Excursion to Petra from Sharm El Sheikh
To Jordan from Egypt (Sharm El Sheikh)"
Jordan is a beautiful and very interesting country. The easiest way to get into it, for a simple Russian tourist, is from Egypt.
A ticket from Sharm El Sheikh costs from 215 to 320 USD per person. The price depends on the travel agency, in local Egyptian it is cheaper, the service is the same as for those who bought at the hotel.
The trip lasts almost a day. First by bus to Taba port, 2.5-3 hours. Then by ferry across the Red Sea to Aqaba, 30 min. from Aqaba to Petra another 2 hours by bus.
On the way to Petra, there and back, there is a stop: tea, coffee, toilet (in Jordan - free of charge), souvenir shop.
Lunch will be upon return from Petra to Aqaba. My group had dinner at the Mariot 5* hotel.
If you are lucky with a guide, you will be told a lot of interesting things along the way: about Jordan, the royal family, customs, what is happening with them now.
If not, buy a book about Jordan, it costs 10 dollars, it is sold in Petra and at stops along the way (in St. Petersburg it is 3 times more expensive here).
In general, their country is positive, it does not fight with anyone, thanks to the wise policy of the royal family.
The former king left the throne to his youngest son (from an English wife), and the eldest son works as an adviser to the current king of Jordan.
In terms of living standards, Jordan is in 4th place in the Arab world, right after Iraq.
For 15 years Iraq supplied oil products to Jordan free of charge as mutual aid. But then the Americans executed Saddam and it was all over. But Jordan does not have its own oil, they live off cargo transportation, they provide all transit through Arab countries through their ports. Their roads are very good, despite the many trucks with containers and the high temperature of the air, most of the year. Asphalt for some reason does not crack and does not spread.
Petra is Jordan's biggest wonder. Ancient city among pink rocks. First you will see it from the top of Mount Horun.
Then you will enter it on foot through a beautiful gorge. All the walls of this gorge are treated with some strange method to hold and collect rainwater. Because water in Jordan is a rarity and a big problem. The Nabataeans - that was the name of the people who lived here in ancient times, created a system of canals cut right on the rocks. And every drop of rain was collected in reserve. Now the water system is destroyed by earthquakes and, in the event of rain, an uncontrolled flow can cause serious harm to everyone who gets in its way, right up to death.
But there was no light rain for a couple of years, and heavy rain for several decades. So do not be afraid, and if you do not violate the rules of conduct during the tour, then nothing threatens you.
The temples of Petra are beautiful houses carved from whole rocks of pink sandstone with columns, statues and all sorts of decorations or devices for something almost not earthly. Some resemble Roman and Greek temples, but there is a fundamental difference: in Petra everything is made of a single piece - a monolith both outside and inside. And the design of the upper part of the Khazna temple, with a torn roof and an insert-column, is also not found anywhere except Petra.
In addition to huge temples, there is something like cave houses. Moreover, the entrance to the house is very high, and the staircase carved in stone does not reach the ground at a decent distance. Those. they crawled up the slope to the stairs, and then walked up the steps? If we assume that the stairs served simply to exit the house and "fly away" from it (in some way), then everything looks more logical. And there are plenty of such stairs in Petra,
if you look closely. I believe they had "top loading" houses.
If you want to go to Petra from Sharm, I can advise where to buy cheaper with normal service and insurance.
I can ask questions
