Petra - "The Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World"

SHOBAK CASTLE

We shared a car and driver to Petra with Helen, and we made a stop at Shobak Castle. The driver let us off at the foot of the castle, and suggested we climbed down this chute... 

and he would meet us at the castle! Andy was excited about this, and Helen a little bit leery, as we had to go through what once was a secret tunnel leading up, up, up to the castle. This secret tunnel was dug to find water, and the spring was the first thing we saw after getting to the bottom of the shute. It was a bit steep in a couple of places, but we made it. This time we didn't only look at history, we actually experienced it!

Foto of the tunnel curtesy of Watchsmart/Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0095009/photos/watchsmart/1457431644/

Shobak Castle was the first castle to be built by the Crusaders in 1115. There is not much left of the castle, and it is under reconstruction.

We stayed at Valentine Inn downtown Wadi Musa (there are no hotels in Petra), and had a great view towards the Petra Gate and the mountains.

PETRA

Petra astounds. Tucked away in a remote valley basin and sheltered from the outside world behind an impenetrable barrier of rock, this ancient city remains wreathed in mystery.

Petra grew wealthy through the Nabateans caravan trading skills, and even challenged the might of Rome. Two millennia of wind and rain have blurred the edges of the ornate facades, but it is still an impressive place.

In order to beat the heat and the tour groups, we took the 7:00am bus from the hotel to the gate, and bought a 2-day ticket. It is a 3 km walk from the Petra Gate to Petra 'city centre', the gentle gradient of 5% concealing the fact that the drop in altitude is equivalent to a forty-story skyscraper, barely noticeable on the way down, but quite an ordeal going back up with tired legs! Part of the walk is the 1.2 km through the Siq (gorge); a 1.2 km path which twists and turns between high, bizarrely eroded sandstone cliffs 150 meters high in some places. The water canal running along one side of the Siq once supplied Petra with water. 

The cliff looks like an elephant!

As we finally stepped out into daylight, this breathtaking vision greeted us welcome to Petra!

The Treasury was designed to impress, and it certainly does 2000 years on. The facade is 43 meters high and 30 meters wide. The function of the Treasury is unknown, and it got its name from the Bedouins as they thought there was a treasure deposited in the urn at the top, as it was carved in the 1st century as a tomb of a king. Inside is just a big empty room.

We then walk all the way through the city centre till the other end of 'Main Street', past tombs, and along the Colonnaded Street, 

and ascended the 800 flight of stairs cut into the rock 

up to the Ad-Deir (Monastery). It was hot to climb the 220 metres even this early in the morning.

The facade is 50 square meters, the doorway alone is taller than a house, and it is very well preserved. This building was either a tomb, temple or both; it used to be an important pilgrimage site.

Well, down again we had a snack in the shade where the Petra markets used to be, and there was also time for some fun among the ruins.....

As if we hadn't climbed enough in the heat, we set out on the one hour trail which runs behind the Palace Tomb, and winds it way up more stairs to a plateau with a wonderful view of the Treasury from above.

There was also a great view of Petra from there.

We had lunch in a cave on the trail - nice with some food and shade.

A sign showed us the way back

We then visited the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, the Silk Tomb, and the impressive Urn Tomb, which is the largest of the four Royal Tombs (carved to house the tombs of Nabatean dignitaries) with a main chamber measuring 17 x 18 meters. It is believed to have been carved in 70 A.D. and served as a church during Byzantine times.

We were hot and tired, and had seen and done enough for one day, and we still had to hike the 1.2km Siq out of there..... slightly uphill all the way! Luck was with us as there was a Moevenpick hotel right next to the Petra Gate, and they sold Swiss ice cream - what a treat!

Then we went to the Cave Bar for a beer just because it is located in a 2000 year old Nabatean tomb - rather cheesy!

Well back at the hotel, we had a very nice buffet dinner at the hotel, and an early night!

Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan.

Due to lack of public transportation, we hired a car and driver to take us to Dana Village from Madaba. Luckily, Helen from the UK was going there too, so we shared the fare with her.

KARAK CASTLE

We stopped at Karak Castle, which features in the Old Testament and on Madaba's mosaic map as a natural defensive stronghold. In 1142 the Crusaders build the fortress. Prisoners were thrown from the walls with their heads encased in boxes in the hope that this would prevent them from losing consciousness before hitting the rocks below.

