Merhaba (Hello),

When one hears of the "wonders of the ancient world" all the hype focuses on
sites such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal,
etc.  I'm not sure if the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, here in Jordan,
ever gets a mention, but to me, it seems every bit as worthy.  I would rank
it near the top off the most impressive sights I've seen in all of my
travels.  The ruins are spectacular not only for their monumental size,
extent over a broad area, and high state of preservation, but also for the
unusual natural setting in steep narrow canyons and amongst colorful rock
formations that I've seen matched only by areas of the American southwest
(ie. Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks in Utah).  One could easily spend
days here exploring all the nooks and crannies.  Just when I thought I might
become jaded (or ruined) by seeing too many ruins during this journey
to the Middle East, I arrive at Petra and become fully awestruck again.
It's a good thing that I saved the best for last.

Petra is famous, among other things, for being the setting of the movie
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".  Although the caves and the steep
narrow canyons of Petra have been inhabited for thousands of years, the city
itself fell into obscurity for a long period until the "lost city" was
rediscovered in 1812 by a German explorer.  Bedouins continued to live in
the caves until they were forcably relocated by the Jordanian government in
the 1980s.  These days, the Bedouins have been reduced to selling
handicrafts and trinkets at the site.  Some still tend to small herds of
goats.  Others serve as guides or as donkey drivers for tourists who are
tired from the extensive walking required to cover the site.  Some of the
donkey drivers, I'm sure, are no more than six or seven years old.

In the early 1990s, the Jordanian government realized they had a gold mine
here and jacked up the entrance fees a whopping 20 times, from $1.50 to
$30.00 for a day.  This puts the ticket price in a league with Disneyworld.
Two days cost $38; three or more days cost $45.  Some economist whispered in
their ear that they need to charge what the market will bear ... and 5000
people per day still fork over the money.  This sort of thing is happening all
around the globe.  If inflation has doubled prices since the 1980s, prices at
tourist sites have gone up threefold, fivefold, tenfold or in this case twentyfold.

Just south of Petra is another spectacular area called Wadi Rum.  This is
the area made famous in "Lawrence of Arabia".  Were the bedouins not such
low cost labor as movie "extras", it might have been cheaper to make the
movie in the American southwest (such as Arizona's Monument Valley), which
is very much how this region of Wadi Rum appears.

After leaving Jerusalem, I spent several relaxing days with my friends Igor
and Alla (somewhat recent immigrants to Israel from the Ukraine), now living
in Haifa, Israel.  We've gotten together just eight times in 13 years (in
five countries -- Ukraine, Russia, Czech Republic, the U.S and Israel).
Theirs is a story-and-a-half that I won't delve into now.  Suffice to say
that, as always, they kept me drenched in both tender loving care and vodka.
Their hospitality is tops!

One generally feels pretty safe in Israel; but there's something a bit
unnerving about having an automatic weapon pointed at my kneecap as a young
army guy sitting next to me on the bus adjusts his Walkman for better sound.
Automatic rifles seem to be all the rage throughout the Middle East, except here
in Jordan, where they seem to have adopted the more subtle concealed weapon
approach.

The weather has been phenomenal throughout the four weeks of my journey.
Only when I slept in the desert at Wadi Rum did things get a bit too nippy.

It's been a great trip!  I'd recommend the Middle East to anyone.  People
are incredibly hospitable and welcoming here.

I head home in a couple days.

Best wishes,
Deano

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