Wonder #4 and so much more

I’ve been on a mission lately to see all 7 New World Wonders. Before moving to Dubai, I had already seen the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brasil, Machu Picchu in Peru and Chichen Itza in Mexico. When I found out that I had a 5 day break in October, I knew that I needed to go to the close country of Jordan to finally see Petra, my fourth Wonder. Now, I must admit, all I knew about Jordan before leaving was that the capital is Amman, you can float in the healthy waters of the Dead Sea and there is an old city carved in rock called Petra. I definitely got more than I bargained for! Jordan is a place with beautiful landscapes, beautiful people and a beautiful, spiritual history. The man who took us around during our stay was a passionate, spiritual, hard-working man. He showed great pride and joy towards his city, his country and his religion. He repeatedly tried to show that people of different cultures and religions can live side by side, respecting each others traditions and beliefs. I was beyond impressed with everything he did for us during our stay. For me, visiting Jordan was a different experience from any other trip I’ve done in the past. I found myself in a situation where I knew close to nothing about the language, the culture, the religion… I’m really proud that I was able to put myself out there, feeling uncomfortable at times, but always willing to learn.

Here is a more detailed version of my Jordanian getaway:

Day 1

-Highlight: Dead Sea

On Thursday, October 25^th 2012, my friend and I woke up very early to get to the Dubai airport. We had breakfast there and walked around a little before boarding our plane. When we arrived in Jordan, we found a cab to take us to our hotel. As in other touristy places, the men were waiting around to help with our bags and to get some tips. Our cab was a very old car, practically tapped together that would probably not pass an inspection in any modern countries. The driver was a little creepy and obviously knew very little English since he kept repeating “Welcome to Jordan” all the way to the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel, I was surprised to see that we needed to go through metal detectors before entering. We checked-in, walked around, had lunch, rested a bit and headed down for the beach. At the beach, many people were covering their bodies with mud and floating in the Dead Sea. I was a little anxious about the whole thing, but it ended up being a very cool experience. Let me tell you this though: the salty, oily water in the Dead Sea does not taste good and it really stings your eyes! After laying out at the beach and the pool for a bit, we decided to head up to our room, take showers, get changed and head back down to a really nice traditional restaurant for dinner.  Dinner was good overall, however we were swarmed by cats which had us moving inside to eat in peace. After dinner, we were quite tired therefore we headed to bed to get some rest for our big trip to Petra.

Day 2

-Highlight: Petra

On Friday, October 26^th 2012, we started our day with an early buffet breakfast. We met our driver who would take us to Petra. The drive was really long, approximately 3 hours, but our driver showed us some beautiful views and shared some pretty cool facts along the way. One thing that caught my eye on the way was the people sacrificing sheep for Eid al-Adha, an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims. I was a little taken back by the whole thing, but I understand that it is part of their culture and religion. When we finally arrived in Petra, I was so excited to see everything. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to get through the whole site and to see the Monastery. This huge archaeological site has a lot to offer and 4 hours is far from enough time. Luckily, I did get to see the most beautiful monument in Petra, Al-Khazneh (Treasury). I also jumped on the opportunity to climb the mountain to the High Place of Sacrifice where I was rewarded with a spectacular view of Petra down below. My time in Petra was great. I got to chat with and listen to some very interesting people. I even found out that some people stay in the small caves found in Petra. The ride back to our hotel was painful. The windy streets up and down the mountains made me nauseous and I was really tired. Nonetheless, our driver got us back to our hotel safe and sound. I was very happy to know that we found a good local driver to help us get around. He was a very nice man with lots to share and he was sacrificing his holiday to work for us. My heart ached when he told us that he had 4 kids that had called him several times during the day. They were celebrating their holiday at home while he needed to work to make money. I felt even worse when he told us that he could not sacrifice sheep for Eid because he could not afford to buy one. It was another one of those moments when I realized how lucky I am to be living the life I am living.

Day 3

-Highlight: Amman

On Saturday, October 27^th 2012, I started out the day with a nice breakfast, a massage and a facial. It was some well deserved ME time. I also took advantage of the beach and the pool facilities once again. In the afternoon, our driver took us on a great tour of Amman. We visited the Cave of Seven Sleepers, Jabal al Qala’a, the Citadel, the Temple of Hercules, the Byzantine Church, the Umayyad Mosque, the Roman theatre and a few downtown shops and cafes. I tried falafel, fresh pomegranate juice,  chicken shawarma and a traditional dessert called kanafeh. I was beyond amazed at how passionate our driver was about his city, his country and his religion. He showed such joy and pride when showing us everything.

Day 4

-Highlights: Ma’in Hot Springs, Madaba, Mount Nebo

On Sunday, October 28^th 2012, I had breakfast, packed-up and checked-out of the hotel. Our driver tried to show us as much as he could in the last few hours of our trip. He started out by taking us to Ma’in Hot Springs; a really amazing place with hot freshwater mineral springs and waterfalls. We then headed to Madaba, where we visited the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint-George with a mosaic index map of the region preserved in the floor. Next, we reached Mount Nebo, a place with a panoramic view of  the “Holy Land” or the “Promised Land”. Lastly, we attempted to go to the Baptism site, but ran out of time. We ate a quick lunch on the way to the airport and made our way back to Dubai.