Pitstop in Jordan

Jan 13, 2017
2 min read

Continued from dark and chilly Deutschland:

Has snow ever been so beloved as by my Mexican friends here? Probably not.

Becca was still working full time when we visited, so in order to give her some space during her work-week, we absconded to Jordan. Classic Talia-and-Elliot-absconding scenario.

We caught a lift with Shifra's parents who took us allllll the way from Tel Aviv to the border crossing way in the south between Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba (Jordan). Door to door service? Ja, sehr gut! On the way, we stopped for lunch at a little goat farm in the desert because when you travel with parents, you lunch like parents. Also, it was delicious- parents know what's up.

Chattin' up an Ibex in Mitzpe Ramon. As one does.

Then we WALKED across the border, which I loved even though it was just a block of many boring, bureaucratic stops and check points. But how romantic to walk across the border RIGHT. Anyway, soon after we were whisked away by...a perfect stranger. Our Airbnb host was a man who ran a desert camp in Wadi Rum and he sent his "partner" to pick us up. He was nothing but unfailingly nice, but after off-roading in the desert for ten minutes with seemingly no rhyme or reason, I may have been questioning our life decisions.

Dat desert tho.

BUT HOW WRONG I WAS.

Salman's camp was perfect- the food was delicious, the tea plentiful, the stars unreal, and the company around the fire delightful.

I could have easily stayed in Wadi Rum for several more days! Just look at that punim!

The next day, we watched the sun rise and split a taxi with a super interesting couple (if you magically see this Lucia and Dario, hmu!!). So, after a harrowing ride through the mountains in a cloud so thick, the driver could only see a meter in front of the car... we made it to Petra!

Woah.

For those who don't know, Petra is an archaeological and geological World Heritage site in the mountains of southern Jordan that is commonly known as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. But Petra is not new- it was actually established sometime around 312 BC and built up from then into the early centuries AD by the Arab Nabataeans who were (clearly successful) traders in the region.

Pro-tip: you (and many re-discoverers of the past) may think the buildings had a wide variety of functions. Ah, but treasury, you say? Tomb, say the Nabataeans. Palace, you say? Tomb, say the Nabataeans. Corinthian Tomb? Silk Tomb? Royal Tombs? Now you're getting it, say the Nabataeans.

In spite of the hawkers aggressively (or sometimes with a surprisingly laissez-faire pitch- for example, calling out to your prospective buyers while laying under a blanket, drinking tea and smoking a cigarette) pushing their wares in areas, the site is incredible. And huge. Incredibly huge and hugely incredible. We hiked a LOT of it. Here are some pictures: