Trip Report
Petra
Jordan
Day
One:Our trip to Petra and Jerusalem was the tail end of a month-long journey I took with my two teenaged sons, Bobby and Luke, through Uganda, Ethiopia, and Egypt. We arrived in Jordan via the Red Sea from the port city of Nuweiba, Egypt heading for Aqaba, Jordan. We boarded the so-called "fast ferry” with naive hopes of efficiency, which were efficiently dashed after three hours of waiting in the terminal for them to start loading the ferry! On the boat some enthusiastic Arabs dressed Bobby and Luke up in the traditional “kaffiye” headdress. We arrived in Aqaba around dusk and teamed up with two Dutchman, two Spaniards, and another American and shared two taxis to Petra. It is important to negotiate the total price of the trip before getting in the cab! The taxi drivers were very enthusiastic about showing us Arab hospitality and kept stopping at nearly every roadside coffee shack along the way for coffee, singing and dancing. They made the otherwise dull drive through the desert night into a celebration. By the fourth coffee stop however, Luke and Bobby and I were ready to get to the hotel!
Day Two:
We had a good night's sleep (Petra's desert nights are nice and cool) and enjoyed a late breakfast before heading into one of the world's largest, most impressive, and most mysterious ancient sites. Petra’s tourism industry has mushroomed over the past decade, since Jordan made peace with Israel, so there are plenty of hotels to choose from with a full range of prices. We chose a moderately priced hotel (Petra Hotel and Rest House, 03-215-0614, price negotiable) within walking distance of the entrance to the ancient site, so we wouldn’t have to hassle with taxis back and forth.
A visit to Petra begins with a long (1.2 kilometer) walk through the Siq, a winding narrow fissure in the rose-red sandstone, at times narrowing to 6 feet wide and towering some 600 feet high. The entrance fee is steep, but well-worth it. Be sure to wear sturdy walking shoes and bring plenty of water and a hat. After passing through the ticket gate while approaching the entrance to the Siq, you will be inundated with offers for horseback rides, but if that is not your cup of tea a few firm declinations will communicate your desire to be left alone.
Along
the way there are scattered ancient monuments carved out of the stone. All
of this creates a growing feeling that you are entering a new world, filled
with alien and wonderful things. Finally as you come around the last curve
of the shadowy Siq, comes a peak of the brilliant rose-colored Treasury shining
in the sun. You only see parts of it, but the parts imply the grandeur of the
whole. As we emerged, blinking in the sun, we stood at the foot of one of the
greatest surviving monuments of antiquity: over 120 feet tall and carved entirely
out of the living rock, the Treasury is the facade of an elaborate tomb commemorating
a king of the ancient Nabateans, but you will more likely recognize it from
“Indiana and the Last Crusade!” As awesome as it feels to stand there, when
you realize this is just one of over 800 carved stone tombs in Petra, the scope
and wonder of this place begins to register at some level. No wonder it made
the new list of The Seven Wonders of the World!Well, leaving aside further elaborate description, suffice it to say we proceeded to wander, climb, hike, and clamber over a good portion of those 800 monuments. You will want to plan your approach based on how much time you have, age range of your group, and physical stamina. After some serious hiking to the ominously-named “High Place of Sacrifice (just let your imagination run wild!), my sons were experiencing severe “monument-fatigue.” While they went back to the hotel to escape the desert heat, I joined up with an American named Dustin whom we had met along the way and we made the 45-minute climb to one of the greatest but least seen marvels of Petra: the Monastery (but not really a monastery). It is similar in design to the famous Treasury, but considerably larger and cut from a creamy-yellow stone rather than the rose-red that makes up most of the valley below.
Arriving exhausted from our climb we were immediately revived by the awe-inspiring view that greeted us. Amazingly, there is a nice little Bedouin coffee shop housed in an ancient tomb strategically located directly across from the Monastery. As Dustin and I sat there gazing at the view and trying to enjoy our $4 Cokes, something incredible happened. A young Bedouin man, who had been playing a song for us on an instrument that looked like a cross between a sitar and a mandolin (right), proceeded to climb the vertical rock-cut façade in front of us! After two death-defying leaps and a swing move I still can’t figure out, he ended up on the very top of the monument, some 140 feet in the air!! (If you look closely at the photo above, he is the tiny black spot at the very top!) He sat down, took his shirt off, gazed out like a king surveying his kingdom, and then climbed down the other side as easily as you or I might stroll out our front door to fetch the newspaper . . .
