Jordan Experience

Day Three – 6 Dec 09

Weather: Sunny, cold in shade, warm in sun. (Jeans, tshirt, sweatshirt)

Terrain: flat, A LOT of walking with staircases if you want to climb. Horse and carriage for those unable to walk far. Total distance is roughly 8 km.

Petra.

Wow.

I really don’t need to say anymore.

But I will. And let the photos fill in the gaps.

We had a later start but I couldn’t sleep past 6:30. I logged on to check email and went to breakfast early. It was a bit better than the usually fare with the eggs cooked to order. We filled up for the long day ahead.

We met Ramzi at 8:45 in the morning and proceeded to walk towards Petra. We passed by some shops then walked down a wide dirt road which had a number of caves carved into the rock which were used as tombs.

Ramzi gave us a commentary on the way down (and I wish I’d taken notes and every tour I took after this one, I made sure I had one with me). It was about a kilometer to the entrance of the Siq, the long narrow walk into the valley.

It was incredible. The road slopped down and as we walked the walls seem to get higher and higher. The builders had to deal with flash flooding and had cut small open aqueducts into the walls which carried water through the entire length of the Siq.

Ramzi showed us some writing in the rock, the present-day measures to control the water and camels and men carved into the walls. Flash flooding is a concern as rain from great distances can flood the area quickly. Twenty-two French tourists drowned in a flash flood in the 60s.

After about a kilometer walk through the narrow canyon, we came to the Treasury and the famous view through the canyon. It’s an incredible sight.

Ramzi showed us a location where we could get our picture taken with the Treasury in the background and no people. He gave us a few minutes to look around.

The inside of the Treasury is out of bounds but from the entrance, we could get photos of the colours of the rock inside which are magnificent.

Ramzi told us it was called the Treasury because early explorers had thought it held riches and some even shot up the façade expecting gold to fall out. In reality, the Treasury is a memorial.

We continued along the wider canyon until it opened into a wider valley. There were numerous facades along the rout and tombs cut into the rock.

There are some shopping stalls and a couple of restaurants set up along the valley. Ramzi arranged for bagged lunches for us then we took the lunches to eat at the church near the end of the two kilometer long valley.

The entrance to the monastery is at the end of the valley. I chose not to attempt it as my feet have been giving me problems and with only 3 hours or so of daylight left, I chose to explore the houses and tombs cut out of the rock, including one that is several staircases up and gives a great view of the valley.

I took my time walking back.

It took me about two hours to stroll back to the entrance of the Siq. En route, I was met by hundreds of people walking in, which I thought unusual. Most were heading out. I asked Ramzi about it later and he said they were the cruise ship travelers coming up from Aquaba. He said all they do is walk (or rush) through the Siq, get pictures of the Treasury and are rushed out. This is a great example of the limitations of cruises. The cruise crowd had to drive two to three hours to get to Petra, spend an hour rushing in and out of the Siq where they only see the Treasury and then face another long bus trip back to the ship. They miss so much. Petra isn’t just the Treasury. It’s a city and a land tour is definitely the way to see it.

By the time I exited the Siq my feet had surrendered and I took the horse up the road back to the top. The horse was paid for and I just had to pay a tip.

I did some last minute shopping at a few shops outside the hotel. The one right next to the entrance apparently helps less fortunate Jordanians and has a good selection and good prices. The sun was setting as I returned to my room. I went back outside to watch it set. We lucked out with a full day of sunshine sandwiched between days of cloud and rain.

Dinner was at 6:30 and we were hungry. Again, the table had been set up for the entire group and we ate together. The beef medallions were exceptional!