Day 1 - Introducing Jordan

As a teenager I dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. I got that inspiration mainly from the Indiana Jones films. As soon as I saw the professor in archeology living his adventures on the big screen, I was sold. That attraction was not to experience all those dangerous adventures, but to travel around the world as an archaeologist and be the first to view, study and catalog all those historical artifacts. Being able to work in the midst of the history of different cultures and civilizations anywhere in the world, seemed to me the pinnacle at the time. And on top of that, you were also paid to travel J. I especially had a love  for the Middle East and Egypt. I had a romantic idea about that, especially about the period of the 1920s and 30s. I already saw myself uncovering old graves and discovering treasures. The tomb of Tutankhamun would only be a foot note in history  J
Dreams are one thing, to fulfill them something else. When I realized that not all archaeologists work abroad and that there is little romance in digging in sand and other layers of dirt, I opted for an economic study. Moreover, many feel called, but very few are chosen.

I knew one thing: I was going to travel, nobody was going to prevent me from doing that.

And there was one more thing from the Indiana Jones movies that continued to haunt me, specifically from the movie ‘Indiana Jones and the last crusade’. When I saw the facade of the Treasury  in Petra, I wanted to see that in person. I had to wait no less than 30 years (the film was released in 1989), but finally the time has come. The coming week I will discover the treasures of Jordan. And I say treasures. Because Petra may be the most famous one, there are more wonderful sites to visit. Jordan is an open-air museum with beautiful nature on top. Just think of one of the most famous deserts in the world: Wadi Rum. Finally I get the chance to feel like an archaeologist for a week, to let the Indiana Jones in me come out. Not that I hope for a trip that is too adventurous, but every journey is by definition an adventure. Come on Indy, I'm ready. Let me relive those adventurous 20s and 30s. Give me a glimpse of my old dream.