Up early and into another bus for a 2½ hour ride to this 200 BC Nabataean ancient city carved out of the multi-coloured sandstone rock. (Indiana Jones film location). It’s massive and we spend five hours walking around it (and declining camel rides) in the hot sun. The Nabataeans were wealthy from the toll fees extracted from the caravans plying the old silk road from the East. Then the Romans arrived and added their own buildings to the city while keeping what they found there. I calculate that the Jordanians get about $600k/day from tourists visiting the site. There are 14 hotels under construction in Petra. It’s best to stay close by in one of them and start the visit around 5.00am and finish by 10.00am or so and before the crowds and the heat of the day arrive but it’s a terrific place to visit.
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