Into the Unknown?

from EXPLORER Spring Summer 2022. I edition.

by elitevoyage

The Insider. Turkish Ambassador Egemen Bağış

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Exploring Jordan as a Family

words & photos Stephen Bailey

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Children deserve to see world wonders. They can learn more from them than we can, with our older, more established mindsets.

1. A camel waits on Petra's Street of Facades 2. The Oval Plaza in Jerash 3. Um Fruth rock bridge in Wadi Rum 4. Ad Deir, the Monastery of Petra 5. Hiking a back route in Petra C amels walk past as sandstone mountains turn a deeper shade of red. Gusts of wind the only sound. Lips slightly chapped and a layer of dust across all my exposed skin. Ah, a desert sunset. My most favourite of travel moments. To journey into a beautifully wild and uninhabited place. I watched the camels. My daughter Leia chewed on Sophie the Giraffe. Six months old she was on her first holiday. In Jordan. In the Wadi Rum. More than lightly covered in desert sand. Could she see the camel caravan? Appreciate sandstone fingers shifting from scarlet to flaming cherry? View the desert stars at night? Or feel the freedom of bumping across dunes in the back of a jeep? She turned her head away from the wind and gnawed some more on her rubber giraffe.

Children deserve to see world wonders. They can learn more from them than we can, with our older, more established mindsets. Every year I was determined to take my firstborn to a new one. Petra was first. Why? Deep down it was because I had something to prove. I was determined that having children wouldn’t change my desire or ability to explore. Although, after a very messy nappy changing incident at 37,000 feet I was really wondering why.

When you’re young enough to still be thrilled by rolling over, maybe the complexities of a 2300-year-old Nabatean city are too much to grasp. But Jordan isn’t that strange, even if we kept seeing camels alongside the King’s Highway. It’s just across the Mediterranean from Europe and has direct flights from Prague and dozens of other cities. Tourism is well established. There are genuine five-star hotels. In the space of 350 longitudinal kilometres Jordan has a Roman city, the Dead Sea, Red Sea, Wadi Rum and Petra.

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Capital city Amman was the first surprise. Four Seasons and W have shiny new hotel towers. Streets of colourful lamps and graffiti also show the city’s new, exuberant side. Juxtaposed here was old Amman, like an ancient citadel, bustling bazaars and a Roman amphitheatre. It felt like the Middle East. Sand-coloured buildings on sand-coloured hills. The call to prayer ringing harmoniously across rooftops. No bars but innumerable streetside cafes, for drinking sweet tea, strong coffee and smoking shisha pipes. We looked out of place but were warmly welcomed. I’d expected to be offered camels for my red-haired blue-eyed daughter. Instead the locals said Mashallah, asking god to protect her. Leia smiled and giggled in return.

North of Amman the city of Jerash stands like a phantom from a forgotten world. At first there is a ruined chariot arena and a gate, not too impressive when compared to Rome, or almost anywhere old in Europe. But wandering on the city unfolded. Colonnaded streets run between temples and marketplaces. Goats grazed. A Bedouin band played drums and bagpipes in a small amphitheatre. A child hawked water bottles and fridge magnets in Apollo’s temple. On and on it goes, kilometres of paved streets and columns and grand memoirs to the Roman era. Except this isn’t Rome, where the eras are now all jumbled together. Jerash is ancient Rome, a vast abandoned city rolling far across Jordanian hills. I was fascina-

