I Survived Petra! - October 30
I woke up at 5:30 (alarm was set for 5:45) so I got up to get ready for the day that I had been looking forward to but at the same time, dreading.
After breakfast I headed to the World Stage (our meeting place) at 7:00. We had yet to be cleared, so we sat and sat until after 7:30 when we were finally able to leave the ship. We had to present our passports to the Jordanian authorities, left them with the ship staff, and headed to our buses.
The drive to Petra took about two hours and we had a short break on the way. Somehow I never realized Petra was in the middle of a city - I envisioned it being out in the middle of nowhere. The city actually grew around Petra because of the tourist trade.
We followed our guide as we walked about a half mile (although it seemed longer) from the entrance to the beginning of the Siq. This walk was in the sun so we were lucky that the temperature was only in the high 70s.
The Siq is where you enter the cleft in the rocks on the way to the remains of the buildings. The guide stopped periodically to tell us about the different things we were passing. Unfortunately, I missed much of what he was saying because I was usually the last one. The walk sloped slightly downward as we went and the ground was very uneven - in most places it was either loose gravel or large uneven stones. I had to walk slowly so I didn't twist an ankle and fall. I would finally catch up and hear the last bit of what he was saying.
Briefly, Petra was the home of group of Bedouins called Nabataeans. They were traders and the buildings in Petra reflect some of their trading partners, such as the Greeks. Eventually, the Nabataeans were conquered by Rome and with changing trade routes, after the Crusades the city was forgotten until discovered by a Swiss traveler in 1812. Since that time there have been numerous conservation and restoration programs. In 1985 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is now considered one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
At the end of the Siq (which is about 3/4 of a mile long), you come upon the most famous building in the complex, known as the Treasury. Although actually a mausoleum, it was thought to hold treasure so it became known as the Treasury. You may have seen it in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Much of the city is carved from stone which is a reddish color, so it is often called the "Rose City".
We were starting to run out of time but the guide took us a little further in to the Street of Facades. From there he left us to walk back on our own. We were supposed to reach the hotel where we were having lunch in under 40 minutes - it took me an hour but at least I made it safely. I didn't realize how much of a downward slant we had gone until I started back up!
I was very late to lunch (many were already finished) so I ate very quickly so I could be back on the bus in time. The food was served buffet style and was very good, so I wish I'd had the time to enjoy it more.
We made one rest stop on the way back and got back after 5 pm. I stopped for a cold drink to take to my cabin before a shower and a bit of a rest.
It was a tiring day but I was glad I did it. I certainly never would have made it when I was here before in 2014. If I were ever to go to Petra again, I would take one of the golf carts to the Treasury and back so I could spend time seeing more of the parts we did not have time for today.
Pete and Sherry had gone on a dinner cruise so it was only the three of us for dinner. There was no show. We are overnighting here and I plan to sleep late and take the shuttle into Aqaba tomorrow.
Smooth sailing until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment