The finale of our visit to Petra was a night at Petra Kitchen, where participants learn to cook a Middle Eastern meal. As my friends and family know, I’m not a cook, but I wanted Jim to learn the recipes because I do like to eat.

When we arrived at the kitchen, we learned that King Abdullah of Jordan would be arriving the next day to visit Petra and the kitchen. A film crew filmed our entire cooking class for a promotional video, and one of our tour mates and I gave them an interview. I don’t know if that was tied to the King’s visit, but perhaps we’ll be famous in Jordan!

It also may have explained why there was a stream of security and police personnel entering Petra as we left earlier in the day. Most likely they were preparing for the King’s visit. If our itinerary was good enough for the King, it was good enough for us.

The meal we prepared was excellent – though way too much food, as was standard for this part of the trip. At least they give the extra food to local families, which made us feel better. Plus we fed the film crew.