Jordan
We arrived in Amman for our first night of food and were
treated to a delicious meal where they kept bringing out plates of
deliciousness and I was ready to move in. We headed back to the hotel with full
bellies ready to take on Petra the following day.
On the way to Petra, we stopped at a church, where they had
discovered a map from ancient times of the whole region, made as a mosaic on
the floor. Apparently, it has been used to locate several archaeological sites,
and it was incredible to see the attention to detail, and how aspects of it are
still being unpacked to learn new things about the way of life back then. Our
last stop on the way was a monastery on Mount Nebo, with incredible views of
Jericho and Jerusalem, where God took Moses to see the Promised Land before he
died. Again, the artwork of the ancient mosaics was so impressive, the time and
attention to detail to find the right stones in the right colours – I would
never have the patience!
Upon arrival to Petra, we went out for some more food (yay
food!) and then had Petra by Night, where you walk down to the Treasury
Building (which was never actually a treasury) of the ancient city of Petra by
candlelight, then we sat and listened to someone play a wooden flute and then
someone did a little speech. It was a really nice experience to see the old
carved buildings and a little of the city at night-time, completely different
to how it looked during the day.
The following day, our guide took us on a tour of Petra, we
saw the old tombs of the rich people, the poor people, and the soldiers, as
well as some of the houses and the marketplace of Petra.
It was fascinating to
hear a little of the history, they were basically the only group of people the
Romans couldn’t defeat no matter how many times they tried or how many people
they sent in. It was quite the embarrassment for the “Great Roman Empire”, so in
the end, the only way the Romans could beat them was by building a highway with
Police stations and rest stops every 5 miles for the people they would trade
with to stop them from trading.
Even then, they laid siege to Petra and blocked
off their water supply and still the people of Petra didn’t come out of their
town, as they had a secret system of ceramic pipes to supply an alternative
water supply. In the end, the Romans found someone they could bribe to tell
them about the pipes and then that was how they were defeated. I always like a
good story of the little guy outsmarting the bully with a bit of ingenuity.
By far the most traumatising moment of my trip was while we
were waiting for some of the group there was this beautiful dog, who looked
like a border collie and reminded me of my pet dog, except she was skin and
bones, and looked like she’d recently had a litter, and was missing the skin
off her nose. We had previously fed her a little sausage and she looked so
happy for a minute there with her wagging tale. Another dog, a male, came over
and started attacking her, but I was surprised to see her holding her own,
despite the state she was in. At least that was until a group of nearby males
all came over and started ripping into her. I don’t know what I would have done
if our guide hadn’t started throwing rocks at them to make them run off. I
watched her limp off up the side of the mountain, hoping desperately there was
somewhere safe for her to go.
After wandering around the city for a bit, we walked up to a
monastery, where we got to experience three different spots that were all “the
best view in Jordan”. Having done a lot of walking and taken in a lot of
sunshine and said no to a lot of people wanting to give me a very good price, I
made my way back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.
We then continued to Wadi Rum, where
we were to stay the night in a desert Bedouin camp. We got out of the bus and
finished our journey on the back of utes, stopping for some Bedouin tea on the
way.
The camp itself was beautiful, surrounded by desert sand and
rock formations. Our dinner was the Bedouin version of hangi, meat, rice, and
vegetables cooked in the ground, so delicious and an enjoyable way to finish
off our travels together as a group.
We were then treated to some traditional
music and the opportunity to dance with a bunch of school boys from Amman who
were there on a school trip. I declined the offer (such a surprise, I know),
but was quite content taking photos and videos of everyone else. It is amazing
how all cultural and racial barriers are broken down so quickly by the
universal language of dance, and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and taking it
all in.
So at this exact moment, I am sitting in the Amman airport
waiting for my first of three flights back to London, with mixed emotions. I
have so many moments, memories, taonga, to carry with me from this trip, one I
was privileged to share with an incredible group of people from so many
backgrounds and stories, but all with a common love for travel.
Getting this
morning I was very one-tracked and determined to hold it together as I said
goodbyes while avoiding eye contact. The places I have been have all left their
unique mark, and I feel all the richer for the experience. I would like to say
I am excited to get back to London, and there are some things I am looking
forward to for sure – my bed, a washing machine, ditching the suitcase, a nice
warm high-pressure shower.
At the same time all I can think is how I wish my
destination were New Zealand instead of London. Wishing that I was going to see
my nephews and nieces on Monday instead of the children who will be filling my
classroom. But no matter, next weekend is Amsterdam and the tulip festival, and
many more adventures to look forward to.
To finish off with, a quote from the Queen of Jordan, one of
my new found heroes, "We are stronger when we listen and smarter when
we share."
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