Chaotic, exotic and very, very hot. Full of life, movement, smoke, pollution and noise. That’s how I would describe Bangkok. The capital of Thailand is a mosaic of colors, ornaments, architecture, and paintings. It is not a city that makes you fall in love at first sight, but the kindness and joy of its people will captivate you.

Known as the gateway to Southeast Asia, it is a mix up of skyscrapers, temples, Buddhas surrounded by offerings, “tuk-tuks”, floating markets, street food and flower stalls, with a subway that runs through it all in the city. It requires a couple days to know it better.

You should not miss the Grand Palace. For 500 Thai Baht’s (15 USD), you get to see this giant complex built in 1782. It comprises a series of majestic temples including the royal palace and the temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is the most revered in the country.

The line to enter seems endless, and inside, there is a tidal wave of Asian tourists who arrive daily to visit the seat of the Thai monarchy. When entering the temples, you must be barefoot and always covered. You are not allowed to take photos inside.

The décor, the small carved pieces and the precious stones that make up each pagoda have an otherworldly beauty, which will definitely make you gawk. A few blocks away is the reclining Buddha of Wat Pho, a statue that measures 43 meters.

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Bangkok is much more than temples. Take a ‘tuk-tuk’ (a three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi) and haggle a little for the price, so you can go through the shortcuts and discover Chinatown.

Here, the delicious smells will come from everywhere, especially fish, and then cross to Khao San Road, the famed backpacker street that is full of restaurants and nightlife.

At night, my next stop was the Lebua Tower, and to be precise: the SkyBar. This famous rooftop came to be known from the Hangover 2 movie and it’s one of the most popular in the world. From the 64th floor you have all the lights of the city for yourself .

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The bar is small and without chairs. It is permanently full because all tourists want to live the experience. I suggest you order the Hangovertini, a cocktail that was specially created due to the films popularity and has green tea liquor and Martini Rosso. After a few, you might believe that Bradley Cooper will be coming down the stairs. Pricing starts from 20 USD.

On my last day in Bangkok, I skipped a long list of amazing sites, due for my next visit, and headed instead to the Ayutthaya archaeological center. This is known as an iconic place in Thailand.

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My tour included Wat Maharat (Temple of the Buddha Head). And although the citadel is completely in ruins, the famous buddha head surrounded by the roots of a tree, is perhaps one of the most famous photographs from Thailand.

In the ancient ruins you can see the number of beheaded Buddha figures during the last Burmese invasion. The Burmese decided to destroy them as a punishment in the conquering raid.

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To visit the temple, the taxi (round trip) from the hotel cost 30USD. There are also buses and trains available. The journey can take about 5 hours. The temple staff recommend renting bicycles or taking tuk tuks to visit all the temples. But with a temperature of 40 degrees centigrade, I decided to tour the park in a taxi.

Sadly, my visit in Bangkok was really short. There are other sites like the Floating Market and Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun) that cannot be overlooked. Despite the short time, the 10 days I spent in Thailand were an unforgettable experience. The smiles and friendliness of its people will be the best memory of the country.

La grieta se estrechaba poco a poco. El camino era rocoso y por momentos en zigzag. Alrededor, las piedras tomaban un matiz rojo, café, gris, naranja y amarillo. Pero, luego de un kilómetro, el panorama cambiaba. Se oscurecía y al fondo, por una delgada entrada, una imponente luz rosada iluminaba el recorrido.

Nuestro guía nos dijo. “Cierren sus ojos hasta cuando les avise”. Estábamos impacientes. Ya sabíamos que estábamos a metros de observar “El Tesoro”. Avanzamos unos metros y los abrimos.

Lo habíamos visto en fotos por redes sociales, novelas e incluso en la película Indiana Jones y la Última Cruzada. Ahora había sido nuestro turno. Estábamos en Petra, la ciudad rosa en medio del desierto jordano. La capital del reino Nabateo hace al menos 8 siglos (A.C.) y una de las nuevas Siete Maravillas del Mundo, desde el 2007.

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Literalmente boquiabiertos, observábamos el Al khazna conocido como “el Tesoro de Petra”. Una edificación esculpida literalmente en la roca, como lo es toda la ciudad antigua. Su magnífica fachada de 40 metros de altura, casi intacta, nos hace pensar que fue construida solo unos siglos atrás. Pero, según los guías, fue es la tumba de un faraón en el siglo I (D.C.)

Era un viaje al pasado o a la película. Camellos, asnos, beduinos vendiendo artesanías y carretas con cabellos transportando a los turistas decoraban el sitio. De pronto, un letrero “Wifi” nos regresó a la realidad. Era el momento preciso para usar el snapchat, instagram o grabar en vivo para facebook.

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Petra estaba en el “bucket list” de mi tour. Llegamos desde Autralia, Estados Unidos (Boston, San Francisco, New York, Chicago), Argentina, Paraguay, España y México hacia Israel. Partimos desde Eilat a las 7am. Cruzamos la frontera hacia Jordania. Luego de 2 horas en bus y 2 horas de caminata lo logramos.

La entrada a la ciudad se realiza a través del Siq, un estrecho cañón, de un kilómetro de longitud, rodeado por acantilados que se elevan hasta los 80 metros de altura.

Desde el Al Khazna comienza la travesía dentro de Petra. Lo fascinante es observar toda una ciudad esculpida sobre la roca y que a medida que el sol se oculta se divisa un mosaico de colores.

