Petra - Kingdom of Jordan-Monastery 1

04 September, 2007 at almost 1900 local time
After more than a year flying reconnaissance and strike flights in Iraq during "the surge" of Operation Iraqi Freedom '06-07, on my way home I went a bit AWOL and booked a week in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for some decompression, taking in the sights and flavors like a man starving for peace and nourishment.
While at Petra, I was told about the infamous 800 step climb to the top of the mountain called the Monastery Trail. Unable to resist the challenge, I forged into the blasting heat and arduous ascent along sheer thousand foot cliffs that eventually brought us to this unbelievable sight (the Monastery) carved into the mountain side. In a way, the sight of it even rivalled the more famous Treasury building down below (perhaps because of the investment of the 800 steps, the heat, and the absence of adequate hydration).
While enjoying a well-earned rest, some water, and a Turkish coffee, a young Bedouin man began silently free-climbing the monument bare-footed until he eventually reached the very top. Balanced there, he turned toward his audience and began playing a small flute - the sweet sound of which reverberated between the cliffs.
I videoed much of his impressive climb and took these (among many other) impressive shots before an Arab man started shouting in Arabic to the climbing flutist that he'd better come down from there as the king would be quite cross with him if he were to slip and fall to his death in front of all us tourists! This of course brought him quite deftly and swiftly down to ground level, as Jordanians take royal “advice” quite seriously. It was all truly astounding to behold and well worth the long climb to the top as well as all the trouble I faced when I finally rejoined my jealous comrades back in the states.
Sony DSC-H2, ISO 80, 1-250 sec at f-5.6

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