MenuBack

A travel blogger’s crusade in Petra, Jordan! Ya’lla Tours: personal Middle East tour guide.

visit jordan travel blogger

On a quest to find the Treasury of a fabled civilization, buried by sand…

If this sounds like a plot from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, then you’ve nailed it. I went to Petra, Jordan — a dream come true, thanks to Ya’lla Tours.

baby the stars shine bright disney print

The story of this ancient city has fascinated me for years. In the 3rd century BC, Arabian nomads called the Nabataeans began settling here. Petra grew into a center for the spice trade, filled with marvelous temples, tombs and aqueducts.

The city passed into Roman and Byzantine rule, and then was lost… until a young explorer re-discovered it in the 19th century. Imagine coming across this glorious entryway, after years of scouring the desert!

petra jordan treasury

My film team and I were so grateful to have Ya’lla Tours guide our journey. While Jordan is a safe country, the archaeological sites are spread out (Petra is three hours from the capital, Amman) and I wouldn’t know how to get from here to there. On our own, we’d probably end up wandering the sand dunes like Moses.

horse rides, petra archeology

Ya’lla has personalized tours in various countries, including Jordan, and our guide’s expertise was worth his weight in gold. He took care of border crossing and visa checkpoints, got us to locations, gave us the historical run-down… Our journey was far richer and more relaxed because of him.

Case in point: Ya’lla planned our journey so that we’d conveniently spend the night in Wadi Musa, where Petra lies. The next morning, our guide made sure we were suitably dressed for the trek (good shoes and a jacket are necessities), and whisked us through the entrance. They even helped us get falafel afterward.

Horse rides are included, but we preferred to walk. The terrain is not difficult, but prepared to be on your feet for five hours or more.

siq, path to petra

We meandered through the mile-long siq (or “the shaft”), a narrow, winding gorge formed by a natural geological fault. I can’t think of a more epic prelude to an ancient city.

Along the way, our guide explained the aqueduct system and the meaning of carvings on the wall — things we wouldn’t have known or even noticed if we weren’t with him.

rock entrance to ancient city jordan

This photo gives you a sense of the Siq’s scale and grandeur. I spun around, between stone walls as high as 600 feet. (Photography by Melissa Rundle, Eric Bergemann and La Carmina.)

alice wonderland lolita skirt

My outfit is an exercise in function meets fashion. I wore sturdy boots, so I never stumbled or had sore feet. However, you might as well dress up for more memorable photos. Who knows if you’ll ever be back?

Alice in Wonderland print skirt: by Lolita brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright, at Closet Child Shinjuku. Worn with a petticoat under, for poof.
Goth stockings: c/o UK Tights. I’m wearing the Tiffany Quinn Sheer Crosses Tights
Velvet Victorian jacket: Lip Service c/o

Nabataean gods, carved deities

We saw remnants of carved deities from the religion of the Nabataeans and the traders that passed through. Our Ya’lla guide told is about standing stones, or baetyli, marking the presence of a god. He also showed us Greco-Roman style figures, and a man with camel.

petra elephant rock, fish face

He asked us, “What do you see in this natural rock formation?” From the profile, it looks like a fish. Head-on, it’s an elephant rock!

stray cat, jordan

A stray cat ran down a steep staircase, as a group of Asian tourists shuffled by.

tourists feeding stray feral cat

Someone in that tour group fed the cat a cracker. Don’t do this. Instead, donate to reputable animal organizations that do humane population control and work for long-term solutions. Likewise with giving to child beggars. This is a whole can of worms so I won’t go on, but if you want to discuss this, let’s do so in the comments.

petra treasury between rocks

Finally, we saw it beckoning through the rocks… The famous Al Khazneh or Treasury, entirely carved out of sandstone.

Al Khazneh, jordan temple facade

We learned that Petra was abandoned and lost to history for centuries. In 1812, Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it during his search for the source of the River Niger. He’s quite the “Indiana Johann,” spending years learning Arabic and disguising himself as a Muslim, in order to gain access to forbidden paths.

petra treasury architecture

The Treasury carvings reveal the mix of Hellenistic and Middle Eastern religions that thrived in Petra. The two eagles at the top represent the main Nabataen god. Below the urn is a symbol of Egypt’s Isis. Underneath are Zeus’ sons, Castor and Pollux.

indiana jones last crusade petra

The details have held up remarkably well over the years, despite damage from iconoclasts and bullets. Legend says that Bedouins shot at the urn, thinking there were gems inside.

