Petra By Tea Shop

Thousands visit the 'red-rose' city of Petra, named from the color of rock from which many of the structures are carved. There are many ways to see the archaeological site: by donkey, by camel, by horse-drawn buggy, by night...and with a local guide or part of an arranged tour group. I decided I wanted to set out and explore Petra on foot without a guide, so as to feel as if I was 'discovering' the lost city like the Swiss explorer Burckhardt in 1812.

The entrance to the city certainly lends itself to this sense of exploration. There is a spectacular gorge you walk through for over a kilometer, until you catch a glimpse of the magnificent facade of The Treasury.  Here everyone jostles to take the best pictures, stepping out of the way of passing camels and facing the hoards of guides and sellers of Bedouin jewelry, scarves and pieces of rock.
Once you get past that jaw-dropping moment you have to decide how to tackle the rest of the site, which is quite extensive.  I had done my homework and found an interesting guide book that suggested a walking route. It included 'alternative' paths up hidden stairways, and suggestions to ask for the little known back-way down. This appealed to my sense of explorer and we took the stairway behind the tea shop up to the High Sacrifice, off the beaten path, and through a flock of goats.

It wasn't long before I was thinking that a donkey might have been a good idea after all. The stairs ended and there was no clear path. We were scrambling and might have missed the path altogether if it had not been for the sight of a donkey patiently sitting on a rock above us. It's owner sat under the shelter of her tea shop, letting us know that we were on the path.
Like something out of a movie, a man on a horse stood on the highest point above us. He shouted out that we were going the wrong way, and offered to guide us. He assured us that the way on was far too dangerous to go alone, and we needed him. We managed to turn down his offer after realizing that he wanted to take us somewhere different, and headed towards another small tea shop wedged between two rocks and a tree. A lady sat by and pointed out our route. We did meet one or two other westerners up there who were, like us, trying to find a path.  However, the appearance of the simple tea shops told us we were going the right way, and more than once the local Bedouin women would call out to us, offer to sell us something and then point us on our way.

I enjoyed the feeling of discovery when, rounding a rock or looking over a cliff, I would come across a carved opening to a tomb.  I felt like Howard Carter discovering King Tut's tomb. Most of these tombs could not be seen from the main path and I prided myself in having found something that many other tourists had missed.
The path to the Monastery is not marked, but it can be easily found by following the donkeys carrying visitors, and the string of tea shops along the way up. Some of the shops have made their own signs, calling you to "the best view".  They lead to a tent high up above the rocky valleys where you can drink tea and sit awhile.   And by this time I was in need of a rest. All this exploring was taking its toll on my knees, but we still had to make it back to the entrance 3 kilometers away. I made it most of the way before letting myself get talked into a ride on a horse. "Like Indiana Jones" was less convincing than the fact that my feet hurt.

I had tried to take on the exploration of Petra by myself but found I needed guidance to truly appreciate the place.  My guidance came in the form of the ladies who run the shops and patiently stop you from getting lost and point out the hidden gems you missed seeing because, let's face it, who would ever know it was there? I never bought anything from them, or gave them money, but now I wish I had.
Ironically, the Swiss Burckhardt, also did not find the lost city by himself. The story is that he dressed up as an Arab and convinced a Bedouin guide to take him.