“What did you find Dad?”
“Me? ….Illumination”
~ Indiana Jones
There are some things that you can never quite see enough times. This…will always be one of them.
Despite the outrageously early hour the crew bus was bubbling over with excitement as we all piled in for what would be a very long journey inland from Aquaba to the Rose City. For most of us, this was the most anticipated tour of the whole season, for a lot of the guests it was the reason that they took this cruise in the first place – but our driver pulled out of the port lot before the guests had even come anywhere near being dispatched, and we were on the road well ahead of anyone else. Probably because they told us to be there early and for something like this, we listen.
A crew tour bus in some ways will always remind me of a school bus. “Cool kids” straight to the back, everyone else to wherever. Itsy and I took the middle seats next to the rear door, letting everyone with longer legs settle themselves in the slightly roomier seats. Besides the seat next to the door has a table of sorts, which is easier for me to write on.
Despite being excited, I was also exhausted (after all, the library still had to be opened this morning, it was just opened much earlier than usual!), so I slipped my headphones in and slept until the first photostop. After that though, I was awake. Besides, it isn’t that long a trip from the photostop to the site’s entrance, so dreamland wasn’t really a plausible option.
Once the tickets were distributed we had the option of staying with the guide, or exploring on our own. Itsy and I left the guide in the dust and proceeded straight ahead, past the dozens of locals trying to get us to indulged in a horseback ride for the short distance to the canyon entrance, and straight into the site itself. To my astonishment the siq was nearly empty, you could almost hear your footsteps echoing off the stone. You could certainly hear the rickshaws coming, the horse’s hoof-beats proceeded them by more than enough for you to dodge to the right or left without breaking your stride or your conversation. Itsy is a photographer so she paused every few moments to snap shots of the amazing rock formations that make up the “Canyon of the Crescent Moon” (And yes, it really is a crescent moon if you look at it from above), I kept reminding her to save space on her memory card, since we weren’t even close to there yet.
And then suddenly, mid-sentence, completely unawares, there is the Treasury. Because there are so few crowds at the moment, they didn’t have the hold-point at the final corner that they did the last time I was here. You just kept walking and suddenly…you stopped. And you stared. The Treasury dominates the view, towering in rose coloured stone, and seeming to silence the teeming throng of people at its base. It makes everyone – all of us – feel so small.
I never thought I’d see it twice…
Of course, there is much much more to Petra than just the Treasury. Too many people think it’s just the one building.
Last time I was here, I climbed up to the tombs and found a chamber that provided a perfect natural echo, and secured some of the best photographs I’ve ever had.
This time, Itzy and I went to the highest point in the whole place.
In my defense, it was her idea. Foolish girl.
You have no idea how high the climb up is going to be until you’re completely committed to it. Twice on the way up we stopped for snacks and water; and to just enjoy the energy of the place; it feels like no other place on earth. Part of you wants to explore, part of you wants to find a book and hide in a corner somewhere and just be. But the view when you reach the top? Utterly worth it. Photo opportunity of a life time.
By the time we hiked down again there wasn’t enough time to head up to see the tomb, though we did get photos of it from a distance. That said, it’s better safe than sorry when it comes to the long walk back to the bus!
As we turned the corner to head back into the Siq, we found the Treasury almost empty; well comparatively so – leaving us room to walk right up to the barrier surrounding it.
I had never been so close to it before. I never thought I ever would be.
The closest thing to a spiritual experience I’ve ever had…
On our way back down the canyon – having turned down the outrageously overprice ricksaw ride – I looked at Itzy..
Did you feel it? That…it has a pull
It does! I wanted to just …keep walking…like I was supposed to just keep going..
The whole place is like that. It wants you to stay, not in a creepy way, it’s comforting, not terrifying…it’s as if the whole place has something amazing that it wants to give you…if you just stand there long enough.
Best. Job. Ever.
Those of you who have seen The Devil Wears Prada, will probably remember the office scene that precedes Meryl Streep’s first entrance. Dozens of workers going about a normal day, until suddenly someone calls out that “she” is coming, and all of a sudden there is a frenzy of activity: books are tucked into drawers, flat shoes are hastily swapped out for suitably high heels, lipstick is refreshed, hair that’s previously been pinned back is pulled loose to be artistically tumbled around shoulders.
