Petra & Turkish Bath

Today we spent 8 hours at Petra, and walked about 18 km. It was extremely windy much of the time but not too hot. We walked along an old roadway that went through a slot canyon with much the same colors in the rocks as is found in some American national parks such as Zion, Capital Reef and Arches. Suddenly it opened up to a magnificent Temple entrance carved into the sheer rock face. Continuing on, there are many palaces, buildings, tombs and a Colosseum. Most of the group climbed up the 800 stairs to the monastery. It was a very long climb on the uneven stairs and pathways carved into the side of the mountain, and donkeys carried a few people up. The Monastery was spectacular, and the viewpoint beyond it revealed rugged dry mountains beyond the deep valley. Returning to the bus proved to be a long slow climb up hill and we were very tired! A perfect recovery was the 75 minute Turkish Bath which included a steam bath, scrub down, and massage.Read more