The Way To Kapoho: A Day In Jordan and Visiting Ancient Petra

April 10, 2015

Northern tip of the Red Sea, nearing the Suez Canal

This morning we rounded the southern point of the Sinai Peninsula and are now in rough seas, heading toward the Suez Canal, with Egypt to our port side and the Sinai to our starboard. The winds are blowing about 45-51 mph and we are cruising at about 8 knots.

Our day was spent in Jordan yesterday, starting in Aqaba then heading by bus to Petra. We had an incredibly knowledgable guide, as well as a PHD in antiquities, specializing in Petra, on our bus. I shall share our activities and revelations of the day, but first I wish to share my thoughts, as we passed through this ancient land.

The creation of these mountains surrounding Aqaba must have been incredibly violent, as the granite strata is evident and zigzags crossing in all directions. This is a stark and arid land with mountains that seem impassable. It's a strange feeling, being here, that I cannot quite put my finger on. Across the Red Sea from us is the Sinai Peninsula, a place of ancient biblical, religious and political significance. These lands of Jordan are just like the lands that Moses wandered in, lost for 40 years. The God of Moses must have loved to keep him guessing, because the peninsula isn't that big. This makes me confident that the God of Moses, who I share as my God, has a sense of humor. I had a tremendous feeling of awe. I was humbled by the land, the history and by the beautiful people of the area.

The people of Jordan are kind, accepting and tolerant. Muslims and Christians live side by side and each respects and loves their neighbors. Jordan, officially called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is ruled by King Abdullah II, the son of king Hussein who died in 1999. The Jordanians adore their king and his family and there are portraits and building sized posters of them everywhere.

Late King Hussein, King Abdullah, and his eldest son, who will be the next king.

As we took our 2 hour bus ride to Petra, our guide explained many things of Jordan, of Wadi Rum, and of Petra. One thing that stands out is the way this nation coexists with all of the nations of the area. But this is an incredibly poor nation. The main source of income is from their expatriates, who move away to become educated, find jobs and send money home to their families. There is no oil. Water is never to be taken for granted. And tourists are welcome.

During our journey, we passed over 'Kings Highway' which is known to be the path that Moses took as he was crossing the area, we saw Aaron's tomb on the top of a distant mountain and we marveled at the many Bedouin people tending the flocks of goats and living in their tents.

Petra, has been named one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World and is an UNESCO World Heritage site. Being a World Heritage Site insures the preservation of the site and allocations of funds are distributed for its maintenance.

The entrance to Petra is a deep gorge, named 'as-siq', and is hemmed in by cliffs up to 80 meters high.

Petra was at the crossroads of trade from Arabia, China, India and Europe. The creators of Petra, which means 'rock' in Greek, were the Nabataeans who migrated there from Saudi Arabia. The Nabataeans created dams and canal systems to keep the siq from flooding during flash floods, and an extensive water delivery system that included terra cotta pipes and had impressive gardens for food and a lively business in trade, due to their location.

All through the siq are niches in which the Nabataeans carved various images of their gods, or idols. Like the Greeks and Romans, they had many gods whom they worshiped and offered sacrifices to. The massive walls of the sandstone siq are the colors of rose, yellow and brown, owing to the chemical makeup.

Science aside, it is breathtakingly beautiful.

At the end of the hour walk down the siq, the Treasury comes into view. Forget taking pictures. There are times in life when I just put the camera away and take in the moment. The magnitude. The goosebumps. The vision. My eyes are wide. My breathing stops. I don't hear or see the many tourists around me. I'm transported back to a caravan over 2000 years ago. As I enter the main area in front of the Treasury, I return to being a tourist, complete into camera.

Our guide, Isam, has explained many things to us during our bus ride, as well as during our walk through the siq. Until about 15 years ago, the Bedouin were living in Petra. They have been living there for nearly a century, but have been move out to a small village just outside the gates. The Bedouin are traditionally a nomadic, tribal people. Those who resided in Petra have been given complete rights to the crafts, carriage, mule and camel trade in the site.

That said, there is no shortage of opportunity to buy traditionally made art and to snag a ride on a camel.

The famous Treasury is a tomb for a Nabatean king. Nearly all of the ornate facades in the area served as tombs for the Nabataeans and is separate from the city in which they lived. Excavation is ongoing at Petra. John and I hiked the site, through the huge theater which could seat 7000 and past dozens of elegant tomb facades. We climbed hundreds of steps past the Corinthian tomb and up to the Palace tomb where we got an overview of the entire area.

The view from on high.

Hassan, who sold me some Bedouin jewelry.

We visited with many lovely Bedouin and bought some items to remember out trip. We spent nearly two hours at the site, but knew we needed to take the hour hike out in order to meet up with our group for lunch.

The horse carriages that are employed for tourists run through the 2.2 km siq go at a very fast clip. Constantly, we hear the horses, with their carriage men shouting to get out of the way. Unfortunately, during our walk out, one of the carriage drives lost control and the poor hourse ran directly into a rubbish can and the siq wall. The horse's hind quarter was thrown into an terrible position, obviously broken. Many tourists gathered around, but we knew what the outcome would be and I can't stand to see suffering, so we moved along.