Experiential Living: The Desert

Sorry for my extended blogging absence. I leave for India tonight and so the last 6 days have been packed full of sight-seeing, trying to fulfill my goal of seeing everything there is to see in the country of Jordan. Additional apologies that this will be kind of a highlight reel from me... I've fallen behind and I just can't catch up.

Most of those sights were desert sights (not surprising considering that Jordan is almost completely desert). On Thursday, I borrowed Margie's car again and did a tour of 4 desert castles in the desert east of Amman. It was good to set out on a little adventure on my own - to try to navigate in a foreign land and find castles hidden amidst miles and miles (or kilometers and kilometers) of sand. I understand civilizations that form along large waterways with fertile soil, etc., but these peoples who lived their lives and established civilization among the sand and shrub of the desert are baffling to me.

This is where Lawrence of Arabia lived during the Arab Revolt:

Everywhere I go, I find evidence that the Romans were there first. This is part of a Byzantine church:

Then, on Saturday morning Margie and I packed up and headed south to Wadi Rum to camp with the Bedouin for a night. We arrived early in the afternoon with the intent of spending some quality time reading and reflecting in the desert. Wadi Rum is filled with huge rock formations that are ideal for climbing and sitting on. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

We also got to watch the sunset, moonrise, and sunrise. One of my very favorite things to do is watch the sunset and sunrise!

Then, on Sunday we were off to Petra. Petra was ideal for me because it combines two of my all-time favorite things: history and hiking. We wandered past the main sights and up to the highest peaks we could find. It was a gorgeous day.