Dead Sea, Petra, Jordon
Wednesday 24th October
We arrived in Amman after a short flight from Cairo. The process of arranging our visas on arrival was really quick, obtain some local money from the money changer then proceed to get our visa.We had arranged a pickup from the hotel so after about an hour in the car we arrived at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. The hotel was very impressive and before we knew it we where asleep.
Thursday 25th October
Today we woke up and we had planned a relaxing day enjoying the pools on the grounds of the hotel. After breakfast we decided that we would first experience the Dead Sea and see if you can really float.
Getting down to the beach was an adventure in its self as the grounds to the hotel are very large and as the hotel is set on a hill we had to weave our way down the levels to the beach.
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| View from our balcony room |
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| Pool One |
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| Pool two |
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| Pool three |
We reached the beach to see people rubbing mud on them selves. It seems the thing to do was to rub mud on yourselves, let it dry then take a dip in the Dead Sea. We decided to give the mud a miss and take a dip in the Dead Sea.
There was no sand at the beach but pebbles which made walking a little hard on the feet. Once we had entered the Dead Sea it was a very weird feeling. The water was warm and had a heavy, slimey feeling to it. Any sensitive parts on your body you sure felt as the salt levels were very high which in turn made you float.
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| Pool four and the beach at the Dead Sea |
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| People covered in mud |
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| Ben floating in the Dead Sea |
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| Bernadette floating in the Dead Sea |
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| Paige and Bernadette enjoying one of the pools |
We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pools and enjoying the sunshine.
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| 700 hundred year old olive tree |
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| Paige and Ben |
Friday 26th October
Today we were going to take a tour of Petra. We had to drive around three hours to reach the township of Petra. The drive was very interesting and the scenery was quite interesting even that it was very desert like.
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| Paige in the car on the way to Petra |
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| On the road to Petra |
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| Town of Petra |
When we arrived at the tourist entrance to Petra our driver arranged a guide and tickets. We decided to walk into the gorge and made our way a long the track. After a while we reached the Treasury which was just amazing to walk out and see. We walked on some more to discover what was like a small valley which were lined with the tombs. We did some exploring with our guide before it was time to make our way back to meet the driver.
About Petra
Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and
greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer
rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more
than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice
and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt,
Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km
in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. Just
walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations
of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your
first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury). This is an awe-inspiring
experience. A massive façade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer,
dusky pink rock-face and dwarfing everything around it. It was carved in the
early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and
represents the engineering genius of these ancient people.
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| Entering the Petra site |
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| Horse and cart on the small walk way |
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| Tourist police |
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| First sight of Petra |
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| Paige, Bernadette and Ben standing in front of the Treasury |
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| Carved into the rock areas |
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| More carvings in the rock |
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| Bernadette and Paige riding donkeys out of Petra |
Saturday 27th October
Our last morning was spent by the pools as yesterday we had a full day of site seeing in Petra. Our flight wasnt until the afternoon so we enjoyed a wonderful last holiday breakfast and the morning by the pool.
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