Petra

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N..'s been itching to visit Petra since he first heard about it. He was very close in 1990 when he visited Dahab in the Sinai in Egypt and spent 3 days on a camel safari to the coloured Canyon. From there it was only an hour ferry to Aqaba and a few hours drive to Petra. He didn't make it then, but 20 years later, he finally did.

Wow! No need to write about it. Just look at the pictures. There are over 800 archeological sites in and around Petra. No wonder it made it into the modern "7 Wonders of the World" list.

OK, a bit of writing. We went early to beat the tour bus brigades. We walked the 1.2 km Siq Canyon entrance to the Treasury and then hiked up to the High Place of Sacrifice when the crowds started arriving below. We managed to avoid the crowds the whole morning. From the High Place of Sacrifice, we got lost and ended up on the colonnaded street in "Petra Town" enroute to the Monastery. The hike to the Monastery was busier, since it was later in the day.

E.. rode a donkey back to the Treasury from the bottom of the High Place of Sacrifice. The rest of us continued hiking to the Monastery, which is even bigger than the Treasury and probably hiked close to 20 km that day.

W.. wanted to ride a camel back to the Treasury. The asking price started at JD 35, he managed to get it down to JD 8! Not bad for a first time haggler. It started raining, but the camel ride was W..'s Jordanian highlight.

It's expensive to get here and cost JD 50 (US$ 70) per adult for entrance fees, but it was all worth it!

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Photos

Petra Siq
The Siq is a 1.2 km long Canyon from the entrance to the Treasury.

Petra Siq
The Canyon is a geologic fault and not due to water erosion.

Petra hike to High Place of Sacrifice
Some of the over 500 tombs all over Petra.