DANA VILLAGE

Dana village is clinging to the edge of the cliff below King's Highway, and at the edge of the 320 square kilometre Dana Biosphere Reserve. It reminded us a lot of Maccu Picchu.

Dana was a farming community, but was abandoned in the middle of last century as people moved to the new town Qudisyyeh to work at the cement plant, which opened there. A group of twelve women from Amman 'discovered' Dana in the early 1990s, and embarked on a project to renovate and revitalize the fabric of the village. Electricity, telephones and water supply were extended to the village and 65 cottages renovated. People started drifting back to Dana, which now has several basic hotels, and has become the focus for sustained projects of renovation and redevelopment. Dana is now an example of sustainable tourism in the Middle East. Many of the ruins still need to be turned into houses, but they are slowly getting there with funding from USAID.

We did think the driver had taken the wrong turn, when we first arrived and saw all the ruins, but no, this was Dana.

We had chose to stay at Dana Hotel, which is run by the 'Sons of Dana and Qadisyyeh Tourism Co-operative', as profits go to support local families being able to send their children to university. The rooms were very basic, the water was hot, and the food was great.

The first night we noticed that our dinner was being cooked in a hole in the ground. Basically, a fire is lit, goes to coal, food is put in, the top is put on, and whole thing is covered carefully with a mountain of sand. Presto, an hour or two later, your whole meal emerges! It was delicious! We would see this repeated in our desert trek at Wadi Rum about 4 days later.

The breakfast at Dana was typical Jordanian fare, but the fresh homemade pita was particularly good. We always ate the hummus, cheese, and vegetables but neither one of us knew what the "soup" was on the far left side of the tray, and we were both too chicken to try it!!!

HIKE

We stayed at Dana a second day to do a hike, which was on the outskirts of the reserve, because only RSCN guides are allowed in the biosphere.  No matter, the 3 of us (Helen) headed down the valley to the canyon floor.

It was good to have a guide as we navigated several tricky shortcuts. We really enjoyed viewing the natural colours of the rocks. Dorte got a little too enthusiastic, and decided to go native, and apply some face paint from rubbing different colours off the rock.

It was quite hot that day, so at some point we took a break. Our guide made us a cup of Arabic tea, which is often referred to jokingly, as bedouin whiskey! It is basically tea with sugar.

Around noon it became to hot to hike, so we headed back to the hotel.

Wadi Mujib Canyon Hike in a Life Jacket

We hired a car and a driver one day to do a hike in the Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve.  It was quite a long drive, as it was halfway between Madaba and Karak. The Wadi Mujib is a series of canyons, made by rainfall in the highlands that flows to the Dead Sea and cutting through 1200 meters of altitude from the desert plateau down to the Dead Sea. It is often called Jordan's Grand Canyon, which is a well earned name.Note: The arabic word wadi refers to either a valley or a watercourse (often refers to dry or seasonal waterbeds).

We elected to do the Siq Trail, the only trail that does not require a guide. It is about a two hour return hike in water all the way through the Mujib gorge past towering sandstone cliffs and over waterfalls, with wading and/or swimming required. Life jackets are mandatory. It was strange hiking in a life jacket.

The hike was fun and largely uneventful, until the last waterfall, which had a combination of strong current and deep water over rocks!  On the way back, Dorte and the camera went under here! Dorte was happy to be wearing a life vest, which largely protected her from the impact against the rocks. The waterproof bag saved the camera! Dorte found it a little bit scary!

We had to use the ropes to get up over the waterfall; it required all of our strength, and we were happy to see the final waterfall and the halfway point of the hike. 

We really enjoyed this day, and it was amazing doing all the hike in water. It reminded Andy of his childhood in Newfoundland, where he mostly played outdoors and often hiked through streams/canyons/cliffs and waterfalls to get to that secret fishing spot!

Mount Nebo, Bethany and the Dead Sea

We took the public bus from Amman to Madaba, and it was an interesting experience. The hotel manager wrote instructions in Arabic for us to show the taxi driver, so he could take us to the bus station. When we reached the bus station we saw that all bus signs were in Arabic, and the taxi driver had to circle the station several times before he found the right bus for us! We quickly realized we would have had no chance on our own! We hoped it was the right bus! For even though we had yet another note from the hotel manager with the name 'Madaba' in Arabic written on it, we were not sure.

