The Rose City

The treasury is just the beginning of an amazing complex of ruins, the 8th wonder of the world, called Petra. We spent a wondrous afternoon upon our arrival exploring the beauty of Petra. The Treasury is the first huge monument that you arrive upon, but prior to the Treasury is a long narrow canyon made famous by the Indianna Jones movie, called the siq. With the afternoon light angling down it took your breath away. Petra is large, much larger than I had imagined, and of course, since it's a major tourist destination, there are many, many vendors of all types. Some people set up shop high in the mountains, more than an hour climb up, to sell their jewelry, coins, and handicrafts. Others sell you a ride; it's a very, very long walk! The following morning I chose to walk, since I like walking, all the way up to the monastery. I went fairly early, to avoid the heat of the day, and I think I shocked (and dissappointed) several people trying to sell me a ride on a donkey. Frankly, mounting those winding steps on a donkey seemed much less safe to me than using my own two feet! No doubt they're sure footed enough, though. I watched several coming down, and though the riders looked a bit uncertain, the donkeys never put a foot wrong and their drivers kept up a constant stream of chatter. I ride horses at home, so riding a horse or donkey held no real appeal for me, but camels? Now there was something I had to try! So on the first afternoon in Petra, I decided to try a camel for a the ride back. I was still on the way in, just past the Treasury, when a young man riding a camel and leading another began his bid to get my attention. I laughed and said no thank you, I'd get a camel on the way out, but could I pet his camel? He said fine, that she was a nice camel, didn't spit, and wouldn't bite. Her name was Daisy and I was completely taken with her! When I offered her some water, she took the bottle in her lips and completely upended it! We drew quite a crowd as I let Daisy "kiss" me on the cheek and drink my water, so later when I decided to ride back, I looked for Daisy, found her, and rode her back to the treasury. They're remarkably comfortable. We jogged along, discussing Daisy's diet (Pizza and Diet Pop--she needs to watch her weight!) and soon arrived back at the Treasury. My experience was complete; I'd had my camel ride!