We got up late from the Aqaba because we were exhausted from the night before so we missed the microbus to Wadi Rum, in the dessert of Jordan. Instead we took the microbus to Petra which travels the same highway but will let you off at the turn off for Wadi Rum. After getting off there were minivans waiting to take people the remaning 20km to Wadi Musa but they wanted way too much money so we walked down the road a little and decided to try our fate at hitching. About five minutes later we caught a ride with a phone company truck, he dropped off us at the visitors center about 7km from the Wadi Rum village and would nto take any money from us. Jordanians and Bedouins were living up to their reputation as very giving and warm people.
At the visitors center we talked to the people about were to camp and hike. The surrounding mountains in the desert are very beauitful, reminded me much of southern Utah. Essentially we could hike into the desert and pitch our tent anywhere we wanted as long as we took our trash out when we were done. So after convincing the nice tourist police to hold our big bags overnight while we camped we set off late afternoon for the bottom of the canyon. We had intended to hike a 2.5 hour loop through the canyon and around the rock called the Seven Pillars of Wisdom (see pics) after pitching our tent. However, Mother Nature had other plans as we experienced a late afternoon desert thunderstorm so we had to wait under some rocks until it passed and then set off through the canyon. It was getting later then expected and we thought we had seen the best part of the canyon so decided to turn back to the tent to make dinner. Our dinner consisted of tuna, pita bread, and some odds and ends. Turns out the tuna from Ethiopia was disgusting so I ate pita bread saving some for breakfast. The clouds passed early in the evening and the 20 million stars campe out, it was so clear and quiet that we went to bed and slept soundly.We awoke the next morning, slept in and after breakfast cleaned up camp to make our way across the sand back to the visitors center.
We got back, talked to our police friends to get our bags, and set on the curb to catch a ride to the highway interchange for Petra. Unlike the day before this seemed to take a while even with the police and park people "helping" us. I think they wanted us to take one of the expensive taxis to the highway something which we refused quite frequently. After about 2 hours we made a deal with a taxi driver going to the highway who already had two passengers. The driver knew the bus driver going to Petra with the bus and after he dropped us off he said the bus would be there in 30 minutes. While waiting on the side of the road another taxi driver pulled up who was from Wadi Musa/Petra and made a deal with him that was the same price as the bus so we hopped in. Not only was it the same price it was also an hour instead of three like the bus. He dropped off in Wadi Musa at the bus station. Welcome to Petra!
