An amazing day for both of us.  Here we were yesterday, in front of the world renowned “Treasury” in Petra.

It was a trying day, a walk beyond the difficulty of any walk I’ve ever experienced, a full three hours of rough, rocky, uneven terrain, downhill on the way to Petra and strenuous uphill on the return. 

As our ship approached the pier in Aqaba, Jordan, this fleet of buses were waiting.  Yea, yea, the cattle herding thing… but this time we said “moo” with a smile.

Not only were we enchanted by the history and beauty of this two thousand year old ingeniously built gift to the world but we were proud of ourselves for making the difficult trek.

Water was found in this area, resulting in this fertile green farm land. Enough water was discovered to supply Jordan for the next 60 years.

Leaving at 9:45 in the morning, we were herded to about 40 awaiting air conditioned buses with a modicum of chaos, finding ourselves good seats in the front of the bus. No security guard was needed on these buses. 

The black goat’s hair Bedouin tents is shown in the back.  The white structure appears to be covering some type of equipment, protecting it from the elements.

Much to surprise, we discovered that Jordan is now a peaceful country, its citizens warm and friendly, its streets clean although poverty prevails. At no point, did we feel or sense any unrest, as we had in Cairo and Alexandria Egypt.

As we entered the area of Petra, the winding hilly roads were scattered with hotels, resorts and restaurants to accommodate the endless flock of tourists from all over the world that also want to check Petra off of their “bucket list.”

On the two hour drive, our tour guide pointed out that a few miles from us were the borders of Israel and Jordan. Also, the port to which we’d arrived, is used by Iraq which results in their using Jordan’s port for all their major imports.

The rock formations along the way were breathtaking.  Little did we know what lie ahead.  (Due to the poor internet connection today while out to see, photos will be posted in varying sizes).

Again, as we had made the assumption that oil is produced in Jordan, we discovered our preconceived notions were wrong. Jordan pays exorbitant prices to buy oil from Saudi Arabia, as does much of the world.

The further we walked, the more interesting the carved stone.

The long drive to Petra was broken up by the occasional sighting of the black goat’s hair Bedouin tents scattered throughout the barren desert, flock of goats and sheep crossing the road, an occasional  herd of camels, donkeys, and horses.

When we approached this area, we thought we were there.  Little did we realize we had much further to walk to reach the Treasury.

Entrances to caves were everywhere.

Its hard to believe the two thousand year old craftsmanship.

The passageways became narrower and narrower as we continued along.

The raw beauty f nature coupled with artistic skills, made the walk excited, moment by moment.

Tom carried our heavy bag with water and supplies the entire three hours of our journey.

Horses, donkeys and wagons transported weary tourists to and from the Treasury.

We expected the Treasury to appear at each end of the long walk through yet another narrow passageway.

Hard to believe the feasts our eyes beheld.

Looking up are more of nature’s wonders, we were enthralled.

Man and nature’s wonder combined was awe inspiring.

At last!  The Treasury!  This sight made us gasp with our hearts pounding wildly, less from the walk, more from sheer joy!

Part 2 of our amazing expedition will continue tomorrow. With the poor Internet connection while out to sea, it has taken over an hour of online time, posting these photos. We’ll try to post some links about the history of Petra as well but we’re having difficulty bringing up web pages.

And then, slightly more…