Camels and snorkeling and Petra, oh my!!!!

Our jeeps!

I just had one of the most amazing weekends of my life!  The program set up a three day trip through southern Jordan, rushing us through some major destinations to give us an idea of what there is to do.

On Thursday we skipped classes and bused down to Wadi Rum, one of the desert wadis in Jordan that is barren, harsh and breathtaking.  We were herded from the bus onto camels - my camel was named Gelby and we bonded quickly - and the camel caravan of 140 set off through the desert, stopping a couple times along the way to climb large rock formations.  At one stop I rolled down a sand dune with a friend and cut my back on stick or rock.  I hate being dizzy so I have no idea why I did that.  :) After riding the camels for four or so hours, we stopped to watch the sunset, then walked down the dunes to the bedouin campsite where we were fed a rich meal of kebab on rice, with babaganoosh and hummus for pita, hot tortillas just off the baking stone to scoop up the cool cucumber salad with yogurt, accompanied by assorted olives.  The chai was served in juice glasses (as is the custom) and soft drinks were available.  We sat around low tables and on cushions, while several men played traditional music. A friend and I got up to dance with them, and many students followed suit.  So much energy, such good music and scrumptious food! After dinner and dancing, a couple of my friends and I went out of the camp to lay on some rocks and look at the stars.  They were spectacular, with nothing to veil them from sight.  

The next morning found the traveling party piling into 4-wheeling jeeps to race across the desert, losing the tire tracks, without a second thought.  After three hours of bumping around, taking pictures, and scrambling up more rocks to pose on the natural rock bridge or explore the fortress of Lawrence of Arabia, we found a paved road that led us back to our buses.  The buses took us straight to Aqaba where we were bustled onto three different boats - I had the pleasure of being on the wooden "pirate" ship - and sailed away on the Red Sea to some of the best coral reefs to go snorkeling.  What an experience!  Words can't even described the color of the sea and all the life in those reefs! I have never snorkeled before and the experience was incredible!  I feel as if I need to adopt a whole new vocabulary to describe the life underwater!  It was as though I was on the discovery channel.  So awesome!

The Red Sea

Salty and sun burned, we were put on the buses again and set off for the second bedouin camp, this time in Petra.  By this point in the trip we were all tired and hungry.  Upon arrival, a hot meal of lamb and rice was set before us.  At this camp we had the option to sleep outside, which I would normally, but the students talked late into the night so I just camped in a tent with a friend.  In the morning, half of us opted for a six mile hike through the desert up and around the mountains to enter Petra through the "back door."  The hike was mostly uphill but the views of the region were wonderful.  It was fascinating to watch herders with their goats and sheep in places that seemed stripped of any vegetation or water.  There was one part of the trail that narrowed to a ledge 4 inches wide, so we had to cling to the rocks in order not to fall into the valley below.  And then Petra!  We arrive and oh my word, this city!  We had limited time there, so I must go back.  There were children running all over, calling out, "Miss, do you want a donkey ride?"  "Do you want post cards?"  and compliments left and right in broken english as they try to sell their little items.  Some of the ruins were crude remnants of what was a courtyard or building, while others looked like they were constructed just a few decades ago. It takes at least two full days to explore everything, and we only had an afternoon.  There were a lot of tourists and it was fun trying to identify the various Eastern European countries represented.  American tourists stuck out like a sore thumb.  Haha!

A bit of our camel caravan

Words can't adaquately describe the trip.  Pictures will help.  But I am about to go camping in a wildlife preserve, so the pictures will come later.  Sorry.  :-(


Salam!

Pics are up!

Petra!