Touring through a Rich Past: The Trip to Petra, with Pictures

Hello, beloveds!
So, here are some photos and stories from our trip to Petra.
Before anything, get this:

Some history (pasted verbatim from this website):

Petra is a city which was carved out of the Sharah Mountains by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice, and other trade routes that linked China, India, and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome.

Petra fell into obscurity for hundreds of years, its location and very existence kept a closely guarded secret by the local Bedouin, before being re-discovered by the Swiss explorer Burkhardt in 1812.

(For more information on the history of Petra, feel free to click here.)
And when it was rediscovered, the natives of Petra were kicked out of their land because, they were told, "This place is too beautiful, too precious, too historic for y'all to be living here." And they were prolly also told that they don't know its importance and they don't know how to take care of it and all. Bah. We met this old guy there on one of the top mountains in Petra (Petra is all mountains; you'll see in a second) who told us his story and how his family refused to leave the land that was so rightfully theirs. His family was one of the two or three others that refused to leave. And today, he remains unknown in Petra - he said no one except for tourists/westerners know that he exists, and he has no siblings, no parents, nothing. You'll see a photo of his residence in a second.

Minerals from the Dead Sea! Soo tempting!

So, on June 30th 2011, a Thursday, we took the bus to go to Petra. We left around 4:30pm right after we got back from our Arabic classes, and we got there around 8pm. We took a little break half way, and the image at the left is what was on the restaurant we stopped by at. (We didn't eat there 'cause we had dinner waiting for us in Petra. But we just stopped to get water, etc.) As soon as we got to Petra, we were taken into this rrreally amazing hotel called Mövenpick that's like right at the entrance of Petra. I'd never heard of it before, but it's the most luxurious hotel I've ever stayed in. Again, thanks to CLS, we didn't have to pay anything :D It was ammmmmmmmmmmazing, you guys!! 'Hamdulillah!!! So, yeah, we checked in and all, went to our rooms, and then got to come back down for dinner. OH THE DINNER!!!! Sorry if I sound like a ... what's the English word ... but it was simply the best thing ever! :) You understand. We all were going crazy :p So it wasn't just me :D

Sunset on our way to Petra

CLSers inside Mövenpick

A real cool fountain at Mövenpick

View of Mövenpick courtyard from my floor

Dinner time! We all thought we were in heaven -- and we were!

All that is considered Petra!

The next day, Friday, we ate breakfast (again, The Best Breakfast Ever!) around 7:30am, and we headed towards Petra around 8am. Petra is open to tourists (non-Jordanians) for 100 Jordanian Dinars (JDs) a day. But thanks to CLS, of course, we got in for free -- I mean, CLS paid for us all.

When you enter Petra, there's this 1-km long trail (canyon) that you've to follow to actually see Petra Petra. If you type in "Petra" in Google Images, chances are, you're gonna see the image at the right (it's from Google Images). But I tell you, folks, Petra is SO much more. It's sooo much more richer than just this treasury. I'll tell you about this treasury in a minute, too.

So, the kilometer-long canyon goes like the following images. And it's actually very interesting and fun to walk through. You see all this cool stuff on the way and all! 

And the canyon at last!

Google image of the canyon

More of the canyon!

Then, VALAH! We entered Petra Petra!

O the things you see right in front of you once you pass the canyon!

Prolly what the people's houses looked like

 ~ to be continued ~