Jordan 2011
Map from Intrepid Travel
The oldest posts are at the bottom of the page.
October 5th 2011
A ferry!!!
Aqaba ferry is notorious for being late, really late. For this reason we spent most of today around the waterfront of the city of Aqaba waiting for a departure time. Our tour guide left us at this point, so we were alone until we met our new guide in Egypt. We had a nice lunch and saw some pretty things, but the real fun started when we got on the ferry! Oh, and by ferry, I mean yacht. The ferry looked nothing like any of the ones that I've seen in Canada.
We had to get an exit stamp at the border of Jordan. I was at the front of the line so was the first served by one of the men. Everything seemed pretty routine, until I got to the ferry where the customs agent seemed less then impressed with my visa stamp. After accusing me of trying to trick him, he walked away with my passport. Things improved when he came back looking less peeved, turns out the man stamping the passports was using the wrong date stamp.
After getting my passport back, the captain of the ferry took me by the hand. I decided since I had already been in trouble it was best to follow him. After putting me in”the best seat in the house” he told me, 'you must come to see me when we start sailing'. Seemed like a good enough idea to me! By the time the rest of my group got on the boat it was time to leave the port. Soon after, I took my travel mate Mark up to the front of the boat. The captain let us into the room to drive the boat! There were tons of controls, maps, and dials. There were four men in the cabin to manage it all. Rather unnerving, they stopped paying attention to driving once we walked in. They were showing us how everything worked, and explaining the systems. When Mark pointed out that one of the maps said collision course. Whoops... That may just be our queue to leave!
The rest of the boat ride went by super quickly, with the crew coming back to visit often. When the boat docked they let Mark and me off first. Immigration was easy! We sailed through and got our stamp. Suspicion arose when we realized that we hadn't paid anything for our visa. Since our trip notes had been pretty clear that Egyptian Visas cost $15USD, this was a bit of a tip off. Turns out we had gotten the resort visa, good for just the surrounding area. No good for a transcontinental adventurer such as myself!
We had to go to the other port to get that visa. Things were much less clear and touristy there, and much more chaotic. The visa process involved buying your visa in a bank and then handing over your passport several times; to people who disappeared with the passport for fifteen minutes at a time. I'm not entirely convinced that there are not dozens of Michelle Weger passports now available on the black market...
Finally, out of the port and time to see what Egypt looks like! ... Except it is super late by now and very dark out! We drive to our camp by the sea and enter our huts in the dark. There is no power at the camp after 11pm, so it is a mystery what this place looks like... I guess I'll find out in the morning!
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
We had to get an exit stamp at the border of Jordan. I was at the front of the line so was the first served by one of the men. Everything seemed pretty routine, until I got to the ferry where the customs agent seemed less then impressed with my visa stamp. After accusing me of trying to trick him, he walked away with my passport. Things improved when he came back looking less peeved, turns out the man stamping the passports was using the wrong date stamp.
After getting my passport back, the captain of the ferry took me by the hand. I decided since I had already been in trouble it was best to follow him. After putting me in”the best seat in the house” he told me, 'you must come to see me when we start sailing'. Seemed like a good enough idea to me! By the time the rest of my group got on the boat it was time to leave the port. Soon after, I took my travel mate Mark up to the front of the boat. The captain let us into the room to drive the boat! There were tons of controls, maps, and dials. There were four men in the cabin to manage it all. Rather unnerving, they stopped paying attention to driving once we walked in. They were showing us how everything worked, and explaining the systems. When Mark pointed out that one of the maps said collision course. Whoops... That may just be our queue to leave!
The rest of the boat ride went by super quickly, with the crew coming back to visit often. When the boat docked they let Mark and me off first. Immigration was easy! We sailed through and got our stamp. Suspicion arose when we realized that we hadn't paid anything for our visa. Since our trip notes had been pretty clear that Egyptian Visas cost $15USD, this was a bit of a tip off. Turns out we had gotten the resort visa, good for just the surrounding area. No good for a transcontinental adventurer such as myself!
We had to go to the other port to get that visa. Things were much less clear and touristy there, and much more chaotic. The visa process involved buying your visa in a bank and then handing over your passport several times; to people who disappeared with the passport for fifteen minutes at a time. I'm not entirely convinced that there are not dozens of Michelle Weger passports now available on the black market...
Finally, out of the port and time to see what Egypt looks like! ... Except it is super late by now and very dark out! We drive to our camp by the sea and enter our huts in the dark. There is no power at the camp after 11pm, so it is a mystery what this place looks like... I guess I'll find out in the morning!
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
October 4th 2011
Living the dream
Leaving Petra was a bit bitter sweet- I could have easily spent another day there. That being said, arriving to Wadi Rum made it all worth while. It is a National Park made up of mountains and deserts.
We left our van at the gate (there's no way that it could have handled the sand) and got into decrepit old jeeps. It was a little hard to believe that they were going to fare much better. Contrary to expectations, the little jeeps took us through the desert, to explore numerous sites with ancient carvings. Ironically, they are akin to modern-day graffiti, but are now revered by guests. We climbed a massive sand dune and ran down the other side. The sand and surrounding mountains are a burnt red color. As the sun began to set, we climbed up a set of rocks and watched it go down. It was my favorite sunset so far!
