Magna Eterna

 I've struggled with posting this. I've started and deleted so many times. I've seen a lot of famous and spectacular and breathtaking things in the world, and they've all been special and exciting. They've all meant something in their own way. I cherish each of the memories I have of them.

But none of them are this. None of them are as meaningful and significant to me as Petra.

I grew up poor. We didn't have a lot. We did have a VCR and a VHS copy of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We didn't get along as a family but we watched this movie. I have this movie memorized. I can tell you all of the trivia, all of the bloopers, all of the anarchisms, all of the minutiae of this movie. I can even tell you about the Pepsi commercial. To this day, if you want to absolutely kill my productivity, put this movie on. I will stop what I'm doing to watch it. 

I've never really thought about filming locations. I assume that most movies are filmed on sound stages and back lots and elaborate sets in Hollywood. I think it's really cool what talented artisans and pedants can do. I didn't think of the places Indiana Jones was filmed as "real" places, always assuming they were a sound stage. It wasn't until the internet came out that I learned not only is Petra real, but it's still around. To say it's been a life goal to visit is putting it kindly.

Now I am an adult and focused on things like making sure I get a good night's sleep because in the morning, I am going to Petra. I know I need to get sleep or I will be tired and grumpy and I don't want to ruin this experience for myself or anyone else. So I go to bed very early. We spend the night in Alexandretta Wadi Musa in the oddest hotel I've ever been in. Our room had a curtain along the back wall that opened up to an empty pool hall. The window opened to a half roof situation.

We got up before the first call to prayer. Our breakfast was at 0430 and we had to be on the road at 0530. Our guide told us we would thank him later as we would get to Petra for 0600 when gates open. We would have the whole place to ourselves because who wants to get up that early? 

James does.

Inside the park, our guide tells us how Petra has long been a gathering place for numerous cultures along the Silk Road. Primarily it was used by the Nabataeans as their capital and as a fortress. There are several spots where we can see how advanced their designs were, such as where they had two gutters - one to collect rain fall for drinking water, and one to divert sewage from the drinking water. I wasn't smart enough to get a picture of this.

Over the years, many cultures came through this area. This means many languages and many stories to be told and many wheels being needlessly reinvented. Somewhere along the line, someone started carving dioramas into the rocks so people didn't have to start over again. For instance, this carving beside a large open area, depicting that it's a good place to let your camels rest.

And your James'.

There's a pivotal moment in the movie where Indiana and Henry ride on their horses through a gap in the rocks. You hear the music play so you know something big is going to happen. The gap in the rock opens up with light and the music crescendos. 

This shot in the movie is a little bit of Hollywood trickery. The Siq - as it is called - doesn't open up to the Temple. It doesn't stop me from taking a moment to calm myself. Because this is all suddenly very real. I need to breathe because if I don't I'm going to cry.

We carry on and learn a bit more about the people who have been through here, about the Bedouins who still live here. It's all very fascinating and helping me focus. 

We learn about Petra Hajj, a gathering place of pilgrimage and worship for Muslims of the time. This was carved into the stone as a depiction of the Kaaba. Muslims would practice Hajj rites around this.

I've said it before about G Adventures and I will say it again - this is a company that really goes out of it's way to give you an unforgettable experience. Our guide stopped us at one point and gave us a geography lesson. The canyon of the Crescent Moon that Petra was carved out of was once under water. Millennia ago there was an ocean where we were standing and erosion lead us to where we were now. On days like today, if we all stand close together and stamp our feet in this very spot, we can feel the ground move because of the water. So we stamped. He told us to stamp harder. We thundered! 

Just kidding. If you look over there, that's the Treasury.

Holy. Shit. 

For a moment I could not actually breathe. This wasn't something that felt real. It wasn't happening, least of all to me. I wasn't actually here - that's not possible. I have to actually remind myself to breathe because there's no way I would do it on my own - I've proven now that I can't be trusted with such things.

I actually started crying. Because this is real. I am here. This is happening. And I've only caught a glimpse. There's more to it and I need to see every inch of it I can.

I'm still crying because this is a thing that is meaningful to me. This is the 10 year old poor kid who was picked on and didn't have a good home life, and took comfort in this place. This 10 year old never thought this was real, let alone that she would get to see it - ever. But here it is and here I am and it's so very real. And I'm here. There's that not breathing thing again.

I don't have the skill with a camera or with words to tell you about this place. About how it feels. It feels like it's from another world. You get such a sense of time and place when you look at it. You get a sense for the fact this was built in 1 BC and it apparently took far less time than you'd think. 

It was built as the final resting place of the Holy Grail a mausoleum and a crypt. It is called the Treasury due to the legends surrounding the urn on top. In reality there's nothing in the urn. Our guide tells us of markings on the building that match up with the Gregorian calendar but in reality they have nothing to do with the calendar. They're just decorations.

I manage to calm myself down. I sit on a bench and just stare at this magnificent building. I can breathe on my own without reminders. I'm not taking a lot of pictures because I want to be present. I want to take in all the things around me - the braying of the camels, the murmur of the crowd, the silence, the smells, the feel of the sand. I want to be here. This place is huge - the rocks are 39 metres tall. The space is slowly staring to fill with people but I don't care. I know this is one of the moments in my life I will never, ever forget. 

Writing this, I haven't done it justice. It's still so hard to believe that it's real and I've been there. I cannot describe the significance of this place or what I felt in these moments. This was important, this made an impact.

Wow. Woah.

Next: "802 Steps" must mean something else in Arabic.