Unfortunately for me, my head torch came in handy as overnight I developed a rather unpredictable stomach and spent the next day somewhere between fragile and nauseous. I remained undeterred from the programme, however, as this was Petra day – one of the highlights of the trip!
We had a winding 2 hour journey from Wadi Rum to Petra along the Kings Highway, through very rocky and barren terrain (including some partially rocky and barren parts of highway!). We deposited luggage at our hotel and were then taken to the visitor centre at Petra to start our visit.
I, along with many people I suspect, think of Petra as being the walk through the passageway known as the Siq to the magnificent Treasury building. Let me tell you, it is so much more than that and the walk as far as the Treasury is just under half of the way into the main site. Walking through the Siq itself is a voyage of discovery and our tour leader, Nuwar, was a font of knowledge. It is about 1.2km from start to end, and as you emerge from the Siq, the sight of the Treasury is indeed totally magical. It’s also pretty difficult to get a decent view/pic as the square in front of it is teeming with tourists and local hawkers trying to sell camel / donkey rides. We stopped to learn a little about the facade and the process of uncovering the Treasury, before continuing deeper into the city.
Past the Treasury, we moved along the Street of Facades – tomb after tomb after tomb in different designs, with different significance. Then the Theatre – different from Roman amphitheatres because this one was carved into the rock face rather than being block-built out from the centre. We passed ancient cave dwellings, a colonnaded street, as far as Qasr Al-Bint, a religious temple and one of the best preserved structures to survive in Petra. What I have described constitutes the ‘main’ trail (about 8km return); there are optional ‘hikes’ (mainly uphill via many steps) to see the High Place of Sacrifice and the Monastery, which some in the group did the next day (but not me!).
What stunned me most about Petra, apart from its vast size, were the fantastic variations of colour in the rock and the sheer number of tombs that have been unearthed by archaeologists. And the work is still ongoing.
It was a mind-blowing and exhausting experience and my poor little legs could not face the upward return leg of the Siq , so myself & a couple of fellow weary travellers hopped aboard one of the golf-buggy style shuttles back to the main gate. We were back in time to grab a drink at ‘The Cave’ bar – a bar built in a former tomb, with a surprisingly lovely ambiance!
I was pleased to get back to the hotel and crash, in the knowledge that we had a free day the next day with the possibility of a much needed lie-in…
50shadesofbrave 