Still Trying To Love Jordan

I’m gonna be real honest – I don’t love Jordan.  Granted, it’s only been four days, but I’m pretty apathetic on the place as a whole at this point.  Believe me, this is a very frustrating feeling.  99% of the time I’m an optimist…a person who loves to dig into new surroundings, local culture, food, people etc.

Petra itself is quite a site and worthy of a visit.  However, that visit should be done in one - two days max.  Lots of people will tell you – “ah, you must stay three days…”  Alex and I have been in Petra for three days, and I assure you that three days of pretty constant hiking (with one 4 hour nap thrown in) is just too much.  I realize I sound like a real Nancy here, but the constant “Allo, you want to ride my horse.  Special price for you.  It’s included with your ticket.  Oh come and see, only 1 JD for look.”  This sort of thing – got old after about one hour. 

It makes me so sad that magical places like Petra have to be spoiled by the gypsies who’ve set up shop inside just to make a buck off the mostly European and Arabic tourists who seem to come here.  When you’re pinching your pennies for an extended trip, the last thing you want is to feel taken advantage of by the local people – and this seems to happen rather frequently in Jordan. 

This could possibly just be a bad mood or the fact that I can’t seem to get the desert grit out of my hair.  Alternatively, it could be that I’m cranky because hot water is only available about 4 hours per day in this country – 4 hours that I’m usually not around or asleep.  Maybe it’s that I miss makeup and my Chi. Whatever it is, I doubt it’s something that a nice long shower and some dinner can’t cure. 

Because we’re taking such a long trip, Alex and I set up three work in exchange for food/accommodation set ups through this site (one of my favorite travel sites ever), the first of which is in the Wadi Rum Desert with Bedouin Directions.  My fingers are triple crossed that this won’t end up being the worst decision ever.  Good news – I think it’s actually going to be amazing.  I mean, how can it not be if we’re sleeping under the stars and smoking shisha by night and riding camels and 4x4 jeeps through the desert by day? 

 

                              Asian Tourists! (Sevan, this is for you)

I have no clue how internet will pan out over the next three weeks, but my best guess is that we’ll have access to it once a week.  Think good thoughts for us and pray the desert scorpions away!