Blogs from South, Jordan, Middle East - page 38

08-10-08 Today we awoke to a fine morning, as is normally the case in the desert, and to a spectacular view of the rugged mountains around Petra. We went and took some photos before breakfast, then headed down for a feed. After breakfast we packed once more, as after todays excursions we would head on to Amman. Or should say back to Amman as that is where we came from the night before. We were to spend the day in the lost city of Pertra. We thought it would be a long hot day, but the weather was quite pleasant. The high altitude made it considerably cooler than Cairo. We were very much looking forward to exploring another wonder of the world. The village of Petra is situated relatively high in the mountain formations, where as ... read more

Thanks for Your SupportI want to thank you all for your support and comments on the blog. Although there are personal benefits to writing this blog, the biggest satisfaction is to share with you what I am doing and receiving your feedback and support. Part of the backend output for the author includes a statics interface that gives me feedback on the amount and type of reach that the blog has. I have been amazed at the amount of people following along and want you all to know that your support motivates me to continue writing and improving. Eid-Al Fitr Trip PreparationWith Ramadan quickly coming to an end, I was not sure exactly what I wanted to do for Eid Al-Fitr. The holiday was planned to last from Tuesday through Saturday and there was one thing ... read more

Always opt for the Donkey to the top & back!! I was going to get my first glimpse of Petra today. I couldn't believe it. It was going to be a very long and very hot day in Petra so I wanted to be prepared to make the most of my day. I wore the lightest clothing I owned, the sturdiest shoes and packed a very light backpack. We arrived at the entrance gate at 10am to meet our guide with a plan to have him give us an hour’s tour of the area then leaving the rest of the day free for us to wander around on our own. There are two things that I know about Petra. The first thing is the image of the Treasury from the Indiana Jones movie. The second is ... read more

Woke up in the Palace hotel in Amman that certainly did not befit its title, the previous night had a marvellous Falafel meal for approx 2 pounds it was rounded off nicely with the local tea which consists of about 8 tablespoons of sugar and a few tea leves - nice. Had a good nights sleep and was all ready for the next leg to Petra, me and Ania and Martin had arranged to go on an organised trip from Amman to Wadi Musa (the nearest town to Petra) instead of just getting a bus to take in a few sights on the way. The cost was 23 JDs (about 25 pounds sterling) on the way I made some new chums Paul from Leeds who is now an ex-pat living in Kenya and his girlfriend Maggie ... read more

Nachdem ich meine lieben Mitreisenden gestern bereits durch die Hauptsehenswürdigkeiten Petras getrieben habe (was so um die 10-12km gewesen sein dürften), galt es heute ein paar Pfade zu erkunden, die sicherlich nicht jeder Standard-Herden-Gruppentourist-Amerikaner/Japaner/Englنnder/Sachse/Russe (und was sich hier alles rumtreibt…) erlebt. Zunنchst wنhlten wir einen Eingang abseits des Siqs durch einen 88m langen, natürlichen Tunnel, immer einem trockenem Flussbett folgend. Erste Hindernisse von Pflanzengeflechten und Steinabsنtzen wurden heldenhaft überwunden, nur um sich anschlieكend in einer Schlucht wiederzufinden, die sich teilweise auf 50cm Breite verengte und einige steilere Absنtze mit sich bringt. Irgendwann sind wir dann wieder an den Kِnigsgrنbern herausgekommen, nur um auch diesen vielbevِlkerten Pfad schnell wieder zu verlassen um zur Opferstelle der Nabatabنer hinaufzuklet... read more