Petra, Jordan wants You to Visit (and not just the World Wonder)
The kindness of local strangers saved my trip to Petra, Jordan.
Nothing went according to plan when I was traveling to Petra, Jordan, to visit the Treasury, a world wonder, with my recently found friend M.K. Riley. King's Highway, the quickest route from Wadi Rum to Petra, was closed for construction. By the time we finally arrived at Petra at around 5 p.m., thick gray clouds blanketed the town, and a miserably chilly drizzle of rain had begun to fall. Then, upon rushing towards the last open ticketing booth, the staff told us that the path to Petra was closed and we would have to return tomorrow.
If only it were that simple. We were boarding our ship to depart Jordan tomorrow afternoon, and this was non-negotiable. That night, we were supposed to be back in Aqaba, a port city that was a two-hour taxi ride away, but we had yet to see the world wonder. How could we leave without seeing it? We traveled all this way but had nowhere to stay in the small, quiet town of Petra. And worse, we would have no set ride back to Aqaba the next day if we decided to release our cab driver of his service. We were stranded, or we would miss the opportunity of a lifetime. But then a Jordanian local invited us to stay in the city.
We didn't know that Petra, Jordan, was a modern city in addition to the collection of rosy canyons and ancient sandstone architecture built by the Nabateans, who once inhabited the ruins of Petra. We discovered that the modern Petra was worth experiencing just as much as the ruins, even if that wasn't considered a "world wonder."
A Local Saves My Day
The Petra Visitor Center is nearly deserted, except for the visitor associates closing the last open booth and a few straggling tourists running to escape the weather, clutching their scarfs, which flap wildly into their faces. The wind was howling at the closed gift shops, sending trash and visitor pamphlets spinning in the air and rattling the silver chain barriers marking ticket booth lines. Our trip seemed to have screeched to a halting stop.
Disheartened and afraid, M.K. and I stepped away from the closing ticket window and discussed our bleak options when a lone man approached us from behind a visitor information desk. He was about the same height as us, wearing a red and white visitor center employee uniform with a name tag reading "Amadeo." His face was somewhat angular, with a pointed nose and narrow, dark eyes. But his demeanor was that of someone who worked in the tourism industry – friendly, pleasant, and an excellent non-native English speaker who also spoke Arabic and three other foreign languages.
"I heard of your troubles," he said, reassuring us. "There's a hotel very close to here, Anbat Midtown. You can tell the owner that Amadeo sent you." Growing up as women in the United States, we were taught to be weary and apprehensive of approaching strangers, especially men. They were not to be trusted. Kindness was not to be trusted. But despite my nerves, desperation and a gut feeling implored me to believe the man's stated intentions. So, we used the last of our phone batteries to view the hotel on TripAdvisor, deemed it legitimate, and decided to check it out.
"In Jordan culture, they are very hospitable and welcoming, and that can be a little unexpected for Americans because that's not really the norm in the U.S.," M.K. said, looking back on the trip. "So that knowledge was what really made us feel better about it."
Amadeo's recommendation is tucked away in a quiet corridor a few blocks from the visitor center. From the outside, it doesn't look like much. The single glass door entrance blends in with the long line of sandstone-brick buildings and dark windows that make up downtown Petra. The lobby was no larger than a local laundromat in a small town, filled with plush red couches and sandalwood coffee tables. There was a small desk with a bell, computer, and other necessities one would find in a hotel lobby. A Jordanian man only a few years older than us with large brown eyes and tousled dark hair fluffed on the top of his head stood up with a warm smile and a "Hello!" in a thick Arabic accent.
M.K. and I explained our predicament to him, and he nodded intently and listened to our story. Once we were done, he spoke. "You girls are lucky. We have just one room available, and it is yours. Let me prepare it." He introduced himself as the hotel owner Amar and invited us to make ourselves comfortable. He encouraged us to sit and have some tea before vanishing upstairs.
We took him up on his offer. The tea was steaming hot in the glass cup, warming my cold hands and soothing my racing heart with hints of mint, rosemary, and cinnamon cloves. We couldn't believe our luck, but I realized it wasn't just luck. The people we encountered in Jordan didn't seem to have hidden motives behind their helpfulness – they were being kind.
