Petra revealed!
After four days of extensive empirical research, I am now ready to reveal all about Petra! In my capacity as prophet Kati (no relation to prophet Muhammed, unlike the king of Jordan, who is a direct descendant), I hereby pronounce the Book of Petra: the good, the bad and the ugly:
The stones - thumbs up
Been there in the previous entry. Still impressed!
Donkeys - thumbs up
Donkeys get the thumbs up despite the fact that the smell of donkey shit is pungently present rather too often and it is ill advised to jump in any puddle you see, since the only puddles come from donkeys. However donkeys are a vital part of the lively hustle of activity in Petra. I've never actually seen them in action to this extent before and it's rather impressive! The Beduines canter around on their noble steeds (donkeys) offering taxi rides (= donkey rides) to the high places or just going round their everyday business. Donkeys are such an integral part of the Beduines' public transport system here, that locals will casually say that "such-and-such place is not far, only 20 minutes by donkey".
Donkeys get the thumbs up despite the fact that the smell of donkey shit is pungently present rather too often and it is ill advised to jump in any puddle you see, since the only puddles come from donkeys. However donkeys are a vital part of the lively hustle of activity in Petra. I've never actually seen them in action to this extent before and it's rather impressive! The Beduines canter around on their noble steeds (donkeys) offering taxi rides (= donkey rides) to the high places or just going round their everyday business. Donkeys are such an integral part of the Beduines' public transport system here, that locals will casually say that "such-and-such place is not far, only 20 minutes by donkey".
Beduines - thumbs down
Sorry folks, but the Beduines in Petra have been thoroughly doused in mass tourism and the famous Beduine hospitality has become a "let's give this tourist a cup of tea, so she will be forced to a) buy our necklaces b) ride our donkey". Every smile I got had a price tag and that's just sad! Also children about 5 years old by the look of them already knew one sentence in English: "give me biscuit!". After "wanna ride donkey?" this was the most commonly heard single sentence in Petra.
Admittedly some of the young Beduine men do look like Rudolph Valentino, with their fine, hawk-like features and their superb horsemanship (or in this case donkeymanship). But the price tag of their smile is quickly revealed as they tell you that there are in fact no fewer than 40 tourist women, who are married to Petra Beduines! (No statistic was every given as to how many tourist men were married to Petra Beduine ladies - I suspect a resounding zero). Their suggestive gaze gave me a distinct impression that I too could join that elite core of tourist women and be lucky number 41 !
The siq - thumbs up
A thing of beauty and of joy! The siq is a 1200 meter long natural fissure born when tectonic forces rent apart a single block of stone. It is only 2 meters wide at the narrowest points and soars up to 200 meters high. Walking through the siq on your own is a spooky and wonderful experience. When horses (or donkeys) approach the clatter of their hoofs creates an eery echo in the narrow passageway. The proportions of the siq are visible in this photo. The two little dots at the end are indeed two fellow travelers.
High Places of Sacrifice - thumbs up
There are several high places of sacrifice in Petra - mountain tops with sacrificial places for animal sacrifice carved into them. The pussycat in this photo (sideways for some reason) was obviously willing to offer herself for a good cause, since she just couldn't get enough of the sacrificial bowl. However, in the end the only thing that got sacrificed was half my meagre lunch and some water for the pussycat. The climbs are steep, my leg muscles are now in excellent shape, but the views are just splendid! The mountains of Petra are a big part of the attraction.
The stones - thumbs up
Been there in the previous entry. Still impressed!
The stairs - thumbs up
Having just gone up and down thousands - and thousands - of staris in the last four days, you'd think I'd be sick of the things by now. However, I give Petra stairs the thumbs up. Some are just normal stairs built in the last few decades to facilitate getting around, but often there are stretches, which are the original steps of the Nabataeans - over 2000 years old, weather beaten and just plain beautiful!
The rest of Petra - thumbs up
This more or less covers the toms, the theatre, the temples and such. But since you all have seen the photos and watched the movies, I guess a general thumbs up about covers it. For anyone needing more specific information, I have about 2000 pictures to show.
Petra is great. It truly is.
However I am looking forward to a few days of snorkeling by the Red Sea and relaxing at the beach after my epic hikes and step reebok stairclimbing sessions! Party on!
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