Jordan 2022, part 32 (Petra, Wadi Musa, Aqaba)
When after the visit to Ad-Deir or the Monastery in Petra, I walked down to the end of the Ad-Deir trail, I came across the same camel in the same place where I had seen it some two and a half hours earlier when I first headed for the Monastery. I have already mentioned before that some of these caves here made by the Nabataeans are nowadays used for various practical purposes.
Soon I reached the Qasr al-Bint temple as well. Its front was in the shade now and it was easier to notice some details I wrote about in the previous sequel of my travel stories – the partially restored marble staircase, remains of the pillars between the corner pilasters, etc.
From the spacious plateau in front of the Qasr al-Bint temple, also called the Temenos Courtyard, again I had a lovely view at some important segments of Petra lit by the setting sun.
However, I think that the most impressive for me at this moment was the fact that I was completely alone here.
I was going back towards the Siq and the exit following the main visitor path and there I passed again beside the spots and admired again the sights that I had passed by and seen the previous day as well, but... I was so utterly content and filled with admiration that I could not stop taking photos, materialising in this way my deep respect for this site, as well as all the exhilaration that I felt.
Now I occasionally started to come across some local men whose working day was over, there were no more visitors, so they could go their own way.
As I walked along the Colonnaded Street that provides for a direct view at the Royal Tombs that were perfectly lit in the late afternoon, I had to take photos of them all again, both as a group and individually. I knew I had already taken such photos the afternoon before, but it all felt so wonderful, I simply had to do it once more, expressing my admiration in this way.
By the time I got to the Urn Tomb, there were some clouds in the sky, but that only added to the dramatic appearance.
Then I entered a section that was more in the shade and there I paid some more attention to local Bedouins.
And then I also reached al-Khazneh or the Treasury. Luckily, I came across a couple of people who, like me, enjoyed in the place without too much audio and visual distractions caused by visitors and those who try to sell something to them. We exchanged the taking of photos and I felt very grateful for it.
After the short stay near the Treasury, I headed along the Siq once again. This was the fourth time for me in less than a day and a half, but I enjoyed and was amazed just as if it were the first time.
A little later I also went through the Bab as-Siq area. Along the way, I enjoyed the tranquillity that ruled this end of the day.
By the time I left the area of the archaeological site of Petra and reached the first urban street, I was absolutely exhausted. I did not like at all that I had to cover another 1.2 km and some 100 m in elevation gain (by the way, if somebody thinks that this sounds negligible, this is like climbing the 30th floor of a high-rise building). In other words, this was out of question. Luckily, I saw a couple of taxis and there was also a young couple from Romania with the same idea as I. The three of us negotiated an acceptable price with a taxi-diver (that was certainly much higher than what would be the real price and yet, much less than what I was ready to pay in my state), so soon enough I was back in my hotel room. From there, I took a photo of the view right away. A little farther, in the distance, the rocky mountains mark the area of ancient Petra. I was absolutely content.
But, although I did not feel too bad upon my return to the hotel, after the shower, a delicious shawarma bought at a nearby kiosk where I got out of the taxi and some relaxing, an incredibly huge amount of exhaustion started to come out of me. I became sleepy very early, almost unacceptably early and yet, when I gave up any attempts to try to stay awake, I had difficulties falling asleep and even when I succeeded, I often woke up during the night. I think this was all a result of just too much weariness. Usually, tiredness just knocks me off and then I sleep well, but this was the case of “transcended exhaustion” – there is so much of it that the body cannot relax enough to start recuperating. No wonder. I started on this journey already very tired. I continuously went for sightseeing and that most often involved intensive climbing and going down. Despite these being mostly short distances, a lot of these smaller segments every day collected into significant distances and elevation gains. In Dana I walked less than 10 km, but had the elevation gain of around 500 m. The first day in Petra I covered around 12 km and on the second day not less than 20 km, including also extensive going up and down. Too much, for sure, but I had no option I think.
I woke up feeling very weird the next morning. Although I spent a lot of hours in bed, since I often woke up and then could not fall asleep right away, I had a feeling as if I had spent a night on a plane, travelling uncomfortably and not being sufficiently rested. But, the plan for this day was to transfer to Aqaba and not to do anything else. This consolation did not help me feel better, but just made me hope that the intensive weakness I felt was of a temporary nature.
The hotel owner, or manager, or “just” receptionist, or all three at the same time, had already arranged my transportation. Namely, I insisted on public transportation and so he called a transportation company that told him they would send a car for me to take me to the bus terminal. As I understood, this was included in the price of the ticket. And then I saw the mini-bus to Aqaba getting into the hotel’s parking lot!!! Yes, they came to pick me up. But, apparently this was not so strange, since a woman was already sitting on the mini-bus. Then, we were taken to the terminal and waited there for almost an hour until the mini-bus was full. I’m sorry, this kind of “crazy” things cannot happen when you hire a car with a driver. This second version is unquestionably significantly more comfortable, but it is almost always less interesting. Especially if you are open to new experiences and look at what is going on around you with your eyes fully open.
