Petra, Jordan

The Treasury in Petra


That's right, a camel riding in the back of a truck!




Entering the Heshemite Kingdom of Jordan


Last weekend, some friends and I went on an adventure to Jordan together. We took a bus down to Eilat, the northern part of Israel, which is similar to Miami, where we stayed for Thursday through Sunday. After a day on the beach and some shopping on the tayelet (boardwalk) on Friday, we went to sleep early at our hostel in order to prepare for our trip out of the country the next morning.
On Saturday, we took taxis to the border between Israel and Jordan, and were the first to arrive. We went through with changing our shekels into dinar, and then through border control and multiple security checks before being able to enter Jordan, where we met our driver who drove us to Petra. After a few stops to take pictures at specific overviews of the country, we arrived at the Petra Visitor's Center, where we met up with our guide for the rest of the day. We began our tour through the syv, or valley, with a horseback ride, and then continued on foot to see the hundreds of monuments built into the stone of the mountains. These amazing creations had survived for millions of years - Petra is the second oldest site to ever be excavated, and stood taller than anything I had ever seen.
The most breath-taking one that we saw was called the Treasury. It was built by the Nabateans in approximately 100 B.C. when the tribe inhabited the area. Petra was later conquered by the Romans, who believed that the Nabatean king kept his treasure in the building, giving it the name it still holds today. The other monuments were also impressive, not only in how beautifully they were built, but in how amazing their preservation has been. Hopefully the pictures do a little justice...
After our tour, we were driven to a small restaurant in Petra for lunch, before heading back to the border to return to Israel. As unbelievable as it was to see Petra, we were also all relieved to be back in the country we have called home for the past semester. It was definitely an experience to travel to Jordan, and one of the coolest things I have ever done. I had no idea what the fuss was about before I went, but it was amazing!
More to come soon... lots of love!