sabbatical views and notes

Tuesday morning, July 1, 2008, Vonnie read the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. I heard it very differently having just ridden a donkey the evening before in Petra. OK, I guess I’ll start with the beginning and the end of the story.

Through a combination of tiredness, a hot, hot day, a late brunch, shopping in the tourist shops, we finally reentered Petra around 3 pm, hoping the heat would not be a killer. We were still concerned for the young Jordanian soldier/policemen (I can’t yet tell the difference) who had a seizure right outside our hotel. Everyone speculated it was a heat injury and we didn’t want to join him in the hospital.

Once through the Siq (the long, narrow entry cleft) we were confronted with the Bedouin donkey and camel boys wanting us to use their animals for our day’s activities. By now they all knew us from the day before. And we had to make a decision: I proposed immediately finding the staircase up to the “Place of Sacrifice” and thus be done with all the ride-sellers. Vonnie had her heart set on “The Monestery”, also up many stairs (800 plus), but the boys had donkeys who could take us up there, so it was a constant refrain of “maybe later”.

Well, “Maybe later” was transformed by many into “Yes, I promise to ride your donkey later” and by the time we were half-way down the 800+ stairs, half a dozen boys were begging, urging, beseeching, cajoling, arguing, pushing each other, disparaging one another’s donkeys, etc. etc. in an effort to cash in on “Sir and Madam”.

Finally, I ended up on a donkey and Vonnie kept walking and one boy went home with much more cash than the ride was worth, for he was forced to turn back and let us proceed on foot through the night into the Siq. Why? Because Monday evenings are “Petra by Night” and those who pay for the entertainment walk in silence through the Siq lit by luminaries (candles in paper bags), no donkeys are allowed to leave fresh droppings. So, Vonnie and I walked out while those who paid walked in. It was an awesome experience in itself. At one spot, the Big Dipper appeared between the cliffs above us.

Well, back to Petra and the ancient ruins. We obviously decided to walk the 8 kilometers or so up to “The Monastery”. Past the entry temple, all the other rock-cut tombs, out past the colonnades and the temples unearthed by the couple from Brown University. Then we finally found the path that led towards the stairs. Sure enough, there were MANY stairs, some walking beside terrifying ravines, trail conversations using English, French and Arabic, and finally arriving at the top. Wow! The sun was at a wonderful angle. We found a place to sit down at the Bedouin refreshment stand and admire the view. When I spotted some stairs beside the tomb, I asked the young man in charge if I could climb up to the top. Vonnie didn’t like the thought at all! But he was more than willing to take me, plus two Italian young ladies, plus two Algerian men (who spoke the French) on up. As the photos show, we made it – and the guide, “spiderman” himself, shocked us all by making it to the very top of the spire! What a view!

The others stayed to watch the sunset from up there, while I descended to find the Bedouin Chief of Police remonstrating with our “guide” for taking us up there. (But not to severely.) The Chief invited Vonnie and me to walk a few more minutes to the overlook over the Great Rift Valley, where on a clear day, one can see both “Palestine” (no one speaks of Israel) and even the glint of the Mediterranean Sea. On the way they pointed out Aaron’s Tomb on top of a nearby peak, and although Vonnie stopped to rest her foot, I joined them briefly on the cliff-top. Again, Wow!

Thankfully, Vonnie’s foot seems to be strengthening and it is fine today.

Well, this morning, two exhausted travelers barely packed up and left our room by the checkout time of noon. We walked across the street to Moses’ Spring and filled our water bottles with water that has flowed since Moses struck the rock (or so local tradition tells). It is wonderful that this spring is totally un-commercialized. The water is free to everyone. Truly this is Freewater – in Jordan, not Oregon. After another brunch at the Red Cave, and some last purchases, we found our taxi driver to take us to Aqaba. He loaded us up, found a fellow driver to go with him, and off we went down to the Red Sea. Tonight we are safely in our room, now working in the lobby, and planning to get wet with some snorkeling tomorrow.

Israel’s Eilat is in plain view. The mountains of Egypt’s Sinai peninsula create the horizon, and the coast of Saudi Arabia is just a few miles south. Four countries use these waters, and as our driver said, “Things are very sensitive here.”

Well, we will leave Jordan the day after tomorrow with dozens of invitations to come back and bring our family and friends. Such friendly people.