Wednesday, February 23, 2011

First Report from Petra, Jordan

We are staying at the Movenpick Resort in Petra, Jordan.  We actually flew into  Aquaba which is Jordan's only outlet to the sea.  It is fittingly on the Gulf of Aquaba which in turn empities into the Red Sea.  The airport runway was huge but the facility was otherwise rather small.  We then took a bus north  for two hours to the town of Petra.  The attraction here are ruins of an an ancient ciy which were recently discovered.  We will learn more today about them but they are listed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.  We have seen two others on that list during this trip, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu.  We have also seen Angkor Wat and Easter Island which almost made the list.

My first impression of Jordan is that it is an arid place.  I have not seen a blade of green grass in the whole country yet.  I have not seen the entire country but I have not seen any land yet that would make me want to fight a war to preserve.

For you local Beaufort County types, it competes with the US to be the second largest exporter of phosphate.  The US produces more but it also consumes much of the production.

More impressions tonight.

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