Friday, February 17, 2023

Petra: Beyond The Treasury

There are some people who go to Petra and only go as far as the Treasury.  Don’t be those people.  There is so much incredible things to see in just the 1.5 miles past the Treasury.

The wind and cold was wreaking havoc with us.  Carol ended up buying a scarf there in the canyon from a woman to give Carol’s neck and cheeks a bit more protection.  We had bought gloves and knit hats the night before after dinner, and we are grateful we did.  My fingers were freezing for a while, but they did warm up as we walked along.

There are more tombs, (as well as outdoor souvenir stands, but on a scale of 1 to Egypt in terms of souvenir pushiness, Jordanians are a 3, while Egyptians crank it even past eleven!) and then we came to the huge theatre.  It’s dramatically cut into the red cliffs.  Everywhere you looked, there were tempting hiking trails and tombs at various levels cut into the hills.

There’s multiple sites to check out, columns and gates.  It’s all downhill from the entrance, but we didn’t get much protection from the wind and biting cold.  Part of the problem is the wind comes whipping down the slot canyon like bats out of hell.  Despite that weather fact, there was no meatloaf for lunch.  The other part of the problem is that Carol and I seriously underpacked.  We were great for Egypt, but we assumed that, “hey, it’s the Middle East, how cold can it be?’

Plenty, as it turns out.  We were happy to make it to the Basin, a buffet restaurant at the bottom of Petra.  The food was just okay, but the important thing is that the restaurant is indoors, so we could warm up.

The tops of tombs thoughtfully
included steps to make it easier
for the occupants to ascend
to the afterlife.

The junk at the bottom right
is stuff being sold at a 
souvenir stand.  The tomb
itself is impressive.

The size of the people relative to
the size of the tomb gives a
sense just how massive they
are (the tombs, not the people).

Part of the Street of Facades

The Theatre.  

Below the High Place of Sacrifice.

Ditto.

Driven by the cold, Carol in
desperation buys a scarf.  It 
didn't solve the problem,
but it helped!

Columns at the Theatre entrance



The Royal Tombs, including
the famous Urn Tomb

BOTSA -- Bunch of Tourists
Standing Around.  From left:
Flo, Mo (mostly hidden), Tom,
our fearless leader, Osama,
Neil, Mary, and Carol.

Hey Derek, I'm pretty sure 
the donkey's name is Shinto.

It was so cold that Neil, who can sell
ice to Eskimos, couldn't sell ice cream
that day!

A 600 year old pistachio tree?  That's nuts!

Two of the reasons this section
is named "Colonadded
Street."

Carol in front of the market area.

The unfinished tombs.

Decorations on the Great Temple.

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