There are some places on the planet you just have to see in order to get a grasp on. So no matter what I tell you, it will not do justice to the experience. However, what pictures (coming soon) fail to convey is everything else going on--smells, sounds, feelings, fatigue, taste, hap hazardous thoughts, etc.
Wadi Rum was made famous by T.E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia, who was a British spy during WWI. We were a crew of 9 who adventured out to see the places he talked about. Our adventures started immediately, as one of our cars broke down an hour outside of Amman. So after much ado, we ALL piled into the other car, a Honda CRV, with all the luggage. I sat in the trunk smushed next to the backpacks, pillows and food with another girl (hot, sweaty, numb bum, and having excellent conversations). It may sound crazy, but I enjoyed it. We visited a medical clinic in a small village and got a second car, so our cozy ride wasn't too long. We are indebted to the generous people there.
But even better was the jeep ride through Wadi Rum's rocky mountains at sunset and running down hills of fine red sand. Being jostled around on rough roads through rugged scenery in the back of a pick-up is actually one of my very favorite things! There was a funny guy from Tennessee with us, a first timer in Wadi Rum, who volunteered to be our tour guide as we rumbled through the terrain, and he did an excellent job of conjuring up stories and names for the places we saw. Now I know how camels came into being. The evening ended with a night spent under a star-studded sky after a filling meal cooked under the sand and some fireside singing in English and Arabic.
We hit Petra the next day. This place is famous for its rock carvings and rosy colored stone. It is also hot and one's nose is quite frequently assailed by the pungent odor of camels and donkeys toasting in the heat. Also sunscreen and dirt. Persistent if not creative vendors have set up tables all the way up mountainsides, and they call out with practiced American accents, "Anything for one dinar!" And special offers for tired tourists abound: "You want taxi? With air-conditioning," a man with a glint in his eye offered us a ride on his donkey!
We visited postcard-famous places and then some: caves, carvings, an amphitheater, a monastery, a lookout point, a church, a temple, tombs, etc. Only relics of an ancient civilization are left, and one wonders what it was truly like to be in a bustling trade city like Petra in the first century. It is hot and dry now, but back then it was verdant and watered by a river. Walking through such places reminds me of how everything is fleeting and no matter what we think is amazing or the pinnacle of civilization, it too will pass away. And yet, the purposes and mercy of God were as much for them as they are for us. Amazing.
Tonight is my last night here in Jordan and I must finish packing. I got to visit Syrian families today, but I will blog on that later! Ma'a salaama!
Wadi Rum was made famous by T.E. Lawrence, or Lawrence of Arabia, who was a British spy during WWI. We were a crew of 9 who adventured out to see the places he talked about. Our adventures started immediately, as one of our cars broke down an hour outside of Amman. So after much ado, we ALL piled into the other car, a Honda CRV, with all the luggage. I sat in the trunk smushed next to the backpacks, pillows and food with another girl (hot, sweaty, numb bum, and having excellent conversations). It may sound crazy, but I enjoyed it. We visited a medical clinic in a small village and got a second car, so our cozy ride wasn't too long. We are indebted to the generous people there.
But even better was the jeep ride through Wadi Rum's rocky mountains at sunset and running down hills of fine red sand. Being jostled around on rough roads through rugged scenery in the back of a pick-up is actually one of my very favorite things! There was a funny guy from Tennessee with us, a first timer in Wadi Rum, who volunteered to be our tour guide as we rumbled through the terrain, and he did an excellent job of conjuring up stories and names for the places we saw. Now I know how camels came into being. The evening ended with a night spent under a star-studded sky after a filling meal cooked under the sand and some fireside singing in English and Arabic.
We hit Petra the next day. This place is famous for its rock carvings and rosy colored stone. It is also hot and one's nose is quite frequently assailed by the pungent odor of camels and donkeys toasting in the heat. Also sunscreen and dirt. Persistent if not creative vendors have set up tables all the way up mountainsides, and they call out with practiced American accents, "Anything for one dinar!" And special offers for tired tourists abound: "You want taxi? With air-conditioning," a man with a glint in his eye offered us a ride on his donkey!
We visited postcard-famous places and then some: caves, carvings, an amphitheater, a monastery, a lookout point, a church, a temple, tombs, etc. Only relics of an ancient civilization are left, and one wonders what it was truly like to be in a bustling trade city like Petra in the first century. It is hot and dry now, but back then it was verdant and watered by a river. Walking through such places reminds me of how everything is fleeting and no matter what we think is amazing or the pinnacle of civilization, it too will pass away. And yet, the purposes and mercy of God were as much for them as they are for us. Amazing.
Tonight is my last night here in Jordan and I must finish packing. I got to visit Syrian families today, but I will blog on that later! Ma'a salaama!
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