Wed: Today it was time to walk the cliff side trail that lead around to the Rummana Campsite. It was a fairly easy walk but lent itself to magnificent views of the canyon and reserve. We had a very funny guide who made an impromptu fire and of course tea. I wish the Arabs would look harder at their diet sometimes though and cut back on the sugar. Seriously…you guys totally overdo it!! It was then time to head down to Petra. Today we went to an old Nabatean cistern calved into a cliff (these guys are famous for their water and drainage systems. They really had it going on) and then to Little Petra (Siq Al-Barid). Here one finds a temple and four triclinia (big rooms carved into the side of the cliffs which have three benches in them and believed to be dining halls). One still has a small but nevertheless very impressive patch of painting high in detail. Next it was of to the Ammarin Bedouin Camp. It looks quite impressive but don’t camp there at night when there’s a wind and definitely not out in the open as you’ll have to drag all your bedding back indoors at about 3am as you haven’t slept a wink and then have to contend it a constantly banging door which will only be stopped when you stuff all your bedding in the doorway (shoes and towels done’t work!). It’s also good if you like a cold shower.
After a very good dinner at a fairly new restaurant (Al Qantarah), it was off to the Petra by Night show. Mum was right….it was kind of pathetic. That might be a bit harsh, but 12JD for 20min of music is a bit steep. Ok, so you get the ambiance of the candle-lit Siq and The Tresury at night, but cut the price in half or something! Sorting out the type of tourist that turns up might be a positive too. Why would you come to any performance, not stop talking the whole way through and use your flash camera (no guys, the flash won’t work here, so stop trying!!!) to make the place feel like you’re at a disco with strobe lighting (don’t go if you’re epileptic. Seriously!!) People just seem to have no ability to sit still and keep their mouths closed for longer than a few seconds. Has modern society created this monster? Get a grip, people! It could have been quite nice if you knew what you were up for, but the ending came as a bit of a shock….it just wasn’t expected that soon into the performance!! Sorry if I sound negative today. I’m really not. It’s fabulous to be back in this very special part of the world. And it really is special with the huge cliffs and sandy wadis. It’s impossible to absorb enough this landscape with your eyes. You want it to soak into your very being more and more. It’s powerful. It’s wise. And if you listen in silence long enough, those wise, old rocks will talk to you.
XXX
