It's a beautiful day and we get an early start. Petra, the Nabataean rock fortress is about three hours' drive away.
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| The hills of Petra behind the modern city |
All ten of us clamber into our rickety mini bus, along with our driver, Mohommed, a Moslem and Anton, our guide--an Arab Christian. The mosaic of beliefs and traditions can be seen best in the wide diversity of dress worn by women here.
We're also accompanied on all our trips by a young guy in uniform and with a gun who's a member of the tourist police. Anyone asks us to pay to high a price for a souvenir, he shoots them. Not really. But he's there to help if needed.
We arrive to a great view of the modern city of Petra, population of around 14,000.
The rock formations in the deep canyons are superb. So is my new friend, the camel.
