To the South

3 November, 2011
Damascus Street
Abdoun, Amman Jordan
4:00 PM

Greetings,

I just got back last night from a 5 day tour of the major landmarks in the south of Jordan. I am now “Studying” for Saturday’s Arabic final (and by “studying for Arabic” I mean “blogging and trying to forget about Arabic”). 

Before I begin, let me say that this trip was by far my favorite thing that I have done so far in Jordan, with the possible exception of the Badia homestay. It was simultaneously adventurous and relaxing encompassing the entire gauntlet of travel: desert, coast, ocean, mountain, tents, camels, and a 5 star stay in a 5 star hotel. I did not want to come home and face a month of research (and the aforementioned Arabic final)

Day 1: Karak Castle and Dana

The first stop on our tour was at Karak castle, an ancient structure that has been standing since the time of the crusaders. The architecture is an interesting mix of Middle Ages Christian construction and the finer Ottoman and Mamluk design. The hallways are winding and cavernous, and I more than once mentioned that it was cool to wander around an ancient, ruined castle on Halloween weekend, even though I don’t celebrate Halloween because I’ll go to hell if I do.

Karak Castle  

After Karak castle we hopped back in the bus and drove for a while until we reached the perfect picnic location. Cultural note: any spot can be a perfect picnic spot. I frequently seen Jordanian/Bedouin families parked on the side of the road with tea pots bubbling on camp stoves behind their cars. Today, we got to be those Bedouins. We piled out of the bus, spread some mats on the ground, and ate cucumbers pastries, and Pepsi on the side of the road, overlooking the valley.

The bus then continued down an overly windy valley that made all of us feel shway (a little) ill, before stopping in the cold, clear air of the Dana Biosphere reserve. This is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, just behind my parent’s home in Northern California, Loma, and about tied with the Scottish highlands. 

We spent about 2 hours hiking along ridgelines and through groves of pomegranates, olives, apricots, and poplar trees. On the hike I saw a baby camel AND a baby donkey who were totally BFF. Too dang cute.  

 Seriously. How cute is that? 

The second part of the hike was quite strenuous; we picked our way through brambles and down steep embankments. It was glorious to be out in nature in the clean, fresh air. We had a naturalist for a tour guide who gave us a lot of information about the preserve. If I ever come back to this part of the world I would like to spend a solid week camping, hiking, and backpacking here.

We stayed the night in a youth hostel that used to be an orphanage, though I claimed it felt more like an mental institution. It was COLD in that place, but luckily I packed my polar bear jacket, so I survived pretty well. I also came down with one of my famous headaches, so I went to bed at 7:30 and didn’t wake up until 7:00 the next morning.

The Orphanage (not a real name) 

Day 2: The Red Rose City

At 9:00am we left The Orphanage and headed up the mountain to see the ancient city of Petra. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Lawrence of Arabia then you may have some idea of what Petra is like, but let me tell you right now, you are wrong. It is mind blowingly more than that. The city was built by an ancient civilization called the Nabateans. They controlled the region when it was a key route for trading between Egypt and Arabia to the south and India, China, and Europe to the north. They built an elaborate network of tunnels, caverns, and sculptures that incorporate Arabic, Greek, Byzantine, Turkish, and Roman artwork. Most of the freestanding structures have fallen, but the ones carved into the cliff face are beautifully preserved.

 The Siq is the ancient road leading into the city. The wall like structure to the left is the plumbing system that the Nabeteans designed to carry water to all of the city. 

 At the end of the Siq is the Treasury, the most famous structure in Petra 

I spent 5 hours wandering around Petra, and it still wasn’t enough. The pictures can’t adequately capture the brilliance of the city. It was far and away one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Way better than the pyramids.

 There are dozens of these sorts of dwellings built into the rock face. 

 The Monastery- the second most famous structure. It was used as an actual monastery by Monks during the Byzantine period, but was built as a tomb by the Nabateans. 

We spent the night at the Petra Marriot, which was one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. The beds were like sleeping on clouds, especially compared to the concrete slab that serves as my bed in Amman. Alexandra and I were so thrilled that we only left the room once, for dinner (which was the best meal I’ve had since coming to Jordan) and then ordered tea to the room and watched terrible movies in our beds before falling asleep at 11:00. Not exactly cultural immersion, but so so relaxing.

Day 3: The Desert Camp

After we checked out from the hotel we made a total 180 in living conditions. We packed up the bus and drove to Wadi Rum, an area of Jordan that looks exactly like Luke Skywalker’s home planet. We unloaded at a small camp in the desert, which I affectionately named our Terrorist Training Camp. 

Home sweet tent 

We took off for a two hour Jeep tour of the desert. The sand dunes and rock formations were remarkable. I have huge issues with sand, especially when it touches my feet, so I didn’t scamper about as much as some of my classmates, but I had a great time seeing some of the spots that Lawrence of Arabia camped during the Great Arab revolt, and drinking tea with some Bedouins we met along the way.

 Our carriages 

Temperatures drop quickly in the desert, and by the time we got back to the TTC it was getting cold. We moved into our tiny tents, added layers, and sat around a campfire for a while we waited for our dinner. Dinner was traditional Bedouin style, cooked in a giant pot covered with coals and buried in the sand.  After dinner we sat around the fire and talked, played “would you rather” for hours, and roasted marshmallows that the camp director gave us. We ended the night reading Edger Allen Poe allowed, because it was Halloween, after all.

Wadi Rum near sunset. 

The night was spent shivering in our tents. Ali and Eve, my two tent mates, didn’t sleep well due to the cold and a dog barking, but I slept like a baby. 

Day 4: Ships of the Desert and Actual Ships

We woke up early the next morning and took a camel ride through the desert. This is more traditional than the Egypt camel ride, which was pretty much designed just for tourists, but the men who led our tour were real Bedouins whose families have been raising camels for generations.  

After a delicious breakfast we packed up and left the TTC. The ride to Aqaba was short and pleasant. Aqaba is a pretty, coastal, city that reminds me of the San Diego of the Middle East. We stopped at the hotel for a short rest and then boarded a small yacht to sail on the Red Sea. The water was brilliantly clear and blue. It was very relaxing and pleasant to sit on a boat in that blue water and look around. At one point we could see the coast of Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all at once. How many people can say that? My classmates snorkeled, but I was cold and didn’t much fancy being salty and wet all day, so I stayed on board and took pictures.

 The coast of Saudi Arabia 

For dinner we walked downtown and ate pizza and gelato (I was sick of shwarma and falafel) and looked around. Aqaba is a special economic zone, which mostly means that they import a lot of cheap Chinese stuff to sell to tourists.

Day 5:  Home again

The day started slow with Ali and I walking down to the coast of the Red Sea and sitting for 45 minutes drinking tea in a café. Cultural note: There is not much regulation here, so a lot of people with property set out a few tables and chairs, buy a stove and some hookas, and call it a café. We saw some gypsies with dirty, un-panted children walking along the coast. The Jordanian woman at the table ext to us was very concerned that we not think that they were Jordanian, and spent a lot of time telling us that they were “No Urdoni” in a combination of her broken English and our broken Arabic.

A sign I found in downtown Aqaba. Apparently they had a problem with this. Maybe we should get some in Ocean Beach. 

After tea we walked along the shore until we found a cool little store that sold hand crafts made by local women. The store was run on microcredit loans and worked to raise money for women in the region. I bought a few things. They were too expensive, but I like to have something that is made locally, not in China, and goes to a good cause.

I got home last night to a host family that is ill (probably my fault) and frantic getting ready for 3eed, and a month of research ahead of me, but rested and relaxed from such a great trip. 

More soon, 

B