PETRA page 97

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WALLED LAKE • 669-2010

PASSOVER 1995

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CALL
CADILLAC TRAVEL

which is a valley, with about 100
horses and their masters. Each
of us was given a horse and a
guide who leads the horse. My
guide was a 15 year old Bedouin
schoolboy who spoke basic Eng-
lish. The horses take you through
a long and beautiful Wadi lead-
ing to the first and most striking
ruin of the Nabetians.
After this ride, you leave your
horse and explore the rest of Pe-
tra by foot. In one section a movie
was being filmed. Our tour last-
ed about five hours and we did
not even see half of the city. It is
however, enough to get the basic
idea and see the beauty of the red
rock. Our Jordanian tour guide
was a Bedouin who claimed his
ancestors had lived in Petra. He
has three wives and he asked my
father how much money it would
take to make me his fourth. Oth-
er than that, he was quite friend-
ly and knowledgeable. Through-
out the tour, small Bedouin chil-
dren approach and try to sell
their crafts. The Bedouins are
very clever as it is hard to resist
these children. I suggest bring-
ing candies to pass out to them.
A woman from my group gave
some children a Coke and they
were in heaven.
At the end of the tour, our hors-
es and guides appeared to take us
back. Please note: It is common
courtesy to tip your horse-guide
two dinars, but make sure to do
this only at the end of the journey.
If you tip them after the ride into
Petra, you will never see either
horse or guide again.
The bus ride back to the bor-
der takes two hours through a
scenic, winding road. This time
the Jordanians worked quicker
in processing our passports al-
though they still put the newly
arriving passports on top. (Make
sure you have saved four dinars
for the exit tax. They will not take
any other currency and you do
not want to stand in the bank line
again). The border patrol then
wished us well and our Jordan-
ian tour guide promised to visit
Israel soon. However, thus far
tourism has mostly been going in
one direction only.
Back on the Israeli side, secu-
rity was at its highest. We had to
split into groups of three for secu-
rity checks and passport control.
Each group was granted a green
slip of paper. If you separate from
your group and the green slip of
paper, you will not be allowed en-
trance into Israel. Curiously there
were three Israeli watchtowers
looking over the Jordanians but
no visible surveillance going in the
opposite direction.
The trip to Petra is definitely
worthwhile, especially if you are
already in Israel. I also advise you
to visit sooner rather than later
as the ruins are still untouched.
Once the border opens to Israelis
and tourists traveling in private
cars, you would be better off buy-
ing a book. ❑

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