Vacation: Petra, Jordan

From Dahab we were dropped off at the port and bought our tickets for the ferry. We waited in line to get our exit visa, but the line did not resemble anything I had ever seen. There were separate lines for women and men, and the men waited patiently while the women shoved and shouted at each other. My three friends and I were caught up in this ruckus, so we linked arms so that no one could push us out of the way. To dissuade the women from being too aggressive, I made pleasantries with them in Arabic. They called me a "nice, pretty girl" and then stepped off a little.

When our ferry arrived in Aqaba 6 hours later (it was supposed to only take 1 hour!) it was the middle of the night. Even in our half-awake state, we all noticed how different it was from Egypt. The roads were clean and free of traffic, and the cars that we saw were all new. In Cairo most of the cars are older than I am. We drove 2 hours to our hostel near Petra, where we got a good night of sleep.

The next day we explored the ancient city of Peta for nearly nine hours and it was the highlight of the trip. Built by the Nabateans in the 5th century BC and was deserted in the 5th century AD, the city was in the middle of the desert but was supplied with water. The Nabateans built a dam and there were terra cotta pipes that sent water to all parts of the city. It was amazing that in the 5th Century BC that they had figured out water pressure. The entryway is called As-Siq, meaning "the shaft" in Aramaic, because you walk between two very high cliffs. After almost a mile, the path opens upon the ancient city. At the time their society was very advanced, compared to Europeans. While the Nabataens were living in this amazing city, Atilla the Hun had taken control of France!

Petra was incredible, from the architecture to the rock formations. Returning to Cairo and starting classes will be mundane compared to my adventures in the Sinai! I can hardly wait to return.

On the way back to Cairo we went through Israel, and I never thought I would be so happy to be on Egyptian soil. Instead of sitting on a bus for 10 hours, we hired a car to drive us to Cairo that took half that time. The driver, who had been fasting all day, was slightly crabby. After asking several questions to no avail, I noticed green signs along the road. The driver told me that the 99 Names of Allah were written on these signs. I could tell from the prayer mark on his forehead that he was a very religious man. For the next 2 hours we would read the name together, as we passed each sign, and then the man would explain what it meant. He appreciated my interest as we talked about Islam and the history of Egypt. It was one of the most informative car rides I've ever had.