Rocks and Dirt (aka Four Days in Jordan)

Rocks and Dirt!?!

It seemed like a simple trip, planned through a tour agency with all the details covered. We would drive to the Jordanian border, walk across, be met by a driver who would take us to Aqaba, spend a night in the seaside town, then head north to Wadi Rum with a Bedouin guide for a tour in the desert and an overnight at a Bedouin camp, and finally a tour of the famous site in Petra. But of course, there was so much more to this trip!! Enjoy the photos and stories:

The border crossing into Jordan was easy, just a few formalities and a short walk through "No Man's Land" into Jordan. There, a driver met us and drove us to Aqaba. We were dropped off at a hotel at 5pm with plans to be picked up the following morning at 9am. Those were all the details we had -- fortunately we were a laid-back group and didn't worry.

The four of us, three women and one man, took an evening stroll through the small souk on our way to the sea. The smells of spices and tea filled the air, vendors offered great deals in their shops, and the streets bustled with people doing their daily shopping.

At the shore, we found a cafe with rattling tables and plastic chairs on a dock at the edge of the Red Sea. We ordered tea and a nargileh pipe (a hubbly bubbly) and enjoyed the sunset over the port.

Leaving Aqaba we headed north to Wadi Rum, now five people plus luggage stuffed into a Toyota 4x4 pickup truck with a cozy back seat. The trip was short and interesting, and our drive through the Wadi was unbelievable.

The screams from the back seat subsided after a while, following our driver's advice: "everybody have strong heart? no die..." Up and down sand dunes, through stone bridges, over boulders and around in circles, it was reminiscent of teenagers doing doughnuts in the parking lot. We only got stuck in the sand once, and the driver seemed to get a kick out of the four of us pushing the truck out of the rut.

The "dirt n rocks" were ... well, what else to call them -- cool! The sand changed colours every few minutes as we drove through different areas, the rocks had all kinds of forms and stripes and weathering. It was amazing to see how the wind had shaped the sandstone over the years, even to create holes large enough to drive through. We stopped several times to get a closer look, to play in the sand, or to find relief among the rocks. As the day wore on, the approaching storm began to look more threatening, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped significantly. The desert is warm and dry, right? Ha ha, ever seen snow in the desert? Small desert scrub plants covered with ice, hail striking the roof of the truck, and me in five layers shivering... not a typical day in the desert!

After our play time, we continued on to the Bedouin camp, where we would spend the night. There are several of these camps set up for tourists, with large tents that can sleep about 30 people and many smaller private tents. The large tent is like a longhouse, used as the common area, with fire and entertainment til late at night. We had tea and coffee, chicken cooked over the fire, Arak (like Ouzo or Pastis), and while the Bedouins sang we joined them in dancing around in the tent.

We were fortunate to be the only group staying there that night, so we stayed all together in the big tent. We all snuggled together under as many blankets as we could find, kept the fire near us, and listened to the wind and rain storm that lasted most of the night.

The next morning we were due to arrive early in Petra so we could spend the day touring the site. We left the Bedouin camp at 9am and headed out of the Wadi, taking the "desert shortcut" to the highway. Apparently part of the highway was closed to traffic, so we would get around it by driving through the desert. Our Bedouin guide was a very good driver, and very confident in himself to drive in sand or snow.

Once on the highway, our driver asked several others about the road ahead. Apparently, this was the first time since 1993 that the Petra mountains had received a substantial amount of snow. Now they had more than 1 meter / 3-1/2 feet! The higway was closed from Amman to Aqaba -- the major thoroughfare through the country. Parts of it had been cleared, but all of the big trucks and many private cars were stuck, sitting in the middle of the road, where they had been since the night before.

But not us... no, we were the tough guys! Remember that bit about the four of us pushing our driver's truck when it got stuck? Yeah, he relied on us three more times that day -- and the other drivers (all men) just stood by and watched!

So on we went, with our 4x4 and confident (or stubborn) driver, ignoring all reports of closed roads and poor conditions, and we finally arrived in Petra by 2.30 in the afternoon (a drive that should have taken an hour and a half.) It was decided to save the tour til the next day, when the weather would be warmer and we would have some rest. We enjoyed a few snowball fights, drinks in the local "Cave Bar", and a few hot showers to get the campfire smoke out of the hair -- no such luck for the clothing!

In the morning we had a "short n sweet" tour of Petra, complete with horse ride to the entrance, stroll through the Siq (canyon), views of the Treasury, cave tombs, and theatre, and a guide who kept the historical explanations to a minimum. (always a benefit!)

The whole was fun and interesting, but more than that it was a tour with a little extra adventure! So this time I guess I'll remember it...


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