Today we experienced the >2,000 year old site of Petra in Jordan mostly on foot. The weather was cool so I started out with a jacket and a backpack. This ancient area was primarily built by an Arab civilization from 400 BC to 150 AD. It was a major stop on the caravan root from Arabia to the rest of the world. Petra is a very narrow long gully or wadi hundreds of feet deep. It is so narrow and deep that along much of its length my GPS could not see enough satellites to give an accurate position. When Petra is mentioned the "treasury" is usually shown. This is a very impressive tomb several stories high was carved into the native rock. However, it is only a small part of the total site. The natural erosion in this narrow channel is beautiful and impressive in its own right. One walks a couple of miles past ancient Nabataean, Greek and Roman structures. After this walk a couple of us continued on to the "monastery" which we were told required traversing 600 steps up the mountain. While there were 600 steps there were also extensive steep sections with no steps. It was a substantial climb with the reward of incredible views to the Sinai in the distance and cliffs dropping steeply hundreds of feet with nothing in the way of safety fences or restraints. It is no place for people with a fear of heights. On the way back I did a couple of miles on a camel. Although the camel is walking , it is sort of like riding a cantering horse with similar stresses on one's pelvis. Who know what pains tomorrow will bring. My muscles were treated by an hours immersion in a warm pool at the hotel with a little therapeutic wine. This is an amazing site that combines great natural beauty with amazing gigantic stone structures.
Tomorrow we go for a swim in the Dead Sea and take a flight to Egypt.
Carl
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