PETRA....

Finally! The passport arrives and freedom is again atainable... APologies for the dramatization (surprise, surprise)

After receiving our passports on Monday afternoon, Jeremy and I set off from kibbutz around 2:00 PM on Wednesday. Leaving the kibbutz was no easy task - packing, cleaning, working, saying goodbyes, filling out paper work, securing our plans on the Internet etc... It was no easy task and we were both touched by how many people offered parting gifts, parties, and invitations. At work, there was a small going away party and I received beautiful letters and gifts from some of the families.Tuesday night, I had a predinner cocktail at the Levy's (a French couple who has been on kibbutz for 20+ years) After dinner, I was invited for a vin chaud at the family of one of my babies... Then, we had a going away party (post jazz night/coffee house) complete with a late night swim in the pool.

The final days at kibbutz gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for the community; I am so grateful for the expereince and increasingly see the merits of raising a family there. (still, having access to the exterior "real" world is crucial!)

We took the bus to Eilat and then walked the 3+ km to the border with Jordan. Inspite of the heat, we wanted to walk across the border rather than taking a cab. We arrived and the border police greeted us with water and an admiring nod.

We found a hotel in Aqaba for 10 dinar (12 dollars) and proceeded directly to the hamman. It was about 8:30 by this time and we needed some ritually cleaning and relaxation to fete our return to the wandering lifestyle. At the hammam, we first went into a steam room. This room was unbelievably hot. Keeping in mind that outside it was already 100+ degrees, and this room felt MUCH MUCH hotter, I can only imagine the temperature. We sweated ferociously as we laid out on the tiled benches. Water dripped from the ceiling and was heated in running pools in the back of this room. After 20 + minutes in this incubator, our skin was ready to be scrubbed.

Scrubbed it was! We laid down, one at time, on a tile platform. There, we were scrubbed from head to toe with a washcloth/loofah. Our skin rolled off like the peal of an apple, taking with it the dirt and sweat and leaving the clean, fresh skin beneath exposed. Next, we were soaped up and then we rinsed off.

In the next room, we were served hot mint tea and water. After a relaxing 10 minute break, we were each treated to a 20-30 minutes massage. Wonderful...

After the hammam, we were dazed. It feels much like emerging from a dream or (from what I've heard) a drug induced state. . . . after some errant wandering, we realized how hungry we were and we set out in the difficult search for a restaurant.

Aqaba is a developed town, relatively clean, with hundreds of cafes lining the water front. The cafes, were only coffee and tea are served, are busy, even late at night. They patrons, however, are only men. AS we walked through the streets, the two westerners and especially me - the redheaded woman - made quite a spectacle. The stares of the men didn't surprise me - they weren't much worse than what I had expereince in Morocco - but Jeremy was uncomfortable. Still, the "harassment" was only with the eyes, and I felt pretty safe. We walked all along the Red Sea and passed through the enormous plaza at the heart of Aqaba. Here is there is a Jordanien flag that is ENORMOUS... It is lit up from three sides by spot lights and can be clearly seen from eilat as well.

Frustratred with out inability to find food, we were finally led to a great restauraint by a generous man from one of the cafes. He walked with us for 2 to 3 km until we reached a restaurant in the center of town. After telling the owner to take care of us, he left without any expectation or request for compensation. Jordaniens, we found throughout our trip, are very friendly! We ate kebabs and salad and then headed to bed.

The next morning, even after missing our alarm, we made it to Petra around 10:30 am. At the bus station in Wadi Aroum (the small tourist city right outside Petra) we were greeted by a wise business man who invited most of passengers to his hostel. For 10 dinar, we recieved a bed and free transportation to and from the ancient city. The hostel was amazing, with a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding mountains. From its terrace, later that night, we watched the sunset and shared a bottle of wine. For 3 dinar, there was an all you can eat buffet of vegetables, rice and 20 different salads. The hostel was clean and complete intune to the desires of the western backpacker. The owner even gave Jeremy a belt, since we were all sick of his pants falling down!

Petra - the most remarkable parts were indeed the ones I remembered. We approached the site from a km long walk through a canyon. Carved out from an ancient and dried up river, the walls stretch up on both sides for 5 or more stories. The width of the canyon is only about 10 feet. Above you, the clear blue sky stands in stark contrast the the sand-toned stone of the canyon walls.

We followed a French tour group for much of the way, more for amusement than education. The guide spoke inpeccable French, but shared little relevant information abotu the 2200 year old site. He showed us the water canals carved out to prevent flooding and explained the small statues of gods and goddesses. We were mostly entertained by the French couple with the tour = the woman walked in heels and did not miss an opportunity to complain. Her husband, tout francais with his curled up mustache- only nodded as she lamented the heat, the walk, the boring guide etc. etc. etc. Her lipstick smeared in the heat and it was clear that she was much more a laise in a parisien cafe than in the Jordanien desert.

The tourists, by the way, were largely French and Spanish. Most were families and the backpacking crowd was small. We saw a few other Americans, although not many. There were Suisse, Swedes and Dutch. I spoke a lot of French and kept my passport securely strapped to my belly!


to be continued....