Jordan - Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World Day 2｜Revisiting the scenery we missed yesterday

5/26｜Petra Day 2｜Walking back to the scenery we missed yesterday, fighting the scorching sun in the afternoon

We really walked a lot yesterday (and rode donkeys), so we gave ourselves a break this morning and went out at about 10 o'clock after breakfast.

As soon as we walked outside, we immediately felt the power of the sun. It was so hot that it made people doubt life, so we decided to go to the **Petra Museum to blow some air conditioning first.

This museum is open to the public free of charge. Not only is the air conditioning cool, but the exhibition is also very attentive. It introduces the history, religion, architecture and living utensils of the ancient civilization of the Nabataeans. It is a very suitable place to start the Petra trip.

Recommended to every traveler who comes to Petra, especially when you are looking for a place to escape the heat hahaha!

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After coming out of the museum, we happened to meet a row of taxis. The driver took the initiative to offer to take us to another entrance, which was actually the exit we left yesterday, and the price was 15 JD/car. We were too lazy to bargain, so we just got on the bus~

This section is to re-enter from the west entrance of Petra, which is equivalent to skipping the Grand Canyon section at the front, and can directly approach the middle section of the route, which is very suitable for lazy people like us who want to "revisit the scenery we missed yesterday" but don't want to start all over again!

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We walked for about 30 minutes and came to the rest stop halfway, which is the Nabatean Restaurant area on the map.
There are not only toilets and shaded seating areas here, but also many camel and donkey owners selling rides up the mountain. It is the starting point of the route to the Monastery (Ad-Deir).

There were constant shouting on the scene, and all kinds of prices were flying around -
40 JD, 30 JD, 20 JD, 15 JD, and even some people shouted 10 JD, depending on whether it is a one-way trip or a round trip.
But today we agreed to be down-to-earth good people, and decided to climb up with our feet!

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In fact, we walked a short distance today, mainly because we were too nervous to ride the donkey yesterday, and we didn't have time to see the scenery or take pictures.
So this time we walked slowly and took more pictures at the same time, implementing the "walk for 5 minutes, rest for 5 minutes" slow walking life plan in the sun.

We walked and walked to the Lion Triclinium, which is a tomb built by the Nabataeans in the first century AD. There are relief lions on the left and right of the door, symbolizing protection and strength. This is one of the many ancient tombs in Petra that is easier to approach and well preserved.

And here we actually met the person who helped us lead the donkey yesterday! He was very enthusiastic when he saw us, and wanted to take us to ride the donkey again, haha~ We politely declined, and then he changed his words and said that he would take us to take pictures of some **"only locals know"** attractions. Although we knew he had a purpose, we thought "since we are here, we should take pictures", so we just treat it as a human interaction.

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It was so hot near noon that we felt like we were going to melt after walking a few steps under the scorching sun, so we decided to go back to the restaurant to rest.

We found a place near Nabatean Restaurant to sit down and drink cold drinks and eat the food we brought with us. We replenished our water and avoided the heat. We sat there from 2:30 pm to 4 pm before we set off again.

This is the cruel reality of Petra: it is too hot during the day and you can’t stand it. It is best to find a place to hide from the sun at noon, otherwise you will really get heatstroke!

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In the afternoon, we started to move towards the Royal Tombs. In fact, many points along the way are beautiful, but when the sun shines and the terrain is too similar, sometimes you will have the illusion of "have I been here before" after looking at the map for a long time.

But we were not too obsessed with visiting every point. As long as we felt that the road was easy to walk and the scenery was beautiful, we would go there to take pictures. If it was too steep or too far, we would decisively give up. Self-knowledge is also a very important virtue in the journey.

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At about five o'clock in the evening, we walked to the Treasury again.

It is really beautiful to come here at this time! There are obviously fewer people, so we sat down in the shadow in front of the temple, looking up at this miraculous building on the rock wall, and quietly enjoying the color changes of the sun hitting the rock.

The setting sun shone obliquely, and the entire rock wall was dyed golden red, which was much more layered than during the day. The picture was really spectacular.
Friends who want to take pictures of the empty scene are highly recommended to come back here after 5:30 pm!

Just as we were about to leave, we saw the staff began to place candles on the ground. It turned out that they were preparing for the Petra By Night event in the evening.
This is a special itinerary limited to Petra at night. It is not available every night. It is recommended to confirm with the hotel or information. It is said that thousands of candles will be lit in front of the treasury, accompanied by local music, which is a very poetic night experience.

Although we can "watch it for free", we are really too tired and too hungry, so we finally gave up reluctantly.

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After leaving the ancient city, we chose the Red Cave Restaurant in the city for dinner. The name is beautiful but...
The evaluation is: the fried chicken is good, sorry for the other dishes, we all criticized it.

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We returned to the hotel early today and took a shower and lay down to rest before 8 o'clock.

My friend also laughed and said, "Why are we so tired this time?"

Thinking about it, even if we walked a lot in the past, it would not be so sunny, dry, and hot. This time we walked nearly 20,000 steps, and the whole person was really tired and sticky.

Moreover, Petra is too big and vast. There is no way to go back to the hotel to take a nap at noon before going out. The physical consumption is really much greater than expected.

However, we will set off again at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning!
Because it is said that the early morning is the most beautiful time to take pictures of the Treasury. The sun will slowly hit the temple from the canyon. At that moment, it is an invincible fairyland light!

Summary:

Petra Day 2 was more like an exploration, reshooting and sun-fighting stroll than Day 1.

We didn’t finish every road, but we appreciated the corners that we hurriedly passed by yesterday.

When traveling, you don’t have to finish all the points. You can consciously choose the parts you want to give up so as not to lose the fun of the journey.