Jordanian tourism board press trip

Can you guess why there are square markings on the left? These probably served as footholds for the brave sculptors.

camels kissing

Petra is a huge city, and there’s much more to see than just the Treasury. Every five minutes, someone offered us a camel ride or asked us to buy souvenirs. Politely ignore the vendors and walk on, if you’re not interested, or else they’ll keep dogging you.

donkey rides petra

While it may be tempting to ride the cute donkeys, camels or horses, I saw that some of them weren’t very well treated… We even saw a boy whip a horse while a tourist sat on top.

middle eastern horses

Many of them stood around in the sun, dressed in Bedouin cloths and waiting.

sand art bottle demonstrations

If you get tired of exploring ruins, you can duck into the tents to see sand art demos. By precisely layering and mixing colored sand, this man made a camel sand-scape.

camel sand art bottles

Bottles, bottles on the wall.

jordan Bedouin boy

The Jordanian people are very kind, and we enjoyed meeting this little boy with a sweet smile. Inside another tent, we sat surrounded by red carpets and chatted with the Bedouin owner, who served us dark coffee.

petra archaeological site

Petra is filled with secret caves, hidden tombs, echo chambers, remains of colored tiles… the stuff of imagination.

ya'lla tours, jordan guide

Imagine the amphitheater, filled with crowds of Romans. On the right, a rainbow of sandstone stripes.

jordan, royal tombs

We climbed up a long flight of stairs to the Urn Tomb, a burial place of the royals built high on the mountain face. Tip: look out for donkey poop as you walk.

petra guards in uniform

So many mysteries still remain about Petra. Just days ago, a study suggested the Nabataeans built some of the monuments so the sun would shine on them, on significant days of the year.

Ad Deir, petra monastery

The vast view from Ad Deir, or the Monastery.

rock cut tombs, houses petra

Filmmaker Eric and I “play house” in one of the many cut-out dwellings (most of these were tombs). I’m probably thinking about how to decorate.

sandstone caves, ancient homes

This is a day I’ll remember for ages to come. My travel film crew and I can’t thank Ya’lla Tours enough for taking us on an adventure to Petra. They offer Israel tours as well, and can customize the itinerary to your interests and group size.

two camels kiss

Our Ya’lla guide had answers to all our questions, and took care of logistics so we could simply learn and enjoy. You can start planning your own dream trip on their site and by adding their Facebook.

petra treasury carved from rose rock

Is visiting “the rose-red city half as old as time” on your travel bucket-list? Do you remember Petra from the Indiana Jones movie?

SHARE & COMMENT

48 Comments

  1. Nadia Areli Avila Ortiz
    Posted March 24, 2014 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    AMAZING photos, what a great journey :)

  2. Momo
    Posted March 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    so lovely :3

  3. Tom
    Posted March 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    your there now?

  4. Natalie
    Posted March 24, 2014 at 10:22 pm | Permalink

    coolest !!

  5. Jennifer Kellow
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 3:01 am | Permalink

    This is truly incredible! Every time I think you can’t top the last adventure you do. This is a dream career! ;)

    • lacarmina
      Posted March 27, 2014 at 1:25 am | Permalink

      Aww <3 There are down sides too, haha, but I try to only show the positives – glad if my work helps people learn about other cultures and encourages them to travel!

  6. MaDonna
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 2:25 pm | Permalink

    Now that I’ve lost weight since the last time I’ve been to Japan, I am so excited to shop at Closet Child for more than just accessories!!

  7. UK Tights
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 6:59 pm | Permalink

    look fantastic! Some great shots, especially of the cat :) Looks a little like Basil!

  8. John
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 6:59 pm | Permalink

    Yes, very much. Very Mara Jade in mufti taking the “waters” of Tatooine. Dak’s ur #1 fan in the Galaxy. U go gurl.

  9. Varis
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 6:59 pm | Permalink

    wooooow! Awesome! It’s one of my dreams as well to visit that place one day :3

  10. adam
    Posted March 25, 2014 at 7:06 pm | Permalink

    wonderful post :)

  11. Ben
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 12:22 am | Permalink

    Sweet!!

  12. Jill
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 7:08 pm | Permalink

    Amazing journey

  13. Yuuji
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    fabulous. la. carmina. i. love your work. your a very. beautiful woman

  14. Kreativmiez Kayila
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    Amazing ^_^

  15. Gloria
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    Yes SO epic!! Love this shoot definitely the perfect setting for a saga! Gorgeoous!

