The bulk of my Spring Break was spent travelling through
Jordan. This historically rich country had every sort of setting, atmosphere
and experience to offer, from desert scenery to fast paced city life.
Our first experience in Jordan included a taste of Bedouin
lifestyle in the desert of Wadi Rum. After a 3 hour drive from Amman to the
Wadi, we found ourselves completely entrenched in desert. Buildings were replaced
with tents, and the two modes of transportation were strictly open jeeps and
camels. We spent our entire day driving through Wadi Rum and hiking up natural
rock formations that told the stories of age old civilizations. Many of the
caves and rocks we hiked through were marked with pictures and symbols that
depicted events of long gone tribes of people. We also passed through several
areas that served as stage settings in the filming of Lawrence of Arabia, as
the Bedouins proudly kept mentioning. After a full day of hiking, we drove back
to the Bedouin camp, where we found several tents set up, one for the women,
one for the men, and a communal tent where everyone gathered for dinner, tea,
dancing, and music. The Bedouins introduced us to their culture of dance and
celebration and played beautiful renditions with the oud, a Middle Eastern
instrument resembling a guitar. They also enlightened us with their
philosophies regarding Bedouin life including their insistence that life is
fleeting, and there is no need to hold on to possessions of the world. The
nomadic nature of the Bedouin lifestyle was a reminder that few things in life
are truly essential, and the nature of life itself is as ephemeral as nomadic
settlement.
After our experience in the desert, we set out for Wadi
Mousa, the place where it is believed that Moses brought forth water from a
rock for the people of Israel. While in Wadi Mousa, we spent two full days
exploring the ancient city of Petra, and climbing through ruins of tombs and
temples. The architecture of the Nabataea people who built the city of Petra
was incredible evidence of the innovative work of man, but was unfortunately a
huge contrast to the people who worked in Petra as souvenir shop keepers and “taxis.”
Overwhelmed by the influx of tourists weaving throughout Petra, the workers
adopted an unnatural western accent, and did everything in their power to
exploit and take advantage of tourists. All was well, however, when we returned
to Valentine Inn, a backpacker hostel that opened its doors to visitors from
around the world and was operated by the sweetest and most welcoming family. The
middle aged couple did everything in its power to make each guest feel like
family and spent each night among us; laughing and celebrating everything and
nothing all at once.
After saying goodbye to our host family, we set off to the
Dead Sea to float and play in the mud before heading back to Amman to spend our
final night before flying back to Abu Dhabi. I was skeptical of how easy it is
to float in the Dead Sea until I stood in the water and fell backwards,
expecting to be submerged, but instead found myself bobbing like an inflatable floatie.
The remainder of the drive from the Dead Sea to Amman was
then smooth cruising through the scenic views of mountainous terrain and herds
of goats, and even, yes—stray camels. Upon arriving to Amman, we set off in search
of food and stumbled upon a delicious Fiteer shop on Rainbow Street. The sugary
layers of one of my favorite sweets was the perfect way to end an incredible
week of travel through one of the most culturally diverse countries in the
world.
Being in Jordan provided so much insight into the evolution
of spaces. The desert of Wadi Rum, Petra, the Dead Sea, and Amman have all
changed drastically throughout their histories to embrace such different and
diverse groups of people, settlers, cultures, and traditions, and each layer of
history only adds to the beauty of Jordan.
(Photos in this blog are courtesy of Elisa Yi)