ted. Leia, strapped into the baby carrier, slept through it all. Next the Dead Sea, so called because nothing can live there. It’s actually a lake, shrinking rapidly. I wasn’t just floating in salt. I felt like an inflatable whale, too buoyant to control my movements. First bathe, then cover yourself in mud, let it bake dry in the sun, then bathe to remove it all. There is no beach at the Dead Sea, just muddy, salty slopes at the lowest point on earth. Yet this twice-daily natural spa ritual was as relaxing as any beach I knew. Life at the Kempinski Sand-coloured Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea suited buildings on Leia as well. She chewed on hummus, mutabal and sand-coloured fluffy toy camels. Paddled in hills. The call to warm swimming pools. We slowed to a halt and over the prayer ringing three days I grasped the extra importance of prolonged harmoniously downtime when you’re traacross rooftops. velling with a child. Storm clouds carpeted the sky as we travelled south towards Petra. Jordan’s north is all green, flourishing valleys. The south is deep and deserted red valleys, where Bedouins move nomadically with their camels and sheep. It’s a surreal contrast, from a biblical Eden of flowering meadows to an inhospitable and untamed land. Leia grunted from beneath six layers of clothing. I hadn’t expected such wilderness. Nor prepared enough distractions for the journey. Inside this wilderness life thrived. It still thrives. Petra. The growling thunder finally set itself free and a torrential storm helped me make the sensible choice of postponing our exploration to the next morning.

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I love breakfast buffets. I don’t like mornings. On holiday I spend my morning sleeping and eating, then explore in the afternoon. One advantage of travelling with a baby is visiting famous sights long before the usual daytime crowds. We wandered down the narrowing red canyon entrance, walls rising higher and higher, redder and redder, before the grand reveal of the Treasury, the pinnacle of Nabatean architecture carved into sandstone rock. Thanks to Leia's 5:45 alarm call we were the only tourists at Petra’s most famous site. Bedouins stood around smoking and chatting. Camels were chewing. Leia was on top pooping form as always. My wife changed her nappy inside a vast cavern, its entrance marked by sandstone columns and rose-cut sculptures. We later discovered it was a raided rock-cut tomb - RIP King Malchus II, sorry about the smell. Trying to see Petra in half a day with a baby is like trying to see modern-day Rome in half a day. We walked for 20 kilometres and only scratched the surface. So we extended our stay at the Old Village Resort by two nights, a 2000-year-old stone village converted into hotel rooms and suites. It’s very charming and comfortable enough to excuse the outdated bathrooms. The other locally graded five-star category hotel here is a Movenpick and I would have rather camped than stay there. Even with three days, Petra still holds many secrets to us. At one side the Treasury. To the other the Monastery, where we hummed the Indiana Jones theme tune and Leia played along with our photo shooting. Beyond the Monastery the back road to Little Petra. All around us we admired great rock-cut edifices of changing sandstone colours. Then the suburbs, cave after cave, a surreal world where life goes on. Petra is not only an abandoned city or archaeological site. A young girl waved us over. Tea, tea, tea, she said. Then Mashallah. Following slowly we navigated steps down into her family’s cave. Her younger brother jumped off his donkey and played with Leia. Her mother served us hot sweet tea. We quenched our need for downtime and years from now I’ll claim that my daughter first crawled in the Petra cave of a semi-nomadic Bedouin family.

Another day, a new adventure in Petra. A shopping street of columns built after the Nabateans by the Romans. A temple, reconstructed. A huge lion carved into rock, its mouth an eroded fountain spout. Walking to the Place of High Sacrifice we explored the back city, a divine walking path up and down the sandstone mountains that guard Petra. An old Bedouin woman played Leia a melancholic song on her flute. Alone again, silence reigned. There were no other tourists, no tourist shops. Later, descending to the famous Petra sights, I appreciated the Treasury for what it is, a meeting place in a city still alive. Donkeys running around. Stalls selling frankincense and caftans. Shishas being smoked. Horse carriages rumbling by. Leia used her full repertoire of four different sounds to try initiate a conversation with a camel.

Two days later, watching the sunset in Wadi Rum, Leia calls out to the camels again. When they don’t respond she chews Sophie. The desert here induces a transfixion. No roads. Just sand and sandstone mountains crumbling into sand. It’s paradoxical. In every direction the landscape seems to be the same, beautiful, unending desert. Yet with every vista there is some new combination, some subtle detail. Brighter, bolder, harsher than Petra, it’s not a landscape for babies. Leia’s cheeks are red, her baby skin slightly cracked. Our desert camp is comfortable for us, not for somebody who just learnt how to sit up. She covered her face from the wind as we drove around the desert.When we hiked she

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sighed, closed her eyes, and slept in the baby carrier. Still, it’s never felt unsafe. While I can see Leia is struggling with the conditions, she also has a nascent life with bigger challenges than Wadi Rum - like teeth, sleep and learning to crawl. And desert dust? Most days she’s covered in milk and sick anyway.