When we were about to leave, the driver started to sell the tickets to the passengers and he charged me 15 Jordanian dinars (around 20 euros), which was certainly too much (I presume the regular price was more like 5 JD), but he pointed at my bag that was put on a seat and suggested I was paying for two. I just thought “Who cares. Just you drive.” There was no point in trying to argue, I did not speak the language and frankly speaking I actually did not know the local customs and prices. And after all, he did come to pick me up. Any taxi-driver would also overcharge me for the transportation from the hotel to the bus terminal.
The mini-bus drove along the Desert Highway and, as the name suggests, we went through the desert. What I found particularly interesting were specific traffic signs that exist here. I barely managed to take a photo of one of them during the ride.
During the journey I got slightly better, but not significantly, so I really looked forward to settling at the hotel in Aqaba.
My plan was to spend two nights in Aqaba and then on my way back to the north to transfer to the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve, in the west of Jordan. According to everything I read about that place, it was simply magical and it was difficult to say whether it was prettier when seen from the top or from the bottom. Namely, on the east side of the reserve, there are high mountains that descend steeply towards the Dead Sea and there are several gorges with rivers flowing through them. From the lower end it is possible to follows several trails with a professional guide, but such excursions are usually linked to the times of the year with nice weather. There is only one trail that is open all year round and I was quite ready to go there and walk this trail. So much so, that I was even ready to go there and pay some serious money – both by staying at a comparatively expensive place that belongs to the reserve and by paying for a private tour.
The problem was transportation, since I did not bring my driving licence in order to rent a car and I could find no information about the public transportation that would suit me. Still, I was a woman with a plan. It meant that I would take a coach to Kerak and there I had already agreed with Abdullah that he would drive me to Wadi Mujib, for which I would certainly pay to him. Afterwards, the plan was to go back to Amman, but that would be complicated too, since there is no settlement where the reserve’s accommodation is and there is no public transportation, but I hoped I would be able to organise something on the spot and transfer to the nearest village where I would get some kind of transportation that would eventually bring me to Amman.
I was ready to organise and to bother with all of that, but I was also following the weather forecast and could see clearly that it would rain right on the day when I was planning to be there and walk around the reserve. This actually meant that almost for sure I would not be able to go for this hike and then it would all become pointless. I even thought of going to the northeast part of the Dead Sea’s shore, since there are hotels and resorts, but it would rain there, too. I don’t know why, but I don’t find the Dead Sea too attractive, plus I did see it and descended to its waters during my first trip out of Amman. In addition, I’m not terribly drawn to the idea of floating in it. That’s why I decided already this morning, during my breakfast at the hotel in Wadi Musa, that I would give up going to Wadi Mujib leaving that for some future visit to Jordan and that I would stay in Aqaba all 4 days, thus resting well before returning to Amman and back home. The weather forecast for Aqaba said it would be mostly sunny and with temperatures I had not experienced in Jordan – around 17-18 degrees C. Also, the return to Amman would be incomparably simpler – a direct coach.
As we were approaching Aqaba, already in the mini-bus I could start to feel the higher temperature that ruled the south of Jordan. In the meantime, I quickly read in the guidebooks about the local habits regarding taxis. It was said that they used taximeter, which certainly facilitated the whole thing. Generally speaking, I don’t have a problem to haggle, but sometimes I just don’t feel like it and prefer the simplicity of a taximeter. However, when we got to Aqaba, the driver of the mini-bus (the same one who overcharged me for the ticket) did not allow me to get out of the bus, asking me where I was going instead. I said that I needed to take a taxi in order to get to my hotel and I even showed him on the map where the hotel was. In bad, but functional English he told me to stay on the bus and he would take me to the hotel “since the taxi is very expensive in Aqaba”!!! And so he started to drive along the streets of Aqaba with only me in the mini-bus and I took the opportunity to tell him that I had read about the taximeters. He laughed and said: “Taximeter in Amman, in Aqaba – no.” And so, the inter-city mini-bus not only picked me up at the hotel in Wadi Musa, but also took me to the hotel in Aqaba. Has anybody ever heard of a better service? And may he enjoy to the fullest all those 15 JD!
After settling at the hotel room, I changed and first went to the top of the hotel to take some photos of the surroundings.
I also took a coffee at the hotel and then went out in order to go for a short walk around the centre of Aqaba. First I went to a nearby commercial area where, among other things, there was a green market and there I also came across freshly packed, skinned goats. The sight was certainly exotic enough, but in addition to the image itself, I found it truly impressive how everything was spotlessly clean.
And then I reached the city’s beach. Although it was sunny and warmer than in the other parts of Jordan, it was January after all and there was nobody in the water, but the people enjoyed the pleasant temperature.
While walking here, I actually dragged myself. The exhaustion I have mentioned simply could not disappear. That’s why I decided to go back towards the hotel. First I went to a nearby restaurant in order to eat something and that felt good, but the energy and the enthusiasm did not come back. Luckily, that restaurant was really close to the hotel and soon after I had paid the bill I was in my room that was very big and had a fantastically comfortable bed. As it would turn out, I would spend most of my time in Aqaba right there, in that bed.