Petra!

This last weekend was full of adventures! Our first stop was Petra. This was probably the trip I was looking forward to the most since coming to Jordan. I've seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade many, many times so I was really excited to see the famous treasury facade. 

We got up around five in the morning for the bus ride there. I only took a quick nap because I didn't want to miss any of the passing scenery. The Jordanian landscape is beautiful! 

As we walked down the narrow canyon towards Petra, I was reminded of the Grand Canyon. It was very surreal to walk through. It was also really hot so we moved from shady spot to shady spot along the way. Our tour guide distracted us when we were close to the treasury, so that when we turned around it was a surprise. 

 

The facade on the treasury is one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever seen. We stayed there for a while then kept moving to see the rest of Petra. A few of us took a hike up to the monastery after the tour ended. It was a really hot and difficult hike. I had flashbacks to the forced march my dad made us take down the Grand Canyon a few years ago. The view at the top was incredible though!  The Bedouin selling there told us a little about the history of the area. We could see the mosque built on Aaron’s tomb on another peak.

When we hiked back down, we got to ride camels. Even though I was sore afterwards, it was probably one of my favorite things I’ve done in Jordan so far. After Petra we got back on the bus in a race to get to Wadi Rum in time for the sunset.

 - Catherine A.