On this trip I wanted to prove how a baby wouldn’t change me exploring. Jordan is teaching me how a baby can change my exploration for the better. Firstly, she’s helped us to slow down. And by travelling slower we’ve travelled deeper, especially in Petra. Secondly, it’s felt like I’m exploring a destination through two different pairs of eyes. She’s noticed things I didn’t register, like the gaze of a benign stranger or a sound among the crowd. I’ve lived my own reactions, but also hers, something that makes my desire to explore even stronger.

Leia has also helped me better appreciate the charms of a waterside resort. Leaving Wadi Rum we travel an hour south to Kempinski Hotel Aqaba Dead Sea. A private white-sand beach. Heated pools. The tranquility of resort life. From our sixth floor Executive Deluxe Suite we watch the sunset over nearby Israel and Egypt. In the coming days I’ll go diving in the Red Sea. I’ll take Leia swimming. We’ll do nothing. How different to Wadi Rum and Petra! And perhaps here lies Jordan’s greatest appeal. The sights are truly wondrous, places unforgettable and completely different to anywhere else. The welcoming Middle Eastern culture is genuine and compelling, exotic despite being so close to Europe. Then there’s the downtime, the resorts on the water. All this variety in a country that’s a similar size to the Czech Republic. I’ve no doubt that anybody travelling here will find the balance they need for their family.

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82 Petr Jan Juračka at Moher Cliffs, Ireland © Vojta Kosobud

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The Adventurer

Petr Jan Juračka

Petr Jan Juračka is the Nikon ambassador to the Czech Republic, whose explorations have taken him from uninhabited Indonesian islands to K2 and Cuba. His latest film, Malinká, involved free diving with a wild dolphin and premiered on 5th February. His latest book, Ostrovy Atlantiku, documents islands in the North Atlantic: the Azores, Ireland and Iceland. We asked Petr Jan about his experiences and inspiration.

photos Petr Jan Juračka

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84 Tell us about your latest trip to Iceland.

In my way of living and taking photos Iceland is the paradise of the world. People told me I would be upset with Instagram crowds and girls in bikinis on glaciers. But if you skip the famous few places you are definitely alone. I fell in love with Iceland because it has the world’s most beautiful landscapes. In one day I took photos of glaciers, of ice flowing in streams, dark beaches, volcanoes erupting. You can see the ocean, climb the mountain, and be surrounded by volcanoes. It’s so heterogeneous and it’s hard to understand how the landscape can change every ten minutes.

What were your favourite destinations in Iceland?

Well, maybe it’s best to not tell you! You can easily find your own places and feel the freedom. My highlight number one was the eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano, although this is over now. People are usually going to the south coast, to some famous waterfalls and places. My best photo of Iceland actually comes from a petrol station. I just put up my drone and found this waterfall - people were asking “where is this? I thought I knew Iceland.” Iceland is completely different to Europe, where there is not really any nature left. In Iceland nature is everywhere and you can walk almost everywhere as well.

Your latest book has incredible photos from different Atlantic Ocean islands as well.

Iceland was my first Atlantic Ocean island and I thought I have to explore more. So last year I spent a month on the Azores with my family, with a week on each of four different islands. It was an absolutely great adventure! Almost all the islands are somehow remote from Europe and not overpopulated. I visited the Canary Islands for the first time as well.

Part of the book comes from Ireland where we were with dolphin and exploring the coast. This dolphins has been known to live without its pod and she accepts about seven people as her friends. I was introduced to her in the ocean and she made some great poses for me. However, the oceans are not the most important part of my job or my life. That is the mountains! Last year I tried to summit Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas but I got high altitude sickness and was transported by helicopter from base camp to the hospital.

Wow, was this your first mountain?

