Petra

CNN’S TOPTENBESTGLOBALSIGHTS

1. The Treasury at Petra, Jordan;

2. The Grand Canal, Venice; (I have already been there trice)

3. The Masai Mara, Kenya;

4. Sydney Harbour Bridge;

5. Taroko Gorge, Taiwan;

6. Kings Canyon, Northern Territory, Australia;

7. Cappadoccia caves, Turkey;

8. Lake Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia;

9. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia;

10. Jungfraujoch railway, Switzerland.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/08/17/disappointing.destinations/index.html

I went to Jordan this summer with a program for high school students, and we spent a weekend in Petra (the modern city, of course). The night we arrived, we took this amazing Petra by Night tour, where we walked the half a mile – a mile lit by candle light. It was so beautiful, walking through the Siq and looking up at the stars. Then, when we came to the Treasury, there were more than a hundred lit candles in front of this huge stone building, and a man playing music on a flute. It was all completely gorgeous.

The next day we had a guide with us, and we walked back to Petra. We of course saw the Treasury first, and then continued on further to stop and drink chai, and hear about the women who married a native Bedouin out in Petra. We walked up the 750 steps up to the Sacraficial Place, where they used to offer sacrafices to the gods. Some of us walked to the Monastary, while others just wandered around. No matter what you do in Petra, though, it’s all worthwhile.

don’t pay for a ride, walk through it. tehre’s no other way you’ll see the amazing colors and of the stones.

What an amazing and unique site / sight to see! Why wouldn’t you want to go there?!

And… don’t forget to bring lot’s of water… lot’s and lot’s of it!!!

I ended up in Petra spontaneously after a two-week guided tour in Israel. I joined forces with two others from the trip and we headed across the border at Eilat/Aqaba, breathing in our freedom from the windows of a cab racing through the desert.

We only spent two days there, but the time was so full its memory is that of a week. The Bedouin are beautiful, generous people, and though they try to sell you anything, they will also spend time with you and give you experiences you can’t buy anywhere.

Most memorable of these for me was the night we were taken back from Petra, through the back, to the Bedouin village, a 2 hour hike through the most beautiful desert scenery I had ever seen, along the edge of a mountain and overlooking the Valley below, purple in the haze. We got back to their village and they made us “Bedouin tea” and we watched the sunset, then the festivities began! – a full-on Bedouin wedding was in its 5th day, the day before the bride and groom actually marry. we ate with our hands from a pot shared by all, we watched the men dance, and the bride asked to pose with us. We were the exotic ones here, and they were sad to see us go when we finally lost our energy around 2am. Our guides led us back through Petra by starlight – what a sight! – and we were greeted by the tourist police when we came back through the entrance. No harm done, just a scare tactic..and well worth it!

although I went there at 1983 at age of 5 ! but I still remember the place and I alwasy thank my parents for giving me the chance to c such a great historical place

its really nice .. how people build in the mountains !!

So picture this…

You’re hiking down a wadi in the middle of a desert. Deserts have a certain appeal – they are serene and calm – one could find themself in a walking meditaion, if you will. But after about 3 hours in the scorching dry heat, you start yearn for the comforts of a Beduoin tent.

Then, the wadi gets narrower. The walls get steeper and redder. You keep hiking. Now the air is cooler because of the shade and a cool breeze provides a much needed respite. You look up at the wadi walls, which are getting redder and redder, and see a concave niche! A sign of a long extinct Nabatean civilization.

You continue to traverse the wadi, which gets narrower by the yard. It turns left. It turns right. At this point, the wadi is so narrow, that only a few people can walk through at a time. Another right, another left and then you see it…

The first glimpse of Petra is straight out of a movie (Indiana Jones, to be exact). You see the “treasury” walls carved straight out the mountain, and for a minute, you forget to breathe.

“THEROSEREDCITYHALF AS OLD AS TIME”

We went on an ‘organised’ trip from Aquaba. It was a couple of hours in a private taxi with a driver who had mastered about 36 words of English which led to very stitled conversation.

When we arrived at Petra our organised tour included a private guide. We weren’t offered a choice but the young man we got (who told us he was a medical student) spoke reasonable English and was sufficiently knowledgable. So the tip is, make sure you can understand your guide before setting off.

Petra itself is an amazing place. Unlike modern cities, where buidlings are close together and there is some degree of planning and organisation, Petra is very an-hoc. There were buildings and cave dwellings, there were houses with no space between and areas with no buildings at all. There are open spaces and narrow defiles. After two hours we were abandoned by the guide (you only get two hours paid for) about a mile from the entrance. There was still a huge amount to do. There were view points to climb up to, public buildings to explore and further reaches of the city to discover. It could easily have taken a couple of days to make a worthwhile visit. We had a couple of hours. It was December, it was grey, it was drizzling and it was cold. If you go in the winter be prepared to wrap up warmly! We went back to the entrance and found a restaurant serving hot food and prepared ourselves for another two hours of 36 word conversation. If it hadn’t been for Petra it would have been an awful day.

There is an on-going world-wide vote for the next 7 Wonders of the World, since only one of the original is still standing (the Pyramids of Egypt).

Petra is one of the 21 finalists, so go vote for it, and for your other 6 picks! Voting ends July 7, 2007.

http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php