Petra and Wadi Rum

well haven't I been slack, actually it got to do with us changing plans in Jordan. Originally our plan was to spend one night in Aqaba this turned into 5 days. It's one of those things really, you got to be spontaneous whilst travelling I say. So anyway, I can't remember what my last blog was all about, but I think I told you all about our epic journey via ferry from Egypt to Jordan. Well our new friend Osama offered to take us to Petra on the Monday and then to Wadi Rum to experience some real Bedoiun cooking. However our plan to leave early 8pm became a 11.30am departure, this was because of a few factors:

1. The three of us were out late the night before like getting back to the hotel at midnightish (I can't remember it's actually Thursday now).

2. We were checking our of Darna 'HELL' Hotel, and move into the Classic Hotel which was a thousand times better; hot water, soft beds instead of wood with a mattress protector, TV (at the best of times) and it was in the middle of the city.

3. We had to go shopping in the market places for Chicken, Vegetables and the staple food over here PITA bread, to take to the Bedoiun to cook for us. Now this was an experience in itself, buying chicken pretty much from the street and then having the guy hack it up into pieces for us..umm..interesting.

So finally we made it off on our journey, toward Petra, about 3 hours later we made it to this amazing ancient city of the Nabeteans. Petra is even more amazing second time around and was also fantastic that the temp. was great just and surprisingly not too many tourists floating about. Then having coffee almost at the end of the Petra area was awesome watching the sun flicking lights of colour of the canyons, it was beautiful. From here we headed back south along the Desert Higway toward Wadi Rum, now before I tell the next part of the story I want to make sure our parents know that we are fine and felt almost 100% safe most of the time.
So it's dusk, well it's dark enough that you should have your lights on while driving, but at this very pinacle point of time we learn the car we are in hasn't actually got lights apart from high beam, which is blinding every driver on the otherside of the road. So everytime a car is approaching us Osama turns the light off and drives in the flippin dark, I don't know how but I managed to have clean underpants at the end of this journey. Yes it was an unexpected adventure, one I could probably live with not having again. Having arrived safely at the Bedoiun camp area they began to prepare our food and then cook it in the ground, it was about 8pm when we got there and it takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to cook, can you guess what time we had dinner? It was about 11pm, it was different eating under the open night sky with a full moon, but without sounding corny it was magically. I kinda felt a little like Lawerance of Arabia, it was special and I say when you go to Jordan you must experience, see it for yourself.

well without overloading you all, I'm going to wrap up this particular post and begin on the next one.

Peace Out,

Mandz