When my carriage passed my group, Wafa yelled at the driver. He went slower and stopped whenever I wanted to take photos. At the end of the ride he had me close my eyes for a surprise. This is what I saw when I opened my eyes.
Of course I arrived at the treasury before the rest of the group. There was hardly anybody else there yet and so I was a sitting duck for all the young adult males trying to hawk their wares. Wafa had called them handsome (with their eyeliner and mascara) and charming. It was true. One particular man followed me everywhere, showing me where to take the best photos.
I was glad when my group arrived. Wafa was her animated self describing the eclectic nature of the figures carved into the treasury. Her contention is that the people who carved the facade buried their dead underneath like the Egyptians and Mayans. She believes the treasury is actually a tomb.
We walked around the corner and she explained that you can recognize a tomb by the "crows steps" at the top. (I didn't see those on the treasury.)
She took us around the corner to show us the amazing multi-colored rocks that make up Petra. She convinced Stephanie to crawl through a small window in the rock.
The next spectacular thing to see is the Urn Tomb, followed by a series of more tombs. However it requires you to be able to do lots of uneven stairs without a rail. I stayed below. I looked in some stalls. I spent quite a bit of time talking to the men who ran the incense store with a big sign outside that said "We Sell Frankincense". I didn't buy anything but I smelled everything.
When they came back there was a young man waiting for them. He heard they wanted to take donkeys up to the sanctuary. I can't go. It is around 800 steps up. Which means it is around 800 back down. The photos I saw of the sanctuary are beautiful. Stephanie is great at negotiating. She is willing to walk away. We walked a little further and then got the right deal. We said goodbye to Wafa. She is leaving us and heading for Amman. The three of them got on their donkeys.
I watched them go and then looked up the hill to wave goodbye to Wafa.
Everyone left by high roads. I walked a bit further down the colonnade but because I didn't want to climb steps there wasn't much to see. I had a return trip scheduled with my carriage driver. By now it was hot and miserable and so I headed back the way I came. I shopped along the way but mostly I kept moving. I got back to the siq sooner than expected but my driver was glad to take me early. He took the return trip at such a high speed that the jarring to my knee was intense and it felt like my breasts were hitting my chin. I was glad to give him his tip and be done with him.
Back in Wadi Musa, I stopped in the Visitor Centre to see the movie inside. But the darkness and cool air was too much of a temptation. I quickly fell asleep. I woke up with a jolt and decided to head back up the hill to our hotel. I ordered lunch for my stomach and ice for my knee. Lunch was good because as Wafa says, "Jordan has the best vegetables". I also ordered a bag of ice and they brought a small trash bag full. I started to feel rejuvenated.
Laurie, Stephanie and Zandra returned to the hotel right at 1:30, our rendezvous time. I was sure they would be late but they are rock stars. (Zandra had another allergic reaction at breakfast. With two Benadryl in her she still conquered the day.) Our driver, Saad, arrived shortly thereafter. We are headed for Wadi Rum (The Valley of the Moon) and the largest Wadi in Jordan. Saad is a talker. He drove and lectured us on Jordanian history, currency and everything else that interested him.
First we checked into the Wadi Rum Luxury Camp. Think, "Glamping in the desert." We have luxury accommodations, which means we have full bathrooms in out tents.
We hurried to get ready for our camel adventure. I was so excited about this part of the trip that I had my PT help me to think about how I would get on.
Stephanie was on her camel less than a minute when it decided to roll onto it's side. Luckily she is nimble and avoided injury. But watching that happen turned all my excitement into terror. All I could think of was that could happen to me and completely ruin my knee surgery recovery. Our camel guide looked all of 14 years old. He stood the camels up without warning. If you have ever been on a camel you know it throws you forward then backward before it evens out. I shrieked so loud it is a wonder my camel didn't take off at a gallop. We walked straight out into the Wadi Rum desert for one hour before connecting with our Jeep driver again. I was so glad to be off my camel without injury.
Our Jeep driver collected us and off we went for our 3 hour tour of Wadi Rum. It sounded ominously like Gilligan's Island. Stop number one was to a giant sand dune. It reminded me of the Indiana Dunes near Michigan City. The intent was to have us climb to the top and then run down. I can't do that at this point in my rehab but Stephanie was game.
Or next stop was Lawrence's Spring. I surprised myself by crawling back through the rocks to see the hieroglyphics. I didn't go as far in as the actual spring.
The next stop was to the Little Bridge. I couldn't climb up to where Stephanie and Zandra went. Someone has to take photos, right?
Laurie and I stayed with the driver and had Bedouin tea made with cardamom.
When it was time to leave the driver moved the truck near a rock so it wasn't such a struggle for me to crawl into the back. Our last stop was for the sunset. We sat up on a rock and laughed and told stories until it was time to take photos. It will be one of my most pleasant memories of our trip.
When we got back to the camp Saad was waiting on us to break his fast. We were wind blown and dirty but we went right in and joined him. The buffet was just okay. But what do we expect...we are in the middle of the desert. Stephanie headed to bed. The rest of us went to hear music and drink Arabian coffee under the stars. I learned that Arabian coffee tastes horrible. The stars are fabulous though. We headed to bed.
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