Jordan

Summer is one of the thousands of Arabian working horses in Petra. She is also heavily pregnant with twins, a rarity for horses, for the last 6 months. Fortunately, she has a very loving owner in Wadi Musa, the village in close proximity to Petra. Unfortunately, she is also in danger of losing both of her babies because one of them is diagnosed 'dead' under ultrasound. Fortunately, if operation can be carried out to remove the dead fetus, both the live fetus and the mother will be saved. Unfortunately, the cost is sky high. An almost impossible price for her owner.

There are millions of horses, donkeys and mules that work for the extremely poor population in this world. On average, one animal supports about 20 people. In countries like Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India etc, the recent oil hike means families cannot afford to use vehicles to transport their goods. As a result, horses and donkeys carry an impossible amount of goods and building materials such as bricks and steel bars walking through wet and mountainous terrain for long hours with minimum rest and food. Combined with their bad diet and improper treatment by their owners, most working animals end up having bodily injuries and internal diseases, sometime collapse to death. Heartbreaking stories are all too common.

The Brooke Animal hospital set up by Princess Alia in Petra is one of the many Brooke clinics in the world originated by a British woman who saved thousands of carriage horses after WWI in Cairo. Nowaday, it focuses on educating owners on mutual respect for their animals and providing free medical treatment. For more information, please visit The Brooke website - http://www.thebrooke.org/.

I came back to Wadi Musa after hearing this bad new and give support to my Bedouin family who had generously allowed me to stay with them, provided me with fabulous food and warmth in the cold nights. Together with her owner, we brought Summer to the clinic for antibiotic to treat her congestion. Because of her poor appetite, we bought apples, fresh green vegetatable and even bread to provide extra diet on top of dry hay. We also cover her stable with extra layer of wood chip from local carpenter to make sure she can sleep warm every night.

It only took me two days and $26 to visit this historic Nabatean town. But time and money can never measure the friendship and hospitality that the local people provides. Over 30 tour buses transport more than 1200 tourists in one hour in this small town. Hundreds of these horses, donkeys and camels carry them through the Siq and up the monastry in the scorching summer heat and freezing winter days. If all tourists can spend a bit more time to understand the local culture and show their appreciation by making a minimum donation to these charities, these animals will have a much brighter future. How much do we really care for the poverty in this world?

If you would like to help Summer's operation, please leave me a comment. With hope, I sincerely wish Summer can deliver a health baby this summer.

As if I had not done enough trekking in Wadi Rum, my next stop is Wadi Dana, another great trekking destination north of Petra. Dana village is an ancient site protected by the Jordanian government. The entire village is built with stones and resembled any village mentioned in the bible. I was especially delighted to see donkeys and horses roaming freely in the rubbles of the stone houses, streets and aisles.

The trek from Wadi Dana to Wadi Fenan was fairly easy, although steep at time and very rocky, not my ideal trail choice. This nature reserve are active breeding ground for protected animals such as caracat, nubian ibex, african gazelle and various birds, although sightings of their night hunters are very rare.

After spending a night with a family in Griegra village, another Bedouin village close to the Dead sea. I headed north on the Dead Sea Highway and passed through numerous checkpoints in close proximity to the Israel border. After a short visit to the Wadi Mujib, another nature reserve close for winter, I visited Bethany, the site on Jordan River where Jesus baptised by John at age 30 before going into the wilderness. Although Jordan river is now quite polluted and muddy as ever, its reed banks had not lost one bit of its blibical aura. A family with two young girls all got baptised with a priest in the river right across from Israel territory when I arrived. A few gorgeous feline residents guarded the border with an equally gorgeous Jordanian soldier.

Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth (400m), is where Amman beach is located. A handful of tourists stripped off in the cold weather and floated themselves in the saltest sea on earth. I, however, prefered to simply wet my feet in the waves and walked along the hard salt structure formed on the shallow edge.

After a short stop at Mt Nebo where Moses is supposed to be bured, I finally made myself to the capital of Jordan, Amman. Old downtown Amman is a sea of beige houses built on steep mountain sides. Traffics are not as chaotic as Cairo but crossing the streets still takes some courage.

I visited the Roman theatre and Citadel during the wet and cold afternoon and settled down at Wild Jordan, a real refute for nature-lovers in this busy city, high above downtown, for afternoon tea and some leisure reading. I then spent the next hour walking through lines of stores trying to find my way back to the cold room in my hostel.