We spent the night at the park in a traditional Bedouin camp. It was so cute! We slept, ate, and chatted on mats in a circle in the ground. We were served an endless supply of sweet sage tea. Dinner was chicken (although it tasted and looked suspiciously like pigeon, which I remember from my time in France) that was cooked underground. The night was beautiful- there were no lights left once the lanterns burnt out at around 9pm, so the only lights came from the stars and the moon. I have never had a better stargazing opportunity in my life.
Looking up at the stars, it makes me feel like I could stay here forever.
We left our van at the gate (there's no way that it could have handled the sand) and got into decrepit old jeeps. It was a little hard to believe that they were going to fare much better. Contrary to expectations, the little jeeps took us through the desert, to explore numerous sites with ancient carvings. Ironically, they are akin to modern-day graffiti, but are now revered by guests. We climbed a massive sand dune and ran down the other side. The sand and surrounding mountains are a burnt red color. As the sun began to set, we climbed up a set of rocks and watched it go down. It was my favorite sunset so far!
We spent the night at the park in a traditional Bedouin camp. It was so cute! We slept, ate, and chatted on mats in a circle in the ground. We were served an endless supply of sweet sage tea. Dinner was chicken (although it tasted and looked suspiciously like pigeon, which I remember from my time in France) that was cooked underground. The night was beautiful- there were no lights left once the lanterns burnt out at around 9pm, so the only lights came from the stars and the moon. I have never had a better stargazing opportunity in my life.
Looking up at the stars, it makes me feel like I could stay here forever.
October 3rd 2011
Petra is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. There is no doubt why it won a place. Most people know Petra as the one sandstone building that is very well preserved- the treasury. Well, Petra is actually an entire ancient city, far more than the famed building that marks its entrance. The first 800 meters following the gates is a ride in on horses. When you reach the entrance of the gorge, you dismount and start walking in. The gorge is 1.2 km only and curves, so you cannot see what is coming in front of you. There are decently preserved carvings in the walls here, indicating it as the entrance to a trading center. The walls are 80 meters tall. When you round the first curve a sliver of the Treasury comes into view. You can't help by pause and stare at the tiny piece of one of the greatest architectural feats of ancient times before continuing forward. The treasury is huge! You feel completely dwarfed by the 30m by 43m monument. It was built by carving out the sandstone in the 1st century BC as a tomb for the King of the time. It was later used as a temple. The name is a misnomer, as it was never actually used to house treasure.
Petra was originally a trading route for caravans. It was a very rich city. They built their houses, churches, and stores by carving them out of the sandstone rocks. They also built big tombs out of sandstone carvings to house their dead. The Romans conquered them, but continued using the same ideas. As the trade route dried up, Petra was abandoned. It was found much later by a nomadic group called the Bedouins. They moved into the caves and lived there for many generations. Recently, the government kicked them out of Petra and made it a world heritage site. The Bedouins were given modern housing and are allowed to come into Petra each day to sell souvenirs to tourists. However, each night they have to return to their town, rather than sleeping in the caves as they once did.
The rest of Petra is a huge expanse. Less then 7% of the city has been uncovered and it still feels monumental. Two of the best spots, aside from the treasury, are up the mountain. The high place of sacrifice is up 300 steep stone stairs. It is where the Nabateans use to sacrifice their children to the gods. The view is amazing. You really do feel like you are on the top of the world. The highest point is up 800 stairs to the monastery. It is larger than the treasury, but less well preserved.
You can take a camel or donkey rides around the site, but we walked instead. The total distance was huge, and it hurt to walk even one more step by the end of the day. There was practically no one in Petra. Typical days have hundreds of tourists in front of the Treasury at any given time. The photo with the camels was taken early in the morning. There were about 10 other people there. However, by the evening there was no one left but us. As you can see from my second photo in front of the treasury (taken about 6 hours after the first), there was no one else there. Seriously, the opportunity of a lifestyle to experience such an amazing place with virtually no other tourists.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
Petra is one of the new 7 wonders of the world. There is no doubt why it won a place. Most people know Petra as the one sandstone building that is very well preserved- the treasury. Well, Petra is actually an entire ancient city, far more than the famed building that marks its entrance. The first 800 meters following the gates is a ride in on horses. When you reach the entrance of the gorge, you dismount and start walking in. The gorge is 1.2 km only and curves, so you cannot see what is coming in front of you. There are decently preserved carvings in the walls here, indicating it as the entrance to a trading center. The walls are 80 meters tall. When you round the first curve a sliver of the Treasury comes into view. You can't help by pause and stare at the tiny piece of one of the greatest architectural feats of ancient times before continuing forward. The treasury is huge! You feel completely dwarfed by the 30m by 43m monument. It was built by carving out the sandstone in the 1st century BC as a tomb for the King of the time. It was later used as a temple. The name is a misnomer, as it was never actually used to house treasure.
Petra was originally a trading route for caravans. It was a very rich city. They built their houses, churches, and stores by carving them out of the sandstone rocks. They also built big tombs out of sandstone carvings to house their dead. The Romans conquered them, but continued using the same ideas. As the trade route dried up, Petra was abandoned. It was found much later by a nomadic group called the Bedouins. They moved into the caves and lived there for many generations. Recently, the government kicked them out of Petra and made it a world heritage site. The Bedouins were given modern housing and are allowed to come into Petra each day to sell souvenirