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This story is from my crazy, beautiful experience traveling alone on my 20th birthday! It was around 9:30 pm when I finally arrived to the city of Petra in Jordan. By the time I got to my hotel I was exhausted from driving all around the Dead Sea from Amman. I happen to be there on a day they were having the Petra By Night light show where they project these lights on the Treasury which is Petra’s most famous attraction.
There were glowing candles in paper bags placed every 6 feet along the trail that lead into the darkness of desert. I didn’t know how far away the Treasury was and I was completely alone. The only sound I could hear was my feet hitting the ground as I sprinted into the darkness illuminated only by candlelight. Canyon walls began rising around me. The trail became winding and the walls narrowed so much that I could barely see the stars. The canyon was so dark that there could have been anyone hiding in the corners and I couldn’t have possibly seen them. This was also a motivating factor to get there as fast as I could. I could hear the echoes of applause. As I turned the final corner I ran straight into a local guy who laughed and he told me not to worry, I hadn’t missed a thing. It felt like I was living in a movie scene. They began to project a myriad of lights on the Treasury as travelers sat around the candles, staring up in awe.
The man who I had run into in the canyon looked exactly like Jack Sparrow with the long hair, beads, red bandana and dark eyeliner. He explained that he was a Bedouin tribesman who was born in the caves behind Petra. He never went to school and couldn’t read or write. He could speak 5 languages because he works in the little trinket shop across from the Treasury. Before I even realized it was midnight which marked the beginning of my 20th birthday and I was now looking down from the ledge at the most beautiful birthday candles I could have ever dreamed of. Then on the way ask to my hotel this guy began serenading me, his voice was one of the most enchanting sounds I’ve ever heard. This was definitely one of the more amazing circumstances I found myself in as a solo traveler.
This is the most exhilarating part of travel, you literally never know what is going to happen next. One moment you’re alone absorbing the changing landscapes and reflecting on your personal life and the next you’re completely immersed in another person’s world view. I went to Petra knowing nothing of the history or way of life and left having had a glimpse of what its like to grow up there. I saw the cave my friend lives in and met his grandmother. I saw the interconnectedness of the Bedouin community who share everything from cigarettes to their Ferraris. And I would have never had that experience if I hadn’t been late to that Petra By Night show. He never asked me for money but he gave me hours of his time because he genuinely wanted me to experience his home.
I recently learned that some men in Petra in particular are professional romance scammers telling stories and providing these experiences to hook up with travelers, to ask for a lot of money and even visas if they can convince these women to marry them. Apparently this is a huge issue for female travelers who have become victims of these scams so my biggest tip for avoiding this kind of situation is that unless you are genuinely looking to hire a guide and agree upon a price beforehand, never, ever give someone money or send someone money that you met while traveling. Even if you are now good friends with that person on even wanting to start a romantic relationship with someone you met traveling, don’t ever put yourself into debt because of that because it could end up being a scam.
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5 сен 2024
