Feb 7, 2009 - After yesterday’s hike through Petra, I’m ready for a more relaxed ride continuing south to Aquaba. Last evening a group of us took cabs through Petra to a small hotel/restaurant that was once a Bedouin home. Sue and Doug knew about this and invited us to join them. Three taxis drove higher and higher up a mountain just in time to see the sun set. We were the only people in the restaurant. They prepared soup, mezzes (similar to tapas for salads), main course (choice of lamb or chicken) and dessert. Enough food for an army the tasted great! This morning we drive this same route and can see the mountain range clearer – including Aaron’s tomb. Our destination today is Wadi Rum. The desert area can trace settlements as far back as 4500BC. TE Lawrence got his inspiration to write Seven Pillars of Wisdom here. Later he became know as the famous Lawrence of Arabia helping to fight for the Arab Revolt against the Turkish Ottoman. At one time great natural oasis provided the local tribes with water and relief from the scorching desert heat. But over the years and change in climate, many of these are dried up and are only a mirage in our minds. You can rent a camel for a 5 hour trek or rent a jeep (our choice) to see the mountain known as “the seven pillars of wisdom” (we could only count 5). We also viewed rock carvings from the Thamudic tribes (8th century BC). There is a stark beauty to this region. A desert Bedouin tribe gives us a warm welcome of tea. It’s very strange to be walking in hot sand – which is extremely difficult – but if you stepped into the shade made by the jeep, within minutes the sand was cold. For the more adventurous, there are two tented camps in Wadi Rum. This is meant to give the visitor a wonderful experience of how the nomads of the desert (Bedouins) live. I can imagine the night sky and how brilliant the stars would shine without any of the light pollution.
After lunch, we once again drove south on the King’s Highway to the port of Aqaba. This small piece of land was given to Jordan in a treaty between Israel and Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. It’s now one of the fastest developing areas along the Sea of Aqaba. By late afternoon we boarded our new home – MV Monet. A crew of 27 will look after only 32 passengers (the ship carries a total of 62). So our American tribe of 20 will be the majority.