The bus to Petra left right on 10am as scheduled with its two passengers, us, so we spread out and settled back to enjoy the ride. The roads, including the highway, are not very good, so it was a bit of a bumpy ride. While Wadi Rum is a popular place for tourists, the roads would indicate otherwise, especially when we left the paved road and jolted our way along a gravel joining road to get onto the road to Petra. Once we turned towards Petra, the road narrowed and we weaved our way past villages and farming land. How anything grows, I don’t know – the fields are rocky and bone dry, but farm they do.
We made the mandatory rest stop and dodged the hard sell in the shop, but the views were spectacular, and we were still 20 minutes from Petra. Finally, our driver returned to the van and we made our way into Petra…one of the hilliest places I’ve ever been! Sorry quads, it’s workout time.
At the bus terminal a local helped us contact a taxi, who just happened to be Seif, our host at Petra Paradise Home. The drive from the bus terminal to our home for the next three nights wound up into the hills. Any thoughts of walking back to the visitor centre and the start of the walk into the archaeological site went out the window. The gradients on these roads are very, very steep.
On arrival, Seif took us up a flight of stairs, after calling out for help with our bags. Three strapping young men took our luggage upstairs and we walked into a lovely lounge area. Invited to sit down, we were served tea and asked to wait a while as our room was not yet ready. We were early, so didn’t expect anything else. We relaxed and checked out the view. Most real estate in this town has spectacular views over a starkly striking landscape. We didn’t have to wait long before Seif led us to our room, which looked just like the photo. We have three single beds, and a shared bathroom, which looked spotless, as did the kitchen. This would be a very comfortable stay. Petra Paradise Home only offers about four or five rooms as it is a family run business, and already the hospitality has been superb.
We enjoyed our stay at Petra Paradise Home. Seif and his family are extremely welcoming, and can’t do enough to help. The hospitality is outstanding. Seif and his brother Anwar offer great value taxi services, and can also package up a tailor-made holiday. We booked through Booking.com.
We took a walk down the hill (not too far!) to check out the supermarkets and fruit markets, wanting to pick up a few supplies. Our tissue stocks were running low and I was still struggling with my head cold. Thankfully the altitude of Petra is only about 800 metres, so oxygen levels were still good, as the short walk back up the steep hill was enough and my lungs were already compromised.
Seif let us know that there was going to be a family gathering that night as one of his (seven) sisters had passed away last week and her funeral had just been held. We were invited to stay and share dinner, Seif insisting that we were very welcome. Not long later, the family began to arrive…and kept arriving. Not sure how the evening would run, it was not long before there were about 30 men and boys sitting around us, chatting and assuring us that we were not intruding. One of Seif brothers let us know that the women were downstairs. I did feel awkward and I worried that my presence may have been unwelcome, or offensive, but everyone kept saying it was fine. To say I felt outnumbered is an understatement.
As people arrived, they usually greeted both of us, and the young boys seemed fascinated by our presence. Very little English was spoken, and whatever the boys were saying seemed to cause them endless amusement. It didn’t seem to be derogatory, and I think the men would have stopped any inappropriate comments, but nobody explained what was being said, or what was so funny.
Cups of soup (al rashoof?) were handed out. I quite liked it and not long after more traditional food was served…traditionally. Huge platters were placed on the floor, accompanied by greens and salads and people tucked in, using their hands as is the way. Colin and I were given utensils and plates so that we could serve our portions for ourselves, for which I was thankful, as I was so unsure of sitting with the men to eat.
It was a marvellous experience, if somewhat overwhelming, but what an incredible opportunity to experience a genuine, no tourist influenced family gathering. We were however relieved when everyone began to disperse, and we felt we could say our thanks and leave without causing offence.
We had ordered breakfast for 8.30am and were amazed when we walked into the lounge where everything was set up. Seif had said that the other two bookings he had had cancelled due to the Gaza conflict, so we were the only guests, however, there was enough food for six people laid out for us. It was an incredible feast and would set us up well for the day. We snaffled a couple of cinnamon rolls to add to our fruit for our trek into Petra.
As it was a downhill walk, we set off on foot, following the evil blue dot, but soon discovered that not all roads in this town are equal. Looking obviously lost, a local took pity on us and for three dinar offered to take us to the visitor centre. Wisely, we took him up on it. There are few footpaths, and although traffic can’t go fast up the hills, there is still enough traffic to make walking hazardous.
