"Starting from here, we will be walking along Al-Siq to Treasury for about 1 hour", Auni, our guide, sweetly announced our first itinerary in Petra, Jordan, in his tick Arabic accent.
"We will be experiencing the Indiana Jones, the Mummy, or even the Transformers here", he added with smile.
That morning, Sunday, March 21, or feels like Monday for locals, I have packed my stuff. From water bottles to mist spray, from bengay cream to extra batteries for my camera. Yes, I was so excited to come and visit Petra, the Lost City, or the Rose Rock city, the treasure of Jordan.
As I start my bucket lists riveting around the world's wonder and UNESCO World Heritage, visiting Petra is my dream-comes-true.
Back in 2010, Bo, Rudi and I had an amazing 9-day visit to Egypt, exploring the historical Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan. I was 6.5-month pregnant at that time and we initially planned to visit Abu Simbel and Petra. But despite the fact I walked miles and miles visiting tombs, museums and all those jaw-dropping nature and palaces with heart-breaking ancient histories filled with love, lust and power, My hubby and I finally decided not to force ourselves to Abu Simbel and Petra. And there I prayed that one day I will soon be back to these remarkable places. And my prayer is answered in 2016. Alhamdulillaaah. Merci ya Rabb.
So, as we wrapped up our Global Commission on Internet Governance in Amman, Jordan, I nearly couldn't sleep the night before our trip to Petra. Packed all the essentials and a determined heart, I got all my gears ready.
IPhone - checked, 5D - checked, 24-70 mm lens - checked, memory card and extra batteries plus power banks - checked. I just don't wanna miss this moment.
So, 7.15 AM we left Four Season Hotel in Amman and headed to Wadi Musa. It took 3.5 hours drive from Amman to Petra. While approaching Wadi Musa, we stopped at Musa Spring, ot the spring of Moses.
After a quick stop here at the spring of Moses, we finally arrived at our destination.
Welcome to Petra.
So first, you gotta get your ticket. It costs 1 Jordan Dinar for locals and 29 Jordan Dinar for foreigners. They have 2-day and 3-day tickets as well which will of course cost more. We only got the 1-day ticket because we flew back home the next day.
From the ticket gate, we have to walk for about 10 minutes to Al-Siq, the wonderful alley made of curving stones which hide Petra from the outside world. Even here, the clear blue sky already mesmerized me. There are a few people offering us to ride the horses. They said it was a free ride and it was included in our ticket. But then, as I read in the web, it was tricky they would then as you some tips and you could end up paying $20. So then, I decided to walk to Al-Siq. And it proved to be close enough.
On the way to Al-Siq, you would see incredible rock formations. Including some old tombs.
Clear blue sky is indeed the perfect background for this.
We even have the Djin or the Genie rocks ;).
And walking along Al-Siq itself is quite an experience.
Those natural sandstones are incredible. Windong along to the Treasury, the Siq is about 2 km walk. It could take up to 40 minutes or more, depending on your speed and whether or not you're stopping for photos here and there. Like I did.
You can of course take the horses, donkey or the cart. I chose walking because I wanted to take pictures as much as I can. Look at these photos and you will see why :).
Those natural sandstones are incredible. Windong along to the Treasury, the Siq is about 2 km walk. It could take up to 40 minutes or more, depending on your speed and whether or not you're stopping for photos here and there. Like I did.
You can of course take the horses, donkey or the cart. I chose walking because I wanted to take pictures as much as I can. Look at these photos and you will see why :).
the alley... |
cheers... |
one of the carvings... |
me enjoying Al-Siq |
The elephant rock...it does look like one.. |
That's Al-Siq, dear friends.
Already such an amazing journey heading to the Treasury.
Already such an amazing journey heading to the Treasury.
And looking at my list, I still got:
Treasury
The Urn
The Royal Tomb
The Amphitheater
The Temple
The Gate
And of course, the monastery.
A long list of places to see for sure. And I only got around 3 hours to walk around this huge historical complex.
A long list of places to see for sure. And I only got around 3 hours to walk around this huge historical complex.
Not to mention donkey, camel, mule or horse rides :).
For sure, tons of photos are the proof of my visit to this incredible site.
I guess I gotta go back for more stories and photos.
For sure, tons of photos are the proof of my visit to this incredible site.
I guess I gotta go back for more stories and photos.
It looks like you had a wonderful time. Your photos are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a blast, Cascia..
DeleteWhat a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteIt was an amazing one..
DeleteWhat a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteIt is ..I really love it...
DeleteI wanna go there! So beautiful, Mom
ReplyDeleteYou should, Gia.. Hopefully you can visit this place soon
Deletegood to go back there again ..
ReplyDeleteLet's go then
DeleteWhat a great moment!
ReplyDelete*trus ngakak yang dicek iphone dan kamera
Iya sih ya mba, udah bagus-bagus kalo kamera batera abis kan lucu yaa
*trus tiba tiba terharu mupeng hahaha
Hehehehe.. Iyaaa nih.. Soalnya HP tuh jadi andean bangeet sekarang.. Walaupun kamera teteuuup dibawa juga :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI wish I can go there someday.
ReplyDeletePetra is the next destination after Mekah and Madinah.
Aamiin :)
Aamiiin yra mba Ika.. I sincerely hope you can visit all those wonderful places :)
Delete9 hari cuman disana aja, kayak nya puas banget
ReplyDeleteSampai gempooor judulnya cumiii
DeleteMbak Indah, it's so amazing places. Seneng ya, bisa kembali lagi untuk mewujudkan impian yang selama enam tahun dinantikan dengan sabar
ReplyDeleteIyaaa Astin.. Allah demikian baik bisa memberikan rezeki-Nya ke saya pada waktunya :)
DeletePernah liat destinasi ini di Nat Geo. Mereka bahas ttg cara membangunnya. Kagum!
ReplyDeleteBetul.. Itu diaaa.. Kalau tau sejarahnya luar biasaaa banget :)
DeleteIndah banget Mbak Indah, kyk namamu :D
ReplyDeleteTerima kasih mbaaaa
DeleteBeautiful place mba...
ReplyDeleteSenangnya bisa mengunjungi tmpt impian, seru bgt liat foto2nya mba. Kerenn.... akkk seneng bgt bisa jln2 ke tmpt keren2 yaaa
Moga-moga dirimu juga bisa segera maiiin ke sini mbaaa
DeleteI would love to travel to Egypt and Petra too, that's one of the trips we want to make as soon as the girls are older... lot of history in all those stones. Thanks for all the info, Indah!
ReplyDeleteNo worries Pili.. Egypt and Jordan have so many wonderful and historical places for Muslims, Christians and Jews.. Really worth a visit
DeleteKeren banget ya mbak
ReplyDeleteIya tiaaan.. Aku ngg habis-habis kagumnya
DeleteTiap2 baca ttg Petra, nggak habis pikir bisa dibangun seperti itu. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteSama mba Lus.. Kebayang luar biasa itu bangunnya..
DeleteWhat an amazing experience! It is absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing with #OMHGWW!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear.. Thanks for being a co-host at #OMHGWW as well :)
DeleteKeren banget bangunan ini, pastinya mbak indah puas banget disini...
ReplyDelete