Remember this scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? (with Sean Connery and Harrison Ford)It was shot at the ancient city of Petra, the next UNESCO World Heritage Site on our route and (at least since the movie came out) probably Jordan's #1 tourist attraction.
So...
Spot the differences!Spoiler alert: there's actually no temple and no holy grail inside. :-)
Not as expensive as it sounds: for the 2h drive, we paid 40 Jordanian Dinar (about $55), including some nice scenic stops on the way.
Entering Petra, after a short horse ride ...
... we arrived at the Siq, an amazing one-mile long canyon.
The Siq leads to Petra's most famous building, Al Khazneh (the Treasury).
From here on, the options were walking (as we did on day 1) or board a camel, as we did on day 2...
... to see more ancient tombs ....
... and donkeys (insert obvious joke).
Another highlight was the Monastery (Al Dier) - getting up here required climbing a flight of over 800 stairs.If you think it looks vaguely familiar, you are right! It's a simplified version of The Treasury.
Unfortunately, it was now time to say goodbye to Angela -
she had to head back to Seattle to work. :(
We got on a bus to Jordan's capital, Amman, to explore Jordanian city life. Overall impression: an interesting mix of traditional Arabic and modern western styles and people. Brand-new shopping malls next to traditional neighborhoods.
A short hike up from our guesthouse: the view from Jabal al-Qal'a, a.k.a. the Amman Citadel.
Notice how all the houses in the city look similar? They generally use the same kind of sand-colored stones, giving the city a uniform look.
Hercules' temple (or what's left of it) is the main attraction on the Citadel grounds.
Time for some nourishment: hummus, falafel, and beans with bread at Hashim - a very affordable yet famous eatery in town. And afterwards: coffee and people-spotting at the Jafra Café.
Next up: insane temperatures in Dubai. Stay tuned...
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