It is an unexpected trip to the Wadi Rum desert.  Since I don't have a definite plan, I tag along with Jeff and Rebecca to the desert.  We rent a 4x4, a guide, and head into the desert for a night. 

Desert, it is a totally foreign environment to me.  Voyage through this wasteland is an absolute unique experience.  There is no road, no traffic light, no rules to follow.  We are so free to cruise from one side to the other.  Somehow, I feel like traveling in an alien world.

Miles and miles of reddish dusty land extends as far as my eyes can reach.  The guide drop us off in the middle of no where, he will come back in an hour to pick us up.  I can't believe that I am actually walking in the middle of the desert.  All of a sudden, I realized how small and  vulnerable I am in this world.

The wind would blow away the footprint I just made.  Seems like nature doesn't want anyone to destroy its beauty.  Where am I?  I wonder.  What is buried beneath the sand?  Perhaps some civilization that was long gone before us?

After the spectacular sunset, night falls very quickly.  Sky is incredibly clear, fills with millions of stars.  There are so many of them that I couldn't recognize the constellation that I used to know.  Isn't this the Milky Way?

Yes, it is!  For the first time, I see the Milky Way.  I thought the sky was marvelous while sailing down the Nile, but it is much more splendid here in the desert.  Wow! what a view!  It is a wonderful experience to sleep under the stars.

I ran into four US Army soldiers who are here in Petra for their R&R.  They are on UN peace mission and station in Sinai, Egypt.  They told me that the situation in Israel is quite intense at the moment, and suggest me not to go.  I don't want to think about it until I get to Amman.