An epic climb, an ancient city, and the craziest photo experience of our lives. 

See Part 1 for the beginning of our trip to Jordan

Off to Petra

After bouncing across the desert (again) in the back end of another pickup, we meet up with Rami in the Wadi Rum village.  It’s an early morning for us – but even earlier for Rami who has already driven nearly two hours to meet us.  He takes us from the village to Wadi Musa, the town adjacent to Petra.

The 90-minute drive flies by as Rami tells us about his family, life in Jordan, and answers all our questions.  We are thankful for a guide who is so fluent in English!

At the entrance to Wadi Musa, meaning “Valley of Moses,” is the site of Moses’ Spring.  It  is said that Moses passed through the valley and struck a rock with his staff, releasing water for his followers.

The Path Less Traveled

Rami has arranged two guides – Omar and Ali – to take us through the Petra Archaeological Park on horseback.  Though we didn’t realize it at the time, this was by far the best way to see the many sites of Petra. On horseback, we covered far more ground than we ever could have on foot.

Omar and Ali are well versed in the area and topography, nimbly climbing rock faces and leading our horses up craggy paths and across rocky ledges.  Something about the sure-footedness of both our guides and horses made me completely at ease, despite the imposing heights and treacherous terrain.

Visiting with the Bedouin

After riding for an hour or so, we reach a cave where two Bedouin women eagerly wave us over.  Inside we met Sunna, “sunshine” in Arabic, and her companion, Amira. The cave is cut from  a large rock formation and is no more than 150 square feet.  Part store, part home, this is where Sunna and Amira cook, sleep, eat, mingle with tourists and sell their wares.  Sunna’s command of the English language is impressive, something she attributes to the hours spent conversing with her visitors.

We are invited to sit and immediately offered hot tea—delicious and very sweet.  Bedouins are known for their hospitality, and we see that first hand as Sunna,  who appears to have very little in the way of resources, will not take no for an answer as she offers more tea.

Still single, Sunna is hoping to meet a husband someday soon and have children.  (When she finds out that I don’t have any children of my own, she tells me it’s not too late!)

Sunna and Amira split their time between the cave and a tent home in a village several hours away by foot.  They travel back and forth, earning money by selling goods to visitors like us.

In addition to her language skills, Sunna is a great salesperson.  She shows me the pieces of jewelry and fabrics she has brought from her village, and I find myself leaving with a “shemagh” – one of the red and white scarves worn by Bedouins to protect from the sun and sand.

We thoroughly enjoy our time with Sunna and Amira.  The Bedouins may have little in some respects, but they are rich in personality and kindness.

A View from the Top

We return to Omar, Ali and our horses and resume our ride over more rocky, craggy and steep terrain.  Eventually, we reach a point where the horses can go no further.  Ali takes the horses back the way we came, and Omar, Neil and I proceed on foot, scrambling up rock faces (not technical, but steep and high!).  We are on our way to what Omar says is the “best view in all of Petra.”  Sure enough, we find ourselves at the top of the Treasury, looking at the amazing façade dug into the rock face.

Omar encourages us to sit on a rug positioned at the very edge of the cliff.  Seriously, the very edge of the very steep cliff.  Saying “no” isn’t an option, so we cautiously lower ourselves to the ground.  Yikes.  Omar encourages us to move closer and closer to the edge.  We glue ourselves to the spot and wait anxiously as he takes the perfect Instagram shots.  As promised, the pictures are incredible.

We stop to pay our respects to the Bedouin sitting in the tent nearby.  He’s in charge of the magic carpet set up for photo ops, so we leave him a small tip.

We bid farewell to Omar and make our way down steep stairs and boulders to ground level.  Here we are greeted by a sea of local guides, tourists, camels, donkeys and more horses.  Seeing the Treasury up close was stunning, but having just viewed it from above made it even more magical.

Exiting through the Siq – a narrow gorge that resembles a slot canyon which connects the Treasury, the Royal Tombs and other significant parts of the Petra Archaeological Park – we marvel at the beauty of this formation.  The Siq was created as the result of an earthquake eons ago (literally)  that formed a long, colorful path.  Most people enter Petra this way.  As we exit, we see many locals offering horse, camel or donkey rides.  Because of the crowds and the presumably flatter terrain that we would have covered with one of these guides, we’re glad that Rami arranged our special horseback adventure…  challenging, a little scary but so exhilarating!

We exit the Park, completely exhausted from our combo hike/ horseback workout but fired up by the day we spent climbing, riding, learning and doing!

A Feast to Remember in Wadi Musa

We meet up with Rami who sends us to a local spot for a late lunch.  The Jordan Heart Restaurant is just up the street from the Petra Visitor Center.  We have worked up quite an appetite and are excited to sample the local cuisine.

We dig into creamy hummus, warm pita and fresh tabouli to start.  I have a delicious vegetable tagine.  Neil takes the chef’s recommendation and tries a mixed grill dish.  The food and service are superb –  easily the best we had in Jordan.  We end the meal with hot mint tea and leave satisfied, promising to return on our next visit.

Spices, Scarves & Souvenirs

Rami had advised us to skip the crowded shops in Petra and Wadi Musa, promising to take us to the place to buy souvenirs.  We stop at the Desert Castle Bazaar – think giant emporium full of beautiful fabrics, furniture, sculptures, spices and other  local finds.  While a bit on the touristy side, we enjoy browsing through the aisles of unique items.  The workers are incredibly helpful and friendly, giving detailed explanations of the significance of the local goods. We walk away with several gifts and a few decorative items.

Rami drives us the hour plus back to the Wadi Rum village where we load into one of the waiting pickups to take us back to the camp.  The sun is just starting to set, and our drive across the desert is beautiful.  We see nothing but broad stretches of sand, a few shepherds leading their camels, and 4x4s cris-crossing the desert taking other travelers back to their camps.  It’s truly breathtaking.  And we still have one more night…

Click here for Part 3– a surprise celebration, a sunrise camel ride and final reflections on Jordan.