After an exhausting and hot first day we knew an early start was a must in order to climb the 900 or so steps up to the famed Monastery. At 6.30am my friend Ms L and I were already out the door and we walked straight through the whole site all the way to the start of the climb up. Even though we were relatively early it was already quite hot, and after a tough slog up we finally made it. We enjoyed our time sitting in a cave and drinking fresh pressed orange juice before continuing on with our walk. After lunch Ms L went off for a spa treatment (smart girl!) and I, being a total glutton for punishment made the steep climb up another of Petra’s high trails – the al-Khubtha trail. It was super quiet on this trail during the hottest part of the day because most people aren’t as stupid as me. lol. This climb up was pretty horrible in 40 degree heat, and I was questioning my sanity, but the views were so worth it! By the time I came down back to the main touristy area of the Treasury it was around 4pm. The hordes were gone and I finally got my Treasury posts sans people. Overall an epically exhausting yet exhilarating day!!
Thanks for the tour. I love Petra.
Thanks! One of the best days of my life!
Only mad dogs and Anna. đŸ˜‰
You could’ve taken a horse at full gallop back to the hotel…
(sorry, somebody HAS to mention Indiana Jones).
Anna, one quick question: what is inside of those great portals? I mean, we’ve all seen (well, I’ve only seen the photos) the treasury and the monastery’s facades but…. what’s inside?
Lol no horse riding for me because a)they stink and b) they looked not very well treated. As for what’s inside, well nothung these days of course! All cleared out. But mostly tombs, for example that main treasury building was actually built as a mausoleum and crypt. It’s only called “treasury” nowadays because it was rumoured to hold treasures. The majority of holes you can enter these days were tombs. I’m guessing nowadays there is nothing inside the treasury or the monastery, just an empty space. X
Ah, that’s a bit of a bummer… much like Firenze’s Duomo: looks oh-so-marvellous from the outside and inside is as barebones as a tax evader’s home after a visit from the creditors.
Hahaha that’s a good analogy!
There really is so much I could have written about Petra but it’s so vast and so amazing I just wouldn’t know where to begin. And because I’m a busy housewife (lol!) I just wrote this very simple post with photos that does is no justice whatsoever.
Nah, I don’t believe it!
Vicariously reliving our long hot walks there … even though there were some moments of misery, I’m with you in thinking it was one of the best travel days ever. It’s just so different and awe-inspiring. Your photos looking down steeply on the facades are great!
Thanks Lexi! Have a great new year! X
Lovely pics!
The day my friend and I went to the Monastery was the most exhausting, at the same time exciting, day of our stay in Petra. We also started early that day. After taking photos of the Treasury with only a handful of other visitors, we went to the colonnaded street and explored some of the temple ruins. Then we went all the way to the Monastery, stayed there for a few hours, went back to the ancient city, visited the Petra Museum in the afternoon, and went back to the Treasury to watch Petra by Night. So much walking and hiking on one day. But it surely made good memories because after all Petra is such a spectacular place.
Thanks for your visit Bama!
Beautiful photos!
Thanks!
I’m not surprised you hobbled back to the hotel after all this! We made it to the High Place of Sacrifice but that was our only real climb here. The views look amazing and a great reward for your efforts!