Before we went to Petra, we spoke with friends who'd visited earlier in the year and had been guided by Abdullah. They'd said that the highlight of their trip was a trip to the top of a mountain to watch the sun setting over Petra. On this recommendation we asked Abdullah to arrange something special for us. However, there must have been something lost in translation as rather than taking a leisurely stroll to sit and watch the sun set over Petra, we ended up on a traditional bedouin camping experience.
This involved being collected by Abdullah's mates in an old Hilux, (with the three of us squashed in the back) and being driven for about 30 minutes to the edge of the park. Once at the edge of the park, we were given a sleeping bag each and had to walk for about an hour up the side of a mountain to around 1300m. The rest of the kit for the night followed behind on 2 donkeys.
The mountain that we climbed, Jabal Harun, was allegedly the site where Moses' brother, Aaron was buried. I'm not sure if sleeping on someone's grave was supposed to be the highlight of the tour, or just an added bonus!
Anyway, despite the longer than expected hike, we made it to the top in time for sunset. Just.
This is just a short description of the trip, but sometimes, what happens on holiday, stays on holiday. Isn't that right Barry?!!!
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