A Year Older In Petra

Today being my birthday, I decided to spend the day in a special way by visiting one of the seven wonders of the world, Petra! I was so excited to make this trip because Petra had been on my list of places to check out. Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Arabs and you can learn more about this fascinating city here.

I arrived at Petra via the JETT bus from Amman which departs everyday at 6:30 am, the trip took about 4 hours. The bus conveniently dropped us off next to the visitor center and once I got my Jordan Pass scanned, I was able to enter Petra. Inside the site there were a bunch of people trying to offer horse rides and tours. This one dude came offering me a tour for half the price of what was being charged at the entrance and a chance to get good aerial views of some of the locations within Petra. I was skeptical at first and as he was giving me his spiel, I was looking around the area he pointed out trying to figure out the likelihood of being heard if I were to scream. A lot was going on through my mind and in the end I was like, "Lord forgive my reckless behavior but you know I like a good adventure, please don't let anything bad happen to me." I decided to take the risk. In my defense I did see this one couple heading toward the same route so I felt more at ease and just like that, my great birthday adventure begun.

The guide who's name is Barakat took me through this amazing albeit physically challenging route as he narrated about the significance of the different locations within Petra. I was huffing and puffing but it was all so worth it because the views I got were unbelievable! Ooh! yeah, and he did turn out to be a sweet guy so of course this eased my initial fears although when I think of it, had he turned out to be a bad guy I would have been in so much trouble! it really was a risky move on my part. Okay folks, let me summarize things because this post is getting too wordy and I know what you want to see the most are the photos, right? before we get to that take a look at the map below for reference, it shows the different locations inside Petra. I was able to see location 1 through 7 which was the Royal Tombs, I would have loved to see the monastery but it was far and I was too tired unfortunately.

Now, let's get to the fun part.......pictures!!

Obelisk Tomb - carved by the Nabateans in the 1st century AD the four pyramids and a statue symbolize the people buried there.

The siq - the narrow gorge leads into Petra, the siq resulted from a natural splitting of the mountain

The Treasury - Almost 40 meters high, no one knows for sure when it was built nor the purpose of it but one thing is for certain, it is impressive!  

High Place of Sacrifice - A place of worship on a mountain plateau, best way to display it on a photo is from an aerial view.

The Theatre - Although you can't clearly see it in the photo below, it consists of three rows of seats separated by passageways, seven stairways and can accommodate 4000 spectators. 

Royal Tombs

Other random photos.........

That's my guide Barakat, I know in this picture he has a sleazy look but he was a true gentleman from beginning to the end.

That's it folks! after I was done with Petra I went to find my airbnb as I decided to spend the night in Wadi Musa which is the town surrounding Petra. After I got situated at my airbnb rental, I treated myself to a birthday dinner at a restaurant nearby, before calling it a night.

Happy 39th birthday to me, may my last year of being in my 30s be filled with bold adventures and accomplishments because I want to end this chapter of my life with a bang!

The Ancient City of Jerash

Today's adventure led me to Jerash, an ancient city in Jordan who's occupation can be dated more than 6000 years back. I got an early morning JETT bus from Amman and the trip took about an hour, of course I blacked out in the bus so I am estimating the time. Jerash has so much history that I can't possibly get into it all so I will briefly summarize what little I know.....hey! I never claimed to be a historian so please don't expect a well detailed history lesson here. Anyway, let's get to the summary.

The city of Jerash was considered one of the greatest Roman cities and to this day the site is recognized as one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world, according to the Jordanian Tourism Board. The site had been buried for centuries before being excavated and according to a guide I met today, what you see now is only about 30% of the ancient city as 70% remains buried. The site is large by the way so you can only imagine how much larger it could be if you factor in what still remains buried.

When we arrived at Jerash the bus driver gave us a couple of hours to explore on our own while he waited. At the entrance there was an option to pay 30JD ($42) for a guide but if you are like me and like cheap things, you can use the services of one of the hustlers inside the site who I don't believe are certified guides. Ladies and gentlemen, DO NOT be like me just get a certified guide because you will not really be saving money and who knows if one of those hustlers is telling you true historical facts. I took my chance with one of the them, it didn't save me money as I initially thought but I did learn some very interesting history that made me appreciate the site even more plus the guy had such a bubbly personality that it was hard not to turn him down for a guided tour.

