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| First view of the "Rose City" of Petra |
February 13, 2014
A good way to get older?
Go where everything is older
than you are!
So Margaret went with me on a weekend trip to Jordan. We flew into Amman, then rented a car and drove to the ancient city of Petra (2400 years to my 61... it worked!).
There we met, Ahmed, history guide and Bedouin, who took us on our winding way through a tall narrow canyon, walls 100 meters high. Such a beautiful walk, heading steadily downhill. Suddenly, in front of us we saw a flash of pink, and then the sight of a rose pink building, opening up before us! It was the treasury building of Petra, carved into a canyon wall running perpendicular to our own walkway. What an incredible approach to this place. (Sequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was filmed here!) Petra was built by the Nabateans in 400 BC. They became rich at the crossroads between east-west, north-south, gathering taxes from all the camel caravans that passed through their lands. It was the Romans who undermined them in 106 AD, by cutting off their water supply. It seems obvious now, but the only reason the Nabateans could live in Petra is because they could pipe in water from nearby springs. Block the pipes and it didn't take long for surrender. However, the Romans were most hospitable: Nabateans could choose to stay and become good Romans, or leave.
For us, this day, it was the horse drawn carriages we had to watch out for; literally running visitors up and down through the narrow canyon. Margaret made the mistake of telling a camel driver his camel was pretty. From that moment on it was Margaret, Ahmed, me, a camel driver, two camels, a hopeful burro driver and his burro... walking through Petra. Every time we stopped to take a picture, they were sure we would change our minds and decide to ride. We managed to walk the entire way and back, much to their dismay, and much to our annoyance.
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| Carolyn and Margaret at the foot of the rose Treasury, Petra's icon |
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| Rocky tombs and homes of Petra |
From Petra, we drove to Wadi Rum, the desert, beloved of the Bedouin people. We met up with our travel guide, Mzied, a dashing Bedouin man, who loaded us into his 4-wheel Toyota truck for a tour of the area, complete with overnight tent and sleeping bags, meals, and deliciously sweet hot tea.
The land was stunning; colorful red sands, rocky outcrops, rocks dripping like melting candles, arches, and ancient Talmudic writings. We fell in love with the place. It reminded me of other beautiful deserts I have known: Death Valley, and Joshua Tree National forest. Wadi Rum is where Peter O'Toole and Omar Shariff were filmed in "Lawrence of Arabia", unforgettable for the 9-year-old that I was. Dad and Mom took us to see the movie at the drive in, sure we would all fall asleep in the back seat. But No! I was wide-eyed awake ALL 3 HOURS; completely captivated by the sand, sun, music, and Peter O'Toole. This was my first look into the world of the sheikh! I've been fascinated with flowing head scarves ever since.
We spent the night in Wadi Rum, in a small 2-person tent, that proved itself waterproof as the long overdue rain came down. The next morning we were awakened by a warm crackly fire in the main tent, including hot tea, and a delicious breakfast of pita and labneh (like a Greek yogurt), with honey and fruit, and cuddly Saalem.
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| Wadi Rum |
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| Guide Mzied telling stories after dinner |
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| Carolyn with Saalem, imagining life as a Bedouin woman... |
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| Arches for climbing up! |
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Red sand dunes for running down! |
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| Talmudic rock carvings from God Knows how long ago: camel caravan! |
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| Margaret and her nephew John. We met John last November, running in the Beirut marathon. |
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| ...and they're off! |
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| ...into the desert morning mist... |
What a weekend! It was the best.
