Petra-Fied

DSC00370
Originally uploaded by p medved

So today was Petra day. Petra was definitely a highlight.

The group went down to Petra at 7 a.m. We all went our own ways once there. After entering the front gate, we walked down a long canyon corridor which was very beautiful with many colors of stone. Jennifer and I made our way down through the crags when suddenly the treasury "building" (in the picture). It was one of the most spectacular features of Petra, though the whole place was very impressive. It's amazing to consider how people a couple thousand years ago could have carved a city out of stone.

Besides the ancient carved-out buildings, there were many local Bedouin vendors selling their wares. There was a lot of beautiful jewelry, but Jenn and I refrained from buying. Jordan is more expensive than Egypt by a long shot, and from what we have heard, much more expensive than Syria, so we're holding out.

Altogether, we spent about 10 hours wandering through Petra. We did two long climbs over the city which offered great views. During one of them, we walked up up up to the highest peak above Petra. There was a young Bedouin guy up there who spoke English and sold tea. He lives up there in isolation in a little hut selling tea an other beverages. He was extremely laid back, a real character. We hung out with him for about 20 minutes before continuing on our way.

Tomorrow, off to the Dead Sea. I have several bangs and bumps on me, so I'm a bit nervous about the salty water, but it's a must do!