Al’s Saudi Adventure

I am incredibly grateful for the many opportunities that my stint in Saudi Arabia is going to give Joan, Scarlett, Frankie and myself in the future, what I am also grateful for is the opportunities it is giving me to see things I have only ever dreamed about seeing, and Petra certainly falls into that category .

Joan and I had always talked about going to Petra while we were in London but for one reason or another it never actually happened. So when my colleague Satie suggested a long weekend in Jordan with a trip to Petra at the centre of that trip I could not say no.

We set off Thursday after work and after 7 long hours on the road we crossed the border into Jordan and headed to Aqaba, our base for the next 2 nights. After a much needed sleep and breakfast we were off the next morning on the 2 hour drive to the word renowned, UNESCO heritage site Petra.

After parking at the visitor centre we were approached by a tour guide who offered to take us 20 mins up the road to another of the 3 entry points into Petra, a place called Little Petra - from here we would be dropped off at the start of a trail and hike 90 minutes to the Monastery, the site furthest from the visitor centre and then walk our way back to the car over the course of the day. To be honest I wasn't completely convinced this was the right thing to do at the time, but after our day spent with our amazing tour guide Moath, an official government tour guide, it was 100% the right call and the absolute best way to see all the main sites, plus a good few more that weren't on the main trails. I cant recommend getting a guide highly enough - and for 150 JOD between 4 of us it was really good value too.

The hike up to the Monastery was a good walk, lots of stairs and climbing along the way but given it wasnt too hot yet in April was very manageable - getting a donkey to take you up there is also a good option if you visit and aren't that keen on lots of climbing and hiking.

Getting my first proper glimpse of the Monastery was quite something, I couldn't believe I was there looking at an ancient site that I had only ever seen in movies such as Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade before, it actually made me a bit teary - as I said in some part because I was seeing something I never thought I was going to see but mainly because it made me sad that I didn't have Joan by my side, we have always done these type of bucket list things together and I felt a very long way from Maraetai at that point in time.

After some much needed refreshments we were on our way again walking down the thousands of steps back down to the main valley floor passing some of the most beautiful red sandstone formations you would ever hope to see, past local craftswomen all selling their various trinkets and souvenirs and other things on the way. We also started to see more of the caves, tombs and other rooms carved into the sandstone which were just mind blowing to see. When we picked our tour guide we chose to take the high path tour, which did cost a little bit more, but also meant we got to see some sites many people who visit and stay on the main trail don't get to see, including a number of different temples and churches from the various ages and eras that inhabited Petra - from ancient Nabatean temples to slightly more modern Byzantine churches and everything in between, but the highlight of the high path was going up to the Royal Tombs, and incredible structure carved into the sandstone where a number of the Nabatean rulers were entombed - words fail to do this place justice, but the scale of the place coupled with the age of it just scrambled my brain.

From the high path we also got the most incredible views of the colonnaded avenue, some enormous temple sites, a beautifully preserved amphitheatre, and dozens of intricately carved burial tombs and shrines. It really was quite incredible.

After another short walk up through the valley we got to a point where Moath told us to trust him and to look at the ground and follow him - we walked into what seemed like a clearing in the rock formation and around a corner into what felt like a very closed in quite tight crevass in the rock, which was clearly part of the trail though. He asked us to look up and look at him while he gave us a history lesson on how Petra used to be a centre where traders used to gather and trade before continuing on their ways in their caravans, he also explained how Petra was quite unusual at the time as the Nabateans traded with anyone so everyone was welcome in Petra and there was never usually any trouble. After this history lesson he told us how people would make their way down through the sandstone valley until they reached this point, when they knew they had arrived - he then told us to turn around and we were greeted by the most incredible sight - our first glimpse of the Treasury building through the rock formation ... without a doubt one of the most jaw dropping sites I have ever had the privelege of seeing with my own eyes.

The Treasury is the part of Petra that you see in all the tourist promotional material, but no matter how many times you see a picture of it, nothing really prepares you for seeing it in person for the first time. Truly one of the most majestic, beautiful buildings I have ever seen. The fact that it was carved out of the sandstone just makes it even more amazing. We spent a good 45 mins or so as the light of the day was fading exploring this part of the valley and for me, I just spent lots of time standing marveling at it. We had certainly saved the best until last.

Something that I will never forget and can not wait to bring Joan and the girls to one day so they can experience it too.

After making our way back up and out of the valley and clocking an impressive 25,000 steps for the day we were all knackered and then had to drive the 2 hours back to Aqaba. If we had known what we now known we would have stayed in Petra that night.

After a much needed dinner back in Aqaba we rounded the night off at a bar enjoying just about the most hard earned beers of my life.

An all timer of a day.Lue lisää