip started with a shorth drive to Madaba to look at a mosaic map of Moses' exodous from the Holy Land. The mosaic is in pretty good shape for being thousands of years old and really cool.

We then continued on to Mt. Nebo where Moses is said to be burried. From the mountain we could see Israel and the Dead Sea. It was a beautiful view and very moving to be where all that history actually happened.

From there we continued on to Kerak Castle and got to go inside and explore everything. Our guide was really knowledgeable and told us all about the history of the site. The castle was used by every group that came through there including the crusaders and all of the Islamic groups. Even during WWI the castle still had it's own governance system and was not controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

After an extensive tour of the dungeons, we got back on the bus and drove to our camp site for the night near Petra. We stayed at a mock Bedoin camp and slept in the traditional tents and ate traditional food. It was amazing to just camp out in the middle of the desert under the stars. The only problem was that this is February so it was a bit cold. The temperature difference between day and night is actually quite large so we had to huddle under thick blankets and wear lots of layers but it was worth it. It was also a great bonding experience because it was the first time we all got to hang out together without a planned activity. Some of my friends and I (along with some new friends) got to just sit around and play cards under the stars. I really appreciated the opportunity to relax a bit with people who are all really excited to be in Jordan.

The next day, we got up and walked to "Little Petra" which is a smaller site of Nabatean carvings and then drove to Petra. Petra is an ancient city carved out of huge sandstone mountains. You enter the site and walk for about a mile through a canyon about 20 feet wide and all of a sudden you turn the corner and see through the canyon the most beautiful building carved right out of a mountain face. Our guide made us hold hands and close our eyes as we approached and when we opened them there was just a gasp and complete slience as we caught our first glimpse of this amazing site. Inside the site we got to climb all over exploring the different tombs and temples that have been excavated.

While in Petra, I did cave in and buy a bottle of sand. It has a camel and says Jordan in Arabic. My friend Annie who is half Jordanian (and speaks fluent arabic) bargined for us so that we only paid $3JD, which is a good deal. I did realize, however, that I am really glad that everything is fixed in price in the US because it took us about an hour to settle on prices, get the bottles made, and convince the guys that we had to go. It's always worth it to bargin because most of the time you can save a considerable ammount of money but it is really a pain.

That night we stayed in a very touristy but nice camp on the outskirts of Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is a desert preserve with some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. We took a sunrise tour in jeeps and spent the whole morning just enjoying the amazing views. On one particular stop a few of us decided to climb the biggest sand dune I have ever seen. Of course, the proper way to climb back down is to roll down the hill but I chose the sliding method because I didn't want to deal with sand in my underwear (one of the hazards of dune rolling). But I do have pictures of tiny little me standing on top of the dune!

We also got to climb to the top of a rock bridge when we stopped for tea. I've become quite adventureous since I've been here so I also have a picture of me standing on this skinny little sandstone bridge. It really is amazing what you can find out in nature.

After our morning trip, we finally got to go on our camel ride! My camel's name was Alia and I got to ride her for about an hour. It was surprisingly painless and very fun to see a heard of about 30 camels wandering around the desert. We wern't allowed out of the camp without something covering our head because it was so hot out so I have a great picture of me with my scarf wrapped like a bedoin would wrap it. Since I only came to Jordan to ride a camel I figure that now I can go home, right?

That afternoon, we drove to Aqaba and had the night off. Aqaba is the only port city in Jordan and lies on the northern tip of the Red Sea. I spend my night off with friends looking at souviners and playing cards. Aqaba has to be the only city in Jordan specifically focused on tourism so it made for quite an adventure. The shopkeepers all spoke English, which seems like it would be a relief but now we couldn't make up excuses as to why we were leaving. Usually you can walk by pretending you don't understand them but in Aqaba it is impossible to not understand. Although, for the most part they are still very hospitible and respectful.

The next day we toured around the historical sites in Aqaba (including an Islamic castle) and then spent the remainder of our vacation on a boat in the Red Sea. I got to go snorkling for the first time, too, along the reefs of the Red Sea.

From the boat, we could see the coast of Jordan, Israel, and Egypt at once. And just around the coast was Saudi Arabia. It was really impressive to see so much variation in culture and landscape in such a small space. I really am begining to understand just where I am in the context of history and how important this region really is. So many people have told me that I "just have to see Israel to understand the conflict" but I am beginning to wonder if they are the ones who really need to see. The fact that peace thrives in a lanscape such as Jordan or Aqaba is truly incredible.

And after the boat, we all drove back to Amman. All in all, it was a good trip and a great relief from crazy city life. And I will let everyone know when the pictures are posted.

Posted by rcollins at February 21, 2005 10:59 AM

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Comments

Posted by: Sean at February 22, 2005 12:25 PM

Posted by: Beth at February 27, 2005 9:20 AM