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| They must have these signs everywhere! 😂 |
Petra did not disappoint. It was the most exciting adventure I have experienced. I was so sad that Chuck was unable to go but after taking the trip, there is no way he would have made it. They had donkeys, horse carriages or riding horseback but one could only go so far and the price to ride was 50 Euros each way.
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| Overlooking the mountains from about 1/2 way to the top. |
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| We could pay $50 USD for a ride to the main site of Petra |
The terrain was pretty rocky as well. It was an easy walk to Petra because it was pretty much downhill but still 2 miles while carefully watching your step. Coming back was a different story. I sat beside a lady from Florida on the tour bus by the name of Robin. She and I both decided to stop a couple of times. We were doing good keeping up with each other but we both had to take a few breaks.
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| Horseback was another option to get to the site. |
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| Many carvings by tribesmen in the mountains of their homes. |
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| Each tribe had their own symbol |
Each town in Petra has its own nomadic tribe. They are all families. Brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. They stay together. Our tour guides family consists of 18 children. He is the only one that was able to go to a university. He is a professor of history. For two months a year, we does not work and helps his family farm.
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| As you’ll notice, we are walking down into the mountains to get lower and lower below sea level. |
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| A fellow in his uniform for the day. Depending on the time frame, there was different attire. This looked to be around the Roman times. |
They have 2000 sheep and goats. The family has to milk the goats twice a day and store the milk. They fill up a refrigerator type container and someone picks it up when full for sale. The sheep must be moved 4 times a year looking for water.
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| The rain water created many beautiful colors and shapes within the rocky mountain caves |
Water is in such short supply that he and his wife only have 6 hours of water on Saturday and Tuesday. The country of Jordan consists of 10 million Sunni Muslims, 1 million Christians. 2 million refugees live in tents, most of these are Palestinians.
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| Working on my selfie skills! 😂 |
The Muslims celebrate Ramadan and the Christians celebrate Christmas. They share one holiday together in the spring. Each tribe of family has their own school. Children today cannot go to a university unless they can speak English and they cannot get a job unless they have attended a university. Education is free so it shouldn’t be an issue for children to attend unless family reasons keep them home.
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| Such beauty just by looking straight up. |
Across the water is Saudi Arabia. It is easier to get into the U.S.A than it is into Saudi Arabia. Its very difficult to get a visa to go across the water! The income in Jordan is obtained first from taxes. 16% income tax, 21% government tax, 300% customs tax. If a car is purchased in another country for 15,000 USD, the customs tax to bring it into Jordan will make the car now 45,000 USD. WOW!
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| This “design” was created purely by rainwater. Looks like an elephant, right? |
I think I would have to walk! Their 2nd income is tourism and 3rd is agriculture. In order to take advantage of this income, they must go up to the northern region of Jordan where there is more rain and more lush greenery in order to grow the fruit and vegetables.
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| The “tribes” gather in one location and pretty much stick together. |
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| Even the desert was beautiful! |
Women work in many areas and are more dominant in some industries. 70% of the teachers are women, 61% of nurses are women. 28 women in parliament, 30 women pilots. It sounds to me that women are doing very well here. 1 man is allowed to have up to 4 wives however, our guides states that no man has more than one wife. In terms of clothing, the women wear what they want. Much depends on where they are
going or what they are doing. His wife will wear a hijab when visiting his or her parents but may wear jeans at home or a pant suit for work. If they want to wear a hijab they can. It is not a requirement of their country, but they may want to wear it for their religion. We saw far less women in hijabs in comparison to what we saw in Morocco.
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| Indiana Jones look alike? or maybe just a wrangler. |
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| This poor donkey was left alone. The guy that was riding him just jumped off and kept walking. |
Depending on your generation or income level, most people do not use social media or even have TV’s. Women go back to work 3 days after giving birth. After 2 hours we arrived at the site but had more walking to do. Walking through the canyon to get to Petra was just amazing. The rocky mountain was formed by rain washing through the mountains and creating the most beautiful formations.
The colors of the rock were different colors but the most prominent was a rose color. This alone was beautiful. We then arrived at the site of Petra. I just stood there and looked for a few minutes taking in the beauty of what was before me.
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| This carving was massive and the coloring was just beautiful. |
Petra is a world heritage site. It is situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut capital city of the Nabateans. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. It is one of the world’s richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage”. Our tour guide was born in one of the caves and grew up in Petra. The place is massive in size and he said it would take more than just a few hours to see the entire site. We were only being taken to the most popular.
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| A doll with an attitude! |
Building of the Petra monument– took 95 people to do the carvings. 47 years ago, there wasn’t much in this area but once Petra became famous it has become overrun with hotels. People would buy a new home and use their homes for rental during tourist season so that the tourists could experience the way they live.
There are 8000 caves in Petra. Each cave was a home approximately 8×8 meters which also became their tomb.
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| Back in Aqaba for the night view of Saudi Arabia across the water. |
Some house 2 adults and 2 children. Upon the parents or children’s deaths, they are buried in the cave. These caves are no longer lived in.
After our visit we trekked the 2 miles back uphill. Its was a little tough but we made it.
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| Shops were plentiful with many shopkeepers wanting to bargain for your money. |
We stopped for a buffet lunch at a local restaurant with authentic Jordanian foods. It was delicious. The main course was lamb but luckily, they had chicken and fish. Don’t have the taste for lamb. Chuck would have liked it. I had a local fish that was marinated in something very sweet and a lemon butter sauce cut the sweetness down. Just the perfect mixture.
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| The sunset was incredible. |
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| They sold homemade incense that really had an wonderful aromatic smell. |
For dessert we had a warm caramel dish with marshmallows or a cream that was very tasty. Our bellies full, we made it back to the bus for our way home (ship). Some people were so tired they slept all the way back.
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| Traditional Jordanian lunch with Rice, Fish and potatoes. |
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| Lunch with some type of warm caramel. Tasted much better than it looked. |
Those that did, missed the most amazing sunset. It was deep orange over the mountains. Reminded me that God can create beauty anywhere we are.
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| Always some homemade bread available. |
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| Never pass up dessert! Sunni |
I am sure that’s why he gave us eyes to see and ears to hear all around us. This experience is one I’ll carry with me for years to come. If anyone ever has the chance to visit Aqaba, Jordan, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Petra. You’ll be glad you did.
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 
The pics are beautiful! Glad you got to do this!!
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The pics are beautiful! Glad you got to do this!!
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