It was a bright, sunny day, and as our plane approached Aqaba, we had clear views of the surrounding mountains and desert. Aqaba is Jordan’s southernmost city and sits on the northeastern tip of the Red Sea. As the country’s only port city, it plays a vital role in commerce and transportation, but Aqaba is also a tourism hub known for its beautiful Red Sea beaches and resorts. It is also the gateway to the UNESCO world heritage sites of Petra and Wadi Rum which is why we are landing here.
Eilat, Israel’s southern most beach resort city is located across the bay from Aqaba and was easily seen from the air. Even though relations between Jordan and Israel are not hostile, our pilot had to bypass Aqaba and fly further into Jordan to position the plane for landing to avoid Israeli airspace.
As we flew over Aqaba, we saw lots of infrastructure development in progress as Jordan continues to invest in housing and resort capacity to grow tourism.
Our hotel was located in the city of Wadi Mousa, a two hour bus ride from the airport. Once we left the city limits, there were few towns or villages. The terrain was mostly sandstone mountains and desert with little vegetation – quite beautiful when illuminated by the late afternoon sun.
Periodically, we saw what looked like institutional housing in the middle of nowhere – our guide explained that the government was investing in housing in remote areas for Bedouin nomads to encourage them to settle so their children can attend school.
Our guide, Mamoud, was one of 18 children born to Bedouin parents. For the first five years of his life, he lived in caves as his family moved to tend their livestock. His life changed when he broke his leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment. He was befriended by a nurse who helped him get a scholarship to attend school; he continued through university in both Jordan and England and now guides international dignitaries through Petra on behalf of his government. His parents and siblings are still nomadic and move with the entire extended family four times per year. There is one big difference now – a teacher and school move with the community so kids can get an education. When Mamoud returns home, despite his degrees, teaching position at a university and having been guide to state dignitaries, he herds sheep and camel with his siblings. His perspective is that a simple life eating food that is natural and raised or grown by the community is the key to a long and satisfying life. His parents are both in their nineties and going strong!
We watched the sunset paint the sky around the dark silhouettes of the mountains. In the distance, we saw the lights of the town of Wadi Mousa, translated from Arabic as the Valley of Moses. We quickly checked into the Movenpick hotel, chosen because it is across the street from the entrance to Petra, dined at the hotel buffet and turned in for the night. We will be up early to explore Petra as soon as it opens!
