Petra’s People

Where does one go to meet a goat herder who lives in a cave?  Or a second generation Palestine refugee who’s father was expelled from Israel?  Or a Veterinarian and part time restaurant owner who insists on sharing a cup of tea?  Or to see one of the newest wonders of the world?   Where else but  Jordan. 

It was high on our list of destinations because of the unique city of Petra, but we had no idea that it would be the people that would leave us raving over the country of Jordan.

 

Our introduction to the warm people of this small kingdom began with our guide, Abdullah.  He is a charming and funny guy; part Palestinian and part Jordanian.  As the result of one of the many Israel and Palestine conflicts  his father lost his land and Abdullah still carries lots of bitterness over the situation.  He freely expresses his love for Jordan, and longs for the freedom to travel to Palestine to visit his extended family.  He is hopeful that someday he will, but in the meantime he is busy planning for his wedding, where he thinks there will be somewhere around 2,500 guests.  And we thought the wedding industry in the USA was out of control!

We set out the next day for Petra, an ancient city carved out of solid sandstone.  The Nabataean people carved this city in a narrow rift in the rocks, and proceeded to create their mother city.  The original carved stone sites are a phenomenon to behold and are amazingly still largely intact.  We spent two days exploring all the nooks and crannies, braved a harsh sand storm, and were thoroughly impressed with the area. 

On our second day at Petra, we hiked into the site from the back gate and had a long walk down a winding road.  A local goat herder named Ali was walking the same way so we naturally started to talk with him.  He literally lives in a cave within the Petra historical site, herds goats for a living, and speaks really good English!  He’s in his twenties, wears a turban with jeans and was in a hurry because he needed to light a fire for his goats, especially the two day old twins.  He laughed when we joked about him being a proud papa.  He admitted that he was very pleased and concerned about them as it was colder then expected.  He pointed out some sites in Petra which few tourists see and gave us his interpretation of some of the symbols.  He genuinely seemed to be a kind hearted human being and was tolerant of our 5 words we knew in Arabic.  Never did we anticipate that we’d hike with a young turban wearing goat herder in Jordan……wow…..it was a memorable experience to say the least.

 

After having a delicious meal at a local restaurant, Ali the Veterinarian and part time restaurant owner, invited us to sit with him for tea.  He wanted us to know that 85% of the Jordanian people are college educated, most for free.  After some probing, he admitted that the country is full of under employed young people and that the education isn’t actually free.  The fees come from somewhere.  He also stressed that their health care system is available to anyone, and that their leader King Abdullah is admired for all he has done for the working people.  He is an intelligent well read man who obviously loves his country and wants to dispel myths the western world has about his homeland and the Middle East.  His English was impeccable as he travels extensively with an organization that helps people care for their working animals.  We found him to be another sweetheart of a person, and another example of generous Jordanian hospitality.

We loved the distinctive city of Petra, but even more impressive were the people.  The hospitality and the warm nature of the Jordanian people made us feel very welcome and we’re glad we made the effort to visit a tiny corner of their country.