Here are some of the photos I got, the ruins are very beautiful and I don't think photos do them justice but at least you get an idea how they look like.

Looking at the columns in the photos you would think that they could easily tip over right? especially during a bad storm. Well, turns out that the columns had been constructed in a manner that would let them be slightly moved by the wind but not tip over no matter what. If you put your finger tips underneath the base of one of the columns you can actually feel it swaying with the wind.

See the little holes on the stones below? that's where gold would be stuffed to make the walls shine.

Check out the picture below, see the little tub in front of the structure? apparently this is where the queen's attendants would lose their virginities upon marriage, in front of the queen herself so she could verify their virginity!!! Hmm?! did this queen not have anything else better to do? the guide who was showing me around told me this but I am feeling too sleepy and lazy to verify the story at the moment.

When the rain won't let you be great but you try anyway.

After getting done at Jerash we headed to Ajloun castle which according to the Jordanian Tourism Board, is one of the best preserved examples of Medieval Arab Islamic military architecture. It was built in 1184. When we were leaving Jerash it was raining heavily and by the time we got to Ajloun the weather wasn't any better so it was hard to fully appreciate the castle while freezing and wet plus trying not to slip on the wet slippery floors. The castle is beautiful and worth checking out for sure, too bad the weather today was just horrible. At least I did manage to get some nice shots.

Thats it folks, once again it was a full productive day despite the rainy weather. Tomorrow I have another fully packed day that I am really looking forward to, since it will be my birthday I saved the best for my special day so watch out for an update on that.

Random Thoughts of The Day

Being inside the site of the ancient Roman ruins in Jerash was fascinating. On one side you would see a modern day regular city with people going about their business while on the other hand you were standing on ancient ruins that date back thousands of years, I thought it was incredible how these two worlds stand side by side.

Can you imagine going to work in the morning and on your right or left hand side seeing historical ruins that people fly from all over the world to see? I suppose the locals are pretty used to it so it's not a big deal to them.

I asked my guide how come more excavations are not taking place in order to uncover the rest of the ruins at Jerash and he said that the government is now focusing on restoration and preservation.

Whenever I see these ancient ruins, be it in Jerash or Machu Pichu or Tikal....the list goes on, I can't help but marvel at the superiority of workmanship that went into building them. Do modern day buildings even compare? would they even survive for thousands of years if buried under the earth? heck! would they even survive a year?

I miss my bed and central heating especially, I will never take that for granted ever again. I think of this as I curl up every night in a fetal position for warmth with my hands tightly squeezed under my armpits to warm my fingers. I have even resorted to wearing a pair of socks on my hands as gloves.

Men smoke a lot here from what I have observed, I wonder what the rate of lung cancer is.

I am so glad I got motion sickness pills prior to getting here because on today's trip we passed through some curves here and there and that triggered my motion sickness which I was able to combat thanks to the pills I carried.

Jet lag is still kicking my butt. I sleep very early and find myself awake at 3 am and not being able to go back to sleep. I use this time to catch up on my tv shows or favorite youtube vloggers, on that note let me get some sleep.

Madaba

Today's adventure started at Madaba, a city located 33 Km/20 miles from the capital Amman. Madaba is known as the city of mosaics because according to what I had read, underneath almost every house lies a mosaic dating back from the 5th through the 7th century. Although many of the mosaics have been excavated and are on display in the town's museum, it is estimated that many more have yet to be uncovered. If you love mosaics then you would have a field day in Madaba as there are tonnes to be found in this city.

I got to Madaba by use of the JETT bus (Jordan Express Tourist Transportation) which is a very reliable public transport that offers daily tours from Amman. When they say tours, basically the bus drops you at a point of interest then the driver waits for you as you explore for an agreed period of time before getting back on the bus to head to the next site. The ticket I bought included Madaba, Mt Nebo and Bethany, it cost 15 JD (Jordanian Dinar) which is roughly $21 ($1 = 0.70 JD).

The trip to Madaba took about an hour and the first stop was at the Madaba Visitor Center which serves as the starting point to the touristic and archeological sites in the city. Below are some of the briefly summarized highlights that I experienced, I was trying to keep it short.

Archaeological Park - located very close to the visitor center, it includes 3 Byzantine churches and some really beautiful mosaics that were uncovered. I am talking about mosaics dating back to the 6th century AD!

