The land of djinns

One of my very first trips was to Petra. I have been there twice and I would go there again million of times, if possible!

It is better to visit Petra from November till the beginning of April. Apart from this period of time it gets unbearably hot, with the temperature rising above +40. Sand storms are also a phenomenon to be aware of.

Once you enter the site it takes you via a long canyon till the Treasury square. The Three Kings Shop at the entrance is a good place to book your trips to Wadi Rum (great staff, amazing camp).

Here it is, the Wonder of the World!

The Treasury, how it is called, is a masterpiece, carved into the rock. It is an amazing work of a precise and accurate master. Actually Petra does not finish in Jordan, it continues right down to Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately the Saudi sites are not that renowned due to the fact that they belong to the pre-Islamic era, therefore they don’t present much of a relevance for the locals.

These guys have traveled around the world in one go for an entire year, as many Koreans do. I asked them which places they liked the most. Yep, this one! So I was happy to start discovering the world with the most beautiful place in the world!

As one local Bedouin said, camels and donkeys are the limousines of Petra … with free air conditioning 😛

Many Bedouin families which arrived to Jordan from neighboring countries used to lived in the caves of Petra. Later on, out of preservation concerns, the King gave them land not far from the caves and has built houses for them there, thus stopping the demolition of the heritage sites.

Kids are always around, selling souvenirs or simply trying to catch your attention. Amazingly, in Petra locals speak 3-4 foreign languages … without any accent !!! … which they are skillfully picking up from tourists. They’re quite fluent to sell you the world and make you pour down your own life story. Welcome in the Middle East, would you like a cup of tea?! 😛

I wonder who is the author of these masterpieces? Is it a human, is it the wind … the water? … Is it time, maybe?!

My princess! … She liked my gloves, I liked her teeth!

Donkeys are my favorites of all times. I wish I could take them home! I left my gloves in Petra … don’t worry, I didn’t take the teeth and the donkeys…

They could have been be brothers, hey! Just be careful with the Casanova pretty eyes in Petra :P! Bedouins don’t loose any chance to pick up tourists with different scams. You can travel anywhere solo, but to Cairo and Petra you better have a travel buddy.

The Monastery at the end of the route was worth that long and tiring climbing., definitely…

Bedouins are very hospitable. You will be offered tea EVERYWHERE ! … a herbal mint tea, very strong and sweet. Here people take their time having tea. It is an entire ceremony. I loved drinking tea with the locals in every place from Jordan to Morocco. It is part of their culture, it is part of who they are, because at a cup of tea the decisions are made, the marriages are set, the state matters and issues are discussed.

Ah, little cuties!!!

Well, Jack Sprarrow 😛  ….. actually Ahmed by name ….

The road to little Petra is very spectacular! I would recommend to stay longer in the area and explore a little bit outside of the main gate.

Elephants are there, aha…

The quality of silence in Wadi Araba is all-absorbing. It was so peaceful that I could hear the birds flipping their wings while flying! Actually the desert birds in Petra and Wadi Rum are very very special!

It is definitely worth camping over the night in Wadi Rum. Traditional food is very tasty and the sky always seems to be so close in the desert.

The wind is creating accurate slopes. Dunes are shaped and reshaped with delicacy!

I’m looking at this land, it’s a desert… What is there? I don’t know anything from what I see … unless I would spend some years staring and then I will see what is there!

Three times per week, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday you can see Petra by night. The way to the Treasury is lighten up by a double line of candles. Everybody should take their sweethearts to see Petra by night! It is an amazing experience.

Once you arrive at the Treasury you will join other visitors and will listen to the traditional Jordanian music played by the local Bedouins, while having some mint tea. They usually tell the story of Petra and the Nabateans, who lived here.