Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Dana, Dead Sea, oh my!

Ok, sorry people, Alden's been on the road!

Let's keep ourselves in order for clarity's sake: But first: Alden is healthy and has no broken bones, dispite himself.

Petra day 2:

Hike up to above the Treasury (aka the Indiana Jones building) for some stunning Alpha-Male poses. Pictures to be sent very soon, Inshallah! Then drive "TO AQABA!" (If you haven't seen Lawrance of Arabia, you might not understand the hilarity of screaming that quote every 15 minutes so or in the little POS Hyundai Alden rented...)

Aqaba! A really, very, extremely hot (weather-wise) town on the Red sea. Lots of new developments- impossible to find the beaches mentioned in the out-of-date Lonely Planet. Dinner obtained at a sea food restaurant. Sea food is eaten. YUM.

Aqaba day 2: Sit on the beach all day! Woohoo! Down at the Royal Jordanian Diving Club (really not that exclusive if they let Alden in, eh?) a day at the beach was had. This was nice to recover from the extremely physical days at Petra. There was a huge US Navy ship docked nearby, and soon young navy guys and gals started rolling into the diving club. They wasted no time at all in locating the beach bar. Go Team America!

Side ntoe: Foodstuffs were obtained at the local Safeway (crazy!).

Then- To Wadi Rum! This was Lawrence of Arabia's hide-out during the Arab Revolt. Stunning place. Alden and Mother found housing at "Beit Ali" and promtly rented ATVs to go dune bashing for a couple of hours.

Lesson learned: If you are going too fast on an ATV (Alden discovered they top out at nearly 60 mph) and you find yourself nearing a dune's drop-off of unknown height, don't go down it. But should you fly off a dune at a very fast speed, make sure you are able to roll faster than the ATV. If you are agile and blessed with the tawny thighs of a jungle cat, like Alden, you might roll faster than the ATV, but you will certainly lose your shoes (like in a cartoon) as you roll down the dune (faster than the ATV, remember that!). You then will get a little lecture from the ATV guide about not going so fast. But, Good Times! No broken bones!

Then Alden and Mother (who was clever enough not to crash her ATV) headed into Wadi Rum Village, to rent camels. This is not a comfortable means of transport. After 2 hours, Alden's legs hurt in the way they hurt after running 10 miles, in the rain, during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Seriously, after thousands of years, the best saddle was a hunk of wood? Yikes, it hurt. But beer helps this go away...

Wadi Rum day #2: Rent a Jeep! (With a driver who knows where he's going, naturally.)

After sleeping in a bit, Adlen and Mother head into Wadi Rum to hire a jeep for an 8 hour tour. He times it perfectly (what else would you expect from this guy?) so that the tour ends at a "sun-set spot" exactly before sun-set. Brilliant. And it was! Wadi Rum is indeed best viewed from the back of a pick-up truck jeep thing (with a cloth cover for shade). Simply stunning. Alden had a great time- scrambling up a couple of rock bridges, and hikes, during jeep tour pauses; good times were had. There isn't too much wild life- a few camels, lizards, and very blue birds. And indeed, the sun setting over Wadi Rum was the type of thing that inspires poets. Wow.

Then- To Dana Nature Reserve. Alden will be honest, he would have skipped this place if Team Awesome hadn't recommended it. Great suggestion, Team Awesome! Like Wadi Rum, Dana is really, really quiet. Alden loves the quiet; quite the contrast to "honk first, break second" Damascus! After a siesta, a good afternoon walk around Dana- up a nice little mountain for a "view point" which really understates the absolute beauty of the place! Alden and Mother stayed at a nice little hotel in the middle of the 15th century ruins of Dana village. Excellent place to view the sun setting down the valley of Dana.

Then- To the Dead Sea! So to really rough it, Alden and Mother are staying at the Dead Sea Marriott. This place is great. Alden quickly made friends with the bartenders who gave him several complementary beers this evening as he viewed the sun setting over the Dead Sea. (So Alden likes watching the sun set, ok?) The Dead Sea is still very salty since the last time he visited in July. Soon Alden will find his way to the "Sports Bar" to find a steak and ESPN.

It has been a good time in Jordan thus far, and a full day at the Dead Sea Marriott tomorrow! Woohoo!