1001 BTMs – #1 Walking Down the al-Sīq to the Treasury in Petra
To begin my list of beautiful travel moments (BTMs), I’m starting off with one of my premier locations – Petra in Jordan. Recall, I ranked Petra as my #2 Wonder of the World. But, my BTMs are meant to be more exact than whole locations and entire trips. They’re meant to recall small moments in time. Places where the dopamine hits high. Places where you can say, at the moment, everything is right with the world. Well, walking down the narrow pathway (al-Sīq) to the very famous Treasury in Petra was just that moment. Except for one horse-drawn cart that passed us, we had the whole walk to ourselves. Anticipation was running high. After all, my hero (and close friend), Indiana Jones came strolling through this very location. And the payoff did not disappoint. Like peering through the drapes at your very attractive neighbor…errr, I mean…like pulling back the drapes of your hotel room to see the splendor of the sun setting over the ocean while your attractive neighbor walks by…ugh. Let’s start over. The rocks look like curtains or drapes, and you get a glimpse of the magnificently-carved Treasury through these rock-drapes. In other words, the narrow passageway provides the perfect reveal – slow and dramatic. It’s perfect. And there’s just nothing like it anywhere else in the world.