Petra

Yesterday, we went to Petra, the magical archaeological site in Jordan, which you can see in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and which has recently been called one of the New Wonders of the World. Six people went from our guesthouse - Anne and I, and four guys from Slovakia. The van dropped us at the border crossing, saying "Your guide will be here in one minute," and left. The guide did indeed appear after some interval of time, along with several other tourists who joined us for the bus ride into Petra and a tour with explanations.

Leaving Israel through the Yitzhak Rabin Border Crossing, then crossing into Jordan, is straightforward and unscary, though not instantaneous, taking about half an hour to get everyone's passport stamped. From there it's about two and a half hours into Petra and the same returning, going through the port of Aqaba and a mountainous desert region which
our guide identifies with the Biblical area called Edom, given to Esau in the Biblical stories, and named after the red rocks near here. The neighborhood of Petra is known as Wadi Musa, named for Moses.

The rest of a very full day was spent on the site, and really we barely began to see what is here. Petra is not just that one building, called the Treasury, that you usually see in photographs. It's a city that was used for both commercial and religious purposes and flourished around the first century BC. You can see what's left of the images of the Nabatean culture's ten deities, and walk down the spectacular entry path with cliffs on both sides, that was used by pilgrims.

This is part of the Great Rift Valley and has suffered some very strong earthquakes over the years, which have demolished almost every building in this area. Some buildings such as the Treasury are still intact because they're carved directly into the sandstone cliff. Another building also still stands, because it was ingeniously built using alternate layers of wood and stone.

What happened to the people? I asked the guide near the end of the day. They integrated into the culture, he said. So, they're still here? I asked. - He just smiled a nice smile.

There is more to say, but I'll have to do that later, because you shouldn't spend all day in an internet cafe.