Jordan/Petra

One of the things I like about reaching a new country, is my first experience with the transport system. Often, it gives me a first perspective about the country. When I reached Amman, I decided to take a taxi, since it was the easier option, directly to Petra which is about 2 hours away from the airport. The taxi driver was courteous, helped me with my bag, and when I sat in the taxi, he asked exactly where I wanted to go, and then told me that I could sleep if I wanted to while he drove (not in a creepy way). I didn't. I like to watch the landscape of a new place. I tried talking to him about the weather, but he motioned that yes, it was very hot and then went back to being silent. And it was silent for the entire 2 hours of the drive. The landscape was barren, desert, brown, with not a single soul or a building on the road, except for the occasional car zooming past. When we reached Petra, the driver went out of his way to help me find the hotel. And as I think back, this, in a nutshell sums up my 3 day experience in Jordan. I found the people very helpful, kind, and yet very silent, and not outdoors. The streets are deserted.

Petra is another world. That’s what I looked forward to the most during this trip, and it didn’t disappoint. I took a 2 day pass thinking it would be enough to see everything, but I couldn’t manage it. The harsh sun beat me. The place is immense, seemingly unending. Although, I was partly to blame because I spent a lot of time just sitting and gazing at the Siq, my favorite part of Petra, the small alleyway through huge sandstone rocks leading to the Treasury, the most famous ruin. The biggest surprise was the night tour, when the entire way was lit up by candles, and everybody walked in silence through the lit up Siq, and you could see countless stars, until you finally reached the Treasury which was lit up by hundreds of candles, with one man sitting in the middle and singing Arabic songs. After he finished singing, a man stood up from a corner and started playing the flute.

Again, like many other times, I wondered how I could be so lucky as to have such an experience.

Link to pics