That night we enjoyed one of the best dinners of our trip at the Red Cave Restaurant on the aptly named Tourist Street, near the mammoth Moevenpick Hotel. I recommend the Bedouin Stew, or the Mixed Grill--mmmmmm! Over desert we began to plot our return assault on the ancient ruins the next day.
Day Three:
The next morning we woke up early to beat the heat and decided to take a road less traveled. After passing through the ticket gate as you approach the actual entrance to the Siq, there is a path that turns off to the right at the last minute. If you take this path it will lead you down into an ever narrowing canyon which eventually becomes nothing more than a large crack in the rock, making the narrow Siq look like a veritable highway in comparison! There are places where you will have to scramble over boulders, but it is passable for anyone who is nimble enough to climb over a back fence. In places the swirling patterns in the brilliant red sandstone is unbelievable and will take your breath away. As you go further you will see signs of high water and powerful runoff far above your head, a reminder that you do not want to take this hike if there are any signs of flash flooding! As you go further make sure you look for the ancient idol niches cut into the rock faces above you.
The narrow gorge finally opens up into the main valley of the ancient Nabatean necropolis near the monument known as “The Mausoleum of Sextius Florentinus.” Stay to the left as close to the cliffs as you can and soon you will be in prime position to explore the tall facades of some of the finest tombs Petra has to offer. This will bring you to the heart of the main site, where you can launch expeditions to any of the sites you missed the day before or anything you want to revisit for posterity’s sake.
Day Four:
Having
drunk deeply from the well of ancient Nabatean culture, it was time to depart
for the Holy City of Jerusalem, a place with lots of personal meaning for us
due to our Christian faith and the fact that we lived there for a year when
our eldest son was first born. Deciding we didn’t have time to try making the
trip via the Jordanian bus system, we decided to share a taxi (arranged through
the manager of our hotel) with our newfound friend Dustin, who was heading
to Jerusalem as well. This was certainly not the cheapest way to travel, but
saved us nearly a day of waiting around bus terminals and making connections
on an inefficient route into Amman and back down to the Palestine/Israel border
crossing. Right after breakfast the taxi picked us up at the hotel and we swung
by Dustin’s hotel before heading for the King Hussein—Alenby Bridge. We drove
north through Jordan along the ancient route of the King's Highway, the same
route taken by countless conquerors over innumerable centuries, gazing out
from the heat of the desert across the massive expanse of the Great Rift Valley.
It was strange to realize we were in that same valley back at the beginning
of our trip way down in Uganda! We then dropped down into the valley, driving
along the Dead Sea, lunching in a small Jordanian town, and then were summarily
deposited at the King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing—infamous as a political
football in the deadly game between Israel and Jordan, and notorious for its
relentless delays. Here another adventure began to unfold. We arrived around 1:00 PM, having found out by accident or fate that the bridge now closes for some inexplicable reason at 2:30 PM. Once we turned our passports over and paid yet another exorbitant exit tax, the decrepit computer system "went down" and the clock kept ticking away. If we did not get our exit stamps and the okay to board the bus that would take us across in time, our day was going to become a very long one! Let me summarize the drama to say that after lots of cajoling and pleading we got our passports just in time to board the last crossing bus of the day. It was a great feeling to cross over into the West Bank, not knowing we were facing a 3 hour wait there while Dustin's Syrian and Lebanese passport stamps were being inspected by the Israelis!
Emerging from the Israeli customs terminal, it was too late to catch the more economical shared taxi (“Sherut” in Hebrew, “Service” in Arabic) so we hired yet another taxi to take us to the Old City of Jerusalem, where we planned to stay. We arrived in the glorious City of Jerusalem about 8:00 PM, walked from East Jerusalem through Damascus Gate into the Old City, and got settled into our hotel. If you want a comfortable and authentic experience in the heart of the Old City, there is no better place to stay than the Lutheran Guesthouse on St. Mark’s Road near Jaffa Gate (628-2120, luthhosp@netvision.net.il). Owned by the German Lutherans and occupying a renovated manor build over Crusader ruins, the rooms are spotless, the views from the rooftop deck unmatched, and a courtyard with fish pond and palms offers a rare quiet retreat in the heart of this ancient city.
After dumping our bags in the room, we immediately headed to the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the holiest, most contested, and most fascinating complexes of religious architecture in the world. We climbed the winding stone staircase to the top of Golgotha, where tradition tells us Jesus was crucified and then visited the empty tomb nearby, where Jesus’ earliest followers claimed the crucified Galilean came back from the dead. Whatever your religious leanings, this is a place of unparalleled spiritual significance and meaning. Later, sitting in the Turkish-built Muristan Market across from the Crusader Monastery where we used to live when Bobby was a baby, we enjoyed a delicious Shwarma dinner and celebrated our return to this special place. Something about Jerusalem always feels like coming home . . .
