Jordan – Petra & Wadi Rum

Jordan was the penultimate country on our Arabia Overland tour. We entered from Saudi Arabia and even though we had negative PCR results taken within 24 hours, Jordan forced us to pay for yet another PCR test at the border! Once that was out of the way, we were stamped into country where we met our guide, Kamal. Apparently any tourist groups larger than 5 must hire an official tour guide to accompany them at all times within the country. Kamal was actually quite entertaining and informative so he was a welcome addition to the group. Our first day in Jordan was gray, overcast and freezing cold so we decided to tuck into some traditional Jordanian meals (lamb sajiah and mansaf) to warm up. Petra by Night is only on offer 3 times a week and we decided to give it a whirl our first night in Jordan. Let’s just say that in the 20 years since we first experienced it, the night visit hasn’t improved any with atrocious flute playing and a barely audible guide. The next day was amazing though as we spent all day in Petra – the first to arrive and the last to leave as we visited the majority of the tombs and hiked to the Monastery, the High Place of Sacrifice and the Treasury lookout. What a full on day and our reward was another fantastic meal of lamb sajiah. From Petra, we made our way to Wadi Rum where we signed up for a 4WD tour of the red sand desert. After a few hours here, we drove onward to Aqaba where we had some free time until our ferry to Nuweiba. Aqaba itself doesn’t have any “must see” sights so we decided to have a wings and beer night at the excellent Buffalo Wings & Rings restaurant where wings were on offer for 10 cents each! Needless to say we overindulged on some wings and drinks so we bid farewell to Jordan satiated and a bit tipsy. 3 days in Jordan wasn’t enough for a repeat visit so we’ll have to make our way to this part of the world yet again. Up next is the last country of our Madventure trip…Egypt here we come.

Souvenirs for sale; Sita Gift Shop Incense souvenirs; Sita Gift Shop Robby petting a cute puppy; Sita Gift Shop Bowls of colored sand for sand art in a bottle Robby trying the signature dish, lamb sajiah, at Sajiat al Janoob; Wadi Musa The city of Wadi Musa, gateway to Petra Mansaf - the one meal you must try in Jordan One of the many cute dogs hanging out in Wadi Musa and Petra "I love Petra" sign Obelisk tomb at night; Petra The Treasury lit up at night; Petra by Night Group photo; Petra The most elaborate temple in Petra, The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) A cave cafe; Petra Cute donkeys; Petra Camels ready for the arrival of tourists; Petra Colorful pottery for sale; Petra Necklaces on display; Petra Petra theater which could accommodate 8500 spectators One of approximately 1300 camels, mules and horses forced to transport tourists in Petra The main footpath through Petra is still relatively empty early in the morning The "no bullshis" price store; Petra Bedouin leading a camel through Petra Mosaics at the Byzantine Church; Petra Camels with the Great Temple in the background Colonnaded Street Elephant-headed capital; Great Temple Relief of woman with cornucopia; Great Temple Fallen column; Great Temple Theater section of the Great Temple Tourists on donkeys at the Arched Gate; Petra Qasr al-Bint (Castle of the Pharaoh's Daughter) is considered the best preserved free standing structure in Petra Cave garages; Petra Robby sits in a cave window; Petra The Lion Triclinium (banqueting hall); aptly named due to the winged lions (emblems of the Nabatean Goddess Al Uzza) on both sides of the doorway Souvenirs for sale on our hike up to Ad Deir (the Monastery) The route to Ad Deir cuts through this canyon. There are approximately 850 steps leading to the Monastery and it is worth it! Flag of Jordan on the trail to the Monastery Becky poses next to a donkey that some lazy tourist rode up to the Monastery Cave view of the Monastery, quite possibly Petra's most awe-inspiring monument We passed by dozens of tombs as we hiked towards the High Place of Sacrifice Standing in the entrance of the Renaissance Tomb in Wadi Farasa; Petra Roman Soldier's Tomb The Colored Triclinium, a funerary banqueting hall. It is unique for the architectural decorations carved into the striated sandstone Steps leading up to the High Place of Sacrifice Garden Temple Robby on the steps leading towards the High Place of Sacrifice Lion Monument; Jabal al-Madhbah Obelisks on Jabal al-Madhbah Petra's High Place of Sacrifice Drains were built to channel the blood of sacrificial animals at the High Place of Sacrifice on top of Jebel Madbah One of two paths to reach the High Place of Sacrifice Donkey used to carry tourists around Petra. We felt really bad for the animals and don't recommend anyone use them for transport! Bedouin coffee shop; Petra Becky at the Treasury viewpoint Fresh squeezed OJ at the Treasury viewpoint A different view of the Treasury from a trail behind the Royal Tombs Palace Tomb Urn Tomb A dog guards two donkeys Indiana Jones snack shop; entrance to Petra Becky at the viewpoint behind Sita Gift Shop, which claims the "best view in the world" Robby befriends a camel; Wadi Rum Wadi Rum viewpoint Enjoying our tour of Wadi Rum Khazali Canyon; Wadi Rum Petroglyphs of Khazali Canyon Mannequin modeling a red and white chequered keffiyeh (scarf) Street art; Aqaba Herb garden near the beach; Aqaba Aqaba beach scene at sunset Hookah waterpipes; Aqaba Beach Robby works the bar at Buffalo Wings & Rings; Aqaba Kristen, Robby and Tom celebrate Kristen's new job; Buffalo Wings & Rings in Aqaba video lightboxby VisualLightBox.com v6.1

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *