Jordan- Petra

It's a weird to come to the realization that I've been in 4 different countries during the month of November. Saudi- obviously, Bahrain- for stake conference (and a spa day with friends), Oman- family vacay, and Jordan- couples weekend. A friend told me that living in Saudi is 80% of the time the same as what you'd be doing if living in the states...school, running kids to/from activities, etc. Then there's the 10% that totally blows- having to cover when leaving camp, not being able to drive, being far away from family, going months without wheat thins (or other favorite foods they don't import to Saudi), etc. But then there's the 10% that is a-may-zing...the unique experiences you get to have living overseas. It's been a 10% month! Brian's parents watched the kids and we took off for a whirlwind 48 hrs in Jordan with another couple. I love weekend getaways!

We landed in Amman but immediately drove 3 hrs south to Petra. It was 1:00 am by the time we arrived to our hotel. We picked the Marriott b/c we heard the view is amazing- and when we woke the next morning we found this (so yeah, it's a pretty good view):

A lot of these photos were randomly taken along our 10 mile walk through Petra. The cliff walls, carvings, and plant life were all stunning:

Every once in awhile you'd find a tree growing out of a crevice of rock.

This is a photo of the huge amphitheater. It's so impressive to think they carved all those seats by hand.

I imagine Petra would be a geologist's dream come true. The rock formations and different layers/colors of the rocks were photo worthy!

Desert onions...if you dig one up they look like onions but aren't edible.

There are many Bedouins selling crafts and trinkets along the route.

If you've seen Indiana Jones...then you'll recognize this structure! It's called the Treasury.

Brian's first attempt at doing a vertical pano. Jared didn't know to stay still so his body looks all weird and dissected and pixelated.

Just to give you perspective...I'm at the bottom...the treasury is pretty darn tall!

This is Mohammed Najjar- he was our driver and tour guide for the weekend. And he is one cool dude. If you ever find yourself in need of a tour company in Jordan...look up Petra Night Tours and ask for him to be your guide.