A visit Jordan is synonymous with a visit to Petra.
Known as a lost world, or city of the dead, this is where clichés like "breath-taking" and "seen to be believed" are soon to be proven accurate.
As you meander down the gentle sloping kilometre of echoing siq towards the Treasury tomb the clip-clop of hooves and rattling wheels of passing carriages only makes this pilgrim-like stroll into a deserted world the more atmospheric.
Yet the first glimpse of this towering mausoleum is so tantalisingly tight it seems pressed between the narrowing walls of the red gorge high overhead. The sharply cut facade of the gigantic tomb seems freshly hewn in contrast to the almost organic weathering of the stone which frames it.
Suddenly, the gorge ends, Petra opens. Camels await passengers. People of all nations mill and stare.
But the magic of that single glimpse lingers ..
I love the powerful impact of this arrival; entering the true gate to Petra’s city of tombs. I never tire of the joy of this first brief postcard sight and yet with 5 visits and counting I know these stately remains of a departed world are just the beginning for this weekend.
Highlight this visit after 8 hours of running?
It’s not that the climb was ever in doubt, just the path .. but after an hour plus of ascent and false turns we find ourselves unexpectedly on the summit of Mount Aaron.
Atop the mount, perched high over the surrounding desert, is a tiny white-washed dome which marks the crypt of Aaron, brother of Moses.
It seems to ride on the very edge of the world as row upon row of chocolate ridges fall away sharply behind to the Western desert beyond.
Now to say breath-taking is not cliché!
Wonderfully, heart-fillingly, hugely breathtaking.
Pic by Shawn Matthews
My urge on the roof of this eyrie, accessed by stairs built of Roman columns, is just to sit and draw in the amazing buzzing energy.
Pic by Shawn Matthews
My reality is the long hot hours yet to run.
Downwards .. onwards .. at least one beer before a little lie down ..
