Choose Your Own Adventure Day - May 27

Good walking shoes…check. Sunscreen…check. Water…check. Good-bye Eilat, Israel with all of your Western World comforts: soft pillows, comfy bed, semi-familiar food, and high-pressure showers. We are crossing the border between Israel and Jordan but should be back sometime tomorrow.

We arrive at Petra after traveling on the winding Desert Highway. Petra is an ancient Nabateyan settlement created between the 100 BC and 100 AD...or as you Indiana Jones fans know the setting for the final scenes of “The Last Crusade.” Unlike Harrison Ford we don’t face a series of tests for strength, intelligence, and courage, but enjoy a tour given by our new guide Loay (pronounced Louie).

The city was carved out of sandstone and features faint outlines of man made carvings as well as natures marks of change over thousands of years.

Now the tour is over and we are given many options for our personal pleasure or pain.

1. Burn Group: enjoy a steep hike to the monastery or to the high place (sacrifice alter) while feeling the burn of the sun and their calves from climbing.

2. Savor Group: enjoy some R&R while eating a savory authentic meal at a restaurant and shopping with the vendors advertising strategies such as “jewelry for your mistress or 2nd wife.”

3. Tired/Tuckered Out: find their way quickly back to the bus. All use one or more modes of transportation: donkey, camel, horseback, carriage ride and own two feet.

As you can imagine the afore mentioned animals presented a few droppings that were dodged with careful selection of foot placement. For those unfortunate folks not watching their already dusty feet added a bit of smell to endure. As in “choose your adventure” any of these options could be combined or changed at any time to make your very own Petra Adventure.

To our enjoyment the night continues at a 5 star hotel in Taybet, near Petra, made from the remnants of an old village with a labyrinth of rooms situated in random fashion with cobblestone floors.

Choices for entertainment include:
1. Swimming
2. Turkish Bath (steam room, body scrub, and massage): Becky, “I’ve never been bathed like that since my childhood” Mike, “That was weird” Ben, wide-eyed, no words, Micheal V. “Totally Awesome!” [Sorry...no pictures allowed]
3. Buffet Dinner: mashed chickpeas fried, lamb with oriental rice, fried pita bread, hummus and half a dozen desserts.
4. Shopping: henna, spices, jewelry, gypsy skirts, and frank or myre incense.
5. The filming of a Swedish TV show.
6. Last but not least sleep. Phew!