Day 13 - The Lost City
Our day in Petra was highlighted as a potential highlight of the trip when we started it so long ago. Again, since I outsourced nearly all of the planning for the trip to my parents, I didn't even really know what Petra was. In my mind, I knew it was old ruins. That said, I thought it was similar to the Alhambra in Spain. That was incorrect, but it was still an incredible experience.
We woke up early, but not too early, resigned to getting one day in Petra, in their winter season which means last call at 4:30pm (not too strictly enforced, we would learn). The planned departure time was 8:30am, using Marriott's shuttle service that drops you off about 20 feet away from the entrance. We there met our guide, who would lead us and another couple with sun, but this couple was younger and their son was a semi-annoying six years old.
The tour started at the visitor's center, quite modern looking and a good sales point to the Lost City behind it. There I actually learned from our quite knowledgeable guide on what actually went down in Petra, why it became a lost city (basically, the Nebatean people stopped letting people in), how it got rediscoverd, and the list of people who once ruled this place - basically the same as in Israel, but included the Nebatean's the people who actually built most of the sites and made all the carvings.
The tour of Petra can be done in many forms over many time periods. We did an express five hour tour that included a walk from the visitor's center way down to the center of the main path, and then a hike up to the Monastery, with time then given for us to go back towards the visitor's center and see other sites at our own pace.
The first bit was an open air walk down towards the beginning of The Siq (more on that in a minute) through some nice close-by ridges and some amazing views behind. We didn't get a real look at the valley and the rolling mountains the previous day, but Petra is situated right in the middle of some amazing peaks.
The Siq, about 800m from teh entrance, is where Petra begins to come to life. The Siq essentially means winding gorge - which is a perfectly accurate description of what it was. It was an astoudingly beautiful winding gorge. It explained well why the Petra people were so isolated and hidden beyond about a mile and a half of gorge. Water erosion has largely removed some of the wall carvings (and other natural disasters have destroyed many of the buildings that are now all partially reconstructed), but the water did uncover amazing color gradation on the walls, a mix of brownds, ambers, reds, whites and so many others.
During the walk of the Siq, there are parts with various small crevices, small carvings on the walls, incredible views and endless photo opportunities. Just when you felt that the Siq was getting just sligthyl repetitive, we reach the conclusion of the Siq, which is the 'Treasury', and realize how special Petra is.
The Treasury is an imposing two-level temple (there's really no connection to treasury activities) with roman style columns, half-remaining statues of Nebutean Gods, and to cap it all it was built right into the rock-face. It is was more crazy to consider this structure in front of you when you consider a couple facts the guide threw out, that (1) the whole thing was built over the course of two years, and (2) there is another level below that is yet to be excavated.
There is probably whole level below the current city throughout the area of Petra, many places having at least one known level yet to be uncovered. Our stop at the Treasury actually housed one last amazing fact from our guide, that this was just the third largest temple cut out of the rock face. The biggest being the Royal Tomb and the 2nd biggest being the Monastery. In a few hours, I would see the other two, and agree that they are bigger, an even more impressive, even if at this particular moment I didn't think that was possible.
The walk from the Siq and Treasury opened up, but didn't stop surprising us. First was the example of houses (really caves) built into the rock-face on all sides. Each house had remnants of ornate carvings aroudn it. Here is also where the difference in colors of the rocks became more present and beautiful. After the row of houses was a roman-style theater, again cut out of the rock. The few free-standing buildings that were built were destroyed due to earthquakes and floods, but there is a lasting, incredible, history at seeing what these people were able to do chiseling away at rocks.
Finally after the theater we reach the large open area that was the main city during the Nebutean times. Again, I have no idea why these Nebutean people decided to live in such a reclusive place, isolated by two miles or gorge from the world, but they left behind an incredible legacy.
The treat of the tour, at least for me, was probably the last few sites, which due to the arduous nature of seeing them, became all the more valuable, but took over the last three to four hours of the day.
The monastery is probably the most well known image from Petra, but requires quite a bit of dedication to see in person. It is about a 2km hike from the main square, all uphill, over 811 steps and various uphill curves. Overall, it was about a 300m elevation gain over 2km, which trigonometry tells me is a 8,5 degree incline (ok, I googled an angle calculator).
