Not far south of Dana, along the King's Highway the ancient Nabatean City of Petra is hiding inbetween rocks...
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My journey to Jordan started with a sunset. It was hard saying goodbye to a time which I didn't expect to pass so quickly.

Where will my path of destiny lead to?

No period of life just dies or leads into a dead end. It ends with a sunset as every day does. But during a sunset there is always time to sit down - review the day and think about the next one. How we experience a sunset often depends on the location where we observe it from.

This one was at lake Azraq, an oasis in the middle of the desert. It was a good location.
An approx. 40 minutes climb through stunning rock structures leads to Ed Deir, the Monastery. I placed a 5-Rubel coin inside and wonder if and who will ever find it?
A flowering Akazia and Tamarisk indicate the presence of water.
Mallosia imperatrix
(on host plant)
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<-- The Treasury (Al Khazneh Pharon) - the first and most impressive building when entering Petra after passing a 1.2 km gorge, called the Siq (below, right)
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But also the border for some species from the South, such as this Blue Sinai Agama.
Dana Nature Reserve - located in the Jordanian Mountains, south of the Dead Sea. Its fauna and flora contain many elements from the North and Dana is probably the most southern border for many species of the Levante.
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08 April - 19 April
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After kilometres of dust, stones and sand - unexpectedly life; sometimes not easy to discover, such as this well camouflaged praying mantis.
The Obelisk Tomb, before entering a long gorge, gives a first glimpse of what the visitor can expect.
A sandstorm later in the afternoon convinced most of the visitors to return, including me...
Next stop: Wadi Rum.
Despite all bedouin and tourist guide warnings I started my journey with the bicycle from Rum through the desert to Aquaba.  I shall never regret this decision ... although I was alone, without any map and only 6 litres of water. It was an adventurous mission.
After kilometers of hard work pushing the bike through loose sand, I was rewarded with riding on solid ground - sometimes not for long, but everytime it was a liberating experience.
After 2 days in the desert without being sure when and where I'd get to and no water left, it was good to see some life ... even though it was just a camel. But where there is a camel...
A tree in a forest is just a tree and oftenly not even noticed. But here in the desert it is unique. A religious place, where I felt gods consolation.
... a bedouin can't be far - in this case with a car :).
I gratefully took the invitation to his camp for a chai. Fuelled up and with fresh energy, I soon arrived in Aquaba for my last sunset in Jordan.
Shrubs not only have a philo-sophic function in the desert. They simply keep the sand from being blown away by wind.