On day 2 of our Arabian adventure in Jordan, we traveled a short distance from the grand site of Petra to a lesser-known area called Little Petra. Some believe Little Petra was once an important suburb, located where caravan routes that linked the Arabian Peninsula, Gaza, Egypt and the Mediterranean coast converged.
Though not as opulent, to me it was equally as fascinating. It also boasted a siq (or entrance), similar to Petra’s, that lead to temples, tombs, houses, water channels and cisterns carved out of the same red rock as seen in Petra.
I actually think I enjoyed Little Petra more as there were only a handful of tourists besides ourselves.
Suddenly the "suburbs" took on a whole different meaning!
What a view the Nabateans had everyday.
Rivette, Liz, Jeanne, Barb, Charene and Mercedes.
In the 1980's, however, when Petra started becoming an important tourist destination, the Bedouins who lived there were urged (forced!) to uproot and move into a "concrete" settlement of Umm Sayhoon.
Not quite the ambiance of a cave overlooking the desert but it does have plumbing and electricity!
Another natural lure in Jordan, Wadi Rum is a mesmerizing desert wilderness that has recently been named a Unesco World Heritage Site. Wadi means "valley" and Rum is, well, not what you're thinking but just the name of the valley. Not sure if it translates to English or not.
Our carriages awaited our group.
Not really any two-lane highways - or one-lane, for that matter.
It was a one WILD ride up and over the dunes. The women in my jeep were saying things that shocked me! We were asking one of the gals if she thought now she ought to loosen the reins on her 20-year old daughter. Her reply was, "What daughter?! Woo-hoo!!!"
We survive the ride with our trusty, slightly demented driver but Rivette still clings to Liz.
This fine-looking Bedouin proudly poses and displays his saber while
this one shows off his artistic way of wearing his mendeel (headscarf).
Rasha posing by some graffiti. Yes, it's been around for thousands of years!
All of the animals we saw looked really healthy and well-cared for,
including the docile camels sauntering across the desolate landscape and
the famed Arabian horses.
We stopped for tea at this Bedouin tent site where
tea is a VERY important ritual. We learned that you should NEVER refuse an offer for tea and it was offered wherever we went. It was very, very sweet so the polite one cup was enough for me.
Who knew that a group of women couldn't resist a chance for more shopping? These entrepreneurs, that's who!
More scarves...
and soaps?....
and teas....
Potty break for us and
a rest for these weary camels.
The spectacular views were endless. It was here that Lawrence of Arabia and Prince Faisal Bin Hussein established their headquarters during the Arab Revolt in the early 1900s during WWI.
Our destination for that day was nearing as we approached our campsite for the night,
The Rainbow Camp. We had our evening meal and festivities (more on that later so stay tuned) in this large open tent.
Our little campsite and tents look minuscule against the grandeur of the rust-colored mountains.
Barb and I shared this tent. You know how they talk about the cold desert nights? Well, let me tell you, it was F-F-F-FREEZING, even though there were several blankets piled on top of each other. Where were my flannel jammies when I needed them?!
But, before dinner and going to bed, we had an awesome opportunity to witness a spectacular sunset.
Perched on top of a cliff,
we drank a toast to our trip thus far. Rasha thought of everything - including wine for this special moment.
Later on....., Jeanne, Mercedes and Charene enjoy the warmth of the campfire while
Barb is enjoying the hookah! Sometime after a few glasses of wine, a lot of dancing and a few hits off the hookah (a very mild form of tobacco), a few of us decided to opt for a different type of transportation back in the morning.....
Aren't they gorgeous? I've heard horror stories about nasty camels that smell and spit but ours were quite nice with their soft beautiful eyes with two sets of eyelashes!
Getting on and up was the most difficult part since you get on while the camels are kneeling down, then they lurch forward to get up. If you're not hanging on tightly, you'll go flying over the head of the camel. Once on, it's a breeze!
What's he smiling about?
We rode the camels for about 2 and a half hours while the rest of the group went back in jeeps. A couple of jeeps went by, the people waved and asked us if we wanted a ride but we ventured on as the Bedouins have for thousands of years. (I'm not seriously comparing our ride to that of the Bedouins life!) Since we were moving so slowly, this was pretty much our view the whole way, with the exception of
Liz, our soulful dance instructor from the night before,
Rivette not looking too thrilled,
Debbie, enjoying every moment,
the rest of the gang,
and our Bedouin leader. Look closely as HE IS ON HIS CELLPHONE! In the middle of the desert!
Our camels enjoying a much needed rest after the trek and
Barb with her new-found friends. They all look pretty happy to me - even the camel is smiling!
Day 3 coming up with a trip to the Dead Sea!
