November 10: 🚢Aqaba, Jordan
Shore Excursion: Magnificent Petra
Ear to ear smiles all day from Indiana @MAC Jones
The reason we are here
Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans from roughly 300 BC to 100 AD. The Romans took over in 100 AD then several earthquakes destroyed much of the city and Petra was abandoned. It was rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer and was declared as one of the New Wonders of the World in 2007. Thanks to many armchair visits with National Geographic documentaries on Foxtel, its incredible story, its location, its façade of carved stone and its engineering and architectural magic moved it onto @Mac’s bucket list. Its inclusion on the itinerary was the reason we had been chasing Divine Destinations and have found ourselves joining the Regent Family.
A two-hour delay in getting started
We were up in the pitch dark at 5.45 ready for our meetup an hour later. Just as we were putting the final touches to our "go bag", @Captain Luca announced that the combination of our late departure from the Suez yesterday due to traffic and the strong current and head winds overnight, we were delayed by 2 hours. Already dressed and ready, so no incentive to crawl back into bed. Resorted to a neighbourly game of Sequence (OMG @Loraine was on FIRE won 3 out of 4), mixed up with a bit of gaming and some embroidery.
Filling in time
Off and running
There were 40 buses leaving the port this morning all Petra bound. We were in Group 6 and @Mac counted 42 passengers on board and even though we had made a dash from mustering were still 12th on board and had no chance of the back seat. Nonetheless, settled in comfortably and were treated to an extraordinary day thanks to the exceptional guide @Sami. We certainly "lucked out" here - @Sami, a local Bedouin resident and a professor at the Petra university (he had studied in Jordan, the UK and Germany and was definitely multi-lingual), had trained almost 90% of the guides operating in Petra and took us on a magical, personable journey through the history and significance of these majestic carved testament to the ingenuity and skill of the ancients.
Petra turned out to be one of those destinations where the reality was better than the pictures that had been built in your mind over the years. A one in a million place to be.
Full house on 40 buses heading to Petra
We travelled along a combination of 4 and 6 lane highways, competing for roadway with heavy vehicle transport (Aqaba is a significant port for export of petroleum and phosphate), police cars, other buses. locals and convoys of military vehicles (complete with roof mounted soldiers in head scarves and locked and loaded with heavy artillery.) At one stage we took the overland shortcut because @Kamal and @Sami were locals. Left the main drag of the Kings Way and traversed narrow tracks to travel through some Bedouin villages (saw green fields. seriously - green fields - of tomatoes all drip fed by snaking black water pipes taking the precious water resource from the aquifer to the roots of the plant) and extensive installations of wind turbines. Our off-road adventure had us (well, @Kamal actually) doing a little creative off-road manoeuvring to get us back up through the fence line in order to re-join the Kings Way.
The commentary was thought provoking and informative - there was a tour of the harbour and surrounds with background on the importance of its location and the functions it fulfils, a history of Jordan and an insight into its "place in the world" and the ethics of its people, a description of the landscape including its geological history and @Sami made relevant and point in time connections to the features we were observing along the way.
Comfort stops and shopping opportunities
Arrived in Petra, after two brief comfort stops and were definitely ready to go. We followed the waving Number 6 stick as @Sami's VIPs and he unravelled the mystery of the Siq, the souk and every rock, rockface, water channel, tree, paving stone and building as we tromped our way down the gently sloping pathway through the towering cliffs of the rock chasm.
No words really. Another one of those "you have to be there" moments - and not sure in a few paragraphs that you can condense 10 000 years of history or even begin to capture the detail of the highlights @Sami shared. As amazing as the carved and tunnelled structures were, it was the walk through the Siq and that "gasp" associated with the "first peak" of the "first column" of the Treasury that was the most goose bumpy moment of the day. And yes, I know there are lots of reviews about the "walk" and "the distance" and "the heat" - but the slope of the path was so gentle, the shade and rock faced tunnel so cool, the story so absorbing - you actually forgot that you were walking - it was almost a float with a very happy ending.
And it was busy - so many people strolling with their groups, stopping at different points - horses transporting travellers through the Siq (this service was included in your entry fee - everyone could ride for a certain distance - and "NO" we didn't - shanks pony was perfect for us), golf buggies in convoy, horse drawn carts and donkeys, a costumed re-enactment of marching warriors and CAMELS (nope, not this either.) Incidentally, it is possible to hire a golf buggy and driver to transport you up and back. Did hear it was an hour wait at the base for a ride and something like $40 US per person (I am not sure on that one though.)
Of course, @Sami knew everyone - they were calling and waving and smiling and clapping - it was like we had our very own VIP. And it did seem that he had a story for every twist and turn, every nook and cranny and we were joined on the way by @Fatima who was introduced as the first female graduate from his course. As an aside, before we had entered Petra, he had asked that we resist making any purchases from the children. He was very "big" on education and shared with us that if the children were on the pavement selling souvenirs and postcards - they were skipping school - and what this really amounted to was exploitation by the children's parents who were stealing their future and turning them into "criminals and scammers." He indicated that the guide community were united on this plea.