You can avoid the pain of the hike by taking a donkey, which sounds fun (maybe), but also involves riding that donkey up the same stairs, trusting a boy (literally, sometimes a 12-year old Bedouin) to lead you and the donkey effectively. In reality, from a heartburn perspective, your better off just climbing it, as my Dad and I did.
The climb does afford numerous photo opportunities of the expanse of Petra and the surrounding mountains increasingly beneath you. It also gives you the amazing moment when you do reach the top, of seeing the giant monastery, a supersized, more well preserved (or restored) version of teh Treasury, built into a mountain high above ground level.
After walking back and picking up a quick, efficient (if a little blah) lunch at 'The Basin' restaurant - one of two full service restaurants inside Petra site grounds - I went for another smaller (much smaller) hike up maybe 80 steps to the path of the tombs, which are large temples built into the rock, the last of which was the Royal Tomb, the largest temple structure in the park.
This little hike also gave the best view of the central market area of Petra, one last amazing vantage point of the expanse of land that Petra takes on. Each area gave way to so many photo opportunities, so many ridiculously picturesque views. Having just been to Egypt, with their own temple carved into the mountain-face (Abu Simbel), which was admittedly more impressive, I have to say Petra beats any one site in Egypt for the amount it packs into a seven km stretch.
We reached back to the hotel fully tired, fully awed at what we just saw. So much so we played the rest of the nigth fairly basic. My Mom went for a spa treatment. I did my own treatment getting a cold beer and writing this (meta!). We had dinner in the Marriott's Hala Hala Restaurant, getting similar food cooked with more plating and varnish at slightly higher prices as one would expect.
It was a fully loaded day, the one that from a pure tourism aspect, especially when putting aside any religious connects, figured to be among the best in our trip. Nay, when you remove religion, it was the best in our trip. Wadi Rum probably comes close however. It speaks a lot to Jordan that as a pure tourism destination, these two sites are incredible. It doesn't have the cultural history of Israel (or even an Egypt), but what it does have as quality, if not pure quantity.
Our day in Petra was highlighted as a potential highlight of the trip when we started it so long ago. Again, since I outsourced nearly all of the planning for the trip to my parents, I didn't even really know what Petra was. In my mind, I knew it was old ruins. That said, I thought it was similar to the Alhambra in Spain. That was incorrect, but it was still an incredible experience.
We woke up early, but not too early, resigned to getting one day in Petra, in their winter season which means last call at 4:30pm (not too strictly enforced, we would learn). The planned departure time was 8:30am, using Marriott's shuttle service that drops you off about 20 feet away from the entrance. We there met our guide, who would lead us and another couple with sun, but this couple was younger and their son was a semi-annoying six years old.
The tour started at the visitor's center, quite modern looking and a good sales point to the Lost City behind it. There I actually learned from our quite knowledgeable guide on what actually went down in Petra, why it became a lost city (basically, the Nebatean people stopped letting people in), how it got rediscoverd, and the list of people who once ruled this place - basically the same as in Israel, but included the Nebatean's the people who actually built most of the sites and made all the carvings.
The tour of Petra can be done in many forms over many time periods. We did an express five hour tour that included a walk from the visitor's center way down to the center of the main path, and then a hike up to the Monastery, with time then given for us to go back towards the visitor's center and see other sites at our own pace.
The first bit was an open air walk down towards the beginning of The Siq (more on that in a minute) through some nice close-by ridges and some amazing views behind. We didn't get a real look at the valley and the rolling mountains the previous day, but Petra is situated right in the middle of some amazing peaks.
The Siq, about 800m from teh entrance, is where Petra begins to come to life. The Siq essentially means winding gorge - which is a perfectly accurate description of what it was. It was an astoudingly beautiful winding gorge. It explained well why the Petra people were so isolated and hidden beyond about a mile and a half of gorge. Water erosion has largely removed some of the wall carvings (and other natural disasters have destroyed many of the buildings that are now all partially reconstructed), but the water did uncover amazing color gradation on the walls, a mix of brownds, ambers, reds, whites and so many others.