Por la erosión algunas edificaciones han perdido su forma, pero se nota la influencia de las culturas que vivieron en la ciudad. Desde, los pilares griegos del “Tesoro”, el Teatro Romano, las tumbas con diseños de pirámides y la Tumba de la Urna que fue una iglesia Bizantina. Incluso con la modernidad, ya que los baños están equipados con secadoras de manos.

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En la larga travesía nos acompañaban los camellos. Una opción era pagar por subirte en uno, andar en carreta o simplemente gastar suela. Y la última fue la decisión del grupo.

Después de 4 horas de camino, 3 botellas de agua, un gatorade y 800 escaleras excavadas en la roca, estaba la última parada. El Monasterio Ad-Deir. Más que el templo, la vista hacia el desierto te dejaba sin aliento. Y, pararte sobre la roca y extender tus brazos te hacía sentir el dueño del mundo.

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De regreso, solo quedó correr. En los tours de 1 día no se puede visitar todo Petra. El tiempo es limitado y había que cruzar hacia Israel antes de las 8pm. Volví al bus con la satisfacción de tachar de mi lista la fantástica Ciudad Rosada.

Para anotar:

• Petra esta ubicada en a 240 Km. al sur de la capital de Jornadia, Amman, y 120 Km. al norte del Mar Rojo.
• Para visitar Jordania se necesita visa, el cual se saca con antelación en la embajada del país, o sin problemas en el mismo aeropuerto de Amman o en la frontera con Israel. El costo es de 60 USD.
• La moneda de Jordania es el Jordan Dinar (JD) equivale a 1.41 dollar americano (USD).
• La entrada tiene un valor de 50JD si es por un dia y 55JD por dos. Es aconsejable estar dos días para poder recorrer la extensa zona.
• En mi caso, elegí un tour que partió desde Eilat, Israel. El costo fue de 216 USD. Ellos te recogen al hotel y tramitan la visa para cruzar la frontera. www.tourisisrael.com
• Puedes entrar en visitpetra.jo para datos sobre los hoteles en las afueras de Petra.

The rift narrowed little by little. The path was rocky and at times zigzagged. All around us, the stones took on shades of red, brown, gray, orange, and yellow. But, after a kilometer, the panorama changed. It was darkening and, in the background, through a thin entrance, an imposing pink light illuminated the route. 

Our guide told us. “Close your eyes until I warn you.” We were impatient. We already knew that we were meters away from observing “The Treasury”. We advance a few meters and finally open them. 

We had seen it in photos on social networks, novels and even in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Now it was our turn.

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We were in Petra, the pink city in the middle of the Jordanian desert. The capital of the Nabatean kingdom for at least 8 centuries (B.C.) and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, since 2007. 

Literally speechless, we were looking at the Al-khazna, known as “The Treasury of Petra”. A building literally sculpted out of sandstone rock, as is the entire ancient city. Its magnificent 40-meter-high facade, almost intact, would make anyone believes that it was built only a few centuries ago. But, according to the guides, there are legends that it was the tomb of a pharaoh in the 1st century AD. 

It was a trip to the past or to the movies. Camels, donkeys, Bedouin merchants selling handicrafts and carriages with horses transporting tourists. It all made the site charming. Suddenly, a “Wifi” sign brought us back to reality. It was the right time to use Snapchat, Instagram or record live for Facebook.

Petra was on the bucket list of my tour. My group arrived from Australia, the United States (Boston, San Francisco, New York, Chicago), Argentina, Paraguay, Spain and Mexico and landed in Israel. We left Eilat (south Israel) at 7am, crossed the border into Jordan and after 2 hours by bus, and 2 hours of walking, we made it to the site. 

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The entrance to the city is made through the Siq, a narrow canyon, one kilometer long, surrounded by cliffs that rise to 80 meters high 

The journey inside Petra begins from Al Khazna. It’s fascinating to observe a whole city sculpted on the rock and see a mosaic of colors reveal themselves as the sun goes down. Due to erosion, some buildings have lost their shape, but the influence of the cultures that lived in the city is noticeable.

Starting off the Greek pillars of the “Treasury”, through the Roman Theater, the tombs with pyramid designs and the Urn Tomb that was a Byzantine church. You can argue that modernity has left its mark too, since the bathrooms are equipped with hand dryers. 

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Camels accompanied us on the long journey. One option was to pay to get on one, ride a carriage or just walk it out. The group decided to make it on foot 

After 4 hours of walking, 3 bottles of water, a Gatorade and 800 stairs carved out of the rock, we arrived at the last stop: The Ad-Deir Monastery. More than the temple, the view towards the desert leaves you speechless. And, standing on the rock and extending your arms made you feel like the king of the world. 

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On the way back, we had to speed it up. On 1-day tours you cannot visit all of Petra. Time is limited and you had to cross back into Israel before 8pm. I returned to the bus with the satisfaction of crossing the fantastic Pink City off my bucket list. 

TO NOTE:

• Petra is located 240 km south of Jordan’s capital Amman and 120 km north of the Red Sea. 
• Visiting Jordan requires a visa, which is obtained in advance at the country’s embassy, ​​or easily at the Amman’s airport or on the border with Israel. The cost is 60 USD. 
• The Jordanian currency is the Jordan Dinar (JD). At the moment of my trip, it was equivalent to 1.41 US dollar (USD). 
• The ticket has a value of 50JD (71USD) if it is for one day and 55JD (78 USD) for two. It is advisable to stay two days to be able to visit the extensive area 
• In my case, I chose a tour that started from Eilat, Israel. The cost was 216 USD. They pick you up from the hotel and process the visa to cross the border. www.tourisisrael.com 
• You can enter visitpetra.jo for information on hotels on the outskirts of Petra.