When I returned from the yoga safari, Huw's mum and dad had already relaxed into Dahab life, though suffering a little from the heat. Lucky they hadn't come a month earlier when temperatures were high in the 30s!
They stayed with us over a week; I won't write too much about their time with us, as, if he ever gets round to writing a blog, H will probably want to write about that. Suffice to say, it was of course brilliant to see them, and to offer them the retreat they so needed. They did both get sick, but only for a day each and we still managed to squeeze in the undeniable highlight: three days in Jordan, which H organised spectacularly.
I'll keep it short. The ferry from Taba was quick and relatively hassle-free, but rough. We hired a car and that night wandered through Petra's 'siq' (canyon entrance) by candlelight: a paper lantern placed every metre for nearly 2km (you do the maths) and at the end, hundreds of them lit up the magnificent Treasury that marks the entrance to the mystical city of Petra. We drank hot sweet tea, and sat on mats allowing the live Bedouin music to wash over us - and send me to sleep. We all staggered back the 2km uphill to bed in a sleepy haze.
The next day we revisited Petra by day. Mal and John couldn't believe it was the same walk we'd done the night before, it all felt so different. Again we were all blown away by it all; Huw and I too even though we'd both visited in previous years. We met Marguerite, a New Zealand lady H had interviewed for Responsible Travel, who in 1978, at 22, visited Petra as a tourist and never left, marrying one of the local men, and bringing up their three children in a cave. If you're interested in her fascinating story, she has written a book, 'Married to a Bedouin'.
That evening we arrived at Wadi Rum. Dark skies and small swirling sandstorms almost made us continue past the wadi and on to Aqaba but something told us to stop; the sky cleared after an amazing meal and live music at Mzeid's camp, and we were treated to a blanket of stars (including a shooting one that everyone saw but me!) as we'd hoped.
The next day we were treated to a 4x4 ride to pre-historic rock carvings of camels and horses, canyons to climb through and rock bridges to climb over. As we drove, the colours of the landscape changed from pinks and purples to grey to orange. Mal and John were astounded by the valley's beauty, and it felt so good to share it with them.
A smooth, speedy boat voyage back to Sinai, where Mal and John prepared to fly back to the UK and H and I to Cairo where our next adventure awaited us.
Below you can see Petra by candlelight but there are lots more pictures of our three days in Jordan - and of course more about our trip and truck at thelongandwinding.