Anyways, it was the right bus. There are no official bus stops, so you either tell the driver when you want to get off, or if you want to get on, you just wave at curb side. It took quite a while to get out off Amman due to traffic and many stops along the way. Madaba is only located about 30 km south west of Amman, but the trip took about 1.5 hours, and took us along fields of wheat and many green houses. The bus ride cost about 1.25 JD each (about 2 Cdn).The bus system in Jordan is cheap, because it is heavily subsidized by the government.

We got off at the bus station in Madaba, and took a taxi the short distance to Mariam Hotel again with help from our hotel manager in Amman.

MADABA

Madaba is an easy-going market town, and it was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of Amman. Madaba is mostly known for its fine Byzantine mosaics. We visited St. George's Church, and saw what is left of the remarkable mosaic map of the Holy Land. The map was laid some time between 542 and 570 AD. The original map comprised over 2 million pieces and was 15.6 meters long and 6 m wide. Combined with evidence from the biblical text, pilgrims' and historians' accounts and archeological works, this map played an important role in history, leading to the re-discovery of many lost sites.

We also visited the Archeological Park, where we saw more beautiful mosaics, and what is left of the Church of the Virgin, which was constructed in the late 6th century.

The Madaba Art Gallery displays works by local artists as well as Jordanian painters, so we popped in to take a look. Some of the artists are really talented.

Due to lack of public transportation, we hired a car and a driver to take us on a day trip to Mt. Nebo, Bethany and the Dead Sea (CAD$52), and the driver would wait for 1 hour at each site.

STORIA

But first we stopped at La Storia, which comprises of an interactive journey through The Bible, Islamic holy sites, Bedouin and rural life style. This is Noah's Arch.

La Storia is in the process of making a three million stone mosaic portrait of the Kings Way, Jordan, and our names are now part of this piece of art in Jordan.

MT. NEBO

Mt. Nebo is one of the holist sites in Jordan for Jews, Christians and Muslims. This is where Moses finally saw the Promised Land, which God had forbidden him to enter, after having led the Jews through the wilderness for forty years. Moses died here, and was buried somewhere on the mountain.

From the viewpoint we could the the north shore of the Dead Sea, and Jericho and the towers on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Amazing view.

On the way to Bethany, on a slightly uphill part of the road, the driver suddenly took his foot of the speeder and hit the brake. When he took his foot off the break, the car started driving up the hill without him touching the speeder. Amazing. When he asked us how this could be, Andy new it was due to a magnetic field, as there is a similar one in New Brunswick, Canada, called Magnetic Hill, just outside of Moncton.

BETHANY 

It is almost the lowest place on earth at over 350 m below sea level; the air is thick, hot and heavy. Bethany is really close to the heavily guarded Israeli border, so we had to be taken by bus to the site, and were not allowed to walk around without a guide. It is believed at John the Baptist lived here, and where he most likely baptized Jesus Christ in the early 1st century A.D.  Note: The River Jordan used to run through the baptism site, but no longer, due to the water demands of both Israel and Jordan.

We also visited the baptism place in the River Jordan (see below), one of the world's great rivers, with its huge religious and historical significance. The river is only 3 meters wide here, the Jordan/Israel boarder runs right through the middle of the river, and on the opposite side is the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and their baptism site. In the second picture below, note the baptism in progress, as there are 4 girls being baptized!

Bethany has been the focus of spirituality since Old Testament times: Judaism, Christianity and Islam all recall events which took place here. And many different religions have churches here for the pilgrims to visit.

 

A fascinating place.

THE DEAD SEA

The Dead Sea is located 400 meters below sea level, and is the lowest point on earth. The high salt content (over 30 per cent), kills all marine life, and as there is no outflow, millions of litres of water evaporates every day  leaving salt on the beach, and a thick atmospheric haze, which dampens sound and filters UVB sun rays allowing tanning but not burning. A magnificent place.

Swimming, or rather floating, in the Dead Sea was a memorable experience, quite unlike anything else. It would be quite easy to sit for an hour, and read a newspaper!

Well back at the hotel, and tired after all the impressions of the day, it was time to have a nice meal and a bottle of Mt. Nebo wine, which tasted okay. We have been spoiled earlier in our trip by having both Italian and French wine!

What a wonderful day!