Petra

Petra, Jordan


Tomb in the Siq
Sign describing the Siq
In the Siq - note Roman built road
First glimpse of the "Treasury Building"
"Treasury Building" famous from "Indian Jones and the Last Crusader"
Note the three "nobleman" and the large crowds
Sign describing site
View down the road
Another tomb that is similar to the "Treasury"
Note the fascinating colors in the rocks. These colors are completely natural
Point to the stairs carved in the rocks
I couldn't figure out if this is a natural rock formation or if it was carved.

18 March 2008

We left for Petra at about 8:30 AM. Our guide suggested that we walk if at all possible. The carts are very bumpy and the horses or donkeys can’t take you very far especially for what they charge. For the most part Petra hasn’t changed since I was here in 1997. The “Treasury” which is actually a tomb which was later used as a temple is as striking as ever. Our guide was significantly better than the guide that I had then. Unfortunately Montezuma’s revenge had struck me and I was constantly seeking bathrooms. Apparently there are only two bathrooms available for public use; one near the Roman Theatre and the other near the restaurant at the end of the excavated area. According to our guide, only about 9 percent of Petra has been excavated. On the way back instead of seeing the Roman built street with columns, I elected to climb to the higher point and see the relatively newly excavated Byzantium Church. It has some marvelous mosaics. An awning has been constructed to protect the Mosaics. This awning has been paid for by the U. S. government. Another entity that may not have been visible when I was in Petra in ’97 was a temple dedicated to either Zeus or Jupiter. I think I made the correct choice in seeing the mosaics in the Byzantium church.

Some of the colors in the rocks are fantastic. They look different when you leave than when you enter. To the right of the “Treasury”, there is a rock that appears to be cantilevered out from the rock wall. The question in my mind is this a natural phenomenon or is it man-made?

Walking back was a real effort. I don’t know whether the problem was that I am not in very good shape or the effects of Montezuma’s revenge. I had to stop multiple times, BUT I made it.

After I got back to the hotel, I take a nice hot shower and a nap. I had planned to wake up at about 5:30 PM since we were scheduled to leave for the restaurant at about 6:00 PM. Unfortunately I woke up at about 5:55 PM and just about had to jump into my clothes. The restaurant was interesting in that we participated in the cooking. I was just too tired. The food was excellent and as we left, they gave us the recipes for what had been cooked.

As soon as I got back to the hotel, I forced myself to upload my pictures and then fell asleep.

Saint Catherine's Monastery

Arriving at St Catherine's Monastery Airport
Note compass directions on floor are in Hebrew

On the road heading to St Catherine's monastery
Couldn't figure out what the woman is doing on the hill
"Burning Bush" next to me
Above entry to Church
Shot into church. Picture taking in church was forbidden
Monastery Bell Tower
"Burning Bush" is above me
"Burning Bush" above me
"Burning Bush" again
Heading down the hill
Map of area
Decorations in front of Motel where we had lunch

St Catherine’s Monastery and on to Jordan

17 March 2008

I managed to get my luggage out by 5:00 AM and was down to breakfast by 5:30 AM. We left the hotel in the ball park of 6:00 AM and headed for Cairo airport for our 8:00 AM departure. We flew to St Catherine’s. The airport had apparently been built when Israel controlled the Sinai. The floor of the terminal building had the compass directions in Hebrew. We arrived at the monastery at about 10:00 AM. Visiting the monastery was interesting. We saw what was claimed to be the well where Jethro’s daughter offered Moses water. We saw the church itself with a silver casket which it is claimed contains relics of St Catherine. We also saw the bush that is claimed to be the burning bush that Moses saw. It may or may not be the actual bush, but it is probably the same species. We also saw the museum which contains many ancient manuscripts. We also saw where the bones of the monks who had died at the monastery. I found it slightly repulsive. In one section, they have all the skulls and in another section, they have the other bones. I bought something in the monastery for Brydie.

We went to a restaurant which was Anwar Sadat’s favorite rest spot. We had a pleasant lunch. I was impressed with the hotel. The cabins were constructed of the native Sinai stone. From the restaurant, we headed back to the airport where I noticed a line indicating the direction to Eliat and another line indicating the direction to Jerusalem.

The flight to Aqaba went faster than expected. It was about a two hour drive to our hotel. I’m quite please with my room. I spent $10 for an hour of internet time and shocked myself by using it all up. I showered and then went down to dinner. The dining room was quite crowded. We were informed that the hotel was so full that Bill couldn’t stay here.

Tomorrow, we are scheduled to leave for Petra at 8:30 AM.

PETRA Video Clips

St Catherine's Monastery Video Clips