November 9. 2015

This night I sleep in a Beduin tent in Salems garden and I have to admit I haven’t slept so well for years. I had amazing lucid dreams a wake up full of power in the morning. We all have breakfast together and soon I hit the road towards the ancient town of Petra.

Soon I climb up a mountain to reach the cloud base at 1800 above sealevel while still on the road. Seems like no flying today again as the clouds grow higher and higher making enormous towers. Never mind, I pass the fog and soon reach the very touristic town of Petra. It feels like most of the people who come to Jordan only come to go to Petra. I find a Bank and a place to get coffee (the one with free wifi next door is still closed because it is too early. A hotel is quickly found and after the check in I make a little walk through town. Even though there is wifi in the hotel I stop again at the same restaurant which was closed in the morning. Looking back I think it took only seconds to make friends with Mohamad, a 25 year old computer engineer from Syria who is working as a waiter here. He wants to come to Europe next year so I discuss his plans with him and try to help him to figure out a better way than the Balkan route which I believe is the worst way he can possibly take.

Next the hotel manager takes me to a place where “all the French people fly” but the clouds are over developing again and I am a little concerned about the strong thermals I expect up there. As I prefer being a living coward instead of a dead hero I don’t even unpack my gear. The mountains are great here and it would be amazing to fly – but I am no Chrigel Maurer so we go back to the hotel.

The entrance ticket to Petra is more than 60 Euro for one day and I already think about leaving without seeing it but fortunately Mohamad has a friend who can help me to get in way cheaper. Coming back to the hotel I hear the Imam doing the prayer and it is the most beautiful one I have ever heard. I decide to go to the Mosque tomorrow morning to pray there with the locals and hear him singing. Am I slowly becoming a muslim?

In the afternoon it starts to rain in the desert – and people tell me how lucky I am to experience this. Why am I so lucky every time I come to the desert? First desert I ever visited was death valley and it rained – in Esfahan I even had snow, Rain in the Sahara and of course I’ve seen shitloads of rain in Rajasthan.

In the evening I get dinner at Mohamads place and guess what – he makes the best lemon mint juice I ever had. Asking him for the bill he tells me to pay as I like still giving me discount on my selfmade price….