From the beginning, we have been looking forward to two port stops; Petra and Jerusalem and after much anticipation, “Petra Day” had arrived. It arrived a bit overcast, breezy and cool enough that we both reconsidered the shorts we had been planning on wearing! We will keep the intro short because the pictures are the “stars” of this post.
Petra is located about two hours from the port of Aqaba, Jordan, which itself is located, oddly enough, at the top of the Gulf Of Aqaba, and is the major (and only) port for the country of Jordan. The country itself is squeezed into the space between Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel, all places we have been/will go to on this trip. The city of Petra came to prominence from 700BC to about 300AD as the center of the trading routes between Rome and the “Mysterious East”. Over time it became the transshipment point for spices, silks, incense and other treasures, which made it a very wealthy and prosperous place. It is famous today for the elaborate tombs/facades carved into the sandstone cliffs that make up the valley.
Promptly at 8:15 we (and what seemed like half the ship AND crew) loaded the buses for the two hour drive. While Aqaba itself is a large city, we very quickly found ourselves driving through a barren desert landscape which gradually turned into low desert hills which ultimately topped out with us actually driving above the clouds at a height of 5100 feet above sea level. Jordan only gets 100mm of rain annually and for a while there it looked like it was all going to fall on us today!
Petra is located in Wadi Musa, or the Valley of Moses. A “wadi” is similar to an “oasis’, only a LOT larger. Local tradition has it that this where Moses struck the stone to obtain water during the Exodus. Of course as our guide pointed out, there are two other places in Jordan with similar names and making the same claim. Personally we think Wadi Musa is Jordanian for “tourist trap”. There are 58 hotels in Wadi Musa serving the Petra tourist trade and our destination was the Movenpick Hotel at the gates. This where the fun started. Imagine, if you will, 150+ “seniors” who have just spent two hours on a bus, right after breakfast, arriving at the bathroom (one Woman’s and one Man’s) at the same time! Unfortunately our guides insisted on trying to keep each bus “group” (and there were five buses!) together. Herding cats would be easier. After standing watching for almost 30 minutes, we looked at each other, said “We didn’t pay what we did to watch this nonsense.”, and took off on our own. Along with another couple, the videographer and two of the four ships’ photographers. And boy are we glad we did.
We will let the pictures do the talking from here.
On our way to Petra, one of the locals with part of a herd of sheep.
Goats and sheep grazing in the rocky terrain by the side of the highway
The Obelisk Tomb - the first facade. The bottom central entrance is the triclenium, where the families would hold dinners where the living would 'eat' with the dead. The upper doorway is the entrance to the actual burial chamber. Virtually all of the tombs are constructed in the same way.
The beginning of the Siq, the ceremonial entranceway to Petra
Along the Siq passageway, which winds for three-quarters of a kilometre from beginning to end.
The end of the Siq and the first view of the Treasury
The most famous of the Petra facades, as seen in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. The urn at the top, according to legend, was said to contain a Pharoah's treasure of gold
Along the Avenue of Facades
The Amphitheatre. The estimated population of Petra at its peak was about 40,000
A cave showing the multitude of natural colours in the sandstone
We can't resist a bad pun: We came to see Petra, and found 'Camel-lot'
The facade in the background is the Deir, or Monastery and is at the farthest end of the valley
One of many modes of transport available to tourists at Petra. Our fellow traveler, Kibby, is onboard
A final view - Somewhere in that pile of volcanic rock is the city of Petra. One wonders how they found their way to it in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment