We were done with our floating in the Dead Sea and walking through the historic site of Petra in Jordan. We arrived in Aqaba, wanting to have a little rest before we venture out to breathtaking Wadi Rum.
(I highly recommend staying at the Movenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay hotel when you’re in Aqaba – it’s a beautiful resort, a little outside the city and Aqaba is a great base if you intend to visit Wadi Rum as it’s less than an hour away by car.)
One of the activities my daughter and I really enjoyed while we were in Aqaba was spending time walking along the shores of the Red Sea, in the private beach resort of the hotel we stayed. It was winter when we were in Jordan in December 2016 and though Aqaba is relatively ‘warmer’ than say, Amman or Petra, it was quite chilly in the mornings (and evenings).
This was where I introduced my daughter Pristine to sea glas because I am fascinated by them.
Every now and then, walking on the beach, Pristine stops, reaches down and plucks a piece of smooth glass out of the sand. We would spend at least an hour just looking down. Who knew collecting sea glass can be an incredibly relaxing activity! Walking down the beach will clear your mind and finding a sea glass is such a delight, like finding a little treasure – I mean, it’s not everyday you get to pick up one from the Red Sea, right?
What is sea glass?
Sea glass is weathered glass, actually fragments of broken glass tossed/ended up in the ocean where wave action and salt water are the forces that give it its frosted look and a satiny feel.
I’ve read somewhere that it is also called beach glass and even mermaid’s tears. I don’t know about mermaid’s tears but it sure sounds fairy tale like. I like it.
Sea glasses are man-made, nature-perfected – pieces of glass from broken bottles, broken tableware, or even shipwrecks that are rolled and tumbled in the ocean for years until all of their edges are rounded off, and the slickness of the glass has been worn to a frosted appearance. So cool, no?
We collected a lot and kept it. It felt good in our pockets, like worry beads.
Ever since I spotted a piece of sea glass on the sand, I have been in love with it. The thought of a broken shard of glass tumbling in the waves for all those years and transforming into jewel like pieces with bits of history as each piece came from someone whose story will remain unknown is intriguing, mysterious and I think, precious.
Finding Backroads 