Visit to Petra as part of the Viking Cruises Extension to Jordan

Viking Jordan Extension Petra. Continuing our day-by-day extended review of this Jordan extension to the Viking pharaohs and pyramids Nile cruise, we have reached the highlight of our days in Jordan, Petra. We had arrived the evening before at the Mövenpick Hotel right by the entrance to the Petra site and had another impressive buffet dinner and breakfast at the hotel to fortify us before the adventure ahead. The map at the entrance to the site gives you an idea of what to expect. The small scale in the bottom right is of one kilometre and we are going to walk from the middle right at the entrance all the way to the where the colonnaded street ends. Then although it shows a shuttle just above there, it actually turned out to be about a mile up the road and of course there is the optional extra of a hike up the trail to the monastery. I think I walked almost 10 miles that day and there were 800 steps on the trail to the monastery. So be prepared with good hiking shoes and as much energy as you can muster. Tomorrow you can rest. The walk to Petra itself is long but relatively smooth and downhill. Our guide stopped in the shade from time to time to explain more about what we were seeing, sometimes with drawings in the sand. In this first open section of the hike there are tombs carved out of the rocks as we make our way towards the Seek, the main canyon to Petra. There is a section of the road for horses and donkeys so you can take a ride if you want. Very few did so at this stage of the day though. The entrance to the Seek is heavily guarded or at least it would have been. This long canyon was formed by water eroding the rocks. Petra was on the main camel routes through the middle east and it is thought was an important stopping point for water supplies and for trading and tolls were paid to continue along the route towards the far east. The tombs carved from the rock itself were a memorial for their leaders and also a very impressive sign of wealth and power for the traders passing through. The Seek is a narrow gorge very much like slot canyons in the deserts of the USA. The walls can be up to 600 feet high and as narrow as 10 feet in places. Wherever you look the rock faces are jagged and dramatic and would have been very impressive to the camel trains making their way down this narrow track to the city. After what seemed like an endless walk our guide finally turned and drew our attention to something behind us and then had us turn back to the trail to see this magnificent and surprising view. There were more people milling around the treasury and there is also a small stall selling refreshments but it wasn't too difficult to capture this camel happy to have his portrait taken with the carved treasury behind. I'm amazed at how this level of perfection could have been achieved with the tools available 2000 years ago. You can see the original surface of the rock face and then how deep they carved to create the columns, moldings and then the doorway deeper into the rock face to create the rooms inside. Amazing work and this was just one of many tombs and buildings as we continued down the street of facades. We stopped for a welcome break in a little shack selling sand pictures in bottles to see how the owner actually made them. Talk about patience and delicate work. As you walk further down the road you start to see the tombs of the kings that are built into the rock face on the right side of the valley. I thought this one in particular known as the urn tomb shows just how deeply into the rock face these tombs were carved. We also had a break in a spice and souvenir stall around this time to sit and just relax with our water and any snacks we'd brought with us. I think they did sell ice creams for those desperate for something cool and there is still more to see. The great temple was next with its floor of hexagonal stones still largely intact and then finally this built rather than carved castle of the pharaoh's daughter. The ruins here look a bit shaky especially around that archway in the centre but it must have been an impressive building back in the days of the Nabataean capital. At this point you do get a choice. You can walk or ride a donkey to the shuttle back to the hotel. There is a bar restaurant for drinks and a small meal. You can walk back the way we came to the hotel or you can try one of the trails. Of course I chose the latter and decided along with perhaps a third of our group to take the trail to the monastery which is 1.6 kilometers long and follows a seriously steep set of 800 steps to the summit. The trail starts from behind the restaurant and is somewhat flat at the start. The locals clearly make use of some of the tombs for more modern purposes but pretty soon the steps began. They are mainly carved out of the rock face and are not too steep although a bit worn with constant footsteps and I didn't find the rock surface to be slippery underfoot. Some of the donkeys are so used to this trail that you see them either going up or in this case coming down on their own passing one of the small stalls that are used by the Bedouins to sell mainly clothing and rugs. The trail goes on and on and it curves through the ravines on the mountainside. The shops keep appearing as you round the next bend but unlike in Egypt the shopkeepers here are very polite but finally you crest the final set of steps to see the flat plateau on the mountaintop. You might think this is not very exciting but the main site is actually around the corner to your right. This was not likely to have been a monastery more likely a place for ritual banquets to celebrate the royalty in Petra. I can't imagine walking down all those steps after a boozy dinner up on the mountaintop. The plateau itself is worth exploring. You will see many signs for the best view in the world and you can pick the one that takes your fancy. We chose one more or less at random and it had the usual shop and a nicely constructed overlook for the very barren and rocky slopes on the far side of this mountain. And close by you can actually see past the mountain ranges to the desert and on a clearer day across the Dead Sea. From here it is downhill all the way. Somewhat easier although it does exercise different muscles. We walked down to the main section of Petra and headed off to find these shuttles finding each step just a bit harder than the one before. There is a nicely constructed shuttle stop close by but at least when we went there the shuttles didn't actually come here. They stop on a sandy parking area about one half mile up this road. Unfortunately the route back to town involves a compulsory 15 minute stop at a shopping centre which pleased no one. And so that it is it you are dropped off by the entrance to Petra and it is a short stroll to the hotel and a welcome beer or two.