I got up bright and early to catch the tour to Petra. We drove through Aqaba, and the guide pointed out the port of Elod in Israel just next to Aqaba across the bay. Aqaba is Jordan's only port, which makes it very important to the country. At that part of the country, Jordan has borders with both Israel and Saudi Arabia within a few miles of each other.

Our bus headed up into the mountains to get to Petra. The views are breath-taking, with high mountains falling away to deep valleys in a never-ending array.    There are several panoramic view stops along the highway, and nearly everyone seems to use them. The guide said the highway we were taking through the mountains is closed in the winter because of the snows that cover the road.

The views of the mountains began to change, from black rock to fertile slopes to more reddish rock as we approached Petra. There is a modern city of Petra, which is basically a place for tourist accommodations for people visiting ancient Petra. The guide told us the story of the Swiss explorer who heard rumors of the hidden city and posed as a Moslem who wanted to make a sacrifice at the altar where God commanded Jacob to sacrifice Isaac. This spot is accessible only through the hidden city of Petra. The Bedouin believed him and took him to the place of sacrifice through Petra; all through the journey he was making notes of the route. When he got back, he published the existence and location of the hidden city. The guide said there are still Jordanians, including his grandfather, who will not trust the Swiss because of this man.

When you get to the entrance to the site (which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list), you still have a couple of miles to walk to get to the city itself. There are carriages there that will take you down and back up again for thirty dollars, and there are horses you can ride. Most people walk in. It is quite sunny and can be rather hot for the first mile, but then you get to the Siq al Barid ('ravine of cold’) which is much cooler and shadier. This is about a kilometer long, and there are interesting things to see in it: remains of wall carvings and some unusual rock formations. One rock formation looks like a fish as you come up to it, but when you walk on past and look back it looks like an elephant. Just when you think the ravine will go on forever, you turn a corner and there is Al-Khazeneh (‘The Treasury’) in front of you. Even after fifty people have told you what is going to happen it is still kind of exciting. I think I would have liked to be surprised, but that isn’t going to happen anymore.

Once you are inside the site, there are about fifty or sixty places to see and explore, but in a one-day trip you have to prioritize because there is no way you have time to see it all. My favorite place in Petra is the Monastery; second is the Treasury; third is the amphitheatre. The atmosphere is like a circus: men are selling camel rides and donkey rides and horse rides and souvenirs and anything you can think of. I am pretty sure I saw a souvenir stand near the top of the Monastery. Of course, another consideration is that you are going to have to walk out again, the whole two and a half to three miles, and it’s going to be mostly uphill on the way back, so it’s better not to get too tired or too late. The guide told us it takes about 45 minutes to walk down and an hour to an hour and a half to walk back up again. I decided to believe him and started walking back about an hour and a half before we needed to meet at the lunch place. It was a difficult walk, uphill over uneven ground. Just at the perfect psychological moment, when I was beginning to wonder if I had bitten off more than I could chew, a young man with a horse told me that my ticket entitled me to ride a horse back up, and that he worked for tips only. I decided the horse’s legs were in better shape than mine and climbed aboard. I really enjoyed riding that horse; it’s been many years since I was on horseback, but I got the rhythm very quickly. I guess muscle memory really is long lasting. I probably could have walked all the way myself, but I wouldn’t have had as much fun.

Lunch was a buffet at a five star hotel (gee – another five star hotel!) just outside the gate to Petra. It was delicious, and the chance to sit down and rest was priceless. Of course there were souvenir vendors just outside the gates; I bought some toy camels for the grandkids to complete their menageries. Two full days back to back were certainly tiring, but definitely worth it. Tomorrow is a sea day, and then we transit the Suez Canal.