Wadi Rum

Also known as the Valley of the Moon.

If you made it through the first hour of Lawrence of Arabia without falling asleep you might be interested to know it was filmed in Wadi Rum. It is glorious, and you can almost fool yourself into thinking that you are on another planet. It is desolate, but gorgeous.

We rented a jeep and cruised around the landscape. Our tin can rental barely made it out of Amman, let alone through the desert hills. Please note: Jordanian rental cars are not held to the same standards as other rentals throughout the world. The bad news is you feel you must cross yourself before you go anywhere. The good news is the company will never notice if you scrape the exterior, rip the interior or destroy the engine. It is hard to leave it worse than you received it.

The canyon was my favorite place to explore save the narrow edges and slippery rock. It wasn't very toddler friendly, but they all sucked it up and scaled the walls well.

The petrogyphs were entertaining to look at. This one depicts a woman giving birth and the man next to her is shrugging his shoulders in confusion. It is the ancient picture of a Jerry Springer moment, 'That baby ain't mine.'

It is amazing how many shades of red/orange/grey you can see on one rock. I want a necklace.

...and 10 old ladies just had a heart attack.

Many people come to Wadi Rum to camp. If we had the time, we would have tried it out. It is the perfect place to feel like you are having an authentic Middle Eastern bedouin experience. That is, with cell phone and wifi coverage.

I love the fact that Megan (a fabulous photographer) just happened to take several family photos for us. I know her camera holds golden photos of our trip together. Two cameras are always better than one, especially if one of those cameras is Megan's.

The sandpit was also a favorite for adults and children alike. The classic scenes were watching children lose their footing and face plant in the hot, grainy sand. Is bad if I laugh instead of run to assist my son as he gets a mouth full sand? Don't tell me.

Jack finally spotted the first caught lizard. Axel's trip can be complete.

Merchants trying to sell 4 year olds oud and soap. It was a tough sell, but their cute faces should have been exchange enough.

After visiting Wadi Rum, it makes me want to stay awake for the full 3.5 hours of Lawrence of Arabia, just to relive the beauty all over again.

Petra

The fun really began when we got to explore Jordan with the Pettys. The kids were so happy to reunite with Jack and Maddie. Sedona said that she wished their home was hers. After we were there for a few days, I had to agree. One of the worst parts of living overseas is the fact that people leave. When the Pettys left Qatar just shortly after we finally moved into their compound, it was devastating. That is why our reunion was so delightful.

Some of my favorite people

Our first stop was Petra. You know, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Sun? Yeah, the facade exists but there are no holy grails or 20 foot rolling rocks. Instead, it is a small room where most people use as a urinal (as the smell indicates).

The wind at this particular corner was less like the breath of God and more like a cold and penetrating current from hell. It was great there was so much walking so all the little bodies following us had their blood flowing. I was impressed with how much they walked and how little they complained. Xavier said his favorite part of the entire Jordan trip was walking through Petra holding Jack's hand. He thought it was fantastic that Jack admired him, even down to fearlessly following him on high rocks and cliffs.

Heavah was quite happy collecting pottery with her dad for an extended period of time. I am sure the relic pieces are worth millions. Sotheby's, call me. She insisted on keeping every piece regardless of the fact that it weighed an extra 10 pounds in daddy's pocket.

One of my favorite Petra shots

The kids followed the water conduits the whole way through, which was at least a mile in and a mile out. The other tourists weren't used to seeing a bunch of rambunctious children wreaking havoc on a famous archaeological site. There are certain tourist sites in the world that most people aren't crazy enough to bring kids. Petra is one of them. We were just a whole bunch of crazy walking through with 6 small ones.

Petra was established around 6 century BC and was a caravan trading center for the Nabataeans. The narrow, towering rocks show movement of wind and rain. It reminds me of Page, Arizona, with taller, and more jagged rocks, and fewer Mormons.

The picture below shows ancient marketing efforts. To the left you can see a Nabataean and his caravan following behind (the camel's belly is over Heavah's head). It is like a 'Welcome--First Five Customers are Free!' sign to all the arriving caravans.

Heavah's favorite part of the entire trip was riding the horses in and out of Petra. After continuous walking for hours, 10 dollars for 4 horses? Done.

There is a reason why Petra is considered one of the modern 7 wonders of the world. Plan your trip and go!

Jordan Countryside and Jerash

As soon as we arrived in Jordan we ran for the hills. The air was crisp, and the flowers were blooming. So. not. Qatar.

Axel talked about the Jordanian lizards more than anything else. He had already been to Jordan and caught a chameleon the last time he was there. Who cares about the dead sea when you can catch cold blooded creatures with dental floss and a stick?

Shepherds and heads

A real Arabian horse grazing? The car must stop!

Nut and raisins anyone?

On our way back to Amman we stopped over at Jerash, a city that dates back to 3200 BC. The major development of the city took place during 90 AD when the Romans built up the city by creating roads and further economic development. At its prime, the city was over 80,000 square meters and thrived until the Persian invasion in 614 AD. The remains of the city were impressive and easily rivaled any ruin in Greece, which says a lot for a Roman ruin in the Middle East. Most everything turns to dust.

The walls were perfect for the kids to run, hide, slide, and run off of. It was an exciting place to explore. Plus, the blonde hair made us one of the feature attractions of Jerash. I do believe there are at least 30 camera phones possessing Asa's dimpled smile.