The Lost City of Petra..

My first trip in Jordan was to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The major reason for the visit was my love for National Treasure (the movie) and Treasury. Initially my only objective was to reach Treasury click some photos and wassup it to my husband and then go to Wadi Rum!

The Treasury

But as I started planning for the trip, I googled more about this Nabatean city and my so called lost love for History got the fuel for awakening. Finally, I decided to take a two day tour (55 JD for non-Jordanian) to Petra one with guide and one without guide as it pretty expensive (50 JD per tour). First day I took the guide and second day did a self-track to the monastery.

The King's Tombs inside Petra

The entire city is carved through the rocks. There is only one free standing building the city and that it also the Land-mark where the main trail ends. It’s around 3 hours (round trip) trail, wall painting, temples are there through the siq. After around 40mins to one hours into the Siq one can see the bright light of treasury peeping through the slits between the rocks, you don’t need to be a photographer to make a beautiful photo out of that, proof is below.

Golden Glimpse of Treasury

My guide was a Bedouin and he gave interesting insights about the life in the city of Petra. He also told that he was born in the city of Petra and used to live in one of the caves here till 1985. As per him till 2013 there used to be huge queues to visit the city of Petra which has now significantly reduced. He also told that if I would have arrived a day earlier could have seen Petra by the Night (which is only available on Monday, Thursday & Friday nights). The entire pathway lit by oil lamps looked awesome in his mobile photos I am sure my mobile would have done a similar job and I would have tagged it “shot on iphone 6s” ;-) (I know, bad one!)

Petra by Night. PC: Google

The tour guides leaves at the free standing building. That's the only surviving structure that is free standing in the entire city, rest all are carved through the mountains. 

In the Left Center that Wall kind structure is the only free standing structure which has survived, built by Romans!

As the Sun was setting, I started rushing back to the entrance to avoid walking in the dark but the Sun was gone within in a flicker and by the time I reached Treasury it was pitch dark. Luckily there was one group waiting there, I tagged along with them till the end. Ate dinner an awesome at the restaurant near the ticket counter sent back images home through the restaurant wi-fi and went –off to sleep.

Mummy of a Baby Camel, which died at an early age!

Next day I woke-up at 6 as had to cover longer trail (6 hours trail to Monastery) and then head back to Jordan. As soon as I looked out of the window I could see dark clouds covering the Sun and it was drizzling. Waited there for an hour, hopping for rain to stop but it didn’t. Finally had no option but to start. So went ahead like that one, it was kind of fun trekking the siq, fully drenched, awesome weather and no tension of clicking photo graphs as I couldnt have taken my phone out from the water proof puch! The water was flowing like a river through it and I could imagine that how Petra is easily exposed to flash floods! I completed the trail in close to 7-8 hours with 3 small excursion from the monastery to the awesome viewpoints.

The Monastery at my Back Drop!