Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Country

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008


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Where I stayed
Mussa Springs Hotel
(Petra hotels)

Flag of Jordan  ,
Monday, September 22, 2008

On arriving in Petra at our out-of-town budget hotel, selected primarily due to the advertised 'laundry facilities', we discovered that there were no self-use facilities and instead there was a laundry service (cost per item).  Now I have mentioned earlier that Ben is pretty particular about not paying large amounts of money for something he can easily do himself, and this was the final straw.  Ben had what he referred to as a "lack of laundry inspired meltdown", which I equated to a bout of homesickness.  He was also fed up with being in the desert, and I must say it has got to the point that no matter if I have even 2 showers a day, I still feel dry and dirty.  After a little bit of hand washing, we headed out to Petra by Night - here you walk through the long narrow passageway of the Siq, with candles lighting the way, and finally it opens up into the area in front of the Treasury.  Here you sit and have tea and listen to some traditional music and a story, while having a cup of tea, all very peaceful and delightful out under the stars by candlelight.
 
The following day, we headed back to explore Petra by day The Siq (long, narrow entranceway)
The Siq (long, narrow entranceway)
 .  The entry to this amazing site, via the 1.3 km long siq, is just amazing.  You walk along the narrow passage between towering rock walls, going around bend after bend, until finally you catch your first glimpse of the Treasury, which soon reveals itself in its full splendour.   You should all have seen this impressive site yourself, courtesy of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!  And this is just the beginning of a huge site, full of tombs, a colonnaded passage, temple, monastery etc.  The hike to the monastery is a 1hr hike up 800+ stairs, but well worth it for the sense of achievement and to have a look at the monastery.  If it all seems like just too much hard work, you can of course hire a donkey to take you up there in about a third of that time.  Despite my swollen, bruised foot, we did the walk (having taken the incredibly uncomfortable horse and carriage through the siq that morning and saved ourselves over a km walking).  We did it early on before it got too hot, and at that stage, it really wasn't too bad.  It is only the heat that takes it out of you later in the day.
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