I really do not have words to adequately describe Petra. Every moment upon entering is truly breathtaking. An entire city carved directly from the red rocks lining the valley floor.
You enter the city via a siq (a canyon created by tectonic forces rather than water) with 80 meter high ways of red stone on either side. This alone is worth a visit. At the end of the siq, the city opens up before you with the awe inspiring Treasury front and center. The Treasury is what must people think of as Petra.
After a brief exploration of the area surrounding the Treasury, we decided to get the climb to the monastery over with. The Monastery is the second most photographed site after the treasury but requires climbing 800 steps to reach it. My legs were not happy with the choice but all was forgotten upon reaching the top. Like the Treasury, the Monastery lives up to the hype. We finished our first day at Petra by visiting the Royal Tombs while the sun descended coloring the already red rocks into a deeper hue.
In the evening, rather than eating at one of the many overpriced options, we opted instead to learn to cook a traditional Jordanian meal at Petra Kitchen. Although every dish we made at our station (we were broken into three groups) seemed to use the same ingredients (tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers) they all turned in to uniquely dissent dishes.
For day two in Petra, we choose to make another climb. This time to the High Place of Sacrifice. And it was definitely high. Perhaps, not as many steps as to the Monastery, but definitely close. After 45 +/- minutes we made it to the top and to one of the better vistas in Petra. We took some time at the top to just sit and enjoy (and rest our aching muscles) before heading back down to the valley floor. We stopped at the Petra Museum (just skip this if you ever go to Petra) before visiting another of the Royal Tombs. After admiring the theater and the Treasury one more time, we called it a day. Petra alone, is worth a trip to Jordan. I definitely recommend it if you have the chance.
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| The Siq |
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| First peek at the Treasury |
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| The Treasury |
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| The Monastery |
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| Royal Tombs |
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| Royal Tombs |
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| Royal Tombs |
For day two in Petra, we choose to make another climb. This time to the High Place of Sacrifice. And it was definitely high. Perhaps, not as many steps as to the Monastery, but definitely close. After 45 +/- minutes we made it to the top and to one of the better vistas in Petra. We took some time at the top to just sit and enjoy (and rest our aching muscles) before heading back down to the valley floor. We stopped at the Petra Museum (just skip this if you ever go to Petra) before visiting another of the Royal Tombs. After admiring the theater and the Treasury one more time, we called it a day. Petra alone, is worth a trip to Jordan. I definitely recommend it if you have the chance.
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| View from the High Place of Sacrifice |
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