Wadi Rum & Petra

On the 8th of this month we left for Wadi Rum. For  those of you who do not know, Wadi Rum is essentially the middle of the desert in Jordan. Aside from learning Arabic, my purpose in Jordan was basically served in my going to Wadi Rum. It will probably be tough to top this experience in Jordan. While there, we rode 4x4s in the desert, had tea with bedouins, rode on camels and slept at a bedouin village.
Riding in the back of 4x4s in the desert was quite thrilling. Throughout the ride we had a few stopping points where we got to climb some sand dunes and take pictures. At the end of the Jeep excursion we were escorted to a bedouin tent for tea before mounting our waiting camels. The camel ride was an absolutely great experience. It was not as smooth as a horseback ride nor nearly as comfortable, however, it was pleasant and enjoyable. After about an hour of riding camels we stopped at a mountain top for more tea and to watch the sunset. Once the sun had set, we walked a while to the bedouin village where we would be having dinner and spending the night. Staying in bedouins was probably the most fun I've had since arriving in Jordan. For those of you who know me well, you know that I love dancing and I am not picky about it either. After dinner we gathered around a couple of guys playing traditional Arabic music. We were then taught some Dubke (traditional dancing) steps. At this point we all lost track of time and we danced until we were too tired to stand. Staying in the Bedouin village in the middle of the desert was very surreal. Despite the fact that I dreaded getting behind on sleep and homework that weekend, I had a blast.
The next day we left for Petra, an ancient city, and my time there made up for my lack of exercise (I joined a gym called Aspire in Amman). We walked a total of seven miles that day and a big chunk meant hiking up to the monastery Right after snapping a picture of the place where Indiana Jones found the treasure. For those of you who are wondering, I found no treasure myself but I did get a marriage proposal. As tempting as it was to accept, I had to decline. At some point during the walking I hurt my left knee so now I'm having to take it easy and I have difficulty going up steps but "Insha-allah" it will heel up soon.
We came back to Amman that same day and it was back to homework, dealing with taxis and eating pita with hummus.
TIPS: If going to Wadi Rum, take a scarf or something to cover your head with since it gets pretty hot. It is after all, a desert. If staying at a bedouin village in Wadi Rum, take plenty of layers for it gets quite cold at night. If going to Petra, expect to walk a lot so take comfortable shoes or you will get horrible blisters.
Word of the Day: Insha-alla -> God willing