Petra, Jordan
One of the seven wonders of the world, this post will take you inside Petra and this lesser known country.
Petra is located near the border of Israel towards the middle of Jordan. There are a couple of ways to get to Petra, but first and foremost you need to figure out how you’re getting into Jordan. When I was headed to Jordan we entered in at the Israeli/Jordanian border between the cities of Eliat and Aquaba. Just like at passport control at an airport, when you are at the border you will go through a few security measures. For us, we had to answer a few questions and put our bags through x-ray machines. There we were given one month stay stamps in our passports, along with a small document stating when we entered the country. Outside of the border there are many taxis waiting to pick tourists up, so you won’t need to arrange a taxi service prior to arrival. One of the locals at the border told us to make sure our taxi drivers always start their meter when you begin the fare, because there is a tendency to over charge tourists. Once in our taxi cab we headed to the Aqaba city center.
Aqaba is the seventh largest city in Jordan, and sits around the northern tip of the Red Sea. While you’re in Jordan, this city is a good place to stop for a night or two and really experience the Jordanian culture. One of the things I will never forget about Jordan was the hospitality of the people. The Jordanians were the most giving and friendly people I have encountered while traveling. One of the things that I recommend to tourists visiting Jordan is to be respectful of the culture you are entering. Many of the women do cover their hair and wear clothing that covers their whole body. You are not required to do so, but it made me feel more comfortable because most everyone else was. For men it is a little bit more relaxed, but most of the men were wearing clothing that fully covered their bodies.
The signage in Aqaba is a little confusing when you’re first there. If you’re looking for a specific restaurant or business sometimes the sign advertising for it will be on the nearest street corner or much smaller than you would expect. The first day we were in Aqaba we couldn’t find our hotel because the office for the hotel was in the city center but then the actual building with the rooms was in a different location down the street. After we located the office one of the employees walked down the street with us to show us where we were staying. On this walk, he made sure to inform us where the best restaurants and shisha bars were, and even bought us all a local tea from the coffee bar next to our flat. From Aqaba, we rented a car and drove to Petra, which was about a 2 hour drive. Coming from the Midwest, the Jordanian desert seemed pretty bare, but hidden within this desert are truly some gems, one of those being Petra. When you’re driving to Petra it will seem like you are driving into the middle of no-where for quite a while. It wasn’t until we walked up to the Petra ticket office did it really seem like we were there. Petra is MUCH larger than I was expecting it to be, so I would wear clothes that you can easily move around and walk in. While you’re there you have a few different options of transportation within Petra: walking, mule, or camel. If you haven’t ridden a camel before, take this opportunity and do it, it doesn’t get cooler than riding a camel through a city as old as the 5th century BC.
Within Petra there are many sites to explore, like the tombs, dam, and treasury. All of these are worth visiting and you should plan to stay at least 5 hours when you visit Petra. The part of Petra that you’ve probably seen before in pictures is the treasury of Petra. In my opinion this is truly the most breathtaking aspect of Petra, and you really have no idea what you’re about to stumble upon it until its right in front of your face. You can’t go into the treasury but further into the city there will be other sites to explore the interiors. Outside of the treasury, if you’re tired of walking, you can find a few different options to take you further inside of Petra-camels or mules. Inside Petra there will be many tables or spots on the ground where people are selling mini sculptures, camel hair purses, and other nicknacks. My advice to you is to haggle a bit and negotiate for a lesser cost. I was able to get about 10 euros off of each of the items I bought without trying too hard.
Visiting Petra is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I know you all will be just as blown away as I was!
til’ the next trip,
leez
