I didn’t have as restful sleep as I’d hoped, mostly because we slept with the curtains open. The moon shone through (man, it was bright) and then, later, dawn. Thursday had begun. After breakfast, we left at eight for the drive to Petra.
We stopped at a shop along the way; I’m sure the guide got a commission because he was in absolutely no hurry to get us moving. I really could have done without it. After what felt like far too long, we finally made it to Petra.
Indiana Jones woz ‘ere
As is their way, tour guides give information about the places we’re visiting. Some are better at it than others, and while Adnan was good, he must have told us that Petra was used as a location in the ‘American film Indiana Jones’ about forty times. It became a running joke among us.
Petra really wasn’t what I was expecting. I think I was expecting that it would just be there. That you’d go immediately down and it’d be red and atmospheric and cool. Instead, it was a bit of anticlimax. I think that’s because I’ve seen it — we’ve all seen it, but just not been there. It’s strange.
After getting our tickets we walked down an open-air track, past some of the buildings, all the while sloping down towards the canyon. You then keep going, some bits narrower than others, shadier than others, and then, after 1200 metres, you emerge to where the Treasury building is. This is the site that everyone knows.
Thing is, along the way, it stinks from horse and donkey shit (you can go in a cart rather than walk, and I don’t really blame anyone for that), there are flies everywhere, and you’re approached/hassled about every 100 m by someone trying to sell something. Then when you get to Petra, there are boys and men around trying to get you to buy them as a guide to take you to the top to get the view down. The constant harassment (i.e. selling) reminded me of tourist sites at India.
We took our photos of the Treasury and then wandered down to the open air area which I was a lot more impressed with because it was something I hadn’t expected. There were a couple of spots where we could go inside the carved rock into rooms and I was struck by how cool in temperature it was in there. It would have been wonderful to lie down in and avoid the hottest part of the day.
We also saw the theatre and more carved buildings. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to see much else; Petra continues on down more of the canyon to temple ruins and other buildings, all of which would have been awesome to see. Glen and I trudged back, dying from the heat, while our friends went with a guide up to get the photo looking down. I had mild envy but considering what a steep climb it was and how rushed they were, it didn’t linger long. We guzzled water, got back on the bus, had lunch nearby and then high-tailed it for the border.
To Tel Aviv!
We had no problem getting out of Jordan. On the other side, however, my bag was pulled aside to be opened and scanned again. Apparently the protein powder was a cause for concern. Finally through, we were back on the bus and driving to Eilat to catch a flight to Tel Aviv.
The flight was short; Glen and I had some food, we were also very tired. We landed at a tiny airport, got our baggage and then got dropped off at the Carlton Hotel, which was by the beach (and next to the gay beach as well).
Glen and I then went to bed. We’d bought tickets to a separate party from the other boys that night, and slept until about 11pm, got up, got ready and went to the party to meet our friend from Sydney. Had a great time, staying out til well past our second bedroom and home after the sun came out. Tel Aviv Pride had begun.
Travels with Dan 
What do you say, eh?