We settled in our hotel room, a quaint but windowless space with two twin beds with fluffy white pillows and scarlet comforters and a tiny, cube-shaped bathroom with an open shower that spewed water all over the floor when used. It wasn't perfect, but it was cozy and consoling after the hectic past hours.
When the sun had long dipped beneath the Wadi Musa Mountains, its last rays casting plum hues into the navy sky, M.K. and I ventured into the city to grab dinner. We wander the quiet cobblestone sidewalks and reach Tourism Street, the busiest road in downtown Petra. The clouds had disappeared, unveiling stars glittering in a velvet sky. Golden light poured from the windows of restaurants and shops lining the street. The enticing aroma of mansaf, a traditional Jordanian lamb meat dish cooked with yogurt and savory falafel, drifted from the restaurants. Some locals mingled outside, smoking cigarettes or walking briskly on the sidewalks. I remember taking a deep, contented sigh, feeling at ease amidst that starry, charming evening scene in Petra.
As we debated whether to eat at Abu Elias Restaurant, a tiny spot on the corner with floor-to-ceiling glass windows allowing for views of the city square and a traditional cuisine menu (spoiler: we did), someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to address the person, and it was a short Jordanian man who smiled from ear to ear, creasing the already firm wrinkles setting in. He pulled two roses from a small bouquet and gifted one to each of us. "Happy Valentine's Day," he tells us and doesn't wait for our reply before walking onward, likely to give out more roses. I'd realized I’d never received a rose on Valentine's Day before.
M.K. and I with our roses, Feb. 2023.
After a delicious dinner of mansaf, hummus and naan bread, M.K. and I returned to the hotel, where Amar was waiting. He asked if we needed anything, and we mentioned that we needed a ride back to Aqaba in the morning and asked if he could arrange a taxi. But Amar offered something even better: he said he would pick us up from the ruins in the morning with our luggage and drive us back to Aqaba for a price way less than the typical taxi. We gratefully accepted, and any feelings of anxiety towards the man disappeared.
We heeded Amar's recommendation to check out the hotel's rooftop bar before we left. Glass windows covered two of the bar's four walls, allowing visitors to see a stunning view of the city. We took seats at another sandstone table with red-cushioned chairs and ordered mojitos. We met Zuzu and his friends there, who were just a little older than us and worked at the hotel but were currently off duty. We spent the rest of the evening laughing, exchanging music, and learning pieces of language in Arabic.
And it turns out, we weren’t the only ones to witness the kindness of Jordanians.
The Locals make the Experience
Alyssa Prideaux, a senior at Colorado State University, stayed with a local named Amar in his cave Airbnb in the canyons near the ruins of Petra in October 2022. She said the man was eager to get to know them and wanted their help to connect with and relate to tourists better.
"We had a little insider in Petra who made us feel safe and got us into places we wouldn't have seen otherwise," Prideaux said. “He kind of helped my preconceived notions when I was able to open up to this guy, and he opened up to me. We had great conversations and learned so much."
Prideaux said that many tourists don't stop and chat with locals because they assume it will be bartering or rude conversations. But she and her travel partner did otherwise, and it became a mutually beneficial relationship. Prideaux said that Amar loves meeting tourists and foreigners, teaching them about Jordanian culture, and learning from them because Petra is a relatively remote place, and tourists are the only outsiders who frequently visit.
Morgan Emmerling, a senior at Colorado State University who traveled to Petra in March of 2023, said every local she met was super friendly. She told me a story of a bald man on the street who asked her and her group if they needed haircuts. Emmerling had just shaved her head, so she removed her hat and revealed her bald head. "We are twins!" the guy exclaimed excitedly, and they pointed to one another and laughed.
"He was just so nice," Emmerling said. "I don't know who that guy is, but I'm going to remember him forever." The locals she met secured Jordan's place in her top three favorite countries.
My trip to Petra turned out better than I could have hoped. Had our original plans not fallen through, we would never have experienced the modern city of Petra and the wonderful people who live there. But regardless of whether you visit the city, the ruins, or both (and you should visit both), the locals will take it upon themselves to ensure you have an incredible time.
