The Big One

So, I finally made it to Petra.

The first time Petra entered into my consciousness was while watching an Indiana Jones movie sometime in the late 1980s. We are dashing through the desert on horseback with Harrison Ford and all at once we come upon an improbable temple hewn out of a towering cliff of pink rock.  I remember thinking: "can it be real?"  followed closely by "I want to go there!"

It turns out that I was not alone in this feeling.  Petra is a massive tourist draw for the country of Jordan:   UNESCO has listed it a world heritage site and it is one of the "7 new wonders of the world" along with the likes of the Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu.  Like Niagara Falls and Piazza San Marco, Petra is one of those places that is more recognizable than its home country.  While Amman is 3 hours away and bears little in common physically with Petra, it is nonetheless filled with post cards and wall hangings and, joy of joys, snow globes, depicting the iconic  Treasury.   Having lived for 5 years in Prague, where the Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge are in this same category of destination, I know this kind of place.  As beautiful as they are, they are not real.   They no longer belong anywhere, but have become some kind of occupied territory, laid claim to by international invaders, a world apart.

So while part of me has been looking forward, ever since I arrived, to meeting that 20-year old goal of seeing Petra, the cynical, wearied traveller part of me was expecting to be disappointed, especially after all the amazingly intimate moments I have enjoyed at sites like Umm Qais and Jerash over the past few months.

Here's the good news:  the cynic was defeated.  Petra is astonishing.  For one thing, the site is mind-boggling in its vastness.  It was a city of tens of thousands of people at one time, filled with monumental architecture as well as little caves and cubbyholes.  And while thousands of tourists pour in daily and parts of it are very busy - especially near the Treasury site - it is also possible to find oneself completely alone, wandering through a narrow desert canyon and coming upon an ancient tomb, yours for the exploring.  

For another thing, visiting the site is a cross between a living history lesson and pure back country hiking along narrow ledges and rocky outcroppings, with amazing views of the rift valley separating Jordan from Israel and Palestine.  I was only there for one day and we must have hiked at least 10km - and it felt like I saw very little of the site.  There is so much to take in.

I missed the chance to go back again last week with my friend who was visiting, but intend to return in early May.  More photos then.