Petra is a large site, and one day doesn't really do it justice. We planned to enter at 7:00 am today to avoid the crowds and see the monuments in the morning light. The meds I took last night for a cold knocked me out pretty completely, though. We made our way down the siq after lunch and stayed for a few hours. This time we meandered up trails to see sites like a Byzantine Church and lots of tombs tucked away on the hillsides. I was delighted to point out a sign on a souvenir stand offering the pre-negotiation price of one dinar for the magnets Leroy had purchased at two for nine dinar. He's asked me to stop rubbing it in, and I'll try to do so soon.
We are on our guard for various hazards here in Jordan. One is the sun, and that will be an issue throughout our travels. I have to be careful about sunburns with my light skin and diminished hair cover. Every day when we venture out into the sunshine, I wear either my Tilley hat (sort of an "Indiana Jones" fedora) or a UV protected bandana. The second thing we have to be careful about is what we eat and drink. We've memorized and try to practice the "4 P's" rule, only consuming food that is Peelable, Purified, Packaged, or Piping hot. Buying bottled water is a daily necessity. The other thing we are constantly on guard against is scam artists. It's just part of the territory while traveling in this region. For example, when we entered Jordan we were met by a man who told us he was in charge of organizing taxi service from the border. Since there is no public transport to Petra from that point, we had to take a cab. I asked "how much?" and was told I figure I knew to be too high. I started to bargain with him, and he told me in very strong terms that the fee was set by the government. Not being able to prove otherwise, and not seeing any other taxi services, we paid the fare. Afterward, we learned he was fibbing and we could have traveled for much less. There is a certain vulnerability that comes with traveling in an unfamilar country, and we are learning as we go. Apart from a couple situations, the people we've met in Egypt and Jordan have more than lived up to the region's reputation for outstanding hospitality.I do not expect to have wireless access until we return to Israel in two days. Tomorrow morning we leave Wadi Musa at the crack of dawn and travel by bus to Wadi Rum. Our guide for the Wadi Rum wilderness is highly regarded through the region. Wadi Rum is the beautiful desert region that was the adopted home of Lawrence of Arabia. We will tour by jeep and by foot before camping out in a tent or under the stars.
