World Cruise - Day 24 - Jordan (Petra)

I felt pretty tired and run down from our day in Egypt, but I was determined to not let it ruin my Petra experience. Another one of the 7 modern Wonders of the World. I think my only one left to see after today is Machu Picchu, which is definitely on my Bucket List!

Only a 2 hour bus ride today to get to Petra. Again, because of Ramadan, we were asked to cover our neck, shoulders, elbows and knees. After such a hot day in Egypt, I was happy to see that it was supposed to be about 20 degrees cooler in Petra, but covering up so much makes it worse. We stopped at a gift shop along the way, and I bought this shirt that covered my elbows, and made me look “stylish” (?) at the same time. The guy that was convincing me to buy the shirt (among other things), wrapped my head in a turban so I looked the part. I ended up paying way too much (about triple the price as the same shirt at Petra), oh well. I thought getting him down by 50% was good, but apparently not.

Along the way, we saw the edge of Wadi Rum, the largest and most magnificent of Jordan’s deserts (think Lawrence of Arabia and The Martian). The Bedouin (desert natives) live in tents out in the middle of nowhere and are nomads to this day. We also saw camels, goats, and donkeys. The last pic is the city in Petra.

After the long ride, I was excited to see the Lost City of Petra (amazingly not found until 1812). We wore tennis shoes because we were told the walk into Petra was 3 miles in and 3 miles out. I was keeping track on my apple watch, and we did walk 6.5 miles in Petra that day (17,500 steps). It was hot, but I had my umbrella, fan, sunscreen, water, and visor, so we were prepared. Most people think of Petra just as The Treasury, but there were so many more amazing aspects that I didn’t know about.

From the main entrance, you walk one mile down the chasm (basically a slot canyon) that leads to the Treasury. The slot canyon itself was beautiful and amazing. Many people took horse carriages through the chasm that you had to dodge as they came barreling through.

Before the chasm….

The chasm….

Coming up on the Treasury...

The Treasury…

After the Treasury, there is the Street of Facades, tombs in the rock all over the place, the Theater (a huge amphitheater that seats 3000 persons), the Royal Tombs, and the Great Temple. There were many forms of transportation available for people that didn’t want to walk (all at their own risk, I might add) – camels, donkeys, horses. They charged a lot, so we just opted to walk.

Street of Facades and Tombs….

Theater….

Colonnaded Street and the Royal Tombs….

Great Temple….

Leslie and I even got on camels for a photo op (for $7 US dollars each).

Heading back, you could see that many people were struggling, especially since it was uphill. The colors in the rocks were even more beautiful than when we came in. Of course, we had to take more pictures. It was hard not to, but I really tried to just enjoy the experience of being there. Definitely an experience of a lifetime!

Next up – 2 more Sea Days before Israel. Stay tuned….