I am eating watermelon on a pirate ship after snorkeling in one of the best places in the world for it—the Red Sea. The sun sets over the hills of Israel and the my hair, tangled from the salt water, blows in the warm wind. Who Am I?!
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Did you know that outside of Amman is mostly desert? Because it is. A lot a lot a lot of desert. The first stop on our three day mega-sight seeing saga was Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum literally translates into “high valley.” It’s known for its breathtaking rock formations and red sand.
A camel ride took us across the Wadi. Now, let me tell you about these camels. They make really bizarre noises. And they are not comfortable. I currently have a lump in my back from the saddle-esque thing and bruises on my inner thighs from straddling it. In fact, they recommend sitting cross-legged. Well, didn’t know about that one until it was too late.
My camel’s name was Geldan and Erin’s was named Gelby (Arabic for ‘my heart’). There was a lot of padding between me and the camel. Aside from the saddle, I was also sitting on beach towels, old pillows and a purple Columbia fleece. You get on the camel from a sitting position and getting them to stand is not pleasant. I felt like I was going to get thrown from it each time we got on and off.
We set out overlooking the “7 Pillars of Wisdom” rock that inspired none other than Lawrence of Arabia. Much of the filming of the movie was done in this area as well. And it was BEAUTIFUL. The sand was incredibly red, and the way the wind blew over the rocks made the most stunning patterns. We took breaks along the way for rock climbing and sand dune rolling.
Our day ended outside a “shway” touristy Bedouin camp. Little known fact about the Bedouins—they are loaded. This was apparent from the digs we stayed in. Even though we did sleep in tents, the bathrooms had ceramic floors. There were palm trees, a hookah station and an eating area.
That night, a group of us hiked out into the desert to do some stargazing. The sky was the most spectacular sight. I have never seen that many stars. I could even see the whitish stripe in the sky marking the Milky Way. Perfection.
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Day two dawned hot. I wrapped my scarf around my head in an effort to block the sun. It really works! We started by taking a 3-hour ATV ride through the desert. Since we were going relatively fast, the sand got in my nose and mouth. Not fun. We stopped by various sights to rock climb, which I did sans shoes. One stop was even Lawrence of Arabia’s former home. Granted, it’s a pile of bricks now, it was still pretty cool.
We then proceeded to Aqaba. Word on Aqaba—it is SO touristy. It reminded me of a mix between South Beach and French Boulevards. European shops lined the city streets against the backdrop of the Red Sea.
Aqaba sits on the Red Sea. The water is clear blue but is also in a spectacular blue shade. Now, I really wanted to pull a Moses and part the Red Sea, but it proved too difficult. I’ll just leave it to the experts. My boat was called the Alisar and was a PIRATE SHIP! Really though, who does this. We took an hour ride along the coast until we finally anchored.
I was uber excited to jump off the side of the ship. And after a hot day, jumping in was rather refreshing. But oh dear god, was it ever SALTY. I mean, I knew the Dead Sea would be salty, but didn’t expect it from the Red Sea. I quickly got back on board the ship and donned my snorkeling gear.
Now, I’ve never snorkeled. It’s not easy. I have giant flippers on my feet and am flailing around in the water trying to get my mouthpiece in just right so I don’t inhale the seawater. I failed. I took in enough salt to shrivel all my insides.
The snorkeling around the Red Sea—between Aqaba and the Saudi border—is considered to be the best in the world. I can’t even describe how beautiful it was. Colorful coral sat along the bottom with fish swimming around. I even swam through a school of fish. It was one of those experiences words cannot describe. I can now see how much fun it would be to be a marine biologist.
We headed for shore in time to see the sunset over the hills of Eilat. The captain of our boat—a scrawny Libyan looking man—fed us watermelon and cookies as Arabic music played in the background. As we got closer to shore, the music became more of the dance variety and the boat was soon a rocking with swiveling hips.
Day 3
They warned us—strongly—that the 6-mile backdoor hike to from the Bedouin Camp and up several Jebels (small mountains) to Petra would be tough. There would even be a spot where you had to cross a 4-inch ledge, clinging to rocks, lest you fall hundreds of feet into the Wadi below. I knew I was in shape enough for it…but the whole ledge thing kind of freaked me out. I decided to do it anyway.
And I am so glad that I did. Marching through the desert gave me a sense of independence. We hiked up over rocks and stairs. The views were amazing. It reminded me somewhat of the desert side of the Rockies. At one point a Bedouin was selling tea on the side of the mountain. It was delicious.
The four-inch ledge was a little intense. Nothing I couldn’t handle. I just didn’t think about falling. It was fine. Now the most incredible part of doing the backdoor hike is that Petra kind of sneaks up on you. Since you are not going through the main gate, you see no throngs of tourists in tacky clothes. You round a corner and there it is. Petra.
The first part we saw was the Monastery. And because it was so secluded, it was by far my favorite. Petra has had a long history. The Nabateans were the ones that saw Petra through its golden age. How they managed to carve such intricate patterns into the rocks is something I can’t even comprehend. After wandering through the rest of Petra, I noticed several things. I dislike tourists. The absolute disregard for customs perturbed me. Women were walking around in Bikini tops and skimpy shirts. I really wanted to walk up and ask them “Excuse me, where do you think you are.” Another thing I found surprising was how many Bedouin women were selling things.
They would call out from the shops “No charge for looking” or “A special surprise.” Children would come up and ask if you wanted to buy postcards or rocks. They would pester you saying you could ride on their donkey for only 5 JD. The treasury—or what is typically thought of when “Petra” comes to mind was spectacular, if not marred slightly by how many tourists were there.
All in all, this weekend made me realize that I am embarking on something that very few people do, and I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity.
For Photos of my weekend
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