“In all the years the Bedouin lived in Petra there was not one foreign casualty in the area …” wrote Marguerite.
“But in the years after we moved, several people lost their lives, simply because no one was around to tell them which was the correct path, or to hear them calling when night fell and they lost their way, or even to notice which way they went – so that when they were missed and a search was initiated, no one knew in which direction to look and they found them too late.” – from Married to a Bedouin
The sun set. The beam of light reflected from a Wadi Musa rooftop went dark.
“We must leave now,” advised Juomaa.
We didn’t argue, nor insist on enjoying the after-sunset-drinks the young men at the café offered us.
“Want to stay and party?” they grinned. Young, old, married or not, it never hurt to offer. Who knew? Maybe one or two ladies might be tempted to stay and raise glasses to the mountain djinns.
Hungry, our donkey train was ready to return home for dinner. The breeze must have carried the scent of alfalfa. On the way down, going through the low tunnel, they would have cheerfully scrapped us off if Juomaa and Maaz had not held them steady. Fifty-rounds of “Jesus, Joseph and Mary” later, we landed on the empty Colonnade.
Walking the length of the Colonnade, a few shop keepers shined their flashlights at us and called out an invitation for tea. A couple tourists wondered between the tented shops. The Treasury coffee shop was still open, but our impatient donkeys wanted to turn around. Juomaa enlisted the tea man’s help so we could get a night photo.
Re-tracing our morning steps to the Siq’s entrance, we rode in pitch blackness, holding out our arms to push our donkeys away from the sandstone walls. To navigate, Juomaa looked towards heaven and followed the star trail above the canyon walls.
Not a soul shared the Siq. They had adjourned to the sky. It’s been said there are more angels than stars. If that night was an example, then their numbers cannot be imaged by humans.
We could not get over our good fortune.
The man at the ticket office was wrong about that Wednesday night. Someone had arranged with the Bedouin for us to see Petra. And the day ended when Juomaa and Maaz valeted our donkeys at the Movenpik’s front door.
To be continued…
ABOUT JUOMAA KUDBLAN THE PETRA BEDOUIN GUIDE
Juomaa Kudblan, Mr. Friday, was a man we instantly felt comfortable with. His mobile is 00 962 7 7753 5425.
You can arrange to meet him at the Petra entrance, or, if you are lucky, arrange to meet him at Haroun’s for a sunset trip to the Monastery. He charged us each 50JD for our four-hour tour. His rate matched the rates quoted on Frommer’s. His donkey were well-cared for, and he is a kind, stable individual.
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 