Cross it off the list.

And here’s the post I’ve been avoiding. Ever since I met Molly, she’s been talking about going to Petra. After she gave me just the briefest description, I was in. Having adopted Molly’s most desirable travel location as my own, it was only a matter of time. We both knew that before our time was up in Abu Dhabi, we had to go. You see? Visiting Petra was both a lifetime goal and a friendship goal… a simple blog post could never do it justice. But I’ll try.

We headed towards the entrance of Petra bright and early. It’s was windy and cold and just a bit miserable. Thank goodness we had the site of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to look forward to!

As you enter the ancient city, you walk down the Siq. Sandstone cliffs stand 150 meters above you. At times the opening between the rocks (created by a tectonic split in the rock) is only 2 meters wide. I’d imagine this would be a very special experience in the absence of other tourists and the stinky horse drawn carriages. As you near the end of the over 1 kilometer long entrance, you get a little glimpse of what lies ahead.

There she is, the Treasury. The Treasury is the most photographed and best preserved of all the monuments in Petra. It stands several stories high and was carved out of the rock.

The Treasury is impressive. However, I must admit… a lot of my personal excitement at this moment was due to this little guy:

Next up was a somewhat strenuous hike to the High Place of Sacrifice. The ancient Nabataeans performed important rituals here.

The hike back down led us past some other temples and sights that I suspect receive much less attention from visitors. Then we headed out to a few more popular ones.

We made it as far as the Colonnaded Street before feeling like we were ready to save the rest for the next day.

Would it be inappropriate to mention that at this point Molly had a bit of a love connection? I could barely pull her away from this guy:

After our first day exploring Petra, we deserved some fancy ice cream.

xo, jill

“Muslim???”

On our drive from the Dead Sea to Petra we stopped at Karak. The main feature of the town is the large crusader castle perched on the hill. In 7th grade my Word History teacher told us about a trip she took (was hoping to take?) that follows the Crusaders’ path from Europe into the Middle East. At the time, I thought that was a really weird trip to want to take. Follow in the footsteps of those who killed a whole lot of people? Now, having visited a crusader castle, I still think it’s a bit odd for a vacation.

From a historical perspective, it certainly is interesting to consider how the crusaders’ managed to get all the way to the Middle East… and with enough energy left over to build castles. But wanting to spend my holiday reenacting the trek (without the holy war, I presume)… not so much.

This is also where many local people mistook me for a Muslim. Prior to leaving the Dead Sea I wrapped my scarf around my head to protect from flies. It was still up when we parked in Karak in front of a local restaurant. (It’s kind of a fun style, ok?) The men sitting about took in my ankle length skirt, my wrist length cardigan, and the sheila covering my head. Of course they asked if I was a Muslim. Oh boy. Awkward. Then I felt like I had to keep it on. So I did. Later at the castle a group of teenage girls very excitedly called out, “Muslim??? Muslim?!” It’s a good thing I don’t speak English and couldn’t understand their question. Lesson learned.*

*Just to be clear, I don’t mind anyone thinking I might be Muslim. The embarrassment came from the possibility of people thinking I was trying to impersonate, or even worse, mock Muslim women.

xo, jill

We couldn’t resist.

After our hike, we were invited to return to the chalets for one last little dip in the Dead Sea. It’s such a novelty to float along…we couldn’t resist.

The salt deposits cover everything and are a bit sharp to walk over.

Molly wanted a little taste.

xo, jill

PS: I hear if you spend enough time together, you’ll eventually start to match. Hence, the purple.

Will we see one???

We woke up in the morning and were able to explore the grounds of the Wadi Mujib Chalets in daylight. Wow! What a place. We were right on the edge of the Dead Sea in our own little “chalet” complete with two hammocks.

Having heard wonderful things about Wadi Mujib, we knew we wanted to do some hiking here. Unfortunately, only one trail was open during the winter season… and it wasn’t the big wow-er.

All in all, the Ibex Trail hike was a pleasant uphill climb despite the flies. As we neared the crest we saw an ibex mother in the distance with her baby. Then, we reached the viewpoint.

Taking the trail that goes inside the wadi is still on my list of things to do!

xo, jill

…on Christmas Day!

After leaving Madaba, we took the scenic route to the Dead Sea. I’m quite proud of myself for keeping the car on the windy road when all I really wanted to do was stare at the gorgeous scenery. We stopped at the Dead Sea Overlook Visitor’s Center. We weren’t able to see over into Israel due to haze, but the exhibit provided some interesting information.

Another short drive and we arrived at the public beach. Because the sea is so salty, jumping in on the side of the road is not an option. You for sure need a good shower when you’re done.

After reading the instructions, we were ready to swim… or eh, float.

What a novelty to be floating in the Dead Sea on Christmas Day. Not to mention being treated to the famous Miss Molly’s “Jingle Bells” synchronized swimming routine. Now that’s a gift.

After our swim we talked our way into the business center at the Movenpick hotel. We had families at home who needed some Christmas well-wishes! Despite technical difficulties, we were able to make contact! Connecting with your family from afar on holidays is extra special.

As it had gotten quite late, we needed to continue down the road to our chalet for the evening. Navigating in the day in Jordan is difficult. Navigating in the night in Jordan is next to impossible. This is why we had a police escort (one in the passenger seat and a jeep full leading) to get us there. Special thanks to Molly for that one.

We had a little sparkly toast to recognize the day and hit the sheets.

xo, jill

or Driving in Circles.

Our second day in Jordan we climbed back in the rental car and headed in the direction of the Dead Sea. Our first stop? Mount Nebo. It was on this site that Moses viewed the promised land. On this day, we viewed brown hills and a lot haze.

The church at the top is currently undergoing restoration so there wasn’t much else to explore. Back in the car.

Next stop? Madaba.

Madaba, oh Madaba, your streets and signage are so irritating. It was quite the hunt for the Tourist Authority in Madaba. The streets were narrow. The signs were inconsistent. The map was backwards. The driver was annoyed. Molly was persistent. Just as we were about to forget our plans and head out of town, we found it. Hamdililah!

And we stayed approximately 5 minutes before walking down to a nearby church. In the floor of the church is a 6th century mosaic map of Jerusalem.

After a pizza lunch, we hopped back in the car. I’d say our time driving around the city was nearly equal to the time spent at the sights.

Oh, Madaba.

xo, jill