Journey to Jordan: I’d walk a mile for a camel

Well, here we are in scenic Petra, Jordan. We arrived last night at the Mövenpick Resort, just a short walk from the historic site.

The hotel would never be mistaken for a Holiday Inn or a Motel 6. We are in Jordan. And every detail enforces the rich heritage surrounding us.

How about donuts dusted with pistachio?

After breakfast, we walked over to the main entrance for the Petra site and began the long, long, long, long walk through cavernous canyons.

Think your job is tough? This guy works at one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. He spends the day sweeping up camel manure. God bless him.

Along the way, I made some new friends.

Finally, after a long, long, long, long walk, we arrived at the spectacular treasury building, which looks exactly the way it did when Indiana Jones encountered it.

Your Humble Blogger posed for a picture.

Then it was time to get down to the real reason for my visit—and the driving force which compelled me to want to visit Jordan in the first place.

I’m speaking, of course, of the chance to ride a camel.

There’s no shortage of camels and camel owners eager to provide this service. I found one and secured his services for a 60-second stroll around downtown Petra for the extravagant sum of $5.

My partner in crime, Frank Weathers, documented this important moment, and even captured it on video.

First, there’s the dramatic Camel Mounting.

Then, the Camel Ascension, as the noble beast rises from its knees.

Then, the Full Camel.

Dramatic video, including the Camel Descent, below.

After that, I was ready to pack my bags and return to New York. Mission accomplished.

But we strolled around some more and I made a few more new friends. These are local police. The guy on the right has the swankiest uniform I’ve ever seen this side of the Swiss Guards.

Frank made a new friend, too.

All the locals we met were remarkably photogenic—and only too happy to have their pictures snapped.

It was another memorable day in a week full of them. We staggered home a little after 3 pm. (A bedouin friend of our guide generously agreed to give some of us a lift in his car.) I’m looking forward to a little down time to catch my breath and collect my thoughts before dinner, reflecting fondly on the extraordinary sites I discovered—and the new friends I made along the way.