As far as we on the Sea Princess were concerned, Aqaba marked the long awaited trip to The Lost City of Petra, about two hours north, or to put it another way...another long bus ride starting earlier in the morning than we like. A couple of differences on this tour. We're going second class, meaning we signed on for a Crew Tour. What's the difference? About $200 and a meal. So, about 80 crew folks met in the crew bar, picked one thing from each bin...one apple, one banana, one cheese sandwich, one ham sandwich, one large bottle of water and one slice of pound cake...stuffed it all into one plastic bag...and we were ready to go. Cost? $50. Per person.
Here are the specific directions to Petra from Aqaba: take the main highway north out of Aqaba. Drive for exactly one hour and turn left at the lonely goatherd and his flock. Drive up, up, up through the hills past the Bedouins. Stop for toilets at the only building that looks like it might have one...yeah...the one on the scary edge of the canyon! Drive one half hour more and follow the signs down, down, down to the town of Petra.
THEN... Discharge all passengers and race them down, down, down, through the very narrow slot canyons for about three hours in the heat of the day. Scare the hell out of them by having horses, donkeys, camels and horse carts racing with them or heading up the other way at the same time! Once we made it down to the area where the actual town was in ancient times, we were allowed 30 minutes to explore further...that is everyone but me. The guide told me I had only ten minutes because I would need more than an hour to walk back to the entry and another 15 minutes to walk to where the buses were parked! I elected to take a few pictures, sent Jeff on to explore to his hearts content, and then I headed right up again, using the same exquisite philosophy that worked for me early in the cruise at the orchid botanical gardens on one of the islands....that is, slow and steady with prayer and water and benches will get you there eventually, Toots.
Petra was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie. The rock walls are between 500 and more than 600 feet tall. This fascinating city was rediscovered in 1812. It is hot, being on the desert floor. Unfortunately the pathway is very rustic with some large smoother rocks and gravel, making for slow, careful walking to avoid trips and falls. As a result most of what I saw was my feet! If and when I stopped to take a photo, I risked being knocked over by other people or animals. The trip back and up was awful because it was so hot and after the first few miles my legs were screaming and I must have looked pretty ragged because every now and then someone from a passenger tour would stop me and ask, "Are you OK?", or "Do you need help?" And every donkey/camel/horse/cart driver headed down the path would ask if I needed help going up! Several angel people offered water(I had my own), an umbrella to make shade (I accepted), a cold wet rag for my neck (I accepted), and company, which I accepted from time to time. The distance between rest stops shortened dramatically as the walk up became steeper and rougher terrain. Even though I was determined to make it on my own, the time was limited and I was really afraid I wouldn't be able to make it...but I did. Jeff caught up with me and encouraged me enough so I was able to finish! Even more amazing, I was NOT the last person on the bus.
I guess I can sum up this trip by saying, I'm glad I was able to do it once, but I would not encourage any older person to attempt it unless they do a lot of regular aerobic activity and have really good knees and feet! And, I wouldn't do it again with a tour. Independently, perhaps. In cool weather, perhaps. In all likelihood, no, once was enough. In the end I tweaked something in my weakest knee that is making life a little more painful and trickier now and threatening my Jerusalem walking tomorrow (June 20).
Jeff was able to do photography for both of us and as we reviewed his pictures last night, he did get some beautiful, artistic shots. When we stopped at the toilet stop, we were very surprised at what a clean, nice place the little shop was. And at my encouragement J bought himself a ...well, check out the pictures. And understand that this place was miles out in the desolate high hills...like 3000 feet up in the Bedouin country, and there weren't even that many of them around....maybe one tent every five miles or so.
I was SO happy to be back on the nice, cool bus headed for the ship. J gave me one earphone and we listened to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which seemed somehow appropriate, all the way back to Aqaba.
Quote for today: "What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."... Ralph Waldo Emerson
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