Petra, Jordan
Left: The structure carved out of the rock behind Chris (known as the Deir or Monastery), is incredibly huge. In fact, Paul has never seen a photo do justice to any of the Petra monuments. Middle: Paul and Chris met their Aussie friend Ben Griffin in the customs station at Aqaba. He remained with them through Jordan and for a day or so in Israel before heading to his home in London. Here, he sits comfortably atop the "High Place of Sacrifice" at Petra. Right: This may be familiar. No, it's not a scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, although this is where the finale sequences of that film were shot. Behind the horse-drawn carriages is the monument known as the Treasury as viewed through the Siq, a two kilometer winding canyon that is the entrance to Petra.
Shawbak, Jordan
The first Crusader castle of the trip, Shawbak was falling apart but made for some interesting exploring, especially for Chris and Ben. Left: Woo hoo! You don't get to hang on to your fear of heights very long if you're going to climb around these rocks. Yep, that's Paul. Right: Chris poses in the midst of what may very well have been a Crusader chapel.
Kerak Castle was by far the largest Crusader castle encountered on this trip. It was just massive, reaching around the top of the entire mountain and housing a museum that features ancient coins, amoung other interesting artifacts.
