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Wadi Rum – Wadi Musa, Jordan
Strange day today…
The plan was to:
Commute from Wadi Rum to Petra with the five Americans
Meet up with my Amman CS …
Newer: Day 420: It Dawned On Me →
Wadi Musa – Petra – Amman, Jordan
With Laura gone back to Amman, I went back to Petra on my own. Since I had done the …
Day 419: Rose-Red City Half As Old As Time
Wadi Musa – Petra – Wadi Musa, Jordan
Petra’s entrance fee is costly. For a two-day pass, I paid JOD55 (USD78). The ISIC card didn’t prove to be useful.
Petra is much bigger than I expected. As soon as we walked through the entrance, there were plenty of horse, camel, donkey and mule guides offering rides. Although they claimed that the ride was free and was included in our ticket, the guides normally expected aroud JOD5 tips. Though it’d be cool to be just on a donkey for once, I wasn’t willing to part ways with anymore JODs.
Petra was unknown to the Western world until 1812 when it was discovered by a Swiss explorer. An English poet, John William Burgon, wrote a famous poem about its beauty:
It seems no work of Man’s creative hand,by labour wrought as wavering fancy planned;
But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;
Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,
match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time.
Inside Petra, Laura and I bumped into Carolyn and the gang. They’ve picked up another stray lone traveller like me: a French called Sebastien. We all decided to walk together. We did find strength in number when it came to facing the hassling guides and shop owners.
Chris called me on the phone, informing me that he’s gonna stay with Ghassab and other Couchsurfers on a mountain top tonight somewhere inside Petra. I was welcome to join along. Such was the plan until later in the afternoon, I got pretty bad stomach cramp and had to stay in town again. Alas, it was not meant to be.