After walking across the no-man's-land between border gates, we got to Jordan, got through passport control, walked through the gate, and were immediately accosted by the Jordanian mob - they have a monopoly over the taxi drop at the border, since it's a popular place to cross and go to Petra. Unfortunately it's the only option unless you lie to them to take you to a specific place in Aqaba, let them drop you off, then get a local cab there. They know what they're doing though, and can pinpoint exactly who's planning on going to Petra and talk you out of the go-to-town plan no matter how much you insist. They charge a "government price" because, well, it's the mob, and they're tied to Jordan's super corrupt government, and in a way it IS the "government price." We were splitting it 3 ways, so it didn't hit so hard, fortunately.
We got to the hostel I had booked, the Orient Gate Hotel, after a 2 1/2-hr cab ride through the Jordanian desert. The hotel was kind of run-down, but service was top-knotch, the owner was very attentive and wanted to be sure everyone was always happy... despite Jonathan and Cali's horror stories about their room, my single $25/night room was wonderful. The Hotel was on top of another business, so here is the view from the front door of the hostel / roof of the next door building looking out across the town of Petra:
The view from the roof/front door of the Orient Gate Hotel.
After settling in, the three of us headed down to the site itself. The hostel is very well situated, and it was an easy short walk down, but we didn't really know the lay of the land yet, and our hotel owner fixed us up with a free taxi down to the entrance. We bought a 2-day pass, and entered the site for our first day (half-day, really) in Petra.
You need to be in good shape to visit Petra, or else have a LOT of discretionary spending money and a love for harrowing animal rides. It's a 2km walk to the Treasury (the most famous site in Petra), and though along the way there are still interesting things to see, it's basically a 1-km walk down an open path, then another 1-km walk through what is called the "Siq" - the beautiful rock canyonlike pathway that leads in to the Nabetian city itself.
The first stretch, with a separate pathway for mules and horses, and every few feet another Jordanian trying to get us to take a ride.
Obelisk Tomb - you can see the Egyptian influence on Nabataean architecture.
Walking through the Siq.
Jonathan in the Siq.
Old road still visible in the Siq.
Finally, we made it to the Treasury, which marks the entrance to the core of Petra. I'm saving that monument for the next day's post, since we had to cover the same ground again to enter Petra on our second day.
After being completely awestruck by the Treasury (see, now I'm just building up the suspense, hah), we turned down the Street of Facades, made up of many tomb structures. The size of everything was what was most astonishing - every structure just seemed larger-than-life. It was easy to imagine 2,000 years ago this being a bustling city, with small homes and market stalls lining the impressive newly-carved stone structures - since the bustling part was already in place (Petra is a really popular place to visit), and there were Bedouins with camels and mules everywhere.
Street of Facades
Camels and ancient stone tombs. Oh, am I in the Middle East? I'd forgotten.
Our original plan was to see the Monastery at sunset, as my well-traveled friend Mara has suggested, and because that particular monument takes a long time to get to and would be good to have done on our half-day. However, we got distracted, and decided on a different loop that took us the rest of the daylight hours that Petra is open... but it definitely worked out. We took a path following a sign up to the High Place of Sacrifice, a beautiful high plateau that's incredibly well-preserved and probably was used for such purposes well before the Nabataeans.
Exploring on the way up to the High Place of Sacrifice
Me, on the edge of the High Place of Sacrifice, overlooking some beautiful desert.
Jonathan, on the other side of the High Place of Sacrifice.
On the way down there were a lot of really neat things to see... my eyes just could not get enough of the beautiful desert, the constantly shifting shades of red, the old tombs and monuments scattered almost everywhere you look... it was amazing.
Strange rock stacks, vibrant colors.
I didn't know the path would take us down to the base of this shortly, but that's me looking down on the Roman Soldier tomb.
The Lion Monument - originally a fountain.
Harrowing flight of stairs that yes, took us all the way to the bottom.
Jonathan in the Garden Temple Complex.
Down at the Roman Soldier Tomb we'd looked down on earlier - me in the photo for size comparison.
Beautiful landscapes of Petra as the sun set.
Back at the city center, somehow on top of the Street of Facades. We eventually figured out how to get down.
The sun was almost down, and Petra closes at sunset, so we decided that was a good stopping point for the day. Our feet were not happy with us, and we decided to take a cab up to a restaurant Cali knew about through her Lonely Planet book called Al-Wadi. There were no more tables downstairs, so we were taken up to the second story, where we had the entire room to ourselves. We sat by the window and looked out over Petra as we enjoyed our first taste of local Jordanian cousine. We all ordered versions of Galayet (Tomatoes sauteed and stewed with garlic, olive oil, and salt) - I got "omelet" (scrambled egg), served with pita bread. We were exhausted and incredibly hungry, so it was an excellent meal.
The view from our private table looking out over Petra, Jordan at sundown.
My Galayet Omelet, and a very excited Cali.
That evening, after we stopped to pick up a couple snacks and things to take with us to eat in Petra the next day, I got to Skype with Loren for a while, which was great... it had been difficult to coordinate with our time difference. We all eventually said good night to each other, and I settled in to my super cold room (with a floor heater and a billion blankets, so I was fine) for a good night's sleep.
As always, I do not include all (or even close to all) of my photos
here in my blog. To see all my photos from my post-Birthright travels,
see my Flickr album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtashalocke/sets/72157628990457609/
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