As a group we had our first big trip this last weekend, directly after Trumpets. We caught a cab to Abdali bus station, and (so it seemed) the mini-bus was waiting for us, we all climbed on, and the bus immediately headed out. 5JD and 3 hours later we were deposited right in front of our "hotel" Musa Springs Hotel. We got quite the deal 10JD a night for a single, 12.50JD for a double, with a shared bathroom. It wasn't worth it, we just avoided the bathrooms as much as possible for the 2.5 days we were there. The first day we were there we took a little stroll down the hill bought a hat, and then back to the hotel for a few minutes. We decided to go up into the hills around Wadi Musa (which means the Valley of Moses--legend has it that the rock Moses struck to get water is there... and that the same spring still runs through the town). Going up into the hills we decided to climb a little mountain. It was a beautiful view with the valley, and then Petra in the distance. We took lots of pictures and spent some time reading. We then decided it would be an excellent idea to go even higher up the mountain, and it was, until we had to come back down the mountain. Tine and I had a bit of an emotional moment, not sure that we could make it down (loose rocks and steep incline aren't a good mix). It all turned out okay in the end, we made it down safely, and a little braver for it too, of course Zach and Lewis were totally in control the whole time, without a hint of worry, Zach guided Emily and Tine straight down, and Lewis and I took a more circuitous route, but we made it safely. Pretty hot, and a little tired we headed back to the hotel, and then back down the hill towards town for food. As we were making the trek a truck pulled up alongside us and asked if we would like a lift to town, we said, sure. We had heard of people hitching a ride pretty regularly in Jordan, and particularly in the Wadis so we thought alright, no big deal. After we got in he asked where in town we wanted to go, and we just said we were going to eat dinner, so just in town, but then he kept driving, and told us he would take us to little Petra first (it would only take a couple of hours) and then he would bring us into town for dinner. He took us pretty far out of town before we convinced him that we really wanted to go back to town to eat, but we finally made it and he took us to a nice (but a little too expensive) restaurant. After dinner we walked back to the hotel to rest up before our full day in Petra.
We got an early start for breakfast and into Petra for the day (around 6am). Since us girls had our residency cards already and the boys hadn't gotten theirs yet we tried to buy the tickets into Petra (for foreigners its 21JD, for Jordanians 1JD). The man didn't want to give all 5 tickets for that price, but Lewis and Zach were very convincing and we all got in for 5JD. When we first got in the gates it was pretty mundane, just a big gravel lane with rocks on either side. There were a couple of carvings here and there, but nothing overly impressive, until, of course, we made it to the Siq (pronounced sick). Words can't really describe how beautiful and awesome this place is. Most of the time we walked around with mouths hanging opening taking pictures of everything. As you get towards the end of the Siq you see just a hint of the treasury through the rocks, its a very pretty sight. And then the siq opens up into a clearing where the treasury is and there are camels and donkeys and people everywhere. Emily got to pet a camel, and later in the day I got to ride a donkey. We got to have to tea with a Bedouin woman and her children, and then we started the ridiculous trek up to the monastery. Basically you climb this mountain dodging donkeys and their "remnants" as you go. At the top of this mountain is another huge carving called the monastery. It was totally worth the effort, and heading back down was much easier. All in all it was a wonderful, and exhausting day, and we can't wait to head back again very soon. The first picture is of Wadi Musa from the mountain we climbed, the second is of Emily and Tine sitting on the rock that Moses reportedly struck to get water for the Israelites. The next picture is of Wadi Musa, and Lew and Zach in the Siq in Petra. The next picture is the Treasury peaking through in the Siq, the Treasury in full view, and Emily petting a camel (look how happy she is!!!). The next picture is of me climbing a wall to see the "lions den", and finally a picture of the Monastery, the two tiny little people in the doorway are Emily and Tine.
We got an early start for breakfast and into Petra for the day (around 6am). Since us girls had our residency cards already and the boys hadn't gotten theirs yet we tried to buy the tickets into Petra (for foreigners its 21JD, for Jordanians 1JD). The man didn't want to give all 5 tickets for that price, but Lewis and Zach were very convincing and we all got in for 5JD. When we first got in the gates it was pretty mundane, just a big gravel lane with rocks on either side. There were a couple of carvings here and there, but nothing overly impressive, until, of course, we made it to the Siq (pronounced sick). Words can't really describe how beautiful and awesome this place is. Most of the time we walked around with mouths hanging opening taking pictures of everything. As you get towards the end of the Siq you see just a hint of the treasury through the rocks, its a very pretty sight. And then the siq opens up into a clearing where the treasury is and there are camels and donkeys and people everywhere. Emily got to pet a camel, and later in the day I got to ride a donkey. We got to have to tea with a Bedouin woman and her children, and then we started the ridiculous trek up to the monastery. Basically you climb this mountain dodging donkeys and their "remnants" as you go. At the top of this mountain is another huge carving called the monastery. It was totally worth the effort, and heading back down was much easier. All in all it was a wonderful, and exhausting day, and we can't wait to head back again very soon. The first picture is of Wadi Musa from the mountain we climbed, the second is of Emily and Tine sitting on the rock that Moses reportedly struck to get water for the Israelites. The next picture is of Wadi Musa, and Lew and Zach in the Siq in Petra. The next picture is the Treasury peaking through in the Siq, the Treasury in full view, and Emily petting a camel (look how happy she is!!!). The next picture is of me climbing a wall to see the "lions den", and finally a picture of the Monastery, the two tiny little people in the doorway are Emily and Tine.
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