Chapter Three: Jordan

Driving in Jordan, East of Aqaba

Jordan

We left Tel Aviv early in the morning on a bus. Just like we had experienced at the movie theater a few days prior, they also assign seats on buses here. We found this out the hard way, when others oddly came up and insisted we were in their seats. It took me a while to even find the seat numbers under the window. And again, public transportation security is serious here.

The bus made numerous stops and soon we were full and again I found myself in tight quarters with Tom seated next to me. It was made bearable by my desire to see, and my interest in, the sights of the Israeli countryside on our drive south. And just past Be'er Shiva, when we descended into the Dead Sea Valley, the landscape became other-worldly.

I'm afraid I just can't find the words to accurately describe what I saw out the bus window. It brought to mind the scene in the movie, "Contact" when Jodi Foster's character first gets into space. She says they should have sent a poet, not a scientist. And while I write what I consider to be interesting poetry, I am by no means a wordy poet capable of such descriptions. But I'll try.

In the distance was the southern part of the Dead Sea. Between that and me were small valleys with chasms and rifts; pockets of small caves, crags and nooks. Were I a child I'd give anything to explore and play amongst them. Hell, even as an adult, that's what I long to do, for they were like miniature versions of huge canyons from another planet. In fact, I could envision taking a film camera through these chasms to make them seem as if they were much larger than they really are.

And in the sky, the clouds were little wisps of white, like they were placed there with huge paint brushes. Con trails were again visible from fighter jets maneuvering in the crisp, blue skies. It was an amazing contrast to the desert colored canyons that I longed to explore.

Soon we were in a valley with the mountains of Jordan on our left and of Israel on our right. And finally…Eilat, the coastal resort city on the Gulf of Aqaba.

A cab to the border, a walk across a no man's land, and we entered Jordan where we were off in a private car into the Jordanian Mountains to find Petra, that hidden jewel. Oh, and the car overheated, meaning we drove with windows down and the heat on. It was magical!


The mountains reminded me a bit of the ones seen heading up Nevada to Burning Man- seemingly bereft of life. Only upon closer inspection would you find a few small plants or shrubs scattered here and there. The mountains were large and seemed to have enough holes and caves that everyone in America could have one to themselves.

Just before sunset, we turned onto the King's Highway, high above the valley floor with spectacular vistas. It was so gorgeous that we commented that it looked like a Hollywood movie set because it was so perfect.

Our driver stopped to allow us the chance to enjoy the view as the sun sank lower. But the photos don't do it justice. We went along the highway so fast that I thought maybe we were late for something. I was so happy to finally be in Wadi Muri and out of the cramped car speeding around the numerous turns.


Inside the Valley Stars Inn, our host made us feel welcome with a glass of what I'm sure was Tang, the powdered orange drink mix, judging from the sugary residue at the bottom of our glass. Ibrihim spoke English quite well and almost with an Australian accent, although he says it's not. Ibrihim would prove to be a gem during our stay in Wadi Muri, to the point where we wanted to tip him, however, he would not accept our money. I can't recommend him more and the hotel was great.

A tree on our Petra at Night tour

If you go to Petra, be sure to include the Petra by night experience. It's only offered 3 nights a week, but it's well worth the price of admission. I'd not heard of about it until we checked in, but Rasha agreed to add the tickets to our hotel bill readily, as if they knew all about it.

The entrance to Petra is about a half mile or more through a narrow canyon created from an ancient earthquake. Parts were so narrow it would be tough to get a car through it. But the entire canyon leading to what is known as the Treasury was lined with luminaries. It was a sight to behold! And upon entering the court of the Treasury, we found a virtual sea of them illuminating the walls. We sat on mats and were served hot tea while listening to music of the local Bedouins. What a treat! And when it was over and we started back up the canyon, there was the full moon just in front of us. After this mysterious taste of the site, I couldn't wait to see Petra by day. And I wouldn't be disappointed.