  16. lily
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    lots of fun

  17. canalcook
    Posted March 26, 2014 at 9:52 pm | Permalink

    Thought I saw horses kissing at the weekend, got filled with the joys of Spring, then realised they were biting each other..

  18. Glen
    Posted March 27, 2014 at 5:39 pm | Permalink

    The photo in the gorge is out of a dream.

  19. Lala
    Posted March 27, 2014 at 5:39 pm | Permalink

    Glorious ^^

  20. Victoria
    Posted March 27, 2014 at 11:56 pm | Permalink

    Keep on doing what you do!
    Victoria

  21. Julietg
    Posted March 28, 2014 at 6:11 pm | Permalink

    Wow Isis !

  22. VV
    Posted March 28, 2014 at 6:11 pm | Permalink

    Love it love it.

  23. Cream cake
    Posted March 28, 2014 at 9:32 pm | Permalink

    I want your life xx

  24. Marcela Marusera Maślanka
    Posted March 30, 2014 at 9:43 pm | Permalink

    Woah, what an amazing travel! And you looked so pretty in that skirt :)

  25. Jasmine Marianne
    Posted June 10, 2014 at 8:05 am | Permalink

    wow, what a fantastic travel! your photos are most beautiful. If you want to tour to Egypt, you can contact to mantis-tours.com, it is a best tourism company. when i had gone to egypt, it gave best jeep safari transportation services. It was more enjoyable for me.

  26. Amit shir
    Posted June 10, 2014 at 9:02 am | Permalink

    wow, what a fantastic travel! your photos are most beautiful. If you want to tour to Egypt, you can contact to mantis-tours.com, it is a best tourism company. when i had gone to egypt, it gave best jeep safari transportation services. It was more enjoyable for me.

  27. Neal Warne
    Posted July 15, 2014 at 7:58 am | Permalink

    Thanks a lot for sharing the useful blog. Keep sharing.

  28. anupama choudry
    Posted December 6, 2015 at 8:11 am | Permalink

    Hue,
    Danang, Hoian are the gorgeous attractions those are located in the
    centre of Vietnam. They are the most attractive spots in Vietnam.
    Thus, you cannot miss when come to our country. To have a meaningful
    journey without any problem, you definitely need a Vietnam
    Tour Guide in these areas. In this article, we would like to
    introduce you a real local tour guide who named Ms. Linh Nguyen.

    Her
    full name is Nguyen Thi Tuyet Linh. She was born in May 5th,
    1985. Now he lives at 111 Nguyen Phuc Tan Street in Hoian city. She
    really likes travelling, reading, swimming and singing. She is very
    friendly, self-motivated, active, enthusiastic one. On the other
    side, she would like to bring all happiness, pleasure to all guests.

    She
    studied at Quang Nam Teacher’s Training College from 2004 to 2007.
    Moreover, she studied Japanese Communication in 2004. Thus, she is
    very good at English and Japanese languages. She is also studied Tour
    guide course in 2007. With her proficiency in foreign languages and
    tourism knowledge, she can surely bring you to the right place and do
    the right thing smoothly. Thus, you can rely on her.

    In
    the past, she used to work at the reservation and reception
    departments in Palm Garden resort Hoian from 2007 to 2008. She also
    worked as a reception supervisor in The Nam Hai resort Hoi An from
    2008 to 2010. She can work as a freelance English speaking guide for
    Buffalo Tours, Lac Viet travel, Asiatica Travel, ViVu Travel,
    Indochina Voyage.

    We
    hope that the above information will be useful for you to plan a good
    journey in Hue, Danang, Hoian. Let come to these areas with a
    reliable Vietnam Tour Guide in Hue, Danang, Hoian who
    named Ms. Linh Nguyen to explore the beauty of the attractions
    in these area.

  29. Sallybaybeh Nor Salina Sapigni
    Posted August 25, 2016 at 6:22 pm | Permalink

    Thank you for sharing about Petra..❤❤
    Really helpfull and your pictures soo beautiful

  30. Emily
    Posted June 7, 2017 at 5:49 am | Permalink

    Yes, in particular. Extremely Mara Jade in mufti taking the “waters” of Tatooine. Dak’s ur #1 fan in the Galaxy. U go gurl.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked with *

*
*