Carving a Mountain

The trip of all trips began before sunrise on Saturday morning. We loaded on the bus, guided by a very nice Jordanian named, you guessed it, Muhammad. We made three stops that day: Kerak, Shubak, and Little Petra. Kerak is a ruined crusader castle with remnants of a kitchen and a church. London ignored the tour and collected as many rocks as her dainty hands could carry. Shubak, another ancient fortress, was slightly more memorable...




Muhammad told us about several hidden tunnels, famously chiseled through Shubak mountain, just in case the castle were to come under siege. Our program director asked us to gather at a certain time so that we could all use our flashlights to climb out a tunnel together. He had done this before, and apparently had forgotten how grueling the hike was. [Afterward, he apologized profusely] Imagine walking through a black tunnel, whose slippery steps were carved in sand a thousand years ago, twisting and winding for miles through a mountain, down, down, down---- then add a 15 month old baby on your back. By the time we reached the bottom and climbed up the escape ladder, my legs were shaking and my whole body was spent. 



At the final stop of the day, Little Petra, Kyle, London and I recuperated on the bus and actually fell asleep! We arrived at our hotel just a few blocks from the mouth of the Petra canyon just before 6 pm, ordered room service, and packed our things for the following day.

The whole countryside surrounding Petra looks surprisingly like southern Utah, with huge wind-eroded mountains of sandstone and slot canyons. The canyon leading to Petra winds down for several miles, where on both sides, there are water channels etched in the cave walls.

And then, around a corner and through a small opening, one giant rusty-colored pillar carved in the rock comes into view.  The magnitude of the treasury carving isn't visible until the slot canyon ends in a huge open space. 

I have never seen anything so unbelievable!

We recovered from our initial shock and headed out to see the rest of the city, but not before London stopped to play with a domesticated cat and her kittens.

On our way to the top.

Me, Kyle, and our friends Drew and Casey then hiked all the way up to the top of the highest mountain, the High Place of Sacrifice. 





When the afternoon set in, we made our way to the burial tombs of the kings. Every building is so intricate and perfect and----amazing! I was so happy to be there, with the donkeys and the camels and all of the middle-aged Europeans in their tube-tops and booty shorts, just soaking up the architecture and the warm desert air. 

There is only one way in, so the hike out is all uphill! 

London hoarding jewelry

We barely made it back to our beds, covered in a fine layer of powdered red sand and insane amounts of sweat. Kyle and I rewarded ourselves for surviving with the most fabulous ice cream I have eaten in my lifetime, and this is NOT the Hartwell exaggeration in me talking. It's called Movenpick, and I am positive it's the only ice cream they serve in heaven.

The following day, we took a ride in the back of Bedouin trucks out to a desert village for a feast of ethnic foods.

 For the final leg through the desert, Kyle and I rode--------------CAMELS! Riding a camel is like riding a gigantic horse who only trots. The best part is when they stand up and sit down, and let out this earth-shattering moan. London rode with me because I was worried the camel might scare her, and I'm the only one capable of calming her down. She basically went back and forth between laughing and crying until the rocking of the giant camel steps put her to sleep in my arms.

And finally, we enjoyed a relaxing day on the coast, in the port city of Aqaba. It was so strange because everyone on the beach, with the exception of little boys, was clothed from hair to toe. I opted not to let London play in the sand, which made her seriously upset, because there was so much trash. I mean, millions of cigarette butts. Instead, we took a glass-bottom boat to look at shipwrecks covered in coral. Our boat driver was infatuated with American music from the 90's, which made the venture all the more entertaining. Before we boarded the bus back home, we each had a final scoop of Movenpick blackberry ice cream.

At the rest stop halfway between Aqaba and Amman, a man asked Kyle for permission to marry London, in 17 years. He said, "Your daughter is so beautiful, she is worth waiting for!" He gave her candy and a key chain, adding to her collection of free things. On this trip alone, London was also gifted three beaded necklaces, two chocolate bars, and a pastry. She blows all her admirers kisses and flashes her baby teeth, before hiding in my shoulder.




Everything about the trip was wonderfully, once in a lifetime, exhausting. Kyle and I decided not to go on vacation again for at least a month.