a guest post by Milton Fullman.

Writer/photographer Milton Fullman recently traveled to Egypt and Jordan as part of a Goodwill Delegation. These are his observations from the Jordan portion of his trip. 

Tuesday began with a three-hour bus ride from Amman to Petra, where we enjoyed a day of touring, interacting with locals. On the ride, I observed beautiful countryside and well maintained roadways. Traffic was light, perhaps, I thought, because so many people have stayed away. My, what they are missing by not being here.

The day was sunny and clear. I’m sure that the tourism folks were pleased to have such a setting for showcasing their country. From the bus, we began walking into Petra, passing through gates that took us to vendors who offered horseback and carriage rides into the historic site. (Motorized vehicles are not permitted.)

One vendor, who figured I was American, approached me to ask for my help in telling Americans about his country.  “Look,” he said, “three camels… no waiting.” Much to the vendors’ chagrin, all of our group decided, after our lengthy bus ride, we would prefer walking toward the rose-red city. Besides, the day was sunny and we had had our fair share of being indoors.