Seeing the Sites

We had purposely waited to see the major sites until my niece Karen came to visit over her Christmas break.  Ed rented a car for two weeks so we could travel with ease.  My last class was on Sunday December 21.  Because Karen had recently defended her doctoral dissertation which was a qualitative research study, I had asked her to make a presentation to my qualitative research class.  After class my teaching partner went out to dinner with us to celebrate the end of the semester. The next day we did a little touring around Amman, and then on Tuesday, off to Aqaba, the small city at the Red Sea.  It was another bright sunny day as we headed south on the Desert Highway.

As we drove into Aqaba, there it was – the ocean.  Well, not the big endless ocean, but rather the Gulf of Aqaba, which is a narrow arm of the Red Sea.  But it is real salt water with ocean going ships anchored off the port.  Just seeing the ocean soothed my water deprived soul.  After checking into our hotel we wandered around the marina and then checked out the public beach.  The water was too cold for swimming, but at least we could put our feet in.  According to the guide book, as women we would not have gone swimming at the public beach, but rather would have needed to go to one of the resorts.  Only men swim at the public beach; women may sit in the water fully clothed.

Aqaba from the Water

[click on the picture to enlarge it]

Near the head of the Gulf of Aqaba four countries are within a few miles of each other: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.  There is a ferry that goes between Jordan and Egypt.  Saudi and Israel have land borders with Jordan.  Of course, if you are a woman driving from Jordan to Saudi, when you reach the border, you will no longer be permitted to drive.  I believe Saudi is the only country in the world where this privilege is denied to women.  Recently two women who attempted to drive into Saudi were detained at the border.

Aqaba is known for its scuba diving and snorkeling at the coral reefs.  It was a bit too chilly for that, but we did take a ride in a glass bottom boat.  The nearby reefs were not all that impressive, and the trash on the sea floor was extensive.  But it felt so good to be in a boat and on the water.

Aqaba is also a special tax zone, so wine was much less expensive than it is in the rest of the country.  We indulged in a few bottles of champagne.  Karen and I also tried the argileh (water pipe) at an outdoor café, and being so close to the sea Ed had fish for dinner. 

Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum is a sandy desert area just north of Aqaba.  A wadi is either a valley or a dry water course (known in some places as an occasional river).  Sand dunes, unique rock formations and a general sense of isolation reminded me a bit of Monument Valley in Utah.  We had arranged for a Jeep ride (actually a Toyota pickup with bench seats in the back) around the area, which is stunningly beautiful.  Although Karen had been camel riding for a couple of days last year in Morocco, she humored me and went for a short ride with me.  It was my first time on a camel.  Once you are on it goes pretty well, but the getting on and off is less than graceful.  As the camel bends its knees to lie down for you to get off, it creates a forward slope that you compensate for by leaning back.  Or so the story goes.  At any rate, I did not fall off and I would be game for doing it again.

Camel Riding with my Niece Karen

Wadi Rum

Petra was the highlight of the trip.  It is an ancient Nabatean city, entered through a narrow canyon.  The massive carved sandstone facades are beautifully preserved.  To go to the upper area of the city and the most impressive monument, the Monastery, one must climb 800 uneven steps…or ride a donkey.  We opted to ride donkeys.  Monika was sure footed and the guide kept a close watch over us, but I have to admit that I closed my eyes at times rather than look at the view over the cliff.  Overall Petra is one of those places that are better seen than described.  It is definitely the most important site in Jordan.  Tourism is very depressed in Petra, with a recent Jordan Times article stating that the occupancy rate at hotels in Petra is only 20% this holiday season.

Petra: Treasury in Candlelight

Of course we had to provide Karen with a chance to swim in the Dead Sea.  It was a cool morning, but we had fun floating around.  We stayed in small chalets run by Wild Jordan rather than at one of the fancy resorts (where Ed got food poisoning in October and two died of food poisoning the week after we were there).

Wild Jordan Chalet at the Dead Sea

Although there were a few Christmas trees and other little signs of Christmas, we never had a sense of the holiday season.  At home I am the first to criticize the glitzy decorations that appear before Halloween, but next year I will be looking forward to seeing them after the lack of Christmas here.  I always love my drive through Milton on my way home from work because so many of the houses are beautifully decorated.  Interestingly, the government here does declare December 25^th a holiday; most of the Christians here are Orthodox and they would normally celebrate in January.  However, to correspond with the day off, they now celebrate on December 25^th.

We are on school break now so Ed and I are leaving for Greece and Cyprus on Thursday (January 8) until the end of the month.  We are looking forward to seeing pork and wine on the menu.  Since we have been here we have only found one restaurant that serves pork. 

A Butcher Shop in Tafileh with Parsley Decorating the Meat

For the spring semester I will be teaching professional writing to doctoral students, most of who were in my qualitative research class so I already know them.  I have been told three different dates for when the semester begins, ranging from February 1 to 15 (one of these dates was from the Dean and one from the Vice Dean for Graduate Studies).  Hopefully before I leave I will actually know what day of the week my class meets and when the semester starts.  Considering that Curry has already published the academic calendar for the next two years, I still find it a little hard to adjust to not knowing when I will be teaching in February.  Just one of the many cultural differences.

Thank you to all who sent holiday greetings by email and e-card.  We do so enjoy hearing from friends and family.  Best wishes to all for the New Year.  I will begin blogging again when school resumes in February, Insha’Allah.