I've seen rocks similar to those found here, but never to this scale. They seemed to have been molded by years, no, eons of rushing water. It was an impressive entry to Petra. Our guide told of the history of its people and pointed out details along the route. And then, suddenly, the Treasury, carved into the stone walls of a canyon courtyard. We explored the city for hours, at first with our guide and then on our own, checking out the tombs, denying Bedouin kids one dinar for the post card books they tried to sell us and dodging donkys and caravans of camel giving rides to tourists.

Happy Winky Chocolate in my boxed lunch from the hotel

We stopped for lunch at an archeological site and wound up meeting a well known local author and her friend who did stone restoration in Petra. Her name was Jane Taylor and her books were for sale in various languages. His name was Tom Paradise and he was originally from San Francisco. We had a great time talking to them and I found myself wishing we could have done so for longer when they had to hurry off. We did manage to get a referral to dinner that night from Jane and found her books for sale throughout Petra.

Rasha and Tom wanted to do some exploring that required more energy and endurance than I had to give up, so we separated for a bit. I found a nice shady bench in a corner to watch people. But before long I had befriended 4 Bedouin boys between 7 and 11 years old. They came up to me to sell post cards. When they could see that I wouldn't give in, they asked for gum. I really wish I had some to give them. They played with my sunglasses and hat and asked me about California. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them.

Some of the people I met, taking photos

I also met a nice couple from Amman (photo above), who gave the boys each a handful of cashews. He offered some to me but wouldn't accept my initial decline of his offer, so I took a few and enjoyed their taste. His wife posed for photos on some rocks. When I saw them again an hour later, we waved to one another. I really love connecting with people when traveling overseas.

The Treasury

Next I moved on to the Treasury and sat on a bench there. It was now bustling, much busier than when we first arrived. I met a nice lady and her mother who lived in London after having grown up in India. We spoke of our upcoming trip there, about food and then about Cairo, since they had just come from there. They rode a cart back up the narrow canyon and one of the Bedouins, employed in organizing various rides back to the entrance, sat next to me. He welcomed me when finding out that I was American. He'd spent 2 years there, moving around the states while working with Arabian horses in Kentucky. This made perfect sense to me! I asked a few questions about Bedouin history. He mentioned that he got his history from his father, who got it from his father before that.

I fell in love with the Bedouins. They were so generous, even though they seemed to be making a killing on the tourist prices of visiting Petra. When we first encountered them, we tried to figure out if they were wearing eye liner. They were not, but their eyes were accentuated by the dark lines where the eye lid meets the eye.

Soon, my party was whole again. I introduced them to my new Bedouin friend, but he was soon off, returning to his work duties. We were all pretty tired after our fist day. We'd gotten immersed into the Bedouin culture and history of Petra. We left a few things for our second day, when we were to start in Little Petra and hike past the Monastery and back through Petra. But we soon found out this was a 12K walk, some of which would be a little on the tough side. I didn't think I was up for it and started to say that I might sit it out, opting instead to relax at the hotel; my fatigue was starting to catch up with me. The others felt the same about the 12K hike, but did want to explore the Monastery.

It was then that we decided to ditch our guide for the next day. They would do a morning hike and then we could go see Little Petra and head to Wadi Rum, spending our third night in a hotel in Aqaba. It's good that we had the flexibility to cancel our last night in Petra. Now I'd get to see even more of Jordan and I was very happy for the chance. I was really falling in love with Jordan.

For dinner, we found the place Jane had recommended. It looked like it may be one of the more expensive places in town, but it wasn't too harsh on our wallet. The service was impeccable, and when the wine was served, I was offered the chance to taste it before he poured it for the four of us. I caught a look in Sasha's eye, like she thought the small amount poured into my glass was all we would be served. After eying the cork (and knowing one doesn't smell it) I found the wine to be quality and signaled for him to fill our glasses. It's not too often I get to put my wine skills to the test, and I never thought I'd be doing so in Jordan!

Leaving Jordan

It was nice to take it easy the following morning. I joined the others for breakfast, where we meet a nice couple from Philly. After my companions left for Petra, I relaxed while using the hotel's Wi-Fi. When it was time to pick up the others, I arrived at the Petra visitor center exactly as my travel companions did. Except that I was rested and they looked anything but. Hot, sweaty and looking worn, they had jogged for the past 90 minutes. They reached the point at which they thought was the monastery only to find that it was another 45 minute trek to reach it. So they came back in order to meet up for our drive to Little Petra and really saw nothing new from what we saw the previous day.

