DAY 13 – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

What a great day, with perfectly blue skies and comfortable temps in the 80s.  We checked out of our hotel and walked to the entrance to the ancient site of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world. Here is where our adventures began!   Seeing Petra begins by walking through the “Siq” (canyon) a total distance of about 1.5 miles from the entry.   A few road horses for the first 300 yards, while others took the horse-drawn buggy all the way to the end of the Siq.  Mo, our Jordanian guide, shared with us along the way about the Nabataeans who lived here.   As the canyon ends, the site really only begins.  It is a site that expands 65 square miles (100 square kilometers).

The first monument/tomb one sees is the famous Treasury.  This 120 foot-high tomb of Aretas III (see 2 Corinthians 11:29) was amazing to see.  It has been marvelously protected by the rain and wind for 2,000 years.  From here we began our walk through the site.  We saw a countless number of tombs carved into the site of the cliffs in every direction.  Some of the group walked down the Roman street to the stepped path that leads to the Monastery tomb on the western edge of the site.  Some enjoyed riding a mule there.  The other optional hike was up the backside trail to the High Place.  The hike was both scenic and difficult, but the view from the top made it all worth it.

We all returned to a close-by hotel where we could shower off the dust, sand, and sweat that accumulated during the course of the day.  Refreshed, we loaded in the bus and drove back to Amman, stopping in Karak once again for a snack/bathroom break.  We arrived at a restaurant in Amman for our “farewell dinner.”

We currently are waiting for our flight home at our night flight from the Amman airport.

DAYS 14 – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

We are currently en route, taking our night flight home via Franfurt.  Once we land in the US, we depart our ways for our domestic flights.  The end of a great trip!