Church of The Beheading of John the Baptist - declared by the Vatican as a sacred place, this church was consecrated to the beheading of St. John the Baptist. Visitors have the opportunity to climb to the top of the bell tower which is the highest point in Madaba, to enjoy the beautiful aerial view of the city.

Lastly, I stopped by one of the many shops that sell mosaic art to appreciate their work. All of what you see below is mosaic and it takes a lot of work just to get one portrait done.

After we got done at Madaba, we headed to Mount Nebo which is one of the most revered holy sites in Jordan as this is where Moses was buried. The views were amazing and if you know the biblical stories pretty well then you can appreciate the historic significance of the place. 

Don't let the sun fool you, it was cold!!! 

After Mt. Nebo we headed to Bethany where we took a bus to the site of Jesus' baptism, the guide who took us to this site was explaining that you could dip your hand in the water and make a wish. Unfortunately when we got to the site the water level was so low so we never got a chance to dip our hands and make a wish. Ooh! well.........

There are several different churches around the baptism site and I thought this one was really pretty!

That's it folks! we did not spend too much time at this last site as there wasn't a lot to be seen but all in all it was a full day packed with a lot of history. We got back to Amman in the evening and tomorrow I get to do it all over again so watch out for an update.

Random Thoughts Of The Day:

Jordan has hot dry summers and cold wet winters, with that being said......it is cold!!!! and of course I didn't pack very well. I should have packed more sweaters but I had underestimated how cold it would be so I packed a bunch of t-shirts which I have been forced to wear in layers. To make matters worse there is no central heating at my airbnb rental so you don't want to see how I look when going to bed, I wore 2 pairs of socks to bed last night!!

I was provided with a heater that runs on a gas cylinder but I am so scared of carbon monoxide poisoning so I don't go to sleep with the heater on, even my airbnb host told me its best not to sleep with the heater turned on through out the night. To make matters worse turning it on is another ordeal so I just end up layering my clothing to keep warm. 

What they say about Jordanian hospitality is true, the people are very nice and welcoming. The first question most will ask if they speak English is, "where are you from?" once you tell them your country of origin they quickly follow up with, "you are welcome in Jordan." Everywhere you go people tell you, "Welcome." Of all my travels I would say the most friendly and hospitable people I have encountered so far have been the Turkish and now, the Jordanians.

As I always say, befriend your taxi guy because through them you will learn a lot about the city and if they are nice enough they can really help you with reasonable transportation or even take their time to show you around places you never would have known off. I now have 2 taxi buddies that I can call whenever I need a ride and they will come get me.

I got a local sim card and my life has never been easier! I can make unlimited local calls and have access to the internet whenever I need it. Now I don't have to panic if I am in the middle of some random street and have no clue how to get out or if I need to reach my airbnb host to clarify his address with a taxi guy that's not too sure how to get to the address. 

Jordan Pass........get it before traveling here, not only will it save you money on visiting some sites but you will get your visa fees at the airport wavered.

I saw some of the cutest and chubbiest cats on this trip, they were freely roaming around and I think the locals feed them well and treat them nice because these cats looked healthy and were not scared, I just wanted to hold one and give it a nice hug but then again......they are stray cats and who knows what they carry. I am a huge cat lover but I am not about to catch something on my vacation.

That Time Of The Year

Yup! It's that time of the year again when I set off to a country that I have never been to, for my birthday. I know the previous years I have ventured a lot into Latin American countries but this year I decided to switch it up, once in a while you have to challenge yourself and Latin America had grown to be my comfort zone because I know the language and I understand the culture. This year I am definitely going outside my comfort zone and with that being said, drum rolls please.............I will usher in my 39th birthday in the Middle East, how exciting right?! where in the Middle East you ask? Jordan! a country that I have wanted to visit for a while but kept putting it off until now.

I figured I might as well go for it because if not now then when? and I just don't want to miss an opportunity that I might regret later. I arrived in Amman today after an 11 hour flight so you can imagine the jet lag! to be honest with you I was initially nervous about this trip but all the fears I had have long been erased because people here are very nice and helpful from what I have observed so far. Today I didn't do much but I am so relieved that I booked bus tickets to all the cities I will be visiting during this trip. Anyway, I am half asleep so let me stop this post here before some nonsensical ramblings begin. Tomorrow my adventures begin so tune in for updates.