Wadi Musa, Petra, Jordan - the search for the Holy Grail

At the moment we're high up in the hills of Jordan in Wadi Musa to visit Petra (yes, the place that Indie found and lost the Holy Grail in number 3). It is absolutely stunning and not to brag but our second world wonder on this trip.

We have 5 days here now instead of our planned 3, as the previous accomodation in Aqaba near the border tried to put us in a tent instead of a room at an exhorbatant rate for what it was, in 50 degree temps...so not an option!! So, after a 24 hour day of travel and some well worded business advice to the ahole hotel staff in Aqaba, we jumped ship early and hailed a cab to Wadi Musa.

To describe where we are now, it's a small mountain town where every house is made of stone and painted cream. It's surrounded by ancient, jagged, dry, erroded hills of rock and is visually to die for. We've been treated by crimson desert sunsets iced with a cresent moon the last two nights...awww.

The people are way freindlier than the first batch of Jordanians that I met last month, but that's pretty easy. But of course, they are more used to tourists here and our skin exposing ways. I am still carefull however not to attract too much attention, so have reverted to some strategic conversions of dresses to long skirts etc in a terribly daggy fashion, but worth it.

We met a stunning Bedouin man today in Petra who chatted with us while we smoked hooka. He lives in the caves, is 27, and unmarried. For that reason, Rachael Lowe, we've decided you should never visit here as you would be too tempted to stay and marry a local! He told us a few tales of western woman who come here for a week or so holiday and instead married and never left! One is a NZ'er who married a Bedouin man here 27 years ago, and has written a book on her experiences. We'll have to met her tomorrow to get her last name and look her book up, should be interesting hearing how she adjusted to the cave dwelling nomadic lifestyle here. Funny though, you see these guys, wearing their long robes and thick eye makeup and can easily see how women get swept up in it. Dont worry though, Andy is enough of a gorgeous nomad for me to ever be tempted by those boys!

xxxxx