Today after a quick breakfast we set off to see Petra.

Petra is one of the New 7 wonders of the world, an ancient and historical city surrounded by high cliffs and mountains, offering it a natural defense against invaders. Ancient tribes have inhabited the caves for over 7000 years, and were still living in them until they were relocated around 1985. The city was a major trading route linking the incense and spice trades from the east.

What is truly fascinating about Petra other than its architecture is the incredible water storage and supply systems the inhabitants created. They designed aqueducts and built dams with cisterns to provide fresh water for farming and daily use. Ingenious considering the grounds are barren. Thankfully we had an amazing private Bedouin guide who knew everything about the area.

We ventured into Petra through the Siq, a natural canyon split between sandstone walls. My feet were killing me the whole time but I was determined to see this marvel. When we came upon Al-Khazneh we were blown away. I asked our guide to film it for our permanent memory. It was like something out of a movie set. As well as it is preserved, you can’t help but notice the bullet holes in the upper structure. Local Bedouin tribes thought that some of the structures held treasure and attempted to break open the vaults by shooting at them.

After spending about half an hour wandering around the treasury, we continued down the canyon to see the theater and tombs. The theater was huge and could hold over 8000 people. After some exploring of some of the Bedouin cave homes, we decided that we needed to head back. If we had time we could have spent the whole day exploring the grounds. There is quite a bit to see but we had already hiked in 4 miles and now it’s uphill all the way back, another 4 miles in the heat. Did I mention it gets hot?

The hike back was long and tough but we made it just in time to check out of our hotel. I took a few snaps to remember how beautiful our hotel was. Then we headed off to our next destination – The Dead Sea.

More to follow…