LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/728742
Fall 2016 LOCALadk Magazine 34 LOCALadk something to hold the food beneath the ground. Genius in- genuity for nomadic tribes that live minimalistic lifestyles to ensure a hot meal each night. The utter darkness of the sky magnified the light of the stars. The Milky Way, Mars, Jupi- ter, Saturn, and many shooting stars filled the sky as complete silence filled the air of this rugged moonscape of huge sand- stone mountains and rusty colored sand dunes. Venturing back North, Petra was next on the itinerary. As one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" and a lost city found, the colors didn't surprise me more than the truths of recent utilization of the caves. Rosy pink sandstone cliffs that change color with the day's sunlight form the walls of this city. It was founded by Nabateans dating back to 300 BC, serving as a prosperous trading route primarily for silk, spice, and incense. Petra was a junction that housed caravans of people on a route that linked China, India, and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. It was lost to the Western World un- til 1812, when a Swiss traveler disguised himself so convinc- ingly that he was able to get inside the city's walls to reveal its existence. Arriving in the city, one is greeted with a mile long, narrow pathway of towering rock known as the Siq. All I could think of was the antediluvian armies and traders that had come before my time, making the exact same entrance through the Siq. Everything was hand carved - the tombs, amphitheater, and monastery - to provide for the route's de- mands. Petra's economy relies on the sale of curios, oranges, and (brace yourself) prostitution within the caves. I was fasci- nated with the men riding around on mules, offering rides on mule or camelback up from the main city to the entry way, as it is a 90 degree uphill hike to exit the city. If you imagine the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jack Sparrow, that is what they are aptly called, "Jack Sparrows", and rightfully so. There is a third option offered to western women which I witnessed firsthand - and it is thriving; this third option is left for inter- pretation! After my own offer from a Jack Sparrow to go "visit