One of the routes off the beaten track in Petra, climbing up and up to what would probably have been a Nabatean sacred place used for all sorts of activities including sacrifice. Catching up with holiday photos.
A day of two halves, one superb, one not so super. Didn't feel too bad first thing but stayed safe with black tea and a small piece of warmed up bread, again taking away a boiled egg, bit of cheese and flatbread for later possible hunger.
Set off at 9 and walked back to Petra on our free guideless day to do the walk to the High Place of Sacrifice - already very hot.
The Siq, unlike yesterday when we'd arrived possibly only half an hour earlier, was an absolute nightmare - tour party after tour party, most of enormous sizes but we managed to fight our way through them.
Bought amber and frankincense from one of the stalls as well as postcards from a cute small child - couldn't bear to haggle him down.
Started our ascent up the trail, this route apparently a less arduous one than the track to the monastery. It was absolutely stunning from the start, the path rising relentlessly through the craggy canyons, the rocks displaying gorgeous colours and weathered patterning like the rest of Petra.
Sometimes you'd get small groups of people and the odd tour group passing but often enough you were on your own with just the bird song and occasionally a lone whistling from above. A woman was sitting half way up playing a whistle and telling passers-by she'd lost her husband.
The ascent kept climbing in continuing fab scenery, skirting past the odd souvenir stall and cold drinks sellers until it opened out into full sun. The last bit got quite difficult with a bit of scrambling up rocky bits.
At the top were cairns and the remains of the old ritual site like basins and big square pool remnants. Dave carried on a bit further but I stopped at what was more or less the top and batted away the odd flies.
Back down was easier though Dave's knees suffered more than mine. We stopped at the café below, Dave having a very good coffee and me a mint lemon, possibly a mistake I thought afterwards with my delicate tummy.
We walked back to the Treasury - Dave carrying on while I queued for an electric buggy, all a bit chaotic but it was worth the 20 mins wait to save my legs a bit.
We had a look round the excellent visitors centre and a local handicrafts shop where I bought silver camel earrings and a bookmark.
While I returned to the hotel, Dave nobly went off to find a pharmacy to get extra immodium just in case as we were running low. In my room, feeling ok and peckish I ate the boiled egg I'd saved from breakfast.
But near the time we were due for our booked Turkish hammam, I started getting tummy probs again which was unfortunate - cue more immodium.
The hammam treatments were good, but not overall a great experience. We went in as a group to get a discount but basically had to wait around in a very hot steam room for ages while the two staff did the treatments on the others.
The woman seemed to be just doing the exfoliating and the man seemed to be doing all the massages which we thought odd and neither said would any of us prefer a woman masseuse. In the end we had to ask and then the man said yes the woman could do the massages also. Good thing as the younger woman in our group had experienced inappropriate behaviour from the man.
As my tummy continued being odd I skipped dinner at the gloriously named My Mom's Recipe restaurant and also Petra by Night and took more immodium. Dave said both dinner and Petra by Night weren't great anyway.
Had a terrible night - Dave was shivery and cold till he took an anadin so he didn't want the aircon on, my tummy was still playing up, and then dogs started up barking in the early hours joined not long after by the call to prayer.
Mint lemonade
https://365project.org/boxplayer/extras/2023-09-27
27 September 2023
Petra, Jordan
I loved reading your journal, an amazing experience
Shame about your tummy though.