During the walk of the Siq, there are parts with various small crevices, small carvings on the walls, incredible views and endless photo opportunities. Just when you felt that the Siq was getting just sligthyl repetitive, we reach the conclusion of the Siq, which is the 'Treasury', and realize how special Petra is.
The Treasury is an imposing two-level temple (there's really no connection to treasury activities) with roman style columns, half-remaining statues of Nebutean Gods, and to cap it all it was built right into the rock-face. It is was more crazy to consider this structure in front of you when you consider a couple facts the guide threw out, that (1) the whole thing was built over the course of two years, and (2) there is another level below that is yet to be excavated.
There is probably whole level below the current city throughout the area of Petra, many places having at least one known level yet to be uncovered. Our stop at the Treasury actually housed one last amazing fact from our guide, that this was just the third largest temple cut out of the rock face. The biggest being the Royal Tomb and the 2nd biggest being the Monastery. In a few hours, I would see the other two, and agree that they are bigger, an even more impressive, even if at this particular moment I didn't think that was possible.
The walk from the Siq and Treasury opened up, but didn't stop surprising us. First was the example of houses (really caves) built into the rock-face on all sides. Each house had remnants of ornate carvings aroudn it. Here is also where the difference in colors of the rocks became more present and beautiful. After the row of houses was a roman-style theater, again cut out of the rock. The few free-standing buildings that were built were destroyed due to earthquakes and floods, but there is a lasting, incredible, history at seeing what these people were able to do chiseling away at rocks.
Finally after the theater we reach the large open area that was the main city during the Nebutean times. Again, I have no idea why these Nebutean people decided to live in such a reclusive place, isolated by two miles or gorge from the world, but they left behind an incredible legacy.
The treat of the tour, at least for me, was probably the last few sites, which due to the arduous nature of seeing them, became all the more valuable, but took over the last three to four hours of the day.
The monastery is probably the most well known image from Petra, but requires quite a bit of dedication to see in person. It is about a 2km hike from the main square, all uphill, over 811 steps and various uphill curves. Overall, it was about a 300m elevation gain over 2km, which trigonometry tells me is a 8,5 degree incline (ok, I googled an angle calculator).
You can avoid the pain of the hike by taking a donkey, which sounds fun (maybe), but also involves riding that donkey up the same stairs, trusting a boy (literally, sometimes a 12-year old Bedouin) to lead you and the donkey effectively. In reality, from a heartburn perspective, your better off just climbing it, as my Dad and I did.
The climb does afford numerous photo opportunities of the expanse of Petra and the surrounding mountains increasingly beneath you. It also gives you the amazing moment when you do reach the top, of seeing the giant monastery, a supersized, more well preserved (or restored) version of teh Treasury, built into a mountain high above ground level.
After walking back and picking up a quick, efficient (if a little blah) lunch at 'The Basin' restaurant - one of two full service restaurants inside Petra site grounds - I went for another smaller (much smaller) hike up maybe 80 steps to the path of the tombs, which are large temples built into the rock, the last of which was the Royal Tomb, the largest temple structure in the park.
This little hike also gave the best view of the central market area of Petra, one last amazing vantage point of the expanse of land that Petra takes on. Each area gave way to so many photo opportunities, so many ridiculously picturesque views. Having just been to Egypt, with their own temple carved into the mountain-face (Abu Simbel), which was admittedly more impressive, I have to say Petra beats any one site in Egypt for the amount it packs into a seven km stretch.
We reached back to the hotel fully tired, fully awed at what we just saw. So much so we played the rest of the nigth fairly basic. My Mom went for a spa treatment. I did my own treatment getting a cold beer and writing this (meta!). We had dinner in the Marriott's Hala Hala Restaurant, getting similar food cooked with more plating and varnish at slightly higher prices as one would expect.
It was a fully loaded day, the one that from a pure tourism aspect, especially when putting aside any religious connects, figured to be among the best in our trip. Nay, when you remove religion, it was the best in our trip. Wadi Rum probably comes close however. It speaks a lot to Jordan that as a pure tourism destination, these two sites are incredible. It doesn't have the cultural history of Israel (or even an Egypt), but what it does have as quality, if not pure quantity.
