McConnell Times: Jordan

Our early morning bus ride from Mount Sinai to the Red Sea gave us much needed rest from our midnight hike. Once at the sea port, we boarded a ferry that would take us into Jordan.

The water was so clear! That surprised me, and I read that there were great diving spots in the Red Sea similar to the Caribbean.

Something to note is that everywhere we went in the Arab countries, we were treated like VIPs. They depend on tourism for their survival, and their hospitality is superb! We did have an armed police officer with us at all times for good measure, though. This allowed us speedier check points and ensured our safety from potential theives or pickpockets.

But once on the ferry, we discovered that it was boarded by 98% men who traveled from Egypt looking for work in Jordan. As the men's restroom had a waiting line, they began using the women's. At one point, I counted 8 men in the women's restroom! Needless to say, the girls in our tour held our bladders until we arrived at our destination. And one more point about the toilets...they don't use toilet paper. Instead, they use a water wand or bidet faucet. It takes some getting used to. I ended up spraying way more than intended, and decided to start bringing my own tissue into the stalls.

Upon our arrival into Jordan, I noticed a little more wealth. There's still poverty in the country, but they have less population overall and seem to have better infrastructure. Much of the land is still desert and barren, though.

After a delicious meal and good night's sleep, we started the next day by walking from the hotel to Petra. The dirt/cobblestone road into this ancient city is called the Siq. If you've ever watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (3rd in the series), Harrison Ford rides a horse into this settlement. It's one of the Seven Wonders of the World along with the Giza Pyramids.

While most of the Siq is a natural rock formation, some parts were sculptured by the Nabataeans. The Siq was kept narrow to better defend their territory from invading armies. Some of the native decendents still live here today and sell trinkets.

About half a mile into the canyon, we caught a glimpse of one of their most famous sites...the Treasury. It is literally a jewel that's hidden until you're almost right in front of it.

It took my breath away to see this in person!

Although we couldn't go into the Treasury, there were so many places we could explore.

And there were camels everywhere.

When we found a few places we're allowed to go inside, they were basically just dark rectangular rooms that smelled like animal urine. Back in their prime, these places were used by families and for burial of loved ones.