No, my first mountain was K2! I was at camp one on K2 after only ever climbing one 3000-metre high peak in the Alps! I was filming Klára Kolouchová for her documentary film - she was the first Czech woman to summit the world’s three highest mountains. This year I want to try Manaslu again and also climb Ama Dablan. On the same trip I also met Nims of Project Possible, who was breaking records for climbing the world’s 14 8000-metre mountains in just seven months. He’s so strong, he’s great. I met him on Manaslu at Camp One. My friend met him at the South Pole last week!

It takes a certain mindset to go in for such adventures. How do you have the confidence to do this?

There were some strong milestones in my life. The most important was when I was four. It was my first time abroad and I was just walking through the forest. But I lost my family for the whole day. On the coast I found a woman who gave me a cola and contacted the police to find my parents. Since then I had this feeling that being trapped in nature is something I like.

When I was 25 I took the Trans-Siberian railway with some friends to Lake Baikal in Siberia. We spent a month there, just paddling on canoes. It was so strong and emotive and I knew that this is the life I want to have. Two years later we went trekking in Greenland for three weeks. I’m super lucky that exploring is now part of my work. I’m travelling and working as a researcher and a science communicator for Charles University. We publish some research, I teach students, I do a lot of things.

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Where do you get the inspiration for these adventurous ideas?

It’s all from my head haha. Last year I had Covid and on my first day after quarantine I stood on the River Elbe. And I thought, why not travel the length of the river. So I did it on a bicycle with my friend, from its source all the way to the sea past Hamburg. This year we will go to the Faroe Islands with full suspension bikes. They don’t have roads, it’s not a biking destination, so it’s a crazy project. I don’t know, I just pulled it out of my head. People saw the state of me after Manaslu and they asked why do you do it. And I usually say I don’t know, but I have to.

When did your love of photography begin?

Photos have been part of my life since I was 11. I’m the son of an artist who did very unique things with ceramic mosaics. He was sad that his two kids were useless at the arts. I had a feeling, I was feeling the light, I wanted to go into nature but I was not able to draw it, my hands couldn’t do it. One day I grabbed his camera and took some photos of a tree in the fog. Half a year later I had my first camera, a Zenit from the Soviet Union. Many years later I’m the Nikon ambassador to the Czech Republic.

What does photography mean to you now?

Photography is a way to express and illustrate different places. With the photos I can make you feel wow, that’s an amazing place, I want to be there. That’s my aim. But the photography is just one part of the story. I’m also making movies. With the movie I can show the feeling and emotion, what it’s like to be there. After I grab the attention of the viewer I can then transform them into a reader. So I write texts with facts as well. Combine it all together and you can really make people listen. I feel like some of the stories can change the world and make it a better place for someone. What has been your most powerful story?

One example is making a documentary about sea turtle conservation. I was so lucky to take my family to an uninhabited island in Indonesia. My kids were four and six and we were living close to a two-month dead whale on the beach. We were on very remote beaches that were covered in plastic that came from Asia. We had no support. We were making a documentary about sea turtles and it was so strong because when you take the kids you have a much more complex story. People are listening. If you just make a video about critical tips to stop plastic in Asia, nobody will turn it on. But we had the family, we had the adventure, then a place to get a message to people about plastic trash and turtle conservation.

What is it that makes exploring so addictive?

Once you try it’s a trap. Because it’s much stronger than drugs. I can be happy at home. I can work and enjoy my family, but I’m much happier with my family when we are abroad, or at least in the car somewhere, or even just in the forest behind where we live.

Miroslav Zikmund, the most famous explorer of the Czech Republic Miroslav Zikmund recently died. He was 102 years old. My friend, Miroslav Náplava, who is the editor of my book Ostrovy Atlantiku, was with him at the hospital and he knew this was probably their last appointment. Zikmund’s last words to him were “I see the world is changing, that’s good.” For me, exploring is a way to show people how beautiful the world is, to show how things are done and what we can do for the planet.

Ostrovy Atlantiku by Petr Jan Juračka is published by First Class and is on sale now.

Malinká premier on 5th February and can be seen here.

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