Petra, Wonder of the World.

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Wow, so I haven't blogged for about 3 weeks, where did I leave off? Ah yes, going down to Petra.

Well, getting there was easy and comfortable enough on the bus, but as with any bus station in this part of the world the moment you step off the bus a hoard of taxi drivers descend on anyone who looks like a tourist. Fortunately in Petra it was the quiet season, so there were too many taxis and not enough customers, which meant with a little persistent bargaining it was simple to get a cheap fare. "Where you go? Valentine Inn? 5 dinar!" - "No, 1.5 dinar." - "3 Dinar, good price!" - "No, 1.5 dinar or no deal." ...we walk away, shortly to have him follow us and pull up next to us... "OK, 2 dinar, best offer!" - "1.5 dinar or we'll walk." ...we carry on, he follows us again... "OK then, 1.5 dinar, you kill me though!" And as usual, whilst we're in the car he gives us his number and tells us to call him if we need anything or want to go anywhere else. At first, so much hassle over taxis was frustrating, but you learn to treat it as a game and they are usually far cheaper than an equivalent journey in the UK so it's fine now, just part of the day. Valentine Inn gets a thumbs up too, by the way, and if you stay then definitely take them up on the 4JD buffet dinner that could feed the whole town a tasty, healthy meal!

I guess you really want to know about Petra though, rather than taxis and buffets. Well our first impression was not good, as just a few days before we got there the ticket price had shot up from 21 JD to 33JD - supposedly because it now included the price of a short, totally unnecessary horse ride from the gate to the Siq (that I felt very guilty about accepting as soon as I'd finished for the sake of the horses being forever tugged around by underpaid handlers who don't appear to respect the horses or the tourists very much (at least mine didn't)) and a guided tour of the first part of Petra, that was interesting but very slow and we ditched it after about half an hour and 500m. Unfortunately you're not allowed to buy a ticket without these services now, whether you use them or not. So, the price was far higher than we expected, but my advice to anyone considering going is that it is definitely worth it, especially if you get a 2 or 3 day ticket at just 5JD extra a day - but go soon before they ramp up the price even more as the rumor mill suggests they will!

Petra was incredible, definitely worthy of it's title as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The site is vast, covering several square kilometres and it took us all afternoon to get from the entrance at one end to the Monastary at the other and back, and that was by going straight past the many other sites off to the sides of the main route, only a few of which we saw on our second day. The entrance is through the 'Siq' - a narrow path winding between high, sheer cliffs for about 1km. Dramatic, imposing, neck-aching, and containing numerous religious carvings, my favourite part of the siq was the ancient water system carved/built into the sides, collecting any rainwater falling on the plateau above and running into the siq, including flood defences, natural filter systems and ultimately supplying the city with a clean, safe, defensible water supply. And it's thousands of years old! Exiting the siq, you are faced with the beautiful 'Treasury' - a huge, rock-carved facade forming the entrance to a few surprisingly small and plain rooms. An urn at the very top of the treasury is battered and pock-marked withe rifle-shot wounds from early explorers trying to break it open to reveal the mythical treasure inside - unfortunately for them it's carved out of solid rock.

There are far too many sites to talk about here, mostly tombs carved into the surrounding cliffs with ornate facades and plain, empty insides. There is also the remains of the collanaded and paved roman town in the centre of the valley. In true Petra style, the houses, shops and even the theatre are carved right out of the surrounding rock rather than built up, except for one large temple. It was a relatively small town for the Romans though and we pretty much walked straight through to the more unique sites. A long climb up to the Monastary (similar style to the Treasury) in late afternoon was worthwhile to see it glowing pink in the evening sun, as well as views down into the rest of Petra and surrounding valleys. We left before sunset, which I don't regret as we ended up following a local bedouin girl returning home after a day's work on a stall high up the path. She was sat sideways on a donkey, ambling down at its ease, and singing. She didn't have a voice that Simon Cowell would pay any attention to, but the simple singing filled the narrow valley, and made an already beautiful trail even more magical. She engaged us in conversation for the remainder of our shared path, a charming girl, easy to laugh and with a gift for making anyone smile. She said she was singing about the mountains, which she learned to do while herding goats in the surrounding mountains. I won't forget that walk.

The following day we headed straight up to the High Place of Sacrifice, a sacred place at the top of another long flight of winding steps. The sacrificial alter was complete with a drainage system for the blood, and an energetic old Bedouin lady who sacrificed Dee whilst I took photos. She also provided good entertainment and a conversation in broken English for Dee and Sam (a Canadian backpacker we met in Amman who joined us to Petra and Aqaba) whilst I soaked up the views and explored the area. I still have one of the small rocks she insisted we each took.

Petra is incredible for the ancient history, the impressive carved city and tombs, and the stunning landscape (and yes, definitely worth the price) but, for anyone going there, your visit won't be complete without finding the out-of-the-way spots with few tourists and striking up friendly conversation with the folk who have lived there for generations. Don't give your money to the touts and tourist shops by the entrance or in the town, find the local Bedouin inside tending small stalls and offering donkey rides and support them. It will be far more rewarding for you, as well as them!

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