RD's Thoughts on NYC & Petra

So the adventure begins in New York City.  During our two-day stint in NYC, we visited the iconic Times Square at night. It was spectacular with all the lights and stores it was definitely sensory overload.  But, I thought that the sights of Times Square could not be matched.

  I woke up in the morning in Petra, looked off my hotel balcony and my breath left me.  Before me was a huge canyon with the sun light reflecting off the sandstone cliffs; it created a majestic sight.  At that moment, I knew that this trip was truly going to be life changing.

 So after breakfast we left to go see The Treasury, which is a famous sight in Jordan.  It consists of a huge facade that has been used in many movies from Indiana Jones to Transformers.  The chance to see this sight would have been awesome in itself, but to arrive at The Treasury you have to walk through a canyon whose natural beauty is only enhanced by its historical significance. 

The canyon was used as a route to help escape the heat of the desert sun. Water ducts were carved out to help channel and collect the precious rainwater and later the Romans incorporated it as part of the Roman Road.  The sheer rugged nature and beauty of this land, especially with the modern technology and comforts, has a way of causing you to forget that this is a desert and that the hardships of daily life that must have existed for the nomadic people that used these canyons and created these great works of art. 

It is amazing to see the skill and ingenuity of these people that such massive monuments were built with such precision in a medium that does not allow for mistakes.  Just the time and dedication alone needed to complete just one of the many works in this one area would almost be an undertaking of a lifetime. 

The Romans incorporation of these old routes just further emphasizes the importance of the canyons.  The Romans laid down huge limestone pavers that were typical for Roman roads, but they also built a fountain.