Petra

I just got back from one of the most amazing places I have ever visited.  From the moment I arrived in Jordan, everyone kept telling me that I must visit Petra.  My excitement was muted when the hotel told me that tours leave at 6am and that Petra is a 3.5 hour drive from Amman.  However, I decided to suck it up and see what all the hype is about.  

My hotel offered a private driver for the entire trip, which I thought was a little excessive (and a lot boring).  So, I decided to book a group tour instead.  

On the ride to Petra, I met 3 graduate students from Columbia University who are doing a summer project with US Aid to study water availability across Jordan.  They have been interacting with locals and it was so interesting to hear about all the things they have learned from living here.  Our conversations made me realize how I travel in such a bubble because I am always staying in 5-star hotels.  I don't experience the power and water shortages, challenges of food shopping, and gridlock traffic that locals face on a daily basis.  

Thanks to my new friends, the ride didn't feel long at all.  Before I knew it, the bus was approaching the city of Petra and the views were really quite interesting:

View from the bus as we descended upon Petra

From the moment we arrived in Petra, we were greeted with vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs.  I purchased my ticket (which, by the way, is 50 times the price that a local would pay), and was handed a map of the city.  As soon as I went through the gate, I was then faced with scores of people offering horse rides that are "included in the price of the ticket".  It's a good thing I did research in advance and learned that these "free" horse rides do not include the ridiculous tips that they demand at the end.  

Aside from the tipping factor, I wanted to enjoy the scenery along the way.  Already, I was thinking "wow, this place is so beautiful and serene". 

Before even arriving at the main gate, I was treated to the Obelisk Tomb

Most historic sites that I have visited do not allow people to touch anything, but not Petra.  I climbed right up the site of the mountain and went inside.

Here's a view from the top level of the Obelisk Tomb 

Little did I know, these tombs were just scratching the surface of all that Petra has to offer.  In order to reach the archaeological site, you pass through a 2-kilometer long path that weaves between giant mountains.  It's no wonder this place went undiscovered until the 1800's.  

Here's one of the more open parts of the path leading to Petra

...and one of the more narrow parts of the path. 

After meandering my way through this long path, I finally reached the end, which was signaled by a partial view of the treasury - one of the most recognized buildings in Petra.  

View of the treasury from the path

I stood in front of the Treasury and just admired for at least 10 minutes, wondering just how people were able to carve such an amazing masterpiece out of a MOUNTAIN!  This feat would be impressive even today, let alone 2,000 years ago and with only basic tools.  Wow. 

View of the treasury from up-close

By the time I was offered about 10 donkey/camel rides and cheap silver bracelets for my "girlfriend", I decided it was time to move along.  Tucked into the mountains were smaller facades, which must have been the homes of people who lived here.  Even just the basic facades were impressive to see. 

High-occupancy part of the city?? 

I looked up to my left and saw people climbing the mountain so I pulled out my map to see where they may be heading.  I started laughing when I noticed that I had been given a German map (for some reason, people around the world constantly think that I am German).  

My goal of the trip was to visit the Monastery, which involves a climb of over 800 steps.  I figured this must be the way, so I started ascending. 

I was convinced that these people were heading to the monastery...

On the way up, I kept stopping to admire the views:

Birdseye view of what looked to me like the "main square"

The views just kept getting better and better: 

The views from even higher on the climb

Finally, after what seemed like about 800 steps, I reached a clearing and some pretty impressive panoramic views.  But no Monastery.  Instead, I had hiked up to a point where the people made sacrifices to the gods.  There was a small "pit" and an adjacent altar.  It was very cool to see, but my first thought was: "I have to climb another 800 steps somewhere else to see this famous Monastery?"  This day was providing quite the workout!

Looking down at the city from the altar at the top of the mountain

At the altar, I found this strange woman just sitting on the top of a cliff playing a recorder and singing awful (spooky) music.  I hope she wasn't putting a spell on me.  I took a few more pictures and returned to the base of the mountain for the next destination. 

I passed the amphitheater and several other places that looked like public gathering areas.  To be completely honest, they were just as impressive as the ruins in Athens and Rome.  I was already loving this entire experience. 

The amphitheater was pretty neat

Hadrien Gate: Fun to imagine what the original structure looked like

By this point, the ground was basically like walking on the beach and my ankle was already giving me grief.  The sun was also out in full-effect, but I was determined to see more.  I finally reached the base of another mountain with a sign that said: "Monastary: 2.5-3 hours".  Here goes nothing...

The climb to the monastery officially begins here!

Again, the entire climb offered just as many impressive views as the first mountain.  It's times like this where I just think: "How lucky am I to see all these amazing sites around the world?"  Fortunately, the climb did not take anywhere near 2.5 hours but it was definitely taxing.  I'm more of a flat-surface kind of guy. 

I had to get proof that I was actually here. 

Throughout the climb, there were several people who had set up little kiosk-type shops - all selling the same junk.  Their famous tagline was "No charge for looking!"  They did, however, charge when I asked one woman to take my picture.  

Finally, I made it to the top and this monastery was totally worth the effort.  Absolutely stunning.  There was a little restaurant with views of the building, so I stopped for lunch and just stared at the building the entire time.  It was actually kinda fun to watch people trying to climb in and out of the doorway, since it is about 1.5 meters above the ground.  

This, in my opinion, is the most impressive building in Petra

After lunch, I noticed a little shack on the top of another hill with a sign announcing "the best view".  After climbing this high, what's another little hike?  I can't leave without seeing the best view!  

I need to admit: It really was the best view!  I had to get a picture of the shack in its surroundings as proof: 

This is where you need to go for "the best view" in Petra.  

By this point, I was already pretty exhausted but I still had to descend the mountain, see the last few impressive facades that I missed, and make the 2+ kilometer walk back to the bus.  

I got one last picture of myself in front of the monastery and started the hike back down. 

Throughout the day, I was offered countless rides on horses, donkeys, and camels.  Not only did I decline every offer, but I actually told some owners that I don't like how they treat their animals.  Each and every one of the animals looked completely exhausted and I can't even imagine sitting on a donkey as it climbs up 800+ steps.  To make matters worse, I kept seeing the owners taking the animals on joyrides and even racing with each other as they whipped them repeatedly.  I don't want to belabor the point, but the poor treatment of animals definitely tainted the experience for me. 

Don't ride the animals in Petra!  It broke my heart to see how they were treated

My last stop for the day was to the set of buildings across from the roman amphitheater that I missed as I was rushing to get to the monastery.  Of course it involved another small climb, but nothing nearly as strenuous as was I had just experienced.  

Urn Tomb - yet another impressive structure in Petra

Unlike most of the other structures, this one had a series of archways that were not actually carved out of the mountain.  I was able to walk through the back part of each of the arches and there was a staircase that took me to the main entrance of the tomb.  Similar to the others, the interior was very simple.  Just a big open space.  

By this point, I was tired and completely satisfied with all the sites I was able to see.  It was so cool to be able to climb around on all the mountains, to go inside any doorway that looked fascinating, and to imagine what life must have been like for people who lived here two thousand years ago.  

Petra is absolutely a must-see for anyone coming to Jordan.  But beyond that, I would say that the country of Jordan should be higher on people's lists of places to visit.  With some of the oldest recorded traces of humanity, Jordan is like a playground for anyone interested in history.  The trip to Petra was long and exhausting but also fulfilling beyond words.  The pictures that I took are a nice reminder of my experience but they do not even begin to capture the amazing sites that exist here.