Jordan is a small country in the middle east. It is also called the Hashemite Kingdom and is ruled by King Abdullah II. Jordan is not a famous country for traveling but it has many interesting places. Some of these include it's deserts, the Red and the Dead sea, the city where Jesus was baptized, and the most popular, the ancient city of Petra.
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	Above are some Jordanians with their donkey taking a break near some large mountains. On the right is a typical Jordanian town in the south.
	Petra is the ancient capital of the Nabataeans. They were an Arabic group of traders who were able to build a successful city in the desert by controlling the water flow during flashfloods and rare rainstorms. Their country continued to other areas such as the northern part of Saudi Arabia. The photo on the upper left is the most famous building in Petra. It is called the Treasury building, and it's the very first one you'll encounter if you hike the trail through the city. On the right is a huge arch made in a building. The building itself was pretty much destroyed, but somehow the arch has survived centuries.
Above you can see an old home carved out of rock in the mountains of Petra. On the right is another small building that I'm not sure what was used for. The step design you is common in Nabataean architecture.
Before I made it to Petra I didn't know much about it. I had seen the treasury building many times, and honestly I thought that was all there was to this city. The road in Petra goes for miles and miles, and the old buildings and temples don't die off. On the left is a paved part of the road with many impressive buildings in the background. On the right is a giant theater that was built hundreds of years ago.
On the left is another large building in Petra. The photo on the right is the inside of the building. The ceiling is naturally colored by the rock of Petra, earning the place the name of the red rose city.
The upper left photo is the chapel in Petra, located up in the mountains at the very end of the path in Petra. The hike itself takes a few hours, so if you're feeling a little lazy you can ride a camel much of the way there. The path gets a little steep so if you want to ride all the way you'll need a donkey, which you'll be offered dozens of times anyway.
The boy with the lamb is a local who lives in the area, trying to make money off of passing tourists. On the right is a Jordanian girl trying some rock climbing for a better view of Petra.
Since Jordan is in the middle east it has the typical animals like goats, donkeys and camels. On the left is a goat I saw up in the mountains. On the right is a lot of snow and ice on the side of the highway. I was told that 3 weeks earlier they had a huge snow storm that closed the road for 6 days.
What I liked most about the canyons in Jordan was their colorful rocks. Above is a natural pattern of different shades of yellow to red and brown to black. On the right is a large rock that seems to have fallen into the canyon and has some nice colored plants growing over it. Below is a lizard I saw relaxing on a rock. On the bottom right is a small but very green plant growing between some rocks.
Above is a photo of the city Aqaba, Jordan's only city on the Red Sea. Aqaba has many nice restaurants and activities. On the upper right is a boat with a glass bottom that gives tours. Scuba diving is also available in Aqaba. The entire city is actually duty free, so it's a great place to go shopping if you want to avoid paying taxes.
	The photo on the upper left is an ancient carving found in the desert called Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is in the south eastern part and borders Saudi Arabia. On the right is a large hawk that seemed to be popular throughout Jordan.
	Wadi Rum has some amazing rock formations. There are many natural bridges as well. The two photos above were taken at different locations inside the desert. Wadi Rum is a good place for hiking and camping. There are many tours that allow you to make camp and get a chance to experience the desert life.

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