Petra

The next day, we left for Petra.   On the way, we toured Little Petra for a taste of what we would see when we visited the holy city of Petra. Little Petra was used as a resting place for the caravans that travelled from the Far East to Europe.

snow left two weeks after it fell

Petra cannot be seen from the road.  It is hidden in the canyons.

Little Petra

We got up early to visit the holy city of Petra. We would spend most of the day climbing up to the top of three high points--each high point included anywhere from 650 to 850 steps to the top.  We even got a view from above  the Treasury,  the most recognizable carved building in Petra.

Top of a column at the Treasury

The Treasury

Looking at the Treasury from above

It is a long way down 

Lion Fountain

Garden Temple

Roman soldier's tomb

Interior of the Roman soldier's tomb.  You could put two or three of our houses inside this tomb.

Monastery

Pieces of the Great Roman Temple

Great Roman Temple

Mosaic Floor of a Christian Church

Silk Tomb--the exterior is so smooth it looks like silk

They carved two waterways on opposite sides of the canyon.  The lower one brought in water for general use.  The second waterway was up higher on the opposite wall and was hidden.  This hidden channel carried drinking water.

Waterway carved in the walls of the canyon

Leaving the Holy city of Petra

After an exciting and exhausting day, we collapsed into bed to dream of floating in the Dead Sea.

Aqaba

Behind bars at the ferry terminal

We left Egypt by ferry from Nuweiba down the the Gulf of Aqaba to the city of Aqaba. We were met by Ayman, our guide for Jordan.  This is the same port that was taken by Lawrence of Arabia with the help of the Arabs. This is a duty free zone city. Jordan is clean compared to Egypt.

Saudi Arabia

We left for the Wadi Rhum (means valley of the unconnected mountains) for a tour in the desert. Using four-wheel drive trucks, we toured natural bridges, petroglyphs, and stopped for tea at a Bedouin camp.

Sand angels

How high can you jump?

Petroglyphs

Afternoon tea in a Bedouin Tent

Well used to collect water off the rocks by chipping channels in the rock to divert the water runoff towards the well

Camel tracks 

Later in the afternoon, we arrived at a Bedouin camp for supper and to spend the night. That evening, we went for a moonlit walk out in the desert to look at the stars and enjoy tea.  We gathered wood for the fire and got the fire going.  Our guide then boiled up the water and made tea.  It was peaceful sitting under a rocky outcrop watching the sky, drinking tea, and listening to stories from our guide and our fellow travellers.  Back at the camp, some of our fellow travellers slept by the fire, and the rest of us slept in tents snuggled under heavy blankets and quilts.

The same railway blown up by Laurence of Arabia

Flatbed rail car probably used in a movie with two machine gun supports and sandbags for protection

The steam engine was tarped

David and I decided we would like to come back to Wadi Rhum, and spend more time exploring and camping in the desert. Tomorrow we drive to Petra. We leave an area all of us found profound.