Petra, Jordan

On Saturday we finally made our much-anticipated trip to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Our tour started with a two hour drive through deserts, mountains and farming country. Up at the higher elevations we passed Bedouin camps where people were tending herds of sheep and goats. At the higher elevations there were also many apple orchards and green fields full of crops. Once we reached the modern city of Wadi Musa we had quite a walk down a series of stone stairs and ramps to the Visitors' Centre and then a 1 km hike down a sloping gravel pathway to the entrance of the Siq. For the less intrepid there were brightly decorated horse-drawn carriages and saddle horses which could be hired for all or part of the journey. As we arrived relatively early in the day the temperatures were pleasant and the cool breeze kept us from becoming overheated. Our guide was very knowledgeable, making stops at caves and carvings all along the route and giving us some of the background information. The Siq itself was spectacular! A deep, narrow and winding natural channel through the mountain to the Treasury of Petra. It's almost impossible to describe the beauty of the soaring red rock walls and interesting rock formations of the narrow canyon. Some sections were only 3 to 4 metres wide and in some places the high cliffs nearly blocked out the sun. Around every corner there was another spectacular view and in some sections the original paving stones still exist after more than 2000 years. After a 1.2 km stroll we caught our first glimpse of the magnificent Treasury, probably the most famous structure in Petra thanks to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I was nearly moved to tears at finally getting to see it in person – a real dream come true. The large open area was filled with tourists, horse-drawn carriages and people taking tourists on camel rides. By the time we reached the Treasury the sun was directly overhead and the temperature had risen considerably. Mindful of the long uphill climb back, our dwindling water supplies and the limited time available to us we were unable to explore much more of the site which actually covers 70 square km. The walk back through the searing heat was not quite as dreamlike as the cool walk down, but we persevered and we were very proud of ourselves when we arrived at the top still alive! It was a wonderful experience but we both agreed that we'd like to go back again in December or January when temperatures would be much more comfortable for people from the north and we could spend the 2 to 3 days necessary to properly explore the site. This was a real highlight in an already amazing trip.