A Perfectly Foggy Day in Petra, Jordan
THURSDAY 7 FEBRUARY - PETRA EXPLORATION: Enjoy an unforgettable guided walking tour today through the ruins of ancient Petra – the city that the Nabateans carved out of solid rock dating back to 300 BC! Our visit will follow a passage through the Siq, a chasm created in a prehistoric earthquake. It is one of the special moments to walk through this canyon which dramatically opens up to reveal the Treasury Building (Al-Khazneh) - a never to be forgotten experience. We will see also the Roman Theatre, Corinthian tomb along with churches, homes and many other buildings from this fascinating period.
One of the worst days of our pilgrimage is also one of the best days of our pilgrimage. This was our trip to Petra, in Jordan. It was the worst in terms of the weather. I was hoping for great blue skies and warm sunshine. But we got was gray and foggy and cool with threats of rain. But to be honest with you, it added to the atmosphere.
They had used the site as the backdrop for an Indiana Jones movie (The Last Crusade). So everything felt like an eerie adventure film setting. Plus, our guide explained that the wet weather brought out the colors in the rocks and that this was a real blessing as it’s normally dry there.
Photo one is of Anastasia and her mother, Mary, and myself at the hotel gardens before we departed. The first couple of images afterwards are along the way of the route. We basically walked down a canyon and along the way stopped and our guide pointed out the ancient ruins carved into the rocks.
Photo five is a beautiful shot of the different colors of the natural stone.
Photo six is of a strange natural formation. From the side it looks like a parrot fish. From the front, it looks like an elephant. Maybe you could see the two in the same photo shot at a 3/4 angle.
What is truly dramatic is the walk through a narrow gorge called a Siq. It reminded me a little of "Antelope Canyon" in the United States or some of the trails I’ve walked in Utah: high walls and just a narrow way in the middle to walk through for a distance. And then suddenly it opens up into this wide area where the famous "Treasury" appears, the most famous structure of Petra (Photo 12).
Aren’t camels wonderful? I didn’t write any but Fr. Gerard did, along with my dear friend Soo (15). Look at that puss! (16). This is a shot of the whole group with our guide Fadi (he has the pink scarf around his neck and is two persons to my right in the photo, me being the fellow wearing a blue windbreaker in 16).
While we were in this open canyon in front of the Treasury, it’s suddenly got cold, like we’d stepped into a refrigerator. Then we heard a thunder clap and it poured down rain like the worst kind of storm you could imagine! Everyone flew for cover.
I went to a small trailer that was there, along with other people, including about 6 of our group. The trailer was so old and dilapidated that it leaked and the floor was dirt! After about 10 minutes the rain let up and I went out to see where everybody had gone. I had only a few of my flock; the rest scattered to the other side staying under overhangs.
Fortunately for us, they= opened up the Treasury due to the rain! So after getting the OK from the guide we went in. Normally they don’t allow people to do this. Photos 19-22 all come from the inside of the Treasury.
And then we continued along the rest of the route. These giant statues were carved right out of the stone and are of a camel herder (23). You can just see his feet and then you can see the image of the camels behind it. There’s actually a whole row of them.
The rest was foggy and wonderful…scary and beautiful. Like so much of life!