After a few days in Petra, I headed back to Wadi Rum for New Year Eve. It was a great feeling to come back to see my friends in this beautiful landscape. The night was quite uneventful, as compared to a large party set up by another travel agency for over 400 tourists. Nevertheless, it was exactly what I'd like to be - a peaceful and serene beginning to encounteract with a turbulant 2007.

The next few days, I did some scrambling and trekking with another group of tourists from the UK. At the same time, I also helped Simone, our wonderful Bedouin chef and Salim, his assistant, to cook, wash dishes, clean up the old campground and prepare the new ones everyday. Digging a hole in the rocky desert floor for toilet is never so much fun. This background training allowed me to gain more insight into the modern life of Bedouin tourism business, and a deeper respect for these hardworking souls of the desert.

After a few days of training, I moved from my nomadic life to stay with a Bedouin family in the rum village. A family of 6, Hader, his wife and their 6 children, welcomed me with their generous smiles, food and great hearts. We herd and fed goats, camels and played football. Aliya, the youngest daughter, learned to use all the buttons in my camera in no time by watching. She and her sister, Najee, and their siplings soon learned to take videos and direct their own movies. It is life at the simpliest and happiest.

After two weeks in this Bedouin land, I left with a great sense of appreciation, belonging, and a broken heart.

For the first time, Petra, is chosen to the included in the New Seven Wonder of the World. Built by the Nabatean over 2000 years ago under Roman influence, Petra can be compared to ancient Egyptian temples built around the same era. Most buildings in this ancient city are carved out of mountains.

Walking through the siq, created by tectonic forces thousands of years ago instead of water erosion, one cannot help but built up an excitment for the sight of the Treasury. Unfortunately, its fame had also brought in busloads of tourists from all over the world.

I bought myself a 2-day pass. On the first day, a beautiful female arabian horse, Summer, brought me to the top of the mountains around Petra where I can look down at the siq and escape the noise of the tourists. I then walked pass the Royal Tombs and the City Centre and started a short 25 min hike up to the Monastry, which measure higher and talled than the Treasury. Quite exhausted, I shared my lunch, chicken kabab, with two kittens at the viewpoint overlooking mountains and the Araba desert 0that stretch all the way to Israel and Palestine. A bedouin guide led me up to the top of a tomb opposite the Monastry where I can sit quietly and draw. By the time I walked down from the Monastry and went through the Great Temple and Royal Tombs, the sun had almost completely set - a perfect moment to have the entire siq by myself in the dark.

This night, I was invited to dinner by a Bedouin family from Wadi Masu (Valley of Moses) and spent the cold night next to the fire. On the second day, I ride Summer, again, with her kind Bedouin owner, Shadi, to the top of the Treasury which has a breathtaking view of the entire Petra city and stopped by the Obelisk at the Sacred Hill.

Late afternoon, I visited Little Petra, a site with vast network of channels (also built by the Nabateans) leading water from top to bottom of beautiful sandstone mountains down to many underground resevoirs. Last by not least, I took a sidetrip to the Shobak Castle, built by King Baldwins around 1100AD but overtook by a Mumlak. Exhausted after two full days of sightseeing, I retired back to my hotel and prepared to go back to Wadi Rum for New Year Eve.

To truly appreciate a landscape, we must include its inhabitants. To truly understand oneself, we must open our minds to all cultures.

After a week of pampering myself in Dehab next to the Red Sea, I'm back in my favorite landscape - mountains. A different tribe of Bedouin people inhabit in this area for hundreds of years. Although most had moved into stone buildings in the rum village, a small no. of families still live in tents in the vast desert land.

For three days, I hiked and scrambled (easy climbing) along the many jebels (mountain in arabic) and wadi (valley) enjoying breathtaking views of this land. At nights, we enjoyed simple but delicious meals cooked by our guide, Mohammad and Simone, then spend the night chatting next to the fire, star-gaze or simply take in the 'silence'. I even spend a few moments with the desert foxes when I gave them our leftover rice and chicken - Bedouin style!

For the next few days, I spent time learning to take care of camels. I learned milking, herding (following them through the vast desert floor for hours making sure they do not wander too far while they feed themselves with desert plants), and even witness a few mating sessions.

No word can ever describe my feeling towards the majestic Wadi Rum desert in the south of Jordan. A lifetime will not be enough to explore this land. This will remain permanently inscripted in my memory, just as the Bedouin engravings on the mountains - forever.