Petra, the beautiful ancient Nabataean city in southern Jordan, was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World !!!!( All the old seven wonders, except for the Pyramids in Egypt, do not exist any longer.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra
http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php?id=633&L=0

I'm so thrilled! People here in Amman were so happy when it was announced! They were honking horns and cheering; literally dancing in the street. I watched the announcement on TV and it was wonderful seeing everyone at Petra clapping and cheering while confetti was coming down. How I wish I had been there! The surrealistic thing was that we were, just the day before.

We took three days off from learning about politics and modern history and went on a Natural and Ancient History Tour of Jordan. It was WONDERFUL!!! We had our own private archaeologist, who along with our wonderful tour guide Jafar, made history come alive.

First we went to the Crusader Mamluk Castle in Kerak, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerakwhere I had a wonderful time poking my head into every hole and passageway imaginable. I haven't been caving in a long time, and this was the next best thing. Especially because these passage ways went places and with each turn I saw something new and different. This was the first castle that I have ever been to that wasn't little more than a pile of rubble and it was exciting to be able to see where gates, bridges and such were.

That evening we arrived at the Dana Nature Preserve which has got to be one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth. It's a system of wadis (valleys) and mountains which extends from the top of the Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba. Our group had rooms at the Dana Guest House which is perched on the edge of Wadi Dana. The Guest house is beautiful; made from natural limestone bricks and each room had a terrace with breathtaking views of the reserve. For dinner we had the widest assortment of salads that I have ever seen.

Then Stuart, our archaeologist, spoke about the ancient history of Jordan. Wow! I thought I knew a lot about ancient history, especially that of the Middle East, but I sure learned a lot. I'll make a blog entry about the whole history of this area another day, but let it suffice to say that Jordan seems to be in the thick of it all. Archaeological evidence indicates that Palaeolithic, Egyptian, Nabatean, and Roman civilizations have been drawn to the area because of its fertile soil, water springs, and strategic location. Additionally, Jordan, not Phoenicia, is the birthplace of our alphabet system!

After Stuart's lecture we had a choice as to whether we wanted to stay in the rooms or sleep on the roof of another hotel. 6 of us choose to stay on the roof, so we were walked down an ancient cobble-stoned street to the Dana Hotel. The Dana Hotel isn't as new the Guest House, but it has even more appeal, well, at least for me. I love the cobblestone floor and the quaint courtyard. It has so much "character". Sitting there, drinking tea, and looking up at the stars made me think of all the other people who have sat there also. Additionally, the men who worked there were so incredibly kind and excited to have us stay, that I felt so very treasured, carefree and blissful.

After tea, the men brought mattresses up to the roof and made beds for us with extra blankets and pillows because it was colder than usual for this time of the year. They kept on asking if there was anything else they could get for us, and before we could answer, they would run and get more herb tea or water. Never have I been made to feel so cared for.

After convincing our hosts that we were fine and truly didn't need anything else, we curled up in our beds and looked at the stars. I spoke about the constellations while pointing out planets and famous stars. I also told some of the Greek myths that went with the constellations. Then a band started playing music in the background. Oh, how I wanted to join the party, but the long day had gotten the best of us all, and soon we had all drifted off to sleep. Honestly, it was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time. But then again, my first love has always been the outdoors.

It actually was a good thing that I had gone to sleep instead of joining the party because the next morning we had the option of going on one of two hikes. The "hearty" hike that left at 6am, and the "nature" hike that left at 10. Denise and I got up at 5 and walked back to the Guest house for the "hearty hike". It was a 8 Km trail that contoured the huge escarpments of Wadi Dana. We climbed up and down cliffs and rock faces while taking in captivating views of the wadi. At one place we stopped for a tea break and explored ancient Nabatean tombs. Everyone laughed as I took out my caving light, but it came in handy as we looked at chisel marks and coffin niches.

After we returned we had another beautiful assortment of salads for lunch, and then drove to Petra. I have to admit that no matter how excited I was to go to Petra, I was sad about leaving Dana. The people there were just so proud of their preserve. I still think of our guide hopping from plant to plant showing us each of the different species and telling us what it is used for. Yes, you can learn scientific names and memorize trails through the desert, but you can never fake such love for everything around you.

Oh, well, I knew I shouldn't be too upset. The highlight of our trip was coming up. Petra, the beautiful, ancient Nabalean city caved out of sandstone, (and now rightfully one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.) was our next stop.

We arrived at our hotel just in time to take a quick swim, have dinner and go to the Petra Visitors Center for Petra by Night.

Now, I've been to a lot of places in the world. Mexico, Guatemala, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama, Canada, some Caribbean Islands, Israel, Egypt, Germany... But I have to say that, NEVER, and I mean NEVER have I seen people who go as out of their way to make tourists as happy as Jordanians do. Just as the people at the Dana Nature Preserve went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable, happy and safe, the people at Petra did more than then I could have thought possible to make sure that their guests had probably the most memorable experience of their life.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays the local people light the 1/2 mile walk through the Siq http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siq with luminaries (paper bags with sand in their bottom and a lit candle stuck in the middle of the sand). Starting at 8:30 pm- tourists silently walk the trail taking in the beauty and grandeur of the ancient entrance by candlelight. At the end is Petra's most ornate and elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Khazneh_(the_Treasury.

In front of the Treasury are hundreds of lighted luminaries and a Bedouin man sitting in the middle of them playing an exotic string instrument. He soon begins to sing and his voice is echoed throughout the area. He sings and plays for about 10 minutes and you can't help but feel like you've been transported to another time. I swear I could almost hear the voices of past civilizations and see their ghosts wandering though the crowd.

Then, just as the man stops singing, beautiful flute music gradually meanders out of the treasury. Little by little its tune grows and gently envelopes the crowd of mesmerized people. Never before, in any ancient ruin, in any sacred area, in any natural area, have I been as awestruct as I was that very moment.

Then silently, a another man pours hot tea out of a large ornate brass pot. Tea and coffee in Jordan are not just refreshments, but a ritual ceremony in their own right.

As we sipped our tea, another man spoke of the ancientness of the place, the vastness of its history, and its preciousness to the Jordanian people. Aterwards we had a few minutes of silence.

My friends and I sat together in the silence for a while waiting for the crowds to leave. Afterwards we walked back alone, talking about the next day and wondering if our trip into the city in daylight could ever compare to that first evening.

It did.

Until I have time to write to you about it...
Salaam