November 11, 2012 - Amman, Jordan to Petra, Jordan
It was an early morning to catch the JETT bus at 6:30 am. The three and a half hour ride was pleasant, but not very scenic. Upon entering Petra that changed drastically. The houses and buildings were colorful. The bus let me off next to my hotel and the entrance to Petra.
I checked in and immediately entered the final of the New7Wonders of the world. The others I've visited include:
The Great Wall of China
Christ the Redeemer in Brazil
Machu Picchu in Peru
Chichen Itza in Mexico
The Colosseum in Italy
The Taj Mahal in India
Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
As soon as you pass the entry gate the world changes. You walk down this very narrow canyon. The cliffs above are covered with sunlight which brightens the pathway below. You pass a few monuments along the way but the impact of Al-Khazneh, The Treasury is amazing. You are amazed that this structure built into a mountain is over 2000 years old. And this was only the start.
Pathway to Petra
The Treasury
I can't believe I got this close to the cliff
Building my own pile of stones. There were thousands in Petra.
The colorful walls in Petra
View from my hotel at night
The Theatre
Holding the rock back, just like in Raiders of the Lost Ark
No, I did not take a camel ride
I met two guys from Miami who had taken the same bus with me. We spent the day walking for mile after mile.
After The Treasury we chose the high road - not knowing what was in store for us. We climbed steps and hills to eventually reach the Two Obelisks and the High Place of Sacrifice. From the top of the mountain you could see all of Petra.
We took the other route down passing ruin after ruin. We saw the Lion Monument, the Garden Temple Complex, the Roman Soldier's Tomb, and the Triclinium.
We finally found the restaurant and had a wonderful buffet - the hummus was amazing. We then quickly walked back to The Treasury and the up the hill to the exit. Tomorrow we will return. Now to put my feet up and relax.
November 12, 2012 - Petra to Amman
I met Juan and Ivory this morning for another day in Petra. Today the goal was the Monestary, high on the hill. Juan took a donkey and Ivory and I walked. And walk we did, almost two hours to reach the summit. I don't know if we did more steps then yesterday, but it was worth it when we reached the summit. I just can't imagine how they built the Monastery.
Going down was much easier and faster. Ivory and I made it back to the hotel just in time for my 2:00 pm check out. I had another amazing meal - hummus followed by filet mignon.
We took the bus back to Amman and I was even on time for happy hour at the hotel. Tomorrow I'm off to Dubai.
No comments:
Post a Comment