Petrafied

Ok, so this is much overdue.... but worth a write-up none the less.

I got a wonderful chance to go with my friends Mike and Michelle off to the not-even-a-little-bit-Red Sea, then a day-trip to Petra, in Jordan.

Here is a view of the Israeli resort city of Eilat. Hotels, restaurants, clubs, duty-free shopping and diving make up its profile.

We were up at dawn to make it to the border early, but even so were in a large line, as this was the first day open after a long religious holiday that shut down Jordanian government and businesses. The creature below was the most fun to photograph... it was just hard to catch it standing still.

Once in the entrance to old Petra, Mike and Michelle wrap up to fight the cold. And it was COLD. The temps were below freezing when we arrived, and the wind chill kept biting our faces. I have to say I had no idea that it got this cold here!

The walk down towards the Treasury led us through a large canyon. It was fun finding pictures in the stone. Here is one of two people about to kiss...

The Treasury (which really was never a treasury, but if you want the history of the whole place, you can read up on in at http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_nabateans.html ) was breathtaking. It is amazing for its sheer size and the fact that it still stands, even though carved out of this relatively soft sandstone.

And we did fall prey to the sales pitches from the locals, and were coerced into riding camels. Mike practiced his bartering skills, and after many false starts off by foot, got the price down to where we decided the experience was well worth the cashflow. Certainly a fun way to book it back to the bus for the drive back to Eilat.