Walking Into the Rose City of Petra

Walking through the Siq, that narrow rose-colored canyon, and catching the first sliver of the Treasury through the gap is one of those travel moments that photos genuinely cannot capture. It's enormous, and the detail carved into the sandstone after two thousand years is still sharp enough to make you stop breathing for a second.

We kept walking past the crowds gathered at the Treasury and found the Monastery an hour's climb up, with maybe a tenth of the people and just as much awe. A local guide's mint tea at the top made the whole climb worth it twice over.