Day Five:
The next morning we slept in and then spent our first full day roaming around the Old City. It is impossible to convey the sense of ancient mystery contained within the labyrinth of twisting alleyways bristling with spice markets, souvenir shops, and bakeries. The cacophony of church bells, minarets, and the Sabbath call to rest mix together to created an environment like none other.
We had a delicious lunch at our favorite Falafel stand just inside Damascus Gate (as you go down the sloping street from the gate look for the shop that occupies the space directly in front of you where the two streets split off from each other). As we strolled through the ancient Khan el Ziet marketplace street, we browsed the spice bazaars, oogled the gold dealers, and bought some Gummi bears and other assorted treats from one of the "sweets" merchants.
Then we visited the store of our old friend Sha’aban, who offers the best prices in the city on an eclectic assortment of souvenirs (Christian Quarter Road Shop#14, 02-6274526, ridashaban@hotmail.com). There’s no bargaining in this shop, you are just offered the best price you will find any where right off the bat and will change money at the best available rate. If you are looking for something Shaaban does not sell, he will recommend other honest shop keepers in the Old City who will not take advantage of your lack of local knowledge. In spite of Shaaban’s insistence that the hot tea he was serving us would actually cool us down, we were feeling the effects of the rising summer heat, so we said our good byes and beat a hasty retreat to a reasonable and air conditioned internet café (Ali Baba’s, on the Via Dolorosa, just east of the intersection with Khan al Ziet) to reconnect with those back home.
Day Six:
Refreshed
by our day off from sightseeing, we decided to dive into the biblical history
of this historical and spiritual capital. We headed down the Via Dolorosa toward
St. Stephen’s Gate (also known as the Lion’s Gate) to the church of St. Anne
and the Pools of Bethesda, site of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic (see John
5:1-18). St. Anne’s is perhaps the best preserved example of the minimalist
Crusader style of church architecture. The plain stone walls punctuated by
contrasting ornate details, like a carved frieze or Corinthian column capitals,
conveys a surprising beauty that grows on you. Be sure to try standing directly
under the dome and talking or singing to see why the amazing acoustics of these
churches alleviated the need for sound amplification! Then we headed out St. Stephen’s gate on the eastern side of the city and visited the Garden of Gethsemane just across the Kidron Valley where Franciscan monks carefully tend a garden of ancient olive trees. This is a popular stop for the tour buses, so try to time your visit when they first open at 8:30 AM or shortly before closing time at 4:00 PM when the tours will be elsewhere. The Church of All Nations there is one of my favorites because it simulates the natural environment of the olive grove where Jesus prayed for his Father’s will above his own. Be sure to notice the stars in the twelve-domed ceiling and the colored windows that convey a constant feeling of nighttime inside. We continued up the winding road that turns right behind the Garden of Gethsemane and headed up the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. A tiny church about halfway up, called Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept) commemorates Jesus weeping over the city and is designed in the shape of a tear drop. Sitting there pondering the hatred and violence in the world today, it seems appropriate to share Jesus’ tears sometimes . . .
Day Seven:
The next day we walked down to the Western Wall Plaza to check out the Shabat prayers of the Orthodox Jews in action (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath). We donned the cardboard yarmulkes that reminded us of French fry cups back home and approached the ancient wall built by Herod and venerated by countless prayers. As you approach the massive Herodian stones you can see the countless tiny scraps of paper on which people have written their prayers, folded up, and jammed into the cracks between the stones. Due to the political situation at that time we were not able to visit the Temple Mount (know to Muslims as the “Haram al Sharif”) situated above the Western Wall. If that has changed by the time you are there, be sure to spend an afternoon wandering around the massive courtyards and visit the magnificent Dome of the Rock which is built on the precise location of the ancient Jewish Temple. Most scholars believe the massive stone underneath the gold dome was the floor of the famous “holy of holies” in the Temple!
