After the first week of my program, D and I decided to go to Petra before I got completely overwhelmed by homework. As my weekend is Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we decided to go on Friday. Wrong decision number one. Then we decided not to take the JETT bus that leaves at 6:30 in the morning because obviously that’s way too early. We instead thought, “Why not try our luck with the public buses?” Silly, silly us.

Friday morning we woke up early (or what constitutes early for us), ate some breakfast and went outside to hail a taxi to the bus station. First thing we notice is that the streets are almost empty. Now, to be fair, I did know that Friday around noon is when everyone goes to the mosque. I just thought that if we got an early enough start it wouldn’t be a problem. Wrong. We managed to find a cab and set off for the bus station which was of course all the way on the other side of the city (and Amman is a very large city).

Of course the bus station was empty. There was one bus going to Petra (and a few people waiting around for it to leave) but the bus driver told us that unless the bus filled up, he wouldn’t even bother going. Hmm. We decided to wait and try our luck since we didn’t feel like paying around fifty dinars to hire a private taxi. As we were standing around in the heat, a guy pulled up in a car and offered to take us there and back in exchange for our share of the gas money. We grabbed another tourist and off we went!

A note: as a woman I would NEVER have done this if I were alone. And it doesn’t matter where. The Middle East, Europe, the US, it’s all the same. But, since I was with two men, I figured that it would be safe. And it was.

The drive from Amman to Petra is about 2 and a half hours through the desert. The landscape is beautiful but repetitive. Eventually, you begin to talk with your fellow passengers. Our driver was a Jordanian man who had studied English literature, was well versed in Arabic poetry and who saw no problem with breaking into song during lulls in the conversation. He regailed us with stories about his wife and young daughter and his experiences studying in Iraq and Jordan.

Finally we reached Petra and approached the gate. 50 dinars entrance! What?! D and I both paused, but we had come too far to turn back now. Once you enter Petra, everything is chaos. There are horses, carriages, donkeys, camels, and guides all competing for your money and attention. While your ticket covers the cost of a guide and a horse ride, you still have to tip. D and I decided to forgo the guide and the horse ride mostly because the animals looked overworked. And it was hot. Not just hot, HOT. During the few hours we spent there, we drank about 3 large bottles of water.

It is beautiful, though. The colored sandstone turns the Nabatean houses, burial sites, and temples built into the cliffs into a dreamland. Some of the structures have eroded and look as if they are melting. During its time, Petra was a cosmopolitan city founded by the Nabateans (I had to look them up on Wikipedia, too) and then conquered by the Romans. Roman columns line what was the main street between the amphitheater and the temple. And somehow it’s all in the middle of this dry, imposing desert.

As we didn’t have much time, we stuck to the main pathway and didn’t make it to some of the secondary sites. Which is a shame, but it was too hot and too far. As we walked back we ensured that we had enough pictures to send to our mothers, met up with our driver, and headed back to Amman exhausted and proud of ourselves for making everything work out in the end.

Petra Dos and Don’ts:

DO take the JETT bus. It will be much more convenient than the public buses and apparently it’s air-conditioned! It leaves everyday (including Friday) at 6:30 AM from Abdali and returns from Petra at 4 PM. According to their website it costs 9.50 each way.

DO plan on spending more than one day there. Single day tickets are 50 dinars whereas two day tickets are 55 and three day tickets are 60. I’m sure you can find reasonable accommodation and Petra deserves more than a few hours.

DO come stocked with plenty of water. It is hot and there is little shade to be seen. There are stores inside the site that sell water, but for an incredible mark-up.

DON’T go try to leave on Friday from Amman, unless you are taking the JETT bus. Learn from my mistakes.

DON’T tolerate animal cruelty. If you see one of the guides abusing a work animal, say something to the authorities.