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Treasury
Precipitous drop behind me. No grail in the treasury. That would be Petra. Quite simply put, Petra is Jordan. I began my Middle East trip last March landing at Queen Alia International Airport somewhere on the far outskirts of Amman which I did not visit even for a second. After procuring my visa for 10 JD (Jordanian dinars, which I had to purchase for $15. Official rate is 1 JD:$1.40) and picking up my luggage, I met the Hertz agent and was soon speeding off in my reserved Mitsubishi Galant towards Madaba, the starting point of the King's Highway south to Petra. There are 2 other north-south highways in Jordan: the desert highway which sounded about as exciting as its name and the Dead Sea highway. I opted for the Kings Hwy over the Dead Sea route because the Kings Hwy passed through Wadi Mujib (a scenic canyon) and Kerak (a crusader castle) and I was going to be visiting the Dead Sea in Israel. Hung around Madaba too long in the morning but still managed a brief stop at the canyon overlook and a quick tour of the castle. Also had a nice Turkish coffee break in Dibhan as the jet lag was kicking in. Not much English is
spoken outside the touristy areas but I could at least order a coffee and ask the price in really poor Arabic which has to be one of the most difficult languages to learn.
By 6:00 pm I'd arrived in Wadi Musa (Petra village) and checked out a few places to stay before settling on Shara Mts Hotel for something like 18 JD/night, negotiated down from 25 JD. Petra was going to be expensive! Someone from Hertz came to pick up the car and after that it was time to explore the town and stock up on supplies for Petra the next day. Can always find half a roasted chicken with all the fixins - salad, pita, tahini - for a few bucks all over the Middle East and Wadi Musa was no exception. Had dinner where the police ate so I figured it has to be good. I asked for donuts but they didn't know what I was talking about. Bought plenty of hummus, pita, laughing cow cheese, sticky sweet cinnamon rolls, and several liters of water and I was ready to hit the sack in anticipation of being at Petra right at the 6:30 am opening. Still jet
Monastery
Unidentified person next to column second from left provides some perspective. lagged, I slept like a rock.
Managed to get to the entrance on time and bought a 2 day ticket for 26 JD. One day is 21 JD and is only enough to see the highlights but I wanted to do some hiking. In hindsight, could have done 3 days and I think it was only 31 JD. Can also get a 4th day for free if so inclined. I recommend 3 days for any keen trekker as it takes half a day to get to Jebel Haroun and back and probably a full day to Little Petra for which I did not have enough time. After entering Petra through the siq (slot canyon), one comes face to face with the enormous Treasury, made famous by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Around the corner is the start to the hike up to Al Madba and one of the many refreshment stands where a Turkish coffee was 1 JD. Only cost half a gee-dee in Dibhan. Views from the High Place of Sacrifice were sweeping and I was there alone with only a Bedouin souvenir seller. The entire place is virtually empty until later in the morning as it
seems most people are visiting on tours from Aqaba or Amman. By the time I made it to the ruins it was starting to get a bit warm. I passed on the offer of a donkey ride and trudged up the stout trail to the Monastery and the Edge of the World for more amazing views and another Turkish coffee. Tried to make it to Little Petra after lunch but it was too hot and my map was way off scale. There is a short cut from the Monastery but I did not find that out until it was too late. I think the short cut is also a back door way into Petra without paying the entrance fee but I would never condone such behavior. Checked out the Royal Tombs after aborting Little Petra and that was enough for day one.
Day 2 began much the same way - with the Bedouins drinking Turkish coffee before hardly anyone arrived in Petra. I told the coffee shop owner, Fatima, that I was heading to Jebel Haroun (a.k.a. Aaron's Tomb). Next thing I know she's speaking Arabic with some dude who then asks me if I want to hire a
mule for the hike. I was touched by her concern but politely declined. The hike was fine, mostly along a road, and worth it as the views were great to the Monastery and Wadi Musa. Checked back with Fatima who didn't believe I'd been to Aaron's Tomb. Hung out for a bit, had lunch with Fatima and her peeps, then went back to the Monastery to relax and wait for the sunlight to mellow a bit. That was my 2 full days in Petra.
I headed to Wadi Rum from Petra the next day. It is a protected desert area where Lawrence of Arabia rambled during WWI. Signed up for an overnight trip in a Bedouin camp with 5 other backpackers. It was very relaxing which was a welcome relief after all the walking around Petra. Beautiful place but I was a little blasé about it in comparison to Utah or the rest of the southwest USA. Relaxed for another couple of days in Aqaba where I met a Jordanian who studied at Indiana State University in the 70s when Larry Bird was there. That provided endless conversation over endless cups of Turkish coffee. Crossed into Israel from Aqaba
Another Monastery Pic
Can spend hours there admiring the view while drinking Turkish coffee. to begin the second part of the trip.
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