After our time at the Western Wall we then ventured out the Dung Gate south of the city to visit the site of Peter’s denial of Jesus at a church aptly named “The Crowing of the Rooster.” The views down the southern valley of Jerusalem from the balcony here is unparalleled. Also, be sure to check out their large scale map of Byzantine Jerusalem to get perspective on what you have been seeing. (If this intrigues you, make it a point to spend a half a day visiting the Tower of David Museum just inside Jaffa Gate, which takes you through each of the varied stages in the history of Jerusalem and is the best overall introduction to this fascinating place. The interactive and visual nature of this museum means even kids can benefit from a visit.) Then we headed over to the nearby Upper Room, site of Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. It is a simple Crusader structure, but if the significance of those two important events is meaningful to you, this will be a worthwhile visit and a great place to pause for prayer, reading, and reflection.
Day Eight:
The next morning was a Sunday so we decided to worship at the evangelical Anglican church just inside Jaffa Gate, Christ Church. This is a church with a charismatic flavor and a centuries old emphasis on Messianic Judaism, meaning Jews who have embraced Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. Fascinating imagery in their stone sanctuary: the central painting is a huge olive tree with branches grafted on, symbolizing Paul’s description in Romans 9-11 of Gentile Christians as new branches grafted onto the original tree of the people of Israel. Another English-speaking worship option in the Old City is the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on Muristan Road just off David Street which leads down from Jaffa Gate. German and Arabic services are held in the main cathedral, but the smaller Crusader Chapel is home to a lively American Lutheran congregation.
After lunch we changed into board shorts and sandals and headed out St. Stephen’s Gate into the Kidron Valley in search of the Gihon Spring to tackle the ancient waterway known as Hezikiah’s Tunnel. Walking down the valley, in between the massive Temple Mount on your right and the Garden of Gethsemane on your left, brings you past the fanciful “Tombs of the Prophets,” which are were actually built by the Hasmonean aristocracy during the time following the great Maccabean Revolt. After passing the last tomb, the dirt road on the valley floor brings you to the entrance to the Gihon Spring and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. In the sixth century BC, when the ancient Assyrians were marching on the Kingdom of Judah, King Hezikiah dug a secret tunnel to bring the waters of Gihon inside the walls in preparation for a siege. If you are feeling adventurous and plan to walk through the tunnel, be sure to bring a flashlight and wear water shoes or sandals. The water can run up to two and a half feet deep and in places the ceiling of the tunnel dips down to four feet high—so this is not a good idea for small children, giants, or those plagued by claustrophobia! It is an amazing thing to walk through this little slice of Old Testament history—plus it is nice and cool on a hot summer day.
Heading back to the Lutheran Guesthouse, we packed up our bags and met our friend Dustin on the rooftop of the Lutheran Guesthouse where we were staying for one last look out over the most amazing city on earth. We then headed out for a farewell dinner some dear friends at an authentic Palestinian restaurant in East Jerusalem. It was a chance to really connect and hear more about the joys and challenges of their lives.
After saying our goodbyes we got our luggage and met the airport shuttle inside Jaffa Gate (the receptionist at the Guesthouse will make arrangements for you with Nesher Taxi). Be sure to allow 2-3 hours at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Israeli security can be extremely thorough, bordering on paranoid and occasionally veering into harassment. Be prepared for them to open your bags, go through everything, including opening wrapped packages and sealed containers. If you do stay in the Old City and get to know some of the Palestinian residents there, it is better to downplay this with the security personnel, lest you spend extra hours being interrogated and miss your flight.
All in all our trip to Petra and Jerusalem was a fascinating journey through two of the most mesmerizing cities in the world, located just hours apart. Petra represents a culture obsessed with finding meaning in death, whereas Jerusalem is a city filled with the promise of life. Both are filled with mystery, wonder, contradictions, and lots of opportunities to explore deeper meaning and reflect on what your life is all about. I highly recommend an intergenerational trip to these fascinating cities!
8-10 days is about right if you are just doing the two cities. You need at least two weeks if you are going to include Amman or venture into the many other historical and holy sites in Israel/Palestinian Territories. I would have enjoyed one more night in Petra, but you can see most of it in two days.
My "insider" tips:
• I wish we had skipped the “fast ferry” from Nuweiba!
• Each religious tradition has slightly different dress codes. Rule of thumb: men and women keep legs covered below knee, women keep shoulders covered. In Jewish sites, men need to wear a small cap, usually provided. In Muslim mosques you need to take off your shoes before entering. Generally you can leave your shoes in special slots overseen by the doorman.
• Save money by taking more buses and fewer taxis. The trade-off is that cuts into your time at your destinations, so it is a trade off.
• The best airport to fly into is Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv. Flights to Amman will probably be cheaper, though.
• I recommend the guide book, Lonely Planet!
| Don't Miss: • Dinner at the Red Cave restaurant in Petra—get the Bedouin Stew! |