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Wadi Rum and Petra part 1

Jordan is an extremely friendly country. The people are so nice and willing to help without expecting anything in return. You can tell that it is wealthier than Egypt. The people dress nice, the cars are new and you can tell that people are not trying to eek out a living. It is as expensive as Europe though. A dinar is equal to a euro so way different than egypt. We can't be as free with the money.

We went to Wadi Rum yesterday and it was amazing. We spent the whole day climbing and looking a beautiful scenery. Our guide, a Oaudi, was great. The kids really had a great time. Oaudi let them build fires and race the other car that our tour was with. At one point he did set us off in the desert and told us to walk to a canyon by ourselves. We were confused as to how that happened. We didn't know we agreed to the force march!

We watched the sun set from a high outcrop and then went back to the camp to prepare for the night. After getting settled we went in the Bedouin tent and had tea (so sweet and it had sage in it. Yum!) while listing to traditional music and waiting quietly for dinner. It was one of those magical moments that makes you glad to be alive. Dinner was great too. After that everyone was so tired that we went out for a short star gazing session and I think everyone was asleep by 9pm.

This morning we woke early to have breakfast and then caught our bus to Petra. The drive was very hilly but scenic. The driver took us to our hotel, which was nice and we are very happy with our rooms here.

After grabbing a quick lunch we headed out to the Petra site. We had an interesting horse ride down to the Siq, then went with a guide for 2 1/2 hour through the area. Petra is a huge area. We did the main part today and then will hike other areas tomorrow. The way down into Petra is all downhill so when we left it was all uphill. At least 2 miles walk. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the entrance so were thankful that the cab drivers gave us a good price to finish the climb up to the hotel. This area is very hilly.

Steve and I had traditional Jordanian food for dinner (the kids had spaghetti) and it was very good. After that we stocked up on food for tomorrows long hikes in the site. Again, the people were so, so friendly. It was really fun to be out talking with the people who live here without having to be on our guard the whole time.

Sleep now. A long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Comments

Unknown said…
What is Jordanian food like? Did you have a dinner prepared for you in the tent? Sounds interesting. How big was the tent?
Did the kids drive the car in the race????Glad you found that canyon in the desert!
Much Love,
P and G
February 15, 2010 at 2:06 PM
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