I marry you - I marry you - I marry you! At the "marrying rock"!
Beautiful scenery from inside Petra
Tombs carved into the hillside above the floor of the canyon
We had considering taking the horses to Aaron’s tomb on top
of the largest mountain at Petra but I was concerned about the heat and
time. So instead we went on our own to
climb up to the High Altar. I asked Tim
how far it was and he didn’t give me a clear answer, so I knew I was in for a
hard climb. We started up and and whoa,
what a climb! Lots of steps, some of
which were very steep at times. It took
us almost an hour to get up there but it was worth it. Tim was very patient with me and I got to
relax many times along the way. There
were beautiful vistas in all directions so we stopped and took it all in.
I think Tim is trying to "kill me" but I'll go with a smile on my face!
We paused many times on the way up the mountain paths
Beautiful vistas all around us
Beautiful rocks and caves
Stunning scenery at Petra
Tim sitting on the edge of the cliff almost at the High Altar in Petra
We talked along the way with a woman who has a shop at the
top. She was a native and she showed us
around. She was born in a cave in 1986
and now lives in the Bedoin town near the back gate to Petra. She walks all over the mountains barefooted! I can’t imagine.
The lookout points were spectacular, but she showed us the
way to the very top where there was an altar used for ceremonies and sacrifices.
We headed back down after a while. It didn’t take as long but it was really tough on the knees.
We had a Turkish coffee at the bottom and it was like
“sludge”. So we rested a while. Then Tim went to the Royal Tombs and explored
on his own while I checked out some of the many shops in the city.
We headed back out a little late and it took about 40 minutes to walk back to the Visitor’s Center. Firas was waiting patiently for us.
We then left Petra at 12:30 and went to Beida, or Little
Petra. Smaller but very interesting and
well worth the trip. There was a
beautiful fresco on the ceiling in one of the caves. Apparently there were many others but when
the people lived in these caves, the smoke from the fires ruined the frescos.
Not as grand as Petra, but many beautiful structures carved into the stone
We explored Little Petra throughout. Not many people there so that was fun
These caves were homes for people not that long ago
This room was a surprise - up a narrow steep stairway but the fresco was beautiful
A beautiful fresco preserved over the centuries - the picture doesn't do it justice!
There was a small stairway in the rocks that went up to a lookout point
A deserted Little Petra
We left Little Petra and went back into the city. Firas got us falafel sandwiches for lunch with
a drink and we started the relatively short drive to Wadi Rum. There was beautiful scenery along the way as
we continued on the King’s Way and finally to the Desert Highway.
Barren desert near Wadi Rum
Beautiful mountain and rock structures all over the landscape
Watch out for the camels!
We arrived at SunCity Tent Camp and settled into our “suite
tent”. It had a king-sized bed and
bathroom and shower inside. We went in
about 3:30 pm and it was “hot as hell” and had no air conditioning, but Firas
had told us that it got very cool or even cold at night in the desert.
Our "tent" room at Wadi Rum
The view from the porch of our tent to the desert
Clusters of tents in the desert
Our tent - I told everyone that this is where Matt Damon stayed while filming "The Martian"!
Walkways on the soft desert sand lead to the lodge and dining area
Beautiful desert vistas all around our camp
We left at 4 pm with Moises for a jeep ride through the
desert. We went to the Seven Pillars of
Wisdom, climbed a huge sand dune, saw ancient writings on the walls and went to
a stop with carvings of Lawrence of Arabia and King Abdullah. We had tea there.
Panorama of the 7 Pillars
Standing in front of the beautiful 7 Pillars
A different perspective that makes us look as tall as the 7 Pillars
Beautiful colors and strata in the desert
We climbed on top of a huge rock to take in the views
Desolate desert vistas
Beautiful rocks in the desert
Rock structures all over
Rock carvings from the camel caravans from many years ago
Beautiful vista in the desert
Gorgeous rock structures
Larry with a rock carving of "Lawrence of Arabia"
King Abdullah of Jordan carved into a rock
Spectacular rock structure
Lawrence of Arabia
Then Moises took us to a spot to watch the sun set. It was beautiful watching the colors change
and very peaceful.
The beautiful sunset colors made this look like a mirage in the desert - no water - only sand and rocks
All set for the spectacular sunset
Selfie during the sunset set-up
Going . . .
going . . .
Gone!
Beautiful colors in the desert at sunset
Peace and calm in Wadi Rum after the sunset
We headed back to the SunCity Tent Camp after the sun had
set and they had dinner almost ready.
They had cooked the dinner in a pot in the ground. Firas, the Manager at the camp, also fixed a
galotte for us. It was all good although
we didn’t think the galotte was as fresh as the other ones we had eaten.
We headed to bed about 9:30 pm since we need to
get up very early tomorrow. We had
thought the tent would still be very hot, but the night had cooled it down a
lot and the comforter felt really good
The fire was built in a pit, the pots inserted, and then covered with sand
They dug the sand away and then uncovered the pots with dinner
The huge pot containing all of the food was uncovered
The cooks displaying the delicious chicken and vegetables
The special galotte that they made for us - or what was left of it!
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