Today I was heading down to the crown jewel of Jordan, the UNESCO Heritage Site of Petra.

There was 175km in between me and my final destination today so, yeah, there was alot of time behind the wheel of my rental car today.

I woke up nice and early this morning but spent a good amount of time popping together yesterday’s blog.

By 9:30, I was finally out the door to grab some breakfast back at the partnered restaurant I was at last night.

Breakfast today wasn’t a typical breakfast of eggs and such as I opted to get the traditional meal of lamb mansaf.

Yup, I had lamb with rice for breakfast today.

Kerak Castle

After breakfast I walked 5 minutes down the street to where the Kerak Castle was.

The highlight of the city is a large medieval castle built in the 12th century.   It’s structure is still probably about 90% intact which is amazing considering how old the building is.

As I entered, a wee bit too friendly of a person started to chat me up and walk with me.

Oh, oh – I know where this was headed.

After indulging him in a little small talk, I just told him I didn’t need a guide and I was fine on my own.

I turned the corner and, wouldn’t you know it, another guy did the exact same thing.

Thankfully it didn’t take much to persuade them to leave me alone so I’m happy for that.

It’s a good warm up for what I will inevitably experience tomorrow when I tour Petra and then throughout my travels in Egypt later on in the week.

There was only one other person walking around the castle grounds so I pretty much had the whole place to myself again.

It’s kind of interesting touring around old castle grounds as it feels like you’re playing a video game by searching through every room and trying to remember which way you came and which rooms you haven’t touched yet.

And, to top it off, I couldn’t find my way out of the maze of rooms back to the exit.

Eventually I did though and after exploring for a half hour, I was back at my hostel to grab my gear.

I dropped my key off at the restaurant and the guy working there gave me a bottle of water and a can of fruit drink as a hospitality gift.

I tell you, the Jordanian people here are so friendly!

With gifts in one hand and my backpack in another, I hopped in my car and started my trip down to Petra.

On the King’s Highway

The King’s Highway, also known as Highway 35, is touted as the main highway through Jordan that connects the north to the south.

I had assumed the highway was very similar to the Trans Canada Highway which runs west to east through Canada.

I figured it would be a speedy road with exits to different cities along the way.

Well, I figured wrong.

Yes, there were sections where you’d just zoom down the road at 100kmh but then the road would suddenly go through a town.

All of sudden your speed would go down from 100kmh to a crawl at 20kmh as you tried to navigate double parked cars and pedestrians sometimes leaving you a very narrow lane to make your way through.

Dana Viewpoint

I split up my time going down the King’s Highway to Petra by incorporating a couple of stops along the way.

The first stop was the Dana Viewpoint which was about 85km south of Kerak and a 90 minute drive.

The Dana Viewpoint is just a view off the side of the road of the valley down below.

In reality, the highlight in this place is the Dana Nature Reserve but, because of the time of year, it wasn’t open so I was left with a quick 5 minute look over the valley instead.

No worries, though, as it was stunning and I didn’t mind getting out of the car for a bit and stretch my legs.

Shoubak Castle

The other stop I made on my way to Petra was to the Shoubak Castle about 30km and 30 minutes further down the road.

I got to the castle at 1:45 but as I was in the home stretch to get to the entranceway, I was all of a sudden faced with a big “do not enter” sign and a pile of rocks blocking the road.

Well, okay then.

I eventually found a quick reroute that took me all the way around the castle until I finally reached where the parking lot was supposed to be.

I say supposed to be cause in it’s place was a construction zone with guys digging up the area.

Honestly, at this point I actually thought maybe the castle just wasn’t open but I persevered a little more and finally found a spot to park my car.

Even then, as I walked uphill to the castle door, I still wasn’t sure if I’d find it open or not.

I turned the corner and there was the door wide open and welcoming.

Yay!

Again, I saw only one other person at this castle and I had the whole place to wander around on my own.

This castle, while more spread out than the Kerak Castle earlier, was more tattered and in ruins.

And there were no guides.

It’s actually crazy when I think back to all the castles I’ve visited through my travels.   I should actually go back and reread my blogs and get a count because it’s got to be a ton by now.

That’s not to say I don’t still enjoy visiting castles and taking way too many photos, because I still do.

Welcome to Petra!

By 2:00 I was back on the road on to the final 35km stretch down to Petra and by 2:45 I had finally arrived.

I parked the car on the side of the street and walked up the alley to where my hostel was.

Of course, as is Jordanian culture, I was once again invited into the attached restaurant and offered a complimentary hot tea.

Now, I call the place I’m staying at a hostel but it’s really a mini hotel.

I have a room to myself with an ensuite bathroom and the biggest king size bed I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

An easy evening

After quickly getting things setup, I popped back out the door to a restaurant down the street that I had read had gluten free pita bread available.

That was enticing enough for me to pass by the multitude of restaurants lining this touristy street located just steps away from the gate to the Petra historical site.

For my late lunch I chose the Galayet Bandora which was a dish of tomatoes, beef and rice.

I also was given a side of gluten free pita bread with a dish of olive oil and another one of herbs to dip into.

The meal itself, while good, was pretty salty and the gluten free pita bread was pretty dry especially once it had gone cold.

Of course everything was overpriced but, hey, I’m in the tourism mecca of Jordan so that’s kind of to be expected.

After my late lunch, I just kind of wanted to hang out in my room, watch YouTube, and type up this blog.

I had planned to head back out for a late dinner but by the time 8:30 rolled around, I still wasn’t all that hungry and I was feeling kind of sleepy so I just called it a day.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day with an early start and there’s going to be lots and lots of walking.

Yup, tomorrow is officially Petra Day!

Can’t wait!