My mother was always fascinated by the ancient world. Petra was always on her bucket list, and it was a trip of a lifetime.

If there were two things my mom and I had in common, it would have to be our sharedlove for history and our travel. Anywhere we went, first up was always a visit to amuseum and to some famous sight written about in some book somewhere. So whenthe chance came to go on a trip that took us to one of the pillars of the ancient world –Petra, Jordan – we eagerly packed our bags and went on our way.

We got into Amman, Jordan late inA the evening, and it was another hour or so until wegot to the hotel just outside of Petra. Admittedly, we were exhausted, but all we neededwas a good night’s sleep to shake it off. By eight o’clock the next morning, we had our walking shoes on and were ready for the short bus ride over to the valley. As we drovein, you could see the larger-than-life caverns looming ahead of us.

As with most places, there was a queue, thanks to the long line of tour buses that hadcome in that morning. My mom stepped away to use the washroom, but when shecame back, she had a turban on. A Jordanian woman saw her shawl, and offered toplace it on her head. Quite apropos, since we were about to trek into a whole other timeand space.

It was about a three-kilometer walk into Petra and The Treasury. There were three ways in –walking, on a calesa, or via donkey. The seniors in the group eagerly hopped on thecarriages, save for my mother, of course. Mom decided she was going to walk it with therest of us. As we did, we kept pausing in awe of the magnitude and significance ofwhere we were. The caverns had been shaped over the centuries by the rivers that used to run through the mountainside. The water carved out its own path, smoothing out the mountainside along the way. We both reveled in how powerful nature is, when left to its own devices, and that humans are just a speck in the universe. A point that is drivenhome as The Treasury begins to come into view.

As the path opens up, The Treasury rises majestic on the mountain’s sandstone façade. Also called Al-Khazneh by the Bedouins, it is a tomb that is carved deep into the rock itself, for the Nabatean king Aretas IV Philopatris. It derives its name from the belief that there treasure buried in the urn placed at the very top of the structure. It is considered to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is one of the New Seven Wonders Of The World.

There wasn’t a shortage of spots for photos, and we did them all. As my mom loved tosay, “Stand there. I’ll take your picture!” Not even the camels were spared the camera!

For the most part, we both stood there taking it all in. It was quite a sight, and it’s hard- pressed to not feel lucky to have made it all the way over. Once all the photos were taken, the group split up. Us younger ones trekked further in then up a mountain to see another cavernous tomb carved into the rock. Another five kilometers perhaps. The view from up there felt like we had walked into one of the deserts in the Star Wars universe, In the meantime, my mom and her friends decided to check out the little shops that dotted the rocky path for silver jewelry and trinkets. And more pictures to bring home. About halfway back to the bus, Mom finally decided that she was a tad too tired to keep walking. But getting on a Calesa was just too much of a senior citizen thing to do.

Instead, she got on a donkey, and rode it the rest of the way. She’d never done that before, so it was another check on her list of “I got to to do this!”.

Oh Petra, you are a sight to behold. The day had come to an end, but it was beyond awe-inspiring. Perhaps even bordering on the magical. The best part was Mom and I got to geek out at and over. one of the greatest places in one of the farthest reaches of the world. Together. Seeing the world was her passion in life, and one of her greatest gifts to me. And I remember that each time I land somewhere new, and set out to see a place where history happened.