Petra, Jordan

We were here at Petra about four or five years ago, and it hasn't changed. But I certainly have changed.  I am stubborn as a mule and sometimes what is the practical thing to do does not make it past my common sense detector.  I am five years older, I am out of shape, and I have bad knees. Doesn't that suggest that somebody should not attempt a five mile walk in the heat walking over rocks and gravel and ancient cobblestones?  But nooooo, I have to go and do it.    

Our destination was Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was a good two hour ride and did we see sights!  We saw camels, goats, donkeys and sheep, all grazing by the road, near the road, on the road and anywhere else they felt like it. There were Bedouin camps dotting the barren desert landscaping. These people are nomads who live in one huge tent and tend the animals.

The desert landscape was breathtaking. Parts of it looked like Arizona, parts like Utah. There were all shades of tans, browns, reds with a few green plants scattered among the rocks. There were mesas, wadis (gullies), hills and mountains, rock formations, valleys and great vistas -- and did I say lots of rocks. There wasn’t much civilization between Aqaba and the nearest city to Petra (Atybat). 

We rode on a nice highway for about 45 minutes, and then turned off onto the road to Petra.  This was a winding and bumpy road, and in a bus, it was like being on the sea in about an 8 foot swells hitting you on the beam. We finally arrived in a town (Atybat) that was quite interesting. The streets were steeper and curvier and the buildings were built into the hillsides.  It was a very scenic town with lots of tourist amenities, such as hotels and restaurants.

Petra was a city built by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago and served as a very important cross road in commerce between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. It is also known as the Rose-Red City, a name it gets from the wonderful color of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved. 

After walking through the entrance gate with our guide, the walk from the visitor center to the beginning of the Siq (the gorge to Petra) was about ¾ of a mile, downhill on a variety of surfaces, mostly gravel, rock, and sand.  Walking through the Siq (about one mile long), the color and shape of the rock walls was amazing. The walls looked like polished marble, so smooth and intricately carved by both man and nature, and stood at least 30 stories high.  The road through the Siq had the original rock surface that made walking slow as we walked from rock to rock. In some places, it was sand or small rocks. 

At the very end of the Siq, the narrow opening revealed Petra’s most magnificent façade, the Treasury, which is over 140 feet high. This façade has been carved into the rock and is incredible. Going through the Siq, and walking through Petra itself wasn't too bad, as I had plenty of water, an umbrella for shade, and it was all downhill.  There is another two miles of more caves, facades, columns and monuments, which we did not do because Michael had done it last time and I was not in the best shape to do much more as we had an uphill return trip.  

   Peak-a-boo

    More is revealed 

  Treasury Building

   In front of the Treasury

I was getting overheated and of course if you're walking downhill to enter, then you've got to walk back uphill to exit.  I wanted to ride a carriage out of the Siq, but here comes the stubborn part:  Michael said we would take it easy and go slow.  I guess I had to prove that I can still do it -- whatever it is.  And Michael sorta made me feel like a wimp because I wanted to take the carriage or he didn't want to pay the money; in any event, I tried to walk back -- up hill -- two miles.  I'm afraid to say that I didn't get too far. I just couldn't do it no matter how much grief Michael gave me. I was able to snag a horse drawn carriage (that is putting it politely) to ride back up the hill to the beginning of the Siq (Michael chose to walk).  These carriages are old, dirty, and have no springs.  I'm not sure which was worse on my knees, walking or the carriage as it flew over the original rock floor.  Let me put it this way:  I bounced up and down so much, that I didn't think it was possible for my boobs to hit my chin.  The horse didn't really feel like listening to the driver and would just stop. The poor, tired horse just gave up near the top , so I had to walk the rest of the way out.

I am near death at this point and there was another 3/4 mile to go. So I then rode a horse from the Siq entrance to the entrance gate.  Would you believe that Michael arrived at the same time at the spot where I got off the horse?  What timing as the horse guide wanted more money.  All in all it was $35 well spent.