Yesterday I detailed my arrival in Petra and its impressive Treasury made famous by Indiana Jones (confession: I’ve yet to watch those films… but I intend to).

Petra is sprawling and there is so much to see. After rounding the canyon past the Treasury, I make a sharp turn left and climb uphill for about 20 minutes towards the High Place of Sacrifice, pausing often for photos.

Check out the soft pinkish hue of Petra sand, which gives the site it’s nickname — the Rose City.

I climb up here both days for photos, since the lighting is different and it’s good exercise. On the second morning I arrive just after sunrise and the local Bedouins aren’t at their posts yet, so jewelry and trinkets are unattended. I snap a few photos while relishing the silence and lack of pressure to buy something.

That’s the Obelisk below. There’s a neat lookout a few minutes beyond this which requires scrambling over rocks.

It’s around 8:15am when I snap these photos. It’s blissfully quiet and the light is gorgeous.

A Bedouin family lives in this tent below. (I met them yesterday when I passed by this lookout.)

A glance back down — more tourists have arrived, moving around like ants way below.

You can see so much from this vantage point:

Like the tomb of Aaron (Moses’s brother) off in the distance below.

And the Monastery, where I’m headed this afternoon. From here it looks like quite a hike but I promise it’s not so bad.

I head back down a different way than I came up. I don’t have a good map of the area, but according to Lonely Planet I should be able to work my way down and across towards the Monastery trail.

Hello, kitty with piercing green eyes.

The colors in some of these rocks are intensely bold. I didn’t doctor this image beyond basic tweaks — that’s actually what the stratification looks like.

This reminds me of the SCREAM mask:

So many caves!

From the base of the trail, it takes maybe 40 minutes to hike up to the Monastery (and I stop for photos often). Don’t be intimidated by the Bedouins who say it takes an hour — they just want to sell donkey rides up to the top (I spot tourists holding on tightly while precariously perched atop a donkey struggling up steep steps). But at least the locals have a sense of humor about it. More than one tries to sell me a ride on his animal by saying, “I have a Cadillac… with air conditioning…” as he trots by.

And if you’ve come from Israel or Egypt on a day trip, your time at Petra will be short but I think that visiting the Monastery is a priority. You could easily ride one of the horses back and forth across the flat distance (for a few bucks) and that would save time.

Behold, the great Petra Monastery:

As you can see, the crowds have dispersed by this point in the day (I think it’s around 4pm). The light is beautiful at this hour.

I heard this area was packed earlier in the day. All quiet now.

After a brief stop at the nearby cliffs — the inhabitants of which have posted dueling signs proclaiming to each be the BEST spot to watch a Petra sunset — I turn around and head back to the Siq. I’d stay for sunset but I don’t want to hike back down in low light.

A look at the amphitheater ruins back down near the Treasury:

A few more photos from day two in Petra…

I climb up to check out this Byzantine Church, currently being restored (the covered area below):

Can you spot the ass?

This donkey’s gone rogue. And its ears are so perky. It just stares back at me for a good, long while.

I feel a tad cheated when I peek over this ledge and spot a parking lot for locals. While I’m sure some of them live in Petra (as I saw Bedouins waking up in shelter-type structures when I climbed to the High Place of Sacrifice at 7am), there’s clearly a portion who drive to work. It’s possible tourists enter this way too, although I don’t see an official visitor’s gate. It feels like seeing the underground employee entrance to Disney — and facing the fact that this world isn’t entirely what it appears to be. Sometimes they cheat on their camels with their cars.

I FIND THE CUTEST LITTLE PUPPY!!

Do I think twice about the fact that I skipped the recommended rabies shot and my doctor told me not to pet any stray animals? Do I pause to wonder if this adorable creature has fleas? Pfft, no — I cuddle up right next to this little buddy and scratch his belly for a good ten minutes. He loves me.

Once I finally tear myself away (and nix a half-baked plan to smuggle him out of Petra in my backpack), I explore a few more of the ruins before calling it a day.

The Holy Tombs:

Here’s the inside of the largest stone building on top:

Then I head to the Treasury, wind my way through the Siq, walk back to the Visitor’s Center, and catch a well-deserved taxi ride up the hill for lunch and my favorite spot in town ($3 goes so far!).

See you Monday with a special post… Petra by candlelight.