Petra, Jordan

This morning when I opened my Yahoo page before checking e-mail there, I saw that the featured "Destination Spotlight" was Petra. Immediately I was transported back to July 1993 when I was on my last major tour with the New England Youth Ensemble. This tour was to Egypt, South Africa, Israel and Jordan. I loved it! Every day was an incredible experience, each one better than the one before, each one more interesting than I ever imagined possible.

To get to the canyon where the ancient city of Petra lies, people have the option of walking in or riding a camel or horse. I remember Dr. Harvey rode a horse in, but I walked in with Donny and Corey and others. We were cautioned to keep covered, that the sun was intense in the canyon, but many in our group were so hot they couldn't keep covered...and later paid for it. Thankfully, I resisted the urge to uncover.

It was an incredible sight once inside the canyon. Some places were very well preserved. Others were eroded by the elements and human neglect. I tried to imagine what it would have been like when it was an operating city...but it was hard. There's nothing in our context that's even remotely like it.

Someday (maybe this summer), I will scan my prints so I can post them and do other computer-related things with them (like powerpoint slide shows, etc.). For now, here's a small taste of what Petra is like.