Petra - An expensive must see!

To get right to it, the landscape, atmosphere, carved buildings, and caves at Petra are remarkable. The site is downright awe-inspiring from the moment one enters the engulfing siq (gorge) to the phenomenally perserved Monastary at its far end (for most tourists that is). The colours and patterns found in the sandstone itself, and the way it changes from salmon to bright pink in the late afternoon, is enough to fill your camera's memory card! After two days of exploring, we have no doubts that this site sits proudly and easily among the most renowned in the world.

Although it is definitely feasible to see Petra in one day, we do not recommend this itenary as it would be downright exhausting. Instead, two days worth of 4-5 hours wandering, climbing, and amateur rock-climbing makes for a happier and more fulfilling visit. In support of this notion, two day tickets are available for only 5 bucks more than a one day. Here is how we spent our two days.

Day 1-arrive at Petra from Amman on the Jett Bus at 10:30 am.-drop off bags at hotel and off to see Petra-wonder the sights up to the royal tombs (including the rewarding hike to the high place of sacrifice) -treat yourself with a drink at the cave bar (dating from 1 BC) in the late afternoon.

Day 2-return to Petra and follow the crowds seeing the sites on the way to the monastery and the lookouts.-splurge for a camel or a donkey on the way back to the Treasury.-back to the hotel, have dinner and downtime.-return to Petra for "Petra at Night".

In all honesty, the above activities left us exhausted and coughing up dust/sand, but we left Petra teeming with memories and being the "good" kind of tired similar to the feeling after a successful workout (rewarded and fullfilled). On top of that a bunch of tourists loved Jarrets redundancy t-shirt, and one even took a pic!

Now for the disclaimers: Before we go, we must acknowledge the price of entry to Petra is steep (~ 75 CND dollars for two days), but do not let this discourage you as it is worth every penny. Furthermore, the money supports conservation of the site and as a visitor enjoying the site, it makes sense to contribute to its preservation. The hotels in the surrounding town (Wadi Mousa) are overpriced and fill up fast, so plan accordingly. Lastly, as with many places visited by foreigners, you will see children spending their days selling postcards or manning souviner stalls instead of going to school. We must say though, that the number of kid vendors at Petra is way less than a lot of the sights we have visited around the world.

All in all, Petra easily obtains five stars in our books!!