Our 2nd day in Jordan will be tough to beat...Amazing experience from the start. We woke up to our first daylight view from the hotel room. The Red Sea was right below us and you could see 3 different countries from our balcony (Jordan, Israel, and Egypt). Saudi Arabia is also actually only about 12 miles away but the mountains block the view of the country. We went down and had complimentary breakfast. It was a large buffet and they had just about anything you could think of. Many typical breakfast foods but also some Middle Eastern traditional options. Foul was interesting as it is made in a big covered bowl from fava beans. You can then put toppings in it to add flavor. The bacon was Beef Bacon (students why is this?). Also, the juices were delicious and the server let us take a big bottle of water for our trip in the desert to Petra today.
On the way to Petra (about two hours away from Aqaba), we stopped by one of many, many Bedouin camps. Students- describe who Bedouins are? (Hint: Nomads). The Bedouin had a few camels that we became quick friends with. As we pet and sat on the camels, we thought he was pouring us the traditional mint tea that most that have invited us in have gave us. He did indeed pour hot tea into our cups but then a new drink neither Janell or I had tasted...Camel Milk :). It was actually very good and I had some on its own after the tea/milk was finished. While taking pictures with the camels, the pregnant one (white colored, bigger one), actually started drinking camel milk from my glass with its long tongue. Very interesting creatures and they make a distinct call when they move or are angry.
We then drove through small towns on desert cliffs to the famous area of Petra. One of the roads was actually along the famous "King's Way" that united the three Jordan kingdoms. There were camels on the road that we almost hit and our driver said that Bedouins can be put in prison for 2-10 years for this because if a car hits a camel- it is death. The camels go through the windshield always.
As we entered Petra, we first recapped on the history of the New Wonder of the World. It is known as the "Rose City" because of its amazing color, but also the "Lost City" because of the way the locals were able to keep it a secret for so long. It is a vast city built by the ancient civilization of the Nabataeans in the 300 BC time period. Through history, it was eventually controlled by the Romans as the Crusades and Byzantine also made their mark. While the famous Treasury (picture seen in all of the books) receives all of the fame, the entire city of Petra is nothing short of incredible. As I have said with many things in history, how on Earth was this really built?! Every part of the city area is eye-opening and I do not think I could have taken enough pictures to grab the view of what we learned about. As it was noted to us several times, Petra was kept secret until about 200 years ago when a Swiss Explorer tricked his way into the entrance. He then told the world about Petra and the rest is history in reference to trying to hide the spectacle.
The tour first started with a horse ride down to the Siq. or "main entrance". The Siq was unreal with all of the canyons that rose above us. We saw fish shaped rocks, aqueducts that filtered the water, and eventually the hallway to the famous Treasury. We listened to our guide tell us his opinion of the Treasury (the Treasury is what appears in Indiana Jones), as he disagrees with what most people think in it being a tomb. He pointed out all of the symbols of life on it and asked the questions- why would the Nabataeans start their city off with death? We took a picture with the Westfield Rock sign and our Blue II Bobblehead and moved on. The Theater was unbelievable as I started to get into History Teacher mode. How cool of a site the theater would have been in history when it was in use?! Also, we saw the different tombs and the famous Royal Tombs for the leaders. As most civilizations, there was a social hierarchy and type of grave was just one of the distinctions between social class. As we continued around the ancient ruins, we eventually stopped at a point in which we could see history from the Nabataeans, Romans, Crusaders, and Byzantine Empire. Amazing amounts of history in one place!
I am excited to show science teachers some of the things we saw and learned about in the desert climate. The water storage underground is evident and amazing as we saw Bamboo, Oleander, and a 450 year old fig tree growing in the middle of the desert mountains of Petra. Also, the aqueduct system that the ancient Nabataeans built was eye-opening . Finally, the natural coloring of the rocks seemed to be fictional. The oxidation of minerals and water formed bright pink rocks that helped give Petra the name of Rose City.
After Petra, we had another traditional meal of Mezze (the salad appetizers of Hommus, Tabouleh, etc.) and an assortment of fish dishes. The Hommus is still my favorite with Pita Bread but I also enjoyed the Jordanian Chicken & Rice Spice Dish. From lunch we saw Little Petra and then a hidden gem in the Southeastern part of Jordan. Shawbak Castle sat atop one of the mountains and had history dating back to the Crusader days. It was eventually taken over as an Islamic Castle. At the bottom of the castle, we met what we heard was a "hidden desert celebrity". He goes by the "Caveman" as he was Bedouin who owned a store in the caves. He sold us a some good luck items including a coin he found in the Petra Valley that dates back to the Roman Period.
Finally, we started back to the hotel in Aqaba. We made it in around sunset time and everyone was off of the roads having their meal. We were dead tired, covered in sand, and decided to do dinner in the hotel. Yep- we decided to go crazy as we ordered a Pepperoni Pizza :) Now we are relaxing and getting ready for Red Sea Beach and Wadi Rum tomorrow. One thing I wanted to end on as I have been thinking about it all day- the kids. Children in Petra were all over the mountains working in different ways. The Bedouin children take care of the goats, sheep, donkey, and camels. Others work with their fathers in their work. I hope to visit a school later this week and have more conversations with the younger kids of Jordan.
Until tomorrow- enjoy your cow's milk. -ZZ
