This is a story about trust. It is always very very hard to trust anyone in a touristic area, because they may try to rip you off, or something even worse. I have been ripped off, in Turkey, for over US$400. But this doesn't deter me from trusting people. You will get burned, but you can't let that deter you. Be smart about it and once in a while you will find a genuine connection. And once in a blue moon, you will get an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Granted, I got REALLY lucky, and ended up with a once in a life time experience.
Let me first preface this story. I took this initial climb up this mountain, by myself, first thing in the morning. After finding nothing up there too spectacular, I came down. So, I had absolutely no intention to climb back up this mountain.
I went to Petra alone (see pictures here). I met a French couple, and a Dutch guy, Robert, along the way, but since we were all staying in separate hostels, I didn't expect to see them. I entered Petra at 8am, 1 hour later than what I wanted. Guidebooks say that over 10,000 people will visit Petra everyday and that you should go before 7am. I got lucky. It was basically empty.
The walk from the Siq canyon is longer than what you may expect, and around every turn you think the treasury is around the corner and your heart skips a beat. Until you finally see it.
The site is beyond words. It is absolutely amazing.
I decided to climb one of the many mountains in Petra. The hike claimed that it had a view of the Treasury from above. It was a short, but steep climb, and I found nothing on top. I hiked down and decide to trek it to the monastery. On the way, I sat on a stone path to eat my banana, melon seeds, and nuts that I had packed, and a Bedouin lady, who is also selling stuff, gestures to me to come and have tea. Most of the time, especially in Egypt, if you are offered something, they will hassle you to buy something, but I felt adventurous and went over and shared tea. I shared what food I had and we chatted for about 10 minutes. This is where I met up again with Robert, the Dutch guy I met in Amman and took a very weird car trip down. He met this Polish girl, Agnieszka, and we all chatted with the Bedouins over tea. The three of us decided to travel together for the rest of the day.
At the end of the day, they decided to climb the mountain I did first thing in the morning. I was tired and had no energy or will to climb it again. But they convinced me that it would be a good idea, since this time around, I might actually find the view I was looking for.
The climb wasn't easy. I wanted to stop and wait for them more than once, but they kept me going. But we finally made it and found the view to see the Treasury from above. This is where the story of trust begins.
Granted, I got REALLY lucky, and ended up with a once in a life time experience.
Let me first preface this story. I took this initial climb up this mountain, by myself, first thing in the morning. After finding nothing up there too spectacular, I came down. So, I had absolutely no intention to climb back up this mountain.
I went to Petra alone (see pictures here). I met a French couple, and a Dutch guy, Robert, along the way, but since we were all staying in separate hostels, I didn't expect to see them. I entered Petra at 8am, 1 hour later than what I wanted. Guidebooks say that over 10,000 people will visit Petra everyday and that you should go before 7am. I got lucky. It was basically empty.
The walk from the Siq canyon is longer than what you may expect, and around every turn you think the treasury is around the corner and your heart skips a beat. Until you finally see it.
The site is beyond words. It is absolutely amazing.
I decided to climb one of the many mountains in Petra. The hike claimed that it had a view of the Treasury from above. It was a short, but steep climb, and I found nothing on top. I hiked down and decide to trek it to the monastery. On the way, I sat on a stone path to eat my banana, melon seeds, and nuts that I had packed, and a Bedouin lady, who is also selling stuff, gestures to me to come and have tea. Most of the time, especially in Egypt, if you are offered something, they will hassle you to buy something, but I felt adventurous and went over and shared tea. I shared what food I had and we chatted for about 10 minutes. This is where I met up again with Robert, the Dutch guy I met in Amman and took a very weird car trip down. He met this Polish girl, Agnieszka, and we all chatted with the Bedouins over tea. The three of us decided to travel together for the rest of the day.
At the end of the day, they decided to climb the mountain I did first thing in the morning. I was tired and had no energy or will to climb it again. But they convinced me that it would be a good idea, since this time around, I might actually find the view I was looking for.
The climb wasn't easy. I wanted to stop and wait for them more than once, but they kept me going. But we finally made it and found the view to see the Treasury from above. This is where the story of trust begins.
