Petra, Spectacular Petra

The Treasury of Petra, as viewed through the Siq (narrow canyon)

There are times in our lives when we experience something so incredible, so unique, so breathtaking, that it resonates within us and stays there forever. 

Petra, the ancient city carved into rose-colored stone in the middle of Jordan, is one of those somethings.

I was incredibly fortunate to visit Petra this past weekend, during the final days of my Pesach vacation. I was also incredibly fortunate to have a cousin living in Aqaba, the resort town of Jordan that lies just across the Red Sea from Eilat. So Ari, Lauren, and myself went down to Eilat on Thursday, crossed the border between Israel and Jordan on foot, and spent the weekend at Cousin Rich's swanky apartment in the 5th district of Aqaba. Early Friday morning we were picked up by a lovely taxi driver named Hatem, and he drove us to Petra for our five-hour experience. We returned for the remainder of an awesome weekend in Aqaba. 

With Ari and Lauren in front of the Treasury. 

Petra, you may recognize, is the facade of the final scene of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," one of my favorite movies. Whether from that movie, or from simple promotion by the Jordanian government (who clearly regard Petra as the jewel in their country's crown) it has become the second most-visited "new wonder of the world," just behind the Great Wall of China.

There are few words to adequately describe Petra, and the pictures just can't do it justice. It's such a spectacular place, and there is nothing else like it on earth. It's an ancient city entirely carved out of rock! It's massive! There is so much to see and do and experience, and you climb up onto these structures and you hike up mountains and run and play and it's just so, so incredible. The setting of it all is majestic - you are literally in the middle of the Jordanian desert, with red sand and rock everywhere. The rock itself is stunning, and it changes color throughout the day as the light hits it appropriately. 

The Siq, a narrow canyon that you walk through to enter the city, in the early morning...

And again in the early afternoon.

There was something quite magical and unbelivable about Petra. It almost seemed like a fairy tale. You just can't comprehend how something could be created like that so many years ago. The story goes that the city was created by the Nabateans thousands of years ago, and was a stronghold in the Arava valley. The Negev desert, which I visited with school a few weeks ago, lies on the other side of the hills. 

More Petra prettiness

Despite its location in what was once the Biblical Land, Petra has no religious significance anymore. Its sites were clearly dedicated to religious worship, however. The Monastery, which is up a steep hike I simply could not do (legs are still healing) is a real reminder of the centrality of worship back in ancient times.

Practicing my air guitar on what I deemed to be the Stairway to Heaven

The path leading to the High Place of Sacrifice 

Petra is extraordinary. Even though we were there five hours, I could have easily gone back and done some further exploring. However, it's not easy! It's a lot of moving up and down and hiking in the hot desert sun. But it's just incredible. You're surrounded by people from all over the world - you literally hear dozens of languages around you as you walk through the park. You're seeing things with your own eyes you could never, ever see anywhere else. It just blows you away. I am SO glad we got to go - that we made it happen with only five weeks to go in the program. I feel privileged to have said I visited Petra. 

With Cousin Rich on the balcony of his Aqaba apartment, overlooking the Red Sea

It was also very cool to visit Aqaba, a city in a major period of transition. It is quickly becoming a major resort town, as it is the only city in all of Jordan on the Sea. There is a tremendous amount of real estate invested in its growth. My cousin Rich has lived there for about a year and a half, doing some form of community development. He works with local residents and helps build structures for organization and local leadership. It's actually quite inspiring to hear what he's doing, and to meet the people who he works with and knows. And it was great to see him and spend time with him. 

Crossing the border was a hoot and a half. It's the most relaxed, strange, bizarre experience. You pay your shekels, get your passport stamped by Israel, walk 150 yards of "No-Man's Land," and then you're in Jordan! It's the funniest thing. Slash... kind of creepy. I wish I had taken pictures of the absurdity of it all, but I don't think it's legal to do that. Regardless, just picture something really funny, me laughing while walking between the two countries and sweating, because it was really, really hot. 

Once you get into Aqaba, you really see that you're just not in Israel anymore. It's very much a moderate Arab country. Everything is in Arabic and English, people are dressed conservatively and traditionally, and there's just a totally different feeling there. Aqaba itself felt like a strange mixture of touristy and local-y. We went from dinner in an uppity touristy area to fruit shakes (absolutely delicious fresh fruit) in a very local hubbub-y area. The switch was very apparent. It was fascinating to see how people in Aqaba live there lives. They were all very nice, polite, and interesting. Their approach to women, however, was a little unsettling. I felt very much aware of my femininity while there. You just get treated differently, talked to differently, and viewed differently. It's hard to describe why. It actually made me miss Israel a little bit. 

All in all, the whole weekend was a great success. We had a fantastic time, and all the details seemed to work out flawlessly. We made it back to Jerusalem late last night, in time to start school again this morning. It's now five weeks 'til the finish line, and I can't believe it. The time has come to say goodbye, but it won't be an easy goodbye to say. At all. 

Until next time, 

Jaclyn