Indiana James

I am back from a three-day trip full of tales of adventure.

This weekend, the Zaytoon group, along with some BYU and University of Utah students, went to Petra, Wadi Rum, and Aqaba – all located in Southern Jordan. Our journey started at 4:30 a.m. on Friday as we went to the bus station to catch our ride to Petra. Luckily, I had ample amounts of pita bread and nutella to help me last the morning. We arrived in Petra at about 11 a.m., and had a few hours to explore the ancient city. It was incredible to see large buildings, tombs, and houses carved directly into the sandstone. There was also an old aqueduct system that was built into the side of the slot canyons we hiked through. My favorite part of Petra was seeing the Treasury, which is the site of the final scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

I passed all three tests to make it to the Holy Grail

There are tons of merchants all throughout Petra trying to sell you things. From donkey and camel rides to jewelry or rocks, this old city is not short of souvenirs. One kid tried to threaten us by saying he would call the police if we didn’t buy one of his postcards. Apparently the fact that a lizard that we had caught had lost its tail was enough reason for him to call the black and blue. We didn’t buy it, and made it out of Petra clean and clear.

 Some new, state of the art, apartment complexes in Petra

After a few hours in Petra, we went down to Wadi Rum, which is a famous site from the movie Lawrence of Arabia. It was a beautiful area of sand surrounded by huge sandstone mountains. Most of Southern Jordan looks just like Southern Utah. We went Jeeping, jumped off some sand dunes, had dinner, and enjoyed a night in the desert. The weather was perfect, and I spend a couple of hours just laying out on the sand looking at the moon and stars. I loved it.

I look like a ninja

Just cruising around Wadi Rum

The next day we drove to Aqaba, which is a city on the shore of the Red Sea. We had a fantastic hotel to stay in, with a hot shower and comfortable beds. That evening we went on a cruise around the harbor, on which there was a serious dance party among the Arab men. They love their dancing here, and it was quite the experience to watch.

 That guy in the blue shirt was all over the dance floor

We finished off our last day in Aqaba with some snorkeling in the Red Sea.  I had a blast seeing coral, jellyfish, and your good old regular fish. After our time at the beach, Steve and I topped it all off with a visit to the authentic Jordanian restaurant of Burger King. While many of our travel party got sick from some kind of food over the weekend, my Whopper Jr. treated me well. 

 That, my friends, is the Red Sea

I only have a couple more days in Amman before a few of us take off to Israel for three days. It’s crazy to think I’ll be home in a week. I’ve had loads of fun here.