On our one hour express tour, the first day we arrived, we drove out to Little Petra but did not go in. Our driver today said that he would take us there, so we took him up on the offer. We were one of only three or four groups visiting that day. We declined the Bedouin guide as we knew it was very small compared to Petra. There were similar carved temples but in one there were the remains of some fine painting. It has a tricky climb up to get into the chamber but it was worth it (see above). Of course there were cats, dogs, donkeys and shops. However there was no pressure to buy. Instead when Leslie found a necklace that she wanted, there was no one to sell it. We headed back for our special farewell dinner.
The balloon was up again
More rounded stones
This camel was running free and our driver told us that this is an issue with driving at night. Much like deer in the Midwest and moose in Alaska, these buggers can inflict a huge amount of damage to your car and the occupants. The small branch that the camel was tied to can still be seen attached to its lead
Almost there
There are shops and tea houses at the entrance
One big tomb before the narrow entrance
Happy couple
Geography very similar to Petra
Starting with simple entrances
and small openings
Huge boulders
Approaching the narrow opening
Passing the gate
Getting more complex on the inside
With niches and stairs carved into the rock
Well worn
The tomb on top and water storage below
Nicely preserved due to the lintel above the carved area
Still towering side walls
These remind be of garage doors for car places
A tea shop inside
Channels to collect the water
Many openings were very eroded
See the face?
We saw grass growing
A small garden
Cat in the crevice, can you see it?
Meow!
Donkey ride?
Andromorphic, man of the stone
A precarious stone pillar
The canyon narrows down again
An even larger set of Stairs
Stone dog on top?
Not the easiest stairs, hang on!
The tree to the left has a huge root ball down on the righ tbottom
Some more shops lining the edges
Steps up on this boulder in a side channel
Leslie talking to her own personal guide
This is the painted biclinium, so maned because it had two benches on either side and it is painted
This is one of only a few examples of fine Nabataean Painting
There are grape vines, birds and cherubs. I see a dove, a duck and what looks like a goose
This one has a hoopoe a sunbird and a lark
Negative space faces
The Flintstones neighborhood
Our guide Mohammad
Goodbye little Petra
The balloon off on the distance
A bit hazy today
This rock wall is needed to prevent a long fall
These rocks are so intriguing
Sheep on a hill
Our fancy lamb meal, mansaf
This dish is a boiled lamb, cooked until super tender, that is added to a fermented dried yogurt sauce with rice. It was cooked specially just for us. I had to accept the second helping when it weas offered to us
