Petra

Petra has been named one of the seven wonders of the world. It is a vast unique city carved into the solid red sandstone cliffs by the Nabateans, an Arab people who settled here over 2000 years ago. Petra was an important site on the international trade routes connecting Mediterranean countries with China, India, and southern Arabia. It was rediscovered in the early 1800’s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Petra has to be seen to be believed !!

We entered Petra by walking downhill through a narrow towering canyon for about 1.5 miles. Turning a corner the massive Treasury

comes into sight. The city center is another 1.5 miles and we walked past huge temples, houses, churches, tombs, a 4000 seat amphitheater, many other structures. Nad gave us explanations along the way and we stopped for tea and then lunch.

The rest of the group set off exploring more trails. I was happy to have made the three miles walking in over uneven ground. Rather than walk back I took a donkey ride from the city center to the Treasury — a little bumpy for sure. And then I rode in an electric cart uphill all the way back to the visitor center.

Went back to the hotel for a shower and to put my feet up for awhile. Then back to the Petra Museum to learn about the Nabataeans and the history of other tribes or groups who lived there throughout the centuries. Dinner was a special Jordanian dish of lamb cooked in

yogurt sauce, served over wafer-thin bread and rice, and then drenched in a special yogurt sauce that contained dried yogurt. And all of our test results were negative so tomorrow we are off to Egypt.