Jordan – a day that began with a tragedy and ended with wonder

April 9, 2015

Getting a little behind in my blogging. Since my last post we have visited Jordan, traversed the Suez Canal, spent two days in Israel and just left Kusadasi, Turkey. Now we are sailing the rocky and rainy Aegean Sea on our way to Athens. So a little catch-up is needed.

Aqaba, Jordan – April 3, 2015

Because of cool temps we had breakfast inside the cabin instead of on the veranda and thus caused the tragedy. A dove died on our veranda after hitting its head on our window. It was messy – blood and feathers everywhere and a dove on its back with legs in the air. We notified our cabin attendant as we left for our tour to Petra. All was back to normal by the time we returned from our tour.

Now, about Petra. We have visited the Pyramids, Ephesus, Pompeii, Borobudur, the Coliseum, the Parthenon, etc. None had the same impact on us as Petra. Although it was a long day with rough walking of over 5 miles – at least half of which was up hill – the surroundings and sights were awe-inspiring.  We are scheduled to visit Meteora in Greece on the 10^th. After Petra, I wonder if it will measure up.

The 2 ½ hour bus ride from Aqaba to Petra was not the least bit boring due to the spectacular scenery – rugged mountains, canyons, and Bedouin encampments. Our tour guide – who happens to be a Bedouin from Petra – was both knowledgeable and entertaining. While in Petra he told us about the New Zealand woman who married a Bedouin, moved into the cave and adopted the lifestyle. That led to a book, I Married a Bedouin. On our return trip on the bus our guide asked the pretty young blond on the tour to marry him so they could write the sequel – “I Married a Bedouin II.” In addition to being smart, he was quite good looking and she gave it some thought. ;-))

I won’t spend a lot of time telling the history of Petra – you can Google it and get the background. The pictures do not do it justice. Petra was re-discovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwing Burchhardt, a possible ancestor of my cousin-in-law, Lee Burkhart. The spelling was different, but the name is pretty close. And even if he wasn’t related, we’re still claiming him. ;-)

Like Oman, Jordan is a small predominantly Muslim country with a stable government and moderate policies about religion. Across the bay from Aqaba was the Israeli port city of Eilat. Although Jordan and Israel have made their peace, Jordan faces pressures from its other neighbors. We wonder how long Jordan and Oman can retain their independence in the middle of such instability from religious extremists among their neighbors. 

We ended our tour of Petra with a ride through Aqaba. It is a lovely city and one we’d like to visit again. Now it’s off to the Suez Canal!