Thursday night from Madaba, and are staying in the Petra Palace hotel. We have a pool here that a few of us have made use of also. We each received a 2-day pass through Petra, and yesterday Raed gave us the tour through the ancient city. The Nabateans were the first builders in the area, and many of the huge structures it is famous for are actually their tombs. They were traders and merchants, and Petra was a main stop along the camel caravan route. Later on, Romans took over the city and made some modifications, such as the addition of a stone floor for their carriages. We saw the most other tourists here, definitely a highly trafficked site. The treasury is the main feature, as you can see below.We also climbed up to a monastery on the first day. Then when we left the
site, we went to Petra Kitchen for a cooking lesson. We worked with several other interesting people, and the chef and helpers gave us recipes we were to follow to make some traditional Jordanian foods. It was really great to learn how to make so many different things! Then we ate what we made afterwards, delicious. We got to take home the recipes, so perhaps you all will get to eat some Jordanian food after we are back as well.Today (Saturday) was a free day in Petra and boy did we use that well. We got up a little later than usual and ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then it was back to Petra. Spud has a video camera along, and we all decided to film a fifth Indiana Jones movie that kept us busy until about 6 p.m. I won't spoil the plot, but you'll soon be seeing such characters as Sean Connery, an unscrupulous optometrist, Dr. Botanicus, Jesus, and several Amazonian women fighters. It's sure to be a hit for the whole family ... check out Eric's picture site for some promotional stills (http://www.freewebs.com/jordansoils/) After wrapping up production, we returned to the hotel for supper. Some people explored around Petra as well, but most of us are trying to do some laundry before our desert excursion tomorrow. We leave for Wadi Rum desert at 8:30 tomorrow and are camping there overnight, so no updates tomorrow, sorry! I'm realizing how soon it will be until we're back on the East Coast, so we will be seeing you all soon!
- Leah
