Petra, Jordan

I’m embarrassed to share that I didn’t know what Petra was until I met my now husband Sam. He was baffled that I wasn’t aware of such a beautiful majestic wonder. 5 years later I stood in front of the treasury.

We arrived by bus and opted to walk the 1.5 KM to the Treasury. The walk was amazing as we were able to take our time and see many carvings in the stone, take a close look at the water system and take many pictures! Other options were to ride a horse or a carriage to the Treasury. I’m glad we took our time and walked. Walking also allowed us the ability to check out some of the items that were being sold by local merchants. I understand that the people who were still living in Petra (who were relocated) are the only people permitted to have vendor tables in Petra. This appeared to be true and the items/souvenirs that we purchased did not seem to be imported. I purchased a scarf, some small jewelry boxes for Meg and a Bedouin dagger for Cole. I also purchased Frankincense there, which I was so happy to have found!

The Treasury is shockingly huge! And breath taking. We sat for an hour in the square out front taking it in and people watching. Sam experienced his first camel ride there as well! I loved the feeling of feeling that I was in another world, and I was! Beyond the Treasury there was many other “buildings” to see; an amphitheater, the great temple, the royal tombs and the monastery. We didn’t make it to the monastery as we were enjoying the other sites so much but several people from our group went by donkey and said it was a bit of a harrowing trail to get there!

We found a place to eat at the bottom of the road. The walk in is downhill. The walk out is upward! There was a public washroom that was pleasantly clean when we were there. You will need sunscreen and lots of water with you for this day as it can be very warm! Definitely dress in some layers and pack snacks as there were only 2 shops for food and beverages once you move down past the visitor centre towards the Treasury.