We had the first hour with @Sami and then were let loose to explore and wander as a personal follow-up. @Loraine and I gently retraced our steps and revisited at a more leisurely pace some of @Sami's highlights and @Mac and @Richard tackled the stairs and made their way to higher ground, the Royal residences and the interior of the facades.
As an aside - everything in this space is perfectly clean. No litter anywhere. So many people on hand to keep the walkways clear of animal droppings, plenty of bins, cafes and stalls beautifully presented, staffed washrooms and a general "pleasant" atmosphere - no haranguing and following you to "buy stuff." Perhaps the only exception is the children and @Sami took time to connect with them and ask about their school day and encourage them to "go back to class." Any interaction with us from operators in the Souk was met with a "Welcome to Jordan" as we offered our "No thank you." All added to the very positive vibe of the day.
Petra with @Sami - he had the warm smile ALL day in EVERY interaction
About 200 metres in - the entrance to the chasm
That first peek - the best moment - once in a lifetime - you'll never repeat that thrill of the "first"
The Treasury - we have about 2 000 photos
Hard to show scale - @Sami berating archaeologists
The many faces of Indiana Mac Jones - he couldn't get enough
Climbing higher
Retracing our steps - back to the Treasury and the Siq
Again, the 1200 metre walk up through the Siq on the return journey was not arduous - it was just a gentle slope filled with lots of distractions and activity to keep you moving. Until that last 200 metres once you are out of the Siq. Was very hard to resist the offer of the horse. We were flagging in the open space and the heat but had our eyes on the prize of lunch and a drink and kept on plodding.
Banquet lunch washed down with a beer and a retell of the adventure with views over modern Petra and then it was onto the bus for the return journey. Easy conversation and commentary - this time more on the social and home life of the Bedouins - we were passed by about 30 off road vehicles in convoy all proudly flying the Jordanian flag and bundled with household gifts which sparked this conversation. It was a wedding party - and so the subject of arranged marriages piqued the interest of the weary bus contingent and kept us engaged and AWAKE. It seemed to be a quick ride home - again with rest stops - and for some reason we were accompanied by a police car right to dockside- complete with flashing lights and an escort at the customs check point which saw us scoot through without stopping.
Lunch was a welcome reward Back on board
First job was a shower. Wow, what a dusty, dirty day. We were gritty and seemed to be covered in a fine film of dust. All the clothes in the wash bag then a steaming shower for a scrub of the body and a wash of the hair. Did try and knock the dust off the shoes as well with a bit of wipe over and suitably refreshed (we even had an ice filled rum and coke in the room to clear the dust out of our throats) and then up to the outside veranda on 11 for dinner and Mensa challenges. Even roped in a few helpers for the Mensa puzzles and the crossword, wound the clocks forwards and backwards and forwards again (tricky keeping up with the time changes after a long day), set the alarm for the 13-hour tour day tomorrow (that's a biggie) and said our good nights and good-byes to @LoRi. They are off ship now for two days - they are packing an overnight bag and spending extra time in Luxor.
Went to sleep thinking "Perfect tour, perfect guide, perfect day." Not sure we can have a day to top this one.
Mensa challenges keeps brain power going
PS There has to be a toilet story
First break for the loo was at the Rum View Shop. Toilets were in plentiful supply, but not so much the water. As soon as you cleared your cubicle the clean-up squad came in after you. (see pic below for details of process.) @Mac also entertained us saying he had made a valuable contribution in the clean-up of the men's room by using a valuable personal water contribution to help clean the urinals (no pic pending.)
This a very good reason why I don't touch animals or have them lick my face - you never know where they have been
PPS Have had some queries from travellers in the Regent Family around "How do you find time to write the blog" - for those who know me - the early-early-early hours of the morning have always been my best friend in my professional life. Additionally, though, I do take extensive notes on my phone throughout the day and often cobble together a paragraph or two as we are sitting in the bus and enjoying some down time (eg traffic jams in Jerusalem!) Petra tour was a classic example - the bus had faster Wi-Fi than the ship, so I took advantage of that and preloaded some pics. It is always the load of the photos that is the time consumer rather than the "writing" - the words just flow.
Plus, I am heavily motivated - keeps family and friends connected in our lives as we travel (could never remember all the stories after the trip) and we do love our little collection of hard bound books on the shelves at home that provide us with great trips down memory lane.
Weather: 8 degrees minimum - 27 Max in Petra - those last 200 metres in the black jumper were a killer
Steps: 18101 - a new PD for this trip
#RegentSevenSeasExplorer #RegentSevenSeas #RegentCruise
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