Be Sure To Wear Walking Boots

Virtual Traveller 86
Apr 23, 2020
3 min read

Updated: May 24, 2020

Country Number 2

JORDAN

Day Two: 2:39am King Hussein Airport

If you can go to Jordan...GO THERE! Oh my goodness it is simply stunning. I think the fact I took over 160 snaps says it all. No I haven’t attached all of them. Even by my standards that would be a tad too much to take in! I only had time to explore the Rose City of Petra, but it was well worth the 2hrs 15minutes doing so. Petra is a widespread area with numerous historic sites (so I think this counts as me meeting my challenge of visiting two places in each country, yes?). To be honest I could have spent a whole day in Jordan. Stunning landscape and history. Definitely somewhere I’d like to visit for real.

The Rose City of Petra, Jordan

I was glad to secure a flight with AirCairo to King Hussein Airport, which is situated not too far from Aqaba. My flight from Cairo was just over an hour and upon arrival I sailed through passport control and as I’m travelling light I didn’t have to wait around for bags. From Aqaba I got one of the JETT buses to Petra, taking just under 2 hours.

(Yep I should have been a travel agent not a social worker!).

Referred to as both the “Rose City” and the “Lost City”, Petra was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. In 2007 it was also named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. You don’t need to venture far into this ancient city to see why. Tombs, palaces and other structures have been carved directly into the white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces. The sheer detail and size of these structures is breathtaking. Even more so when you consider so many of them date back to the second and first centuries BC, during the time of the Nabataeans.

My first guide was a collaboration between Google and Queen Rania of Jordan (I used a link from www.secretldn.com ). Queen Rania herself takes you around this ancient city explaining the history of each structure and facade. Using this guide allows you to stop and explore at your own pace. Sadly I found this guide frustrating as it was constantly stalling and needing refreshment! (Though in hindsight it might have worked better if I was to download Google Play). In the end I frustratingly skipped some locations. Once I was at the end of our tour I politely thanked Queen Rania for her time...and promptly sought out another tour guide! This second guide (https://youtu.be/HCoyRrylVrg), whilst not allowing you to pause and explore (nor, unlike Queen Rania, providing information); did enable me me to see Petra in a calmer frame of mind. It also gave me access to areas the other tour didn’t.

I began both tours at the eastern entrance to Petra, via the Visitor Centre. Passing the Djin Blocks I entered a 250-foot-high sandstone slot canyon known as the Siq. Nearing the end of this you catch a glimpse of light and suddenly spot something through the narrow gap ahead. This ‘something’ is the Al Khazneh (the Treasury) which is just mindblowing. No doubt even more so in person. Carved directly into the rock face it is SO big. Yet amazingly it is only a facade, with a small room behind that once was used as a royal tomb.

There are in fact tombs aplenty within Petra. There are varying blends of Nabataean and Greco-Roman architectural styles to be seen. Some sites are up high, accessible by steep paths or seemingly endless steps. Archeologists believe that only 15% of the city is visible, with the rest still hidden underground.

There is so much more I could share about the history of Petra (National Geographic is a good source) but I will simply let some of my snaps speak for themselves. It was a big challenge choosing which pics to leave out! I was able to visit over 65% of the sites that are listed on the map below and would very much recommend a virtual tour (and a real one). There are numerous online tours to choose from.