FRIDAY 7/13/12

PETRA

AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, AWESOME, STUNNING, BEAUTIFUL, IMPRESSIVE, COLOSSAL, BREATHTAKING, UNBELIEVABLE, A WORK OF ART, AN ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING FEAT, ETC., ETC., ETC. These words are all we can think of to describe this place. You see it in pictures, you see it on TV, you see it in the movies (Indiana Jones, Transformers 2) but, you can't grasp how impressive this place is till you're standing in front of it. After the convention, this is the highlight of the trip.

After breakfast we head towards Petra, a five minute walk from the hotel. We go prepared with plenty of water, Leti with her little hat and I had my keffiyeh. It's an exciting walk down the Siq, or gorge, towards the Treasury, now that we can see everything. One of the most beautiful works of architecture, in my opinion, ever built. Right away as you start your walk you can see the work of these amazing artisans. From small niches in the rock face to complete buildings with intricate statues and amazing crown molding. THESE GUYS WERE GOOD! I wonder who the contractor was?

If you're coming to Petra, and you're the type that has to see every little thing, you will need 3 to 4 days. You could cover all the major sites in one day, but trust me when I tell you, you will want a day off of your feet, you pay for that long day. We started at 7:30am with all the energy and excitement  in the world and at 6pm we just barely made it out. One thing we didn't realize is that our ticket included a horse ride from the entrance at the visitors center to the entrance of the Siq. We really could have used that help.

Anyways, stopped at a little restaurant ordered some pizza got some sodas and went to the hotel. We were not going anywhere after the trek at Petra. So our Fun Friday tradition continued here in Petra minus the alcohol. Alcohol, if you didn't know, is not sold in Jordan because Jordan is a Muslim country and Muslims don’t drink. You could only find alcohol in tourist hotels with a restaurant bar. And we were not in one. So Fun Friday became, Pizza Friday.

Ate, showered and knocked out!!!

Horses used to get from entrance to Siq

Or you can choose to take a carraige ride

This is the Siq or Gorge you encounter

A little Bedouin girl selling postcards

Bedouin water channel

First glimpse of the Treasury

Cue the Indiana Jones theme song

Isn't this beautiful?

You can see Petra by walking, Camel back or on Shakira the donkey. Look at that face!

Bedouin Man

We found a Mexican Bedouin

Asking the local guides for directions

Bedouin Caravan

These guys were awesome. Check out the work.

Taking a water break

1Hr. and 800+ steps and this is what you get