Little Petra

In Little Petra we found a quiet place in contrast to the bustle of Petra. And in getting there, we passed through the small town where most of the working Bedouins live. It was teeming with donkys roaming wild and had great vistas of the Petra region below. We again explored and played tourist, taking photos of anything of interest. At the summit of an arduous climb between towering rocks, we stopped for tea served by a Bedouin woman before heading to Wadi Rum, which was closer to Aqaba than Petra.

Our trip was slow starting out, as the driver was being instructed to obtain cash from us for the tour director we had canceled. We were unwilling to pay it, being that we had supposedly been cheated out of half a day of tours and felt we had given ample notice of canceling our second day. But I could understand where the Arab was coming from. Because we had contracted for the tour guide, he was off the books to other paying customers. But in the end, we paid the driver, and he returned it to us later that night, for which we were grateful.

How we toured Wadi Rum

We arrived at Wadi Rum to find a 4-wheel drive truck and a Bedouin guide waiting for us; but more- the mountains. Again, how to describe them? They were lined with layers of holes and small caves. At one point, they looked like alien spacecraft. At another, like a giant rocky cruise ship. It looked as if they were wrapped in writing, like they were trying to speak to me, but I couldn't understand their language.

We stopped in the desert sand, surrounded completely by mountains; some near, some far. And the desert sands were in 2 colors: red and yellow. We were instructed to remove our shoes and follow the guide, who did so quickly and started off without looking back to see if we would follow. We reached a point where the yellow sand met the red. He cleared a spot and brought over some of the red sand. He made a large heart and told us it was the heart of Islam. Then on one side he placed an S for Sasha. On the other side, an R for Ra. They were instructed to stand inside the heart and they kissed.

I stood barefoot in the sand and scanned my surroundings. "I could stay in this spot for a week," I said. There was so much to see; so much to study. Shapes of mountains, clouds, lizard and bird prints in the sand, and that mountain- more like a giant rock placed on the sand, which still seemed to be trying to say something to me, but all I could do was stare back in silence. Barefoot in the sand


Our next stop was where this mountainous rock met the sand, where I endured my scary rock climbing adventure, described below. Then we stopped at a cave where Lawrence of Arabia once lived. Another stop and we got to see a wall drawing of a camel. Our question: was it really old or placed there more recently for the benefit of tourists?

During our drive from Petra, we listened to our driver's music in the car. It started out with local Jordanian music; whirling and twirling, fast-paced music that I quite enjoyed. This gave way to an odd collection of songs from the 80s and 70s, one being "The Lady in Red." I thought it was near torture! During part of our open-air drive through the desert, Ra started singing this song. The others soon joined in. I wished them to stop, not wanting to associate the song with the beauty of the desert. But it was too late, as I can now still hear it in my head when thinking about Wadi Rum. And maybe it's not as bad as I thought. The desert was, in a way, a lady in red.

As we stopped to watch the sunset, our guide made a pot of sweet Arabian coffee. We sat facing west with our coffee mostly in silence. I could live here. Maybe not forever, but if I come back to Wadi Rum, I'd like the opportunity to camp in the desert. My stresses melted into that desert. I loved that desert! And I was sad to leave.

Turns out it's hard to find a hotel that has no sign when not knowing the address. But once we did find what we were looking for, I found myself on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, about 7 miles from Saudi Arabia, and the lights of Egypt and Israel in sight. Ra mentioned how, as a kid, visiting Eilat, he marveled at being able to see 4 countries from one spot. Now, I did as well.

It's a shame the wind was rough. We had hoped to snorkel, but wound up enjoying our day being lazy and getting caught up on our journals and internets. The water seemed so very clear, too. But it also seemed a bit cold. Maybe it was good we didn't get in.
Tom and a boat he wanted photographed in Aqaba


Our final meal in Jordan was with a mother and daughter team from up-state New York. We enjoyed eating with them and fed a few tidbits to a friendly cat, to Ra's annoyance. Most places one goes finds birds, maybe pigeons everywhere. So far, in the places we've gone, it's cats everywhere. Mostly feral, but every now and then I get to pet one.

We returned to Israel, making sure to do so before the border closed, to hang out at a café in Eilat waiting for our 2330 bus at the border to Egypt. I felt so metropolitan, hanging out at a café and being on line. And when I realized that on the following day I'd be visiting those pyramids I got goose bumps!



November 27, 2010

It was one year ago that I lie in hospital near death with a 106 degree temperature, being iced down, in great pain throughout my body and in my head; delusional. I still suffer from the effects of the virus that nearly took me away. I get light headed. People tell me they get light headed a lot, too. But this is new for me.

I get fatigued easily. Now that I'm back to work, after 4 days of a busy schedule, I'm knocked on my ass and it can take 3 days to get back to 'normal'. Normal being relative, since I still feel the effects of the illness. When I see photos we've taken here, I can see it in my eyes. I just don't feel 100%. Back home, I'll sleep for 10 hours. Even if I don't, and I sleep for 7 or 8, I wake up tired and after an hour or 2, I'm ready for a nap. When I'm tired, my brain checks out. My light-headedness intensifies. I can't think clearly. I get forgetful, and I know it. I recognize that I can't figure things out, that I can't easily follow a conversation. I can't remember if I've brushed my teeth, or that I need to charge my phone before going to bed. And time is a huge blob.

Penguin looking tired in Petra

Fortunately, on this trip, the effects of my illness haven't really been bothering me too badly. However, a few nights ago, the fatigue hit me. We were still in Petra and talking about changing our plans for the Jordan portion of our trip. But my mind had checked out, I couldn't follow what was being said and I found myself wishing I were home with my cat and in my own bed.

After a good night's sleep I was better. I had a slow morning as I bowed out of a return trip to Petra with the others so that I could relax and lounge and get caught up with e-mail. I'm doing better at knowing my limitations, as I am prone to do things I want to, ignoring the little signs my body and mind might send me. Like rock climbing.

Yesterday, in Wadi Rum, our guide climbed up a 15-foot wall in a rock chasm to show us where water was collected from the rain runoff of an impressive rock mountain that rose up from the desert. He made it look easy. Rasha and Tom made it look it easy. Even our driver made it with ease. I told myself at first that I shouldn't do it, but it just looked so easy and I did want to see it all. And, indeed, it was fairly easy to get up.

Half way up, though, I thought about the getting down part. That didn't seem easy from where I was perched. Rasha and Tom go rock climbing back home. They know what they are doing. I've not been to a gym in over a year.
[Photo: The rock wall and our Wadi Rum guide]


Standing on that wall, I got light headed. It made me scared. I'm not used to that feeling. I normally like heights, but I actually thought I might fall. I didn't want to share the degree to which I was scared and feeling dizzy. Our driver and the Bedouin guide scampered down easily enough. Rasha and Tom did so with smiles, and that left me still on top of that damned wall, feeling nauseous, dizzy and having to look out to the horizon to steady my feelings of vertigo, hoping the others couldn't detect the tremors my body felt.

They all helped as best they could and I think I only snapped at them twice, as they tried to guide me down like it was nothing! Tom climbed back up about half way and in about 3 minutes (it felt like 10) I was back on Terra Firma. I was happy again, not light headed or shaky, and confident in knowing that if our desert tour included another climb, I'd remain safely on the ground, like a good penguin should. Fortunately, there were no more climbs to be made on our trip.


The mountains across the Gulf of Aqaba from our hotel room look as if they slam right down into the water with no beach at all. Of course, it's hard to tell from here. Maybe there is a beach. I hope it's a better one than that which is currently before me. This one is littered with cigarette butts, cans, cups and plastic. It's a shame people litter such a beautiful place! I love Jordan, Israel was great, but I can't wait for the pyramids!


To view my favorite photos from Jordan, click here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/brogott/JordanFavorites#

If you're a glutton for punishment and would like to see the rest of the Middle East photos I took, you can find the link at the end of Chapter Four. There are some really great photos there, too.