Petra

It is not everyday that I get to explore one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I would like to make it more of frequent hobby though.

I would say Petra is the coolest place I have ever been. I recommend that all of you go and visit, and then invite me to come along because I have much more to explore to and learn about Petra.

However, in my two days of being there, reading some lonely planet, and talking to locals, I can share a little bit about the beautiful site.

The first thing that a few of us students did to get pumped for Petra before we went was watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The film was misleading because it gave me the false hope that I could find the Holy Grail. However, it did give me some awesome one liners to quote while I wore my new and cheap Indian Jones hat.

It was a fun two day experience. Petra is about four hours away from Amman, so that meant that we got a bus to travel in, as well as a hotel to party in. (That is completely true, there was an Arabic Dance Party).

                                                                                                                                                                      

We entered the site of Petra on Thursday afternoon, and got to see the treasury, which is probably the only part of Petra that most of you have seen on post cards, documentaries, oh and Indiana Jones.

Petra is much more than that. It is filled with many caves, ancient buildings and local Bedouins. I had many experiences and conversations with Bedouins over cups of very sweet tea, watching the sun set, and riding donkeys.

We stayed at one of the furthest points from the gate at Petra to watch the sunset. It was after closing hours, but it was okay since we were with locals. After the sunset it got dark quickly, so it made for a beautiful night walk through Petra.

There are special tickets for "Petra at Night". This ticket costs 15 JD (over 25 Canadian) to walk and see the treasury at night with candles lit in front of it. Since we were still trekking from the Monastery we were able to see the beautiful candle lit treasury for no extra charge. However, the security did not like us stopping for photos and constantly repeated that it was time to go.

We got back to the hotel, ate at a buffet, and then had the opportunity to dance after supper. I did participate a little this time, and I had fun but my Arab dancing ability has a lot of room for improvement.

The next morning was filled with more wandering. I hiked up to an ancient sacrifice site and wandered down through a much more secluded section of Petra, but still had many interesting buildings, caves, and cups of tea. The group I was with also happened to find a donkey leg in the middle of the sand.

These are just a few highlights from my two days in Petra. There are a few photos on the bottom  to show some of my incredible experience. However, no amount of blogging or photography can capture the beauty of Petra. I was in absolute awe with the beauty of the site, the history of Petra, and the hospitality that I received.