Jabal al Madhbaḩ

Today's blog is named after the storm that swept through the area. We were definitely appreciative of the slight cloud cover and minor drop in temperature, especially as it reached 44C (!) as we made our way along the bottom of the Dead Sea Highway before finally climbing UP to sea level(!!).

You enter Petra through The Siq (canyon), and as you slowly descend the walls quickly come together leaving a small slither between the faces. Surprisingly it was created by tectonic movement, not water erosion as you'd expect.

Then suddenly through the narrow fissure you see the amazing carving of the Treasary. You can see how excited Jo is from the photos!

The canyon then widens and you go past carving after carving. We took a side route off past the royal tombs and climbed up to the top of the canyon for some impressive views. After rejoining the main street we then climbed the 850 steps up to The Monastery, possibly a more impressive building (sorry carving!) although not in such a picturesque setting.

The walk out was some 9km or so from the far end, and we eventually emerged thirsty, dusty but utterly elated after crossing off something that's been on the bucket list a long time!Läs mer