Petra, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba, oh my!

Posted by: sarahcferg | September 12, 2009

Petra, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba, oh my!

I just returned to Amman from my third trip to Petra, and my first trip to both Wadi Rum and Aqaba. As I mentioned before, Petra is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen. So I was happy to go both last weekend and this weekend. I think I could go a hundred times and feel as though I had more yet to discover.
Last weekend, I went with seven friends and stayed one night in Wadi Musa, the town right outside of Petra. We spent a very active two days enjoying the natural beauty of Petra, but admittedly, spending less time appreciating the work of the Nabateans, who carved their way into history in the mountains we scrambled over (pun very much intended). I can’t really begin to describe how spectacular Petra is. To begin with, the surroundings are breathtaking. The mountains are wonderfully shaped, and the colors are so vivid as to look unnatural. The structures emerge so gracefully from the rock, and extend as far as you can see from the mountain tops. And the structures themselves, though dwarfed by the mountains, are intricately carved, delicately thought out, and incredibly elegant. Being there and experiencing both the natural and man made wonders is truly special.
I returned again to Petra this weekend with my whole program, but unfortunately did not have much free time to explore as I would have liked. I may have to find my way back there again! Fortunately, Jordan is a small, easily navigable country! After Petra, our group went and stayed in a Bedouin camp, where we slept outside under the stars. I spend most of my time in cities, so being able to see the milky way, and watch the moon rise over the cliffs was unforgettable. Fortunately, no one was bitten by a scorpion.
The next day, we drove straight to Aqaba, which is Jordan’s 20 km coast on the Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba). I have never in my life seen water as blue and clear as it was there. It looked like liquid sapphires that stretched on forever, and was particularly beautiful in contrast to the mountains that emerge right from the gulf. We went out on a boat and got the opportunity to go snorkeling. Not having been snorkeling for many, many years, I was somewhat nervous, particularly as the current was strong. But I was delighted that I took the plunge, because I got to swim with fishies and explore a beautiful coral reef. I can’t remember if I have seen live coral before, but what they have at Aqaba is really incredible. The reef is extensive, and is composed of many different types of coral in a myriad of colors- from deep pink to electric green to neon purple. There was a fantastic variety of fish swimming, as well.
After our snorkeling we drove just 15 minutes to meet several pick up trucks, the backs of which we climbed into to drive 3-4 hours through the desert of Wadi Rum to reach our next campsite. Again, it is the natural beauty of Jordan that will stick with me when I leave. Wadi Rum is simply incredible. The sand is deep red and the mountains emerge from it out of nowhere, towering over wide, open spaces. Made almost entirely of sandstone, it is apparently in the process of consuming itself, the wind eroding its towering cliffs faster than new sediment can settle. Each year, its rocks will become thinner, taller, and more alien-looking in the landscape. Riding in the trucks was an adventure, but our activity today was more exciting, and allowed us to observe more of our surroundings. Each of us was given a camel (I named mine Clovis after our first dog) and we rode for about 4 hours from our campsite. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the comfort of camel saddles, and their grouchy temperaments, but I had a very loving camel, and I thought it was delightful. I’d love to go back to Wadi Rum and do some real hiking, but for a hot summer day, I was perfectly happy to sit atop a “ship of the desert” and let someone else do the work.
Now, back in Amman, we’re heading into the last week of Ramadan. Which means I’ll be traveling to Turkey on Thursday to take advantage of our week off of school for the holiday, and that when I get back I’ll finally be able to drink water in public and buy a coffee when I need a little pick-me-up during the day.