Petra. The rose-red city. One of the seven wonders of the world. Sounds grand, but the place is truly amazing and far more diverse than usually thought. It is a lot more than the al-Khazneh (the Treasury) that you have in your mind after seeing all the touristic ads or maybe even the classic Indiana Jones movie. But this is not all. I’ve made two visits to Petra: one during the day and one during the night. I’ve also taken a look at the mountains surrounding Petra on horseback, and I have to say that the mountains themselves are already worth the visit. Petra by night and horse riding in Wadi Musa
We walked the 2km-trail to the Treasury with only the stars giving us light from above, and candles placed in paper bags along the trail. Getting my first glimpse of the mountains and the narrow Siq (very narrow canyon through the mountains) in darkness was truly amazing. Highly recommended. The next day we headed for one-day horse trekking trip to the mountains. The town near Petra is called Wadi Musa, as is the whole valley surrounding the ancient city. So don't get confused when I say I've been horse riding in Wadi Musa, instead of Petra. I got a lovely grey horse called Safir, who was energetic but very soft and gentle at the same time. We rode up to see the amazing view over the mountains of Petra, and then descended towards the valley. The terrain was incredibly rocky, but our horses were amazing and sure-footed. Besides our own physical fitness, we were challenged by the kids enjoying Friday-picnic with their families, who thought throwing stones at the horses is a good idea… Nevertheless, our horses didn’t fear anything! Petra, Jack Sparrow, and a donkey named Vodka
I was a bit skeptical about the mules since there is lots of criticism towards the treatment of animals in Petra. One can ride a horse from the visitor’s center to the beginning of the Siq, and go through the Siq in a horse carriage. These carriage horses are really a sad sight, as most of them look skinny, and their drivers make them run too fast through on the hard surface of the road. I would never get on these carriages for these reasons. However, our mules were the chubbiest and cutest ones ever and looked perfectly happy and well-treated. Also, can you imagine a mix of Arabian horse and a donkey? Yup, cuteness-overload. As we were heading to the monastery, which lies on top of one of the highest mountains in Petra (and almost 900 steps), I couldn’t get myself to ride my little donkey there. The mules seemed to be fine enough to do that, but I preferred to use my own feet. I also felt sad for some donkeys I saw on the way, carrying way too heavy people in their backs up and down the stairs. I know it’s not very easy to see if the animals are treated well or not if you’re not a horse person yourself, but here are some tips: 1) they look round, chubby, and their fur is shiny and clean (instead of looking thin with shabby fur), and they don’t have visible wounds or hairless spots 2) they move with ease and don’t need much encouragement from your guide. If your guide needs to push them, drag them or if he hits them, you should be worried The area of Petra is huge, and I understand that people can need help to move around, but still one should pay attention to the treatment of the animals and if you see problems, report them. There are instructions at the visitor’s center for this. Overall, I enjoyed the day in Petra, and our guide (I can’t remember his name, but he totally looked like Jack Sparrow) was pleasant. Even more than the building carved in rock, I enjoyed the view from the Monastery mountain. One can easily spend more than one day exploring the area and the tombs, temples, churches, caves, and paths. I would love to do the hike from Little Petra to the city itself one day. More of the history of the main city of the Nabateans you can read for example here. Practical information:
JETT bus from Amman to Petra daily at 6:30 am, returning at 5 pm, 10JD per way. You can book your tickets online, and pay them before getting on the bus. Petra by Night ticket 16JD, you can buy it in Wadi Musa town. Petra one-day ticket 50JD (two days 55JD, three days 60JD, you can either buy it from the visitor’s center or as part of the Jordan Pass. I will complain about the Jordan Pass on a later post, as it sounds amazing but doesn’t always work so well.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|