And Then That Happened, Part 1 (Intro.)

In one of my first posts on this blog, about The Journey, I observed that modern pilgrims do not face the same challenges getting to and from their destination.  In prior ages, the journey was as much about the pilgrimage as being there, and often more stressful.  Bandits by land, storms at sea, dangerous rulers, crowded inns and surly monks all were challenges.  Some pilgrims died en route or coming home.

I almost died coming home. 

Not at all intentionally, mind you. But I definitely used up a couple more of my proverbial 9 lives (I'm up to about 12!).  That sounds flip to say, but dealing with that reality has been very hard, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Following the conclusion of my time at Tantur, I took off on my own to explore Jordan.  I took the train to Haifa, and the next day to the Sheik Hussein border crossing near Bet She'an.  There I was met by my driver from Amani Tours  http://www.amanitours.com, with whom I'd assembled a custom tour of religious and cultural sites.  My drivers were wonderful, and through the crisis I'll detail below, they and the staff went far above and beyond the call of duty.  Over a short week, I visited Umm Qais, Pella, Jerash, Amman, Qasr al-Abd, Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Umm ar-Rasas, Heshbon, al-Lahun, Machaerus, Kerak Castle, Dana Preserve, Wadi Mujib's slot canyon hike and falls, Shobek

Jerash, Decapolis Roman City extraordinaire

Castle, and of course, Petra.  I had different drivers for the northern and southern legs of the trip; both spoke fine English, were affable, flexible, and put up with my hundreds of questions.  Some places were well trod, others way off the beaten track so we were the only ones there.  Just looking at that list and reviewing some of the pictures makes me realize how what happened at the end eclipsed so much of my memories.

It was hot.  This was the first week of July.  Over 100 degrees F every day.  More than a few times, I was very grateful to get in the air conditioned car after climbing down from the likes of Pella or the (unimpressive) ruins of Herod's mountaintop palace at Machaerus, completely drenched with sweat.

Machaerus.  You walk from here to the top. Not worth it.

My drivers thought I was a bit crazy.  Cooler but exhausting was the walk, swim and climb in Wadi Mujib's slot canyon.  I am not sure when I was more muscularly spent than after that, I would not have made it without the help of the guide/river-otter who assisted me.

The next morning after the Wadi Mujib hike, I had a "nature hike" with a Bedouin around the upper valley at the Dana Preserve, during which I'd slipped and fallen several times on loose rock.  My driver stopped in Wadi Musa (the town by Petra) where I got a lunch shwarma to go and some more water bottles. He dropped me off at the location I would be picked up at 16:00 hrs and taken to a Bedouin camp near Little Petra for the night.  After going through the small but well done museum near the entrance gate, and taking a picture of the Indiana Jones Gift Shop, I started down the road into the ancient city.  Downhill going in, I met a fairly steady stream of tourists coming out.  Most were on foot, but a lot had hired donkeys or bicycle-wheeled chariots for the return trip. 

Did I mention that it was hot?  I later learned that it was 46 C (115 F), the hottest day all summer.  There were a a variety of impressive monuments as you approached the siq (slot canyon that is the main entrance to the city).  When I got into the siq, I stayed to the shady side of the canyon it was a furnace with no breeze.  The aqueduct system in the canyon were interesting but dry.  But nothing prepares one for the view when all of a sudden you turn a corner, and there is the famous Treasury.  This is the building used in Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail as the main temple, though it is in fact a tomb.  In the plaza is a tourist chaos of people hawking trinkets, camel rides, and people from all over the world getting their picture taken.  I got a nice Japanese lady to shoot my picture before leaving the carnival to head on into the city.  Check out the people on the camels right near the base of the structure, it gives you an idea of the sheer size of the monument.

The last smile for a while, at the Treasury

My plan, which I had figured out well in a advance, was this:  Not far past the Treasury, I would turn off south on the trail to the High Place of Sacrifice. The High Place was a Nabatean sacrificial platform and altar on a mountaintop some 500' above the main city, accessed by a million stairs (more or less).  From there, I would descend the back way down Wadi Farasa, past a number of lesser known monuments, and then in a couple miles rejoin the main valley at the restaurant complex at Qasr al-Bint.  I'd then hurry up the main street, back to the Treasury, out the Siq and meet my driver by 16:00 to go to my camp near Little Petra.  I woudn't spend a lot of time looking at things through the city center, because I would visit them the next day.  The plan for the morrow was to get a jeep ride from Little Petra to roads end, and then take the rugged way-point "back-way" route to the Monastery, a large monument atop its own mountain, descend from there to the Qasr al-Bint, and then have a good portion of the day to explore the city. I'd then meet my driver near the main gate, who would take me 3 hours up the King's Highway to a hotel in Madaba, from which I'd go the 20 minutes to the airport the next morning to catch my flight to London en route home.

This was not to be.

Map of Petra.  My first fateful route is the trail looping down from the center and then going left.

Go to Part 2: A Shocking Experience