The town just outside of the ancient city of Petra is full of donkeys. Loose, and running around
I've mentioned the massive feral cat population in Amman. In this town, there are donkeys running around every corner, no fences, and just...there. It's bizarre.
Petra was used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I think it would be awesome in the winter. However, it was really hot, and people were grumpy. Two days of intensive sightseeing does not make for a happy group of people.
When you enter the Petra area, you walk down a very long path until you reach the opening in the mountains. This area is really like the slot canyons near Moab. They built this place far before the Romans came and made it theirs. They managed to get an entire watering system in there, with canals for livestock to drink out of, and a very long ceramic pipe to protect the water for human consumption. This piping goes on through the mountain and ends in the center of the city.
The current people of Petra offer rides on carriages or on horses until you reach the city gates. Inside, just past the big famous temple, they offer camel and donkey rides through the rest of the city. I was really tempted, since I adore camels, but I am trying to save a little money, so I did not partake.
There were many different faiths in the area over time. There were Pagans, Christians, and now Muslims. It was normal for this people, the Nabatians (sp?) to live with their dead. They had great crypts carved out of the soft rock. They dotted the mountain side, and were interspaced with temples of worship.
The big, famous temple is this one. You peek around a corner, and it just emerges. like it was already there. They carved it out of the rock, and they estimate it took about seven years to make. The local people believed the stone urn at the top of the temple was full of gold, so they thought they'd shoot at it. It's just a rock, so nothing came of that.
There are structures like this throughout the city. It was once a very busy city, but after a major earthquake, it was partially covered in sand, and forgotten. Later, there were more earthquakes and it disappeared almost entirely. Eventually, it was found again, and was excavated.
Dinner at the end of the day was Mansef. It is the traditional Jordanian dish, so by now I've had it plenty of times. I have not, however, had it like this.
You're supposed to scoop a handful of rice out of a communal dish, squish it until the water is out, and it sticks to itself like playdoh, and then pop it in your mouth. Oh, and you wear your food everywhere because we're not using utensils. The main guy leading the trip saw I wasn't eating, and so he snuck me a spoon. I still didn't eat...after the trip, every semester, many students get sick. I'm sure being exhausted plays a role, but I'm pretty sure there is NEVER a line to wash your hands before you eat, so who knows what bugs they shared.
I've mentioned the massive feral cat population in Amman. In this town, there are donkeys running around every corner, no fences, and just...there. It's bizarre.
Petra was used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I think it would be awesome in the winter. However, it was really hot, and people were grumpy. Two days of intensive sightseeing does not make for a happy group of people.
When you enter the Petra area, you walk down a very long path until you reach the opening in the mountains. This area is really like the slot canyons near Moab. They built this place far before the Romans came and made it theirs. They managed to get an entire watering system in there, with canals for livestock to drink out of, and a very long ceramic pipe to protect the water for human consumption. This piping goes on through the mountain and ends in the center of the city.
The current people of Petra offer rides on carriages or on horses until you reach the city gates. Inside, just past the big famous temple, they offer camel and donkey rides through the rest of the city. I was really tempted, since I adore camels, but I am trying to save a little money, so I did not partake.
There were many different faiths in the area over time. There were Pagans, Christians, and now Muslims. It was normal for this people, the Nabatians (sp?) to live with their dead. They had great crypts carved out of the soft rock. They dotted the mountain side, and were interspaced with temples of worship.
The big, famous temple is this one. You peek around a corner, and it just emerges. like it was already there. They carved it out of the rock, and they estimate it took about seven years to make. The local people believed the stone urn at the top of the temple was full of gold, so they thought they'd shoot at it. It's just a rock, so nothing came of that.
There are structures like this throughout the city. It was once a very busy city, but after a major earthquake, it was partially covered in sand, and forgotten. Later, there were more earthquakes and it disappeared almost entirely. Eventually, it was found again, and was excavated.
Dinner at the end of the day was Mansef. It is the traditional Jordanian dish, so by now I've had it plenty of times. I have not, however, had it like this.
You're supposed to scoop a handful of rice out of a communal dish, squish it until the water is out, and it sticks to itself like playdoh, and then pop it in your mouth. Oh, and you wear your food everywhere because we're not using utensils. The main guy leading the trip saw I wasn't eating, and so he snuck me a spoon. I still didn't eat...after the trip, every semester, many students get sick. I'm sure being exhausted plays a role, but I'm pretty sure there is NEVER a line to wash your hands before you eat, so who knows what bugs they shared.
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