Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At the end of the narrow gorge we were confronted by the Treasury, which we had seen the
previous night. It didn't disappoint in the bright sunlight and we continued down through
the site passing the Roman Theatre and the Royal Tombs. We paused at different stages
of our progress to be told about various aspects of the site - while looking for shade and
avoiding being trampled by a passing camel or donkey, of which there were plenty.
We took a welcome breather in the small museum and had lunch while contemplating the
900-step climb to the Monastery, which sat on the highest point of the complex with dra-
matic views across Wadi Araba.
Several of us decided to give it a go and set out. It was one of those walks where you put
your head down and kept slogging away. The climb required the negotiation of a series of
oddly spaced steps of various dimensions and inconsistent heights followed by broken pav-
ing and then more steps, sweeping around bends and up defiles of broken ground, twisting
and turning up and up.
We had been offered a donkey ride to the top and had foregone these as being a little
too decadent. Others, less concerned with such thoughts, accepted the offer, at a price of
course, and from time to time we had to press ourselves against the wall of the chasm to let
these overweight people sway past on a donkey that was about half the size of its rider.
It was hot and dusty and, looking back, you could contemplate the struggling line on the
lower levels, knowing that you didn't have to go as far as them to get to the top.
There were several small traders camped at various points on the climb and I wondered
what they did at the end of the day with their goods, or whether they simply rolled them-
selves in a blanket overnight.
And there was the Monastery at the top. An impressive building, similar too, but larger,
than the Treasury. It was well worth the climb.
From the Monastery, a further track took you to one of several shelters and platforms that
had been built on the edge of the escarpment, overlooking the entire mountain range. It was
at this point, as far away from a toilet as you could possibly get, I began to experience an
attack of Delhi Belly. Caused by what I don't know. But whereas it took an hour or more
to climb to the top, I made the descent in record time to get to the toilet. But I made it with
great relief.
Back under the trees, the others caught up and we cooled off before visiting a recent dig
that had exposed a major mosaic floor. Apparently it was originally the floor of a church
