Petra
11-1 Thursday

It seems like I have lost a day somewhere. Maybe it was over the Atlantic.

Lynda and I were up by 7 a.m. and ready to hit the road. We had a Continental breakfast at the hotel: toast, cheese and coffee for 12 US (Ouch!). Thankfully I brought my own hot chocolate. Lynda wanted milk for her coffee - the guy said he understood and brought a small container of more water. I had to draw on my foreign skills by pretending to milk a cow and saying mooooooo! He got it!

As we were getting in our cab to go over to the Jett Bus station I learned that the desk clerk lived in Winter Garden, FL for 12 years! He said, "You probably haven't heard of it because it's a small town but it's near Disney World." I told him I knew exactly where it was. Small world.

When we got to the Jett Bus station the bus for Petra had already left so we got in another cab and went to the public bus station. We had to wait until the bus was full before we could depart. The BO Express cost us 5.60 US. (I have to keep saying US because I can't find a dollar sign on this computer.) There were mostly men in our mini van except for a married couple from France and a family with two young children, two teen looking girls and a woman whose face was completely covered.

The land we traveled through with the radio blaring Arab tunes (Joyce remember the bus to Tana Torja?) was arid and barren. The houses (even the new ones) are devoid of color in keeping with the tradition of mud dried homes. They are mostly square structures with square windows.

We stopped about 45 minutes into the trip and picked up some guy standing on the side of the road. He had to stand because all the seats were taken. We later picked up two more guys.

An hour into the trip we stopped for gas- I went to the toilet. Right next to the room with the toilets was the ladies prayer room with the rugs on the floor. This is a heads up for Anna and Fran - the toi-lets were squats!

As we continued down the road the guy that was standing right in front of me threw his soda can out the window onto the highway. You can imagine what that does to an American to see something like that.

We reached Petra in about 3 1/2 hours. We checked into the Cleopetra Hotel which is a real dump. You know it has to be bad if I'm saying that. The bathroom is so small you have to sit sideways on the toilet! The beds are so close together you have to drag one foot behind the other to walk between them. I'll measure tonight but I bet there is less than 6 inches between them.

This afternoon we went out to Little Petra with the French couple that was on the bus with us. They are staying at our hotel and hate it too.

Tonight we're going to see a sound and light show at Petra. I would write more but the internet has just turned on this REALLY LOUD Arab music and I can't think at all. My keyboard is vibrating. I think they are having prayers upstairs because I have seen a ton of men going up and they are making all kinds of racket.

Write me.