Petra, Jordan: day 1

Of all the places I've ever been, Petra easily earned a spot in my top 10. I spent 2 days here and could have happily spent the rest of the week exploring the rocks and caves. The oldest of the buildings were carved over 2,000 years ago by the Nabataens. The city is a series of dwellings, civic buildings, and an irrigation system, all carved directly into the stone.

The scale of Petra is astounding. I walked a wavy path through giant, rose colored cliffs.

I caught a glimpse of the Treasury as I approached, the cliffs promising a dramatic unveiling.

You may recognize the Treasury as the temple with the holy grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. A small plaque explained the building, standing an imposing 40 meters tall, was named after a local Bedouin legend which claimed a pharaoh had hidden treasure at the top. The Treasury was actually the mausoleum of King Aretas IV (9 BC – 40 AD) and more royal tombs were discovered underneath the floor in 2004.

The color of the stone was beautiful and warm with a rippling texture. I took these photos over the course of the day, constantly marveling at the melted crayon-like swirls in the rock.

I went inside one of the buildings and realized that the architects focused their efforts on creating lavish exteriors while keeping the interiors simple and functional.

There are so many buildings at Petra that they are not all labeled but this one once housed a series of tombs.

Not all of the buildings are ornate as many of them have nothing more than a short doorway and a hollowed interior, calling to mind an apartment complex from the Flintstones.

Many of the dwellings didn't have stairs so my friend Chris and I often scrambled up the rocks.

The Roman amphitheater.

Today it's mostly tourists who go for a camel ride, but just their presence is like looking back in time.

We spent our day climbing the rocks and ducking in and out of the various structures. Each place we rested brought a different view.

The Royal Tombs are a series of chambers where experts believe Petra's most prominent families were kept, given their prime location and extravagant facades.

In our exploring, Chris and I found a staircase and followed it. We had no idea how long it was or where it would lead.

It was long, long, long, but the view was worth it.

The wind was awfully strong up there and whipping up sand and pebbles, which ultimately convinced us it was time to head back down.

Only the most important buildings had tall ceilings and carefully carved mini-chambers.

We took this bridge and hiked for awhile, seeing amazing views and gorgeous rock shapes.

It was getting late in the day when Chris and I started the trek up to the High Place of Sacrifice. We turned down half a dozen Bedouins who tried to tell us that it was hours away and that we should rent their camels or donkeys, but we were happy to carry on by foot.

The trail traveled by 2 obelisks dedicated to the god of strength and the goddess of fertility and water.

At this open-air altar, the Nabataeans practiced ritual animal sacrifice for hundreds of years.

Chris and I spent the better part of an hour sitting here in silence, admiring the view as the sun began to set, before we realized we had better get moving so we didn't get lost in the dark.

We hustled down and still had time to spare when we reached the Treasury. Unlike when we had arrived, it was virtually tourist-free and the setting sun had turned it a beautiful shade of red.

We lingered as long as we could before starting the walk back to town.