Nothing Quite Compares

Nothing Quite Compares...

The guards collected our tickets and we strolled for what seemed a mile on a dusty path down to and through a narrow crevasse in the sandstone canyon. I hoped, really hoped, this arduous travel in uncomfortable conditions would be worth it. We passed a few massive pillars and a couple of temple ruins, not too much really. I stole a quick glance at my wife. By her demeanor, she wasn't taking it well. The trip to get here was a hassle and swallowed two days of our 12 alloted for the side trip, my side trip. I really began to wonder if all the pictures I'd seen over my lifetime were "doctored" or "airbrushed". It began to look like I made a mistake.

Then I saw a glimpse of its form as the crevasse swallowed us at its narrowest. The hand-carved elevation of "The Treasury" almost glowed as we spilled out in the canyon on the other side of the crevasse. My jaw dropped. I stood stiff, overwhelmed in absolute astonishment. This was not a mistake....

Petra, Jordan was a major trade city between 400 BCE and 200 AD. It sat on the Spice Route between the Far East and the West and prospered for almost 600 years until the Romans sacked it. Being semi-arid and of not much benefit to the Romans, the area was abandoned until a Swiss explorer rediscovered Petra in the 1800's.

Carved into the cliffs and hidden from the desert wind, Petra is remarkably pristine. Remarkably! It is easy to see why Steven Speilberg chose Petra and especially The Treasury to film his Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade here. There are over 800 registered historic sites at Petra. The place is awesome.

"match me a marvel, save in Eastern clime
A rose-red city half as old as time." - "Petra", a portion of the sonnet by John William Burgon

This is the second installment of a four part series of mind blowing walks. If you would like me to help you experience Petra, send me a note at theTravelValet@gmail.com.

Al

Pick of the Day(38-8-1)...Boston, Texas