One guy staying at the hotel went to visit Petra, and while at the High Place of Sacrifice, decided to go to Aaron’s Mountain. So, he descended and started hiking in that direction. And he walked and walked; it began to get dark, and he had no idea of where he was. So, he turned around and started to walk in the direction that he thought would bring him back into Petra. But he knew he was lost, so he called the hotel, which called the police, who called Petra’s tourist police, who then called the park rangers. All the officials stopped at the hotel at one time or another to get a picture of the guy and some information about him.

They all looked for him, but Petra is humongous and these mountains are in the middle of the desert. There are many roads and pathways leading in numerous different directions. And let’s face it, all the mountains look the same, especially in the dark. The police called him a few times on his cell, and he told them which way he was walking. But it’s not so easy in the dark.

He was scared shitless. It was dark and cold; he was running out of water, and his phone battery was dying. In a panic, he stumbled upon a Bedouin man in a cave. The man took him back to Petra and the police took him back to the hotel. The Bedouin man found him heading away from Petra. I tell you, he got very lost. He stayed inside the hotel the next two days. I went to the corner restaurant to buy him lunch and dinner because he didn’t even want to go out for that.

There are guides who can take you to all these places, and it’s not that expensive. So, if you ever decide to go hiking by yourself in a place you don’t know: don’t. Get a guide.

And if you decide to go on your own, do it early. Don’t start in the afternoon because it’ll be dark sooner than you know. And then what will you do?

The police were very helpful. They put out a search party without delay. I’ve been told that not many tourists get lost, but you do always get the one. As for me, I stick to the known paths.

I spent a few more days at the hotel and then I would go camp in the desert once more.