June 14, 2009: "Petra & Wadi Rum" or "Camels have black hearts"

June 14, 2009, Sunday

Petra

This past weekend was filled with a visit to the sites that Jordan is famous for—Petra and Wadi Rum. Despite the worries I always have upon finally visiting the famous sites of the world—which are rarely justified—, Petra was quite spectacular. Beyond the beauty of the location, massive red rocks in a sea of red desert, and the fact that these pillars, facades, rooms, were carved into the rock itself, with no modern tools is breathtaking. We were lucky to have arrived early, by 8am to avoid the later tourist sh$t-fest we witnessed on the way out around 2pm. We’d originally intended to reach the hostel the night before at 11, go to sleep right away and get up at 6, but an “navigational detour,” taking us along the King’s Way, a beautiful yet less direct route, provided us with no beauty as it was nighttime, a few scares on the windy mountainous road, and hostel arrival of 1am. However, the point was that we made it. Part of the excitement of Petra lies in the winding entrance-way, along the road made through giant rocks by an earlier river. As you make your way though this crevasse, at each turn you wonder if you’ll behold the treasury but each turn reveals more road and perhaps a few small human-carved caves with inscriptions. And when the path finally opens up to the Treasury, you feel you’ve earned the incredible site. Bad at estimating heights and distances, all I know is that it was massive. Perhaps the photos on the side bar can give you an idea. The rest of the area of Petra is filled with more cave homes, carvings roads, and finally, about a 45 minute hike above, you reach the Monastery, a building equally impressive to the Treasury. And above the Monastery there read signs “All places from here” and “View of End of World this way”. While I laughed when I read this sign, I had to admit that from the viewpoint, it did appear to be the end of the world.

It’s hard to say much more about Petra, other than that I certainly merits its place up with Machu Picchu on “Things to see before I die” lists. One guide we met while exploring told a tale of a 79 year old man who had always dreamed of visiting Petra, and then upon seeing the Treasury (famous from the photos) had a heart attack and died. This was alone in cute Petra-death stories as the guide also regaled us with stories of Americans who’d disregarded warnings to leave before dark, had gotten lost exploring in the dark and were found dead by Bedouin days later.


To be continued...

Wadi Musa town

Wadi Rum & Abu Raed

(stealing Nora's love of haikus):

The following are haikus stemming from Abu Raed's jokes and stories. They make at least half as much sense as the stories themselves but they are much less entertaining without Abu Raed's cackling laugh and manner of speaking as if telling a secret.

Ya, Abu Raed,
Frigadores fall from sky and
she-woman she come!

The camel has a
black heart, you say. Watch out for
them; get viagra!

Black scorpions are
danger, but yellow is worse.
Better eat one hot!