Once through the gate, the hassle for horse rides to get to the canyon began, but we fended them off, somewhat annoyed that they kept saying the horse was included in our ticket. The walk was easy and we passed an array of Nabataean structures and carvings, which made the dusty road interesting. After about 20 minutes we reached the Siq, the famous canyon that leads to the Treasury. Wow, just the most spectacular walk. Shady, cool and stunning. With so many tourists cancelling their holidays, we could walk sections of the canyon with nobody else around, so it was the best experience. In high season, the canyon would be a sea of people, so we were eternally grateful for the solitude and opportunity to absorb the essence of this magnificent place.
We wound our way through the Siq, walking on sections of paved, Roman roads, until we came around one curve which opened out onto the Treasury. It looked just like all the photos we’ve seen, but, in real life, mind-blowing. The Nabataean culture sure could carve sandstone. It’s so fascinating that they existed more than 2000 years ago, but their culture is not as known as the Egyptian, Greek, Roman or other more ‘famous’ cultures. The Nabataean played an integral role in the trade routes of the time, yet this interesting culture is little known, at least in my experience.
Beyond the Treasury is the Street of Facades which has more huge, glorious sandstone buildings. Sadly, the tacky trinket stalls also line this area and detract from the majesty of the street. Petra is well known for the Treasury and the Monastery, but the extent of the site is astounding. We continued along the street until we reached the theatre, the only theatre in the world carved into the rock.
From there, the sights keep coming, as we made our way up to the Royal Tombs. The sandstone is gorgeous, multi-coloured and creates swirling patterns on the face of the worked stone, soaring high above. Standing at the base of any of the carved buildings is both mesmerising and astonishing when you think of how the Nabataeans would have had to work.
We enjoyed glorious views over the Colonnaded Street and the Great Temple in the distance, and slowly made our way from the Royal Tombs towards Qasr al-Bint, and the Great Temple. On our way, we stopped in at the Church, which was probably built around the 5th century AD.
An earthquake in 363 AD caused a lot of damage to many of the buildings in this area. The city was established in the 4th century BCE, and it is believed only about 15% of it has been excavated. The area is riddled with passages and gorges and, during Hellenistic and Roman times was a major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, silks of China and spices of India. The city was the capital for the Nabataeans, whose collapse came about as a combination of the earthquake, and the Romans diversion of trade across the Red Sea.
I am amazed at the extent of this archaeological site and infinitely glad we are seeing this in winter. Summer temperatures would make this very challenging. It’s a solid two hour walk to get to this point, and we had to walk all the way back. After a stop for our packed lunch, we began the trek back to the visitor centre, where we stopped in at the Petra Museum, which is free entry, and the result of a collaboration with the Japanese government. It is a beautiful museum, small, but well set out to describe chronologically the history of the Nabataean civilisation.
To say we were tired by the time we found a taxi to take us back home is an understatement. We tried to text Seif but I wasn’t sure if the message was getting through. There was a line-up of taxis waiting, and we asked if they knew where Petra Paradise Home was. When one of the men claimed to know Seif, we thought we were onto a winner. Their initial fare of 10 dinar was a shock, but we managed to get them down to five dinar and got in the car. We were only about halfway when the driver pulled up at Rainbow Home and said here you are. Uh uh…after a heated phone discussion with whoever he called, he reversed and dropped us at our destination, cranky and upset at such a low fare. I had shown the address and they had discussed the destination before we got in the car…not our problem.
I really needed to wash my hair, and the shower is good, but getting the temperature right was a challenge. There was certainly no shortage of hot water, but it kept cutting in and out, so it went from blisteringly hot to downright cold. I danced in and out of the water to do it, but I managed to wash 80% of the sand out of my hair. Bliss!
Dinner was a much quieter affair this time. We had organised dinner with Seif before we had left for Petra, and enjoyed our chicken and rice with salads very much. Again, so much food! We feel terrible not eating everything that is put in front of us, but the Jordanian hospitality is generous to say the least.
Seif suggested that we go to Little Petra and walk to the Monastery through the back entrance. I knew the back way existed and was relieved that he could get us to the start point, so that was what we arranged to do for our second full day in Petra. Our feet were going to let us know what they thought of the plan by the end of the day!
The drive to Little Petra was scenic and Seif made a couple of photo stops for us before dropping us at the site. He explained that once we had finished exploring Little Petra, which is free to enter, we just needed to buy tickets from the on-site office for the Jeep at five dinar each, which would take us as far as it could go before we would need to start the walk to the Monastery. Sounded like a great plan.
Little Petra – Siq al-Barid (the cold canyon) – is well worth the visit, and is another Nabataean site with buildings carved into the walls of the sandstone canyon. Archaeologists believe it was a suburb of Petra used to house visiting traders on the Silk Road. After the fall of the civilisation, it was used by Bedouin nomads and it looks as though some of the caves are still being used as homes, if not by people, certainly by cats. There are lots of them and they look like they are either great hunters, or well looked after by the locals.
We were eventually able to get our jeep tickets and clambered into the back of a large vehicle with some French and Italian tourists. The drive was bumpy as we jolted over makeshift roads for about 20 minutes. We stopped at one point to ask a young woman if she wanted to get in, but she said she wanted to walk. Crazy! There is nothing around for miles and even where we got dropped off was in the middle of nowhere. The only sign of humanity was a sign pointing us in the direction of the Monastery, and the lad trying to sell the trek by donkey.
The next hour of trekking was an ongoing series of photo opportunities as we traipsed up and down a well-constructed path, steps built to facilitate the tougher spots. Whilst our little group didn’t stay together, it was comforting knowing that there were other people on the trail. Again, so glad we did this in winter and not summer.
The path disintegrated somewhat as we neared the Monastery and while the trek alone was worth the walk, the Monastery certainly made it special. It is larger than the Treasury and the engineering feat 2000 years ago is marvellous. Most people reach the Monastery by taking the path we had taken the day before from the Visitor Centre to the Treasury and keep going to get to the Monastery, then turning back and retracing their steps. Our journey had not only taken us along a spectacular route, we also got to walk downhill to get back to the Great Temple where we had been the day before.
Leaving the Monastery behind, our walk was lined with stalls selling the usual array of trinkets. Most were unmanned, thankfully, as the constant polite requests to buy, buy, buy is distressing, especially knowing tourist numbers are low and making a living this way is difficult at the best of times. As we made our way downhill we were passed by tourists making their way up. Many were elderly and had already walked two hours to get to the beginning of this walk, and we held serious concerns for some of them making it back.
We met Flori as we walked, a lovely young Romanian woman from Bucharest who had flown to Jordan for three nights specifically to visit Petra. When she heard we were going to Romania, she was so excited and we exchanged whatsapp numbers. We just might reach out when we arrive and reconnect. Our experience of Romanians continues to be lovely, so excitement about visiting this country builds with every interaction.
After a brief lunch break, we set off along the Colonnaded Street towards the Street of Facades and the Treasury. It might seem a double up to have done what we did yesterday, but in hindsight, it was perfect for us. We were fresh when we walked through the Siq yesterday and on arrival at the Treasury, so the experience dealt the full WOW factor. As we retraced our steps this time, we would pause to take it all in, but a lot of the time we were heads down, putting one step at a time, a bit tired, and overwhelmed by the majesty of the day. I would do it again though – the first day through the main gates as far as the Great Temple, and then back it up with a second day, starting from Little Petra and trekking the mountains to get to the Monastery. The second visit lets your brain absorb the stunning landscape better as you have experienced the WOW and can now just enjoy.
If you only have one day for Petra, it is definitely best to get a ride to Little Petra, take the jeep, walk the mountains to the Monastery and make your way down to the Treasury and through the Siq. You see more in the same amount of time as it takes to go to the Monastery and back when you start from the Visitor Centre, and you miss the hideous uphill climb from the Great Temple.
We enjoyed a quiet, well-earned restful afternoon, our feet threatening to mutiny if we asked more from them. Our appetites are low, so we feasted on fruit and chips for dinner, before climbing into bed to sleep like logs.
Our bus to Amman departed at 5pm, so we took advantage of Seif’s lovely Jordanian hospitality and lazed in the lounge area, getting serenaded by the two resident cockatiels. Jordanians are wonderfully hospitable, warm and welcoming people, who welcome you into their homes with open arms. Seif brought us delicious, homemade date buns while we waited for the time to leave. Jordan is the first of the Islamic countries we have visited where women and girls have approached me to talk; elsewhere, there have been curious looks and shy smiles, but no words. It has been lovely to interact with the local women, who present happier faces and seem comfortable extending their own welcome.
Petra has been a spectacular experience of people, history and scenery.
Next stop – Amman.