Petra………Mission Accomplished!!

Well I wasn't expecting that! Awakened before dawn by a lone howling dog, we started the day off all bundled up as the temperatures were hovering around 4 celsius. A big surprise was awaiting us and a big effort was needed to get in and out of the Petra gorge to visit one of the 7 modern day wonders of the world. I was in awe entering the gorge otherwise know as the Siq. The towering walls of brown sandstone are shielded by the sunlight due to their hight and the narrow passage. In 1812 the ruins were discovered by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Petra or "The Lost City" or “The Rose City” named because of the colour of the stone, was last visited by Crusaders who had inhabited it 5 centuries earlier. It was originally founded over 2000 years ago as a centre on the trading route between Arabia, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. A massive earthquake occurred in AD 363 which destroyed many of the buildings and the intricate water system which supplied the community and thus the city was more or less abandoned. Everyone is aware of the iconic facade of the Treasury but Petra is so much more than that. There are many other carved facades which were actually tombs. They were carved from the top down and there was no room for error by the master carvers and engineers.It is speculated that there were upwards of 20,000 Nabataean inhabitants who established the city. Jordan doesn’t have much going for it economically other than tourism but at a $75USD entry fee you would think they are trying to balance the budget on this one attraction. There is very little overhead and the couple of dozen sweepers and toilet cleaners are probably paid about $10 a day. Again I am amazed at the number of camel and donkey owners trying to sell you on a saddled experience. Too many vendors, however most are very respectful but it is hard to see how even an excess of a million visitors a year can support all of these impoverished purveyors of cheap trinkets, head scarves and t shirts. We are tired but the 10 km walking return trip was well worth the effort and certainly an experience not to be forgotten. Well that is about it for this trip and this will be my final post. We still have another day left in Jordan and we will be returning to Amman tomorrow for our 02:30 flight on Tuesday to Frankfurt and then onto Montreal. Thanks for following along and I hope you have enjoyed tagging along even though it was vicariously. We’ll have to do it in person the next time. Until next time. Shalom!