"If you've never had a Turkish bath..."

You've never really bathed. Trust me. I didn't really believe it myself until I had one. Our hotel, The Amra Palace in Petra, Jordan, has one built in. The moment we dragged ourselves through the door and up to the counter, we were presented with a listing of the daily specials: turkish bath, jacuzzi, tea, and unlimited internet for 13 dinars. "What exactly is a Turkish bath?" I asked everyone around.  The most I got were partial explanations, and from the sound of it, it was horrible. So like any good travelers, we decided to hop on board. 

If you've never had one, your first Turkish bath is quick and intimidating at best. You start by wearing a sheet. The bathers throw you into a detox room that is so hot and filled with steam that you can't see or breathe, and you're expected to stay there until they come and get you. If you're feeling particularly masochistic, you can pick up a bowl of cool water and pour it down your steaming back. When they're ready, they pull you into a room, throw you face down on a table, and proceed to scrub you down with three types of soaps and an abrasive cloth. Then they harshly massage you and pour hot water across your limbs until you're fully rinsed. Then they peel you up, flip you over, and start again. When finished, they wrap you up in towels and toss you into a room where you sit, sip tea and quietly bond with everyone else who was just exposed to the same invasive cleaning process. And relax. If nothing else, it was a fantastic way to wash off the grit of our busy day.

 

Sitting at the top of one of the highest climbing points in Petra, we had a brief moment to look over the vast expanse of dirt and carved sandstone that has become such an important part of our trip. We made it. PETRA. It was here. Of course, because there was very little written about the city before it was mostly destroyed by earthquakes, there are only archaeologists' theories that leave much to be desired about what was in Petra and why. So a lot is left to the imagination. There were grand tombs and carved facades that were believed to be burial grounds or temples for the peoples' various deities. There was a Romanesque amphitheater and even pillars that were reminiscent of Greek times. Our Eco Desert Tour guide lead us on a guided trek, and then finally let those of us spending the night explore on our own. 

It's impossible to do Petra in a day. You could be there for weeks and still not see everything. The city is too expansive. But following the main paths through the park take you through the siq and to some of the most impressive sites. There's nothing like exploring something to feel a real connection to it. Countless summers with my family in Colorado prepared me for the climbs up stairs and on top of rock formations, in caves, and around bends, but a thousand summers couldn't prepare me for the views. By the end of the day, Petra had taken its toll on us. After several hours of driving and border crossings, we hiked 12 kilometers in all. We were sunburned, windburned, covered in "valuable" mineral dirt (according to the local Bedouin children, of course), and had gone through so many drastic temperature changes that our bodies finally registered any temp as just "fine." But every second was worth the trouble. 

Also, as a side note, the entire valley is called Wadi Musi because it's the Valley of Moses; the valley the Israelites are said to have moved through during the Exodus from Egypt. On top of one of the mountains (called the Mountain of Aaron) is a shrine which is said to be the tomb of Moses' brother Aaron. It wasn't within reach for us, but it did unexpectedly go along with our Biblical journey. We've accidentally stumbled upon several landmarks relating to the exodus of the Hebrew people, which is personally my favorite Bible story. We started in Egypt, saw where the Israelites were said to make landfall in Jordan from the Red Sea, and have now seen the highest peak where Aaron met his maker. Everything just happens to be falling into place.

Tomorrow we leave beautiful Jordan and head back to Eilat, where we'll soon catch a bus to Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea.

 And yes, I finally figured out how to post pictures, and may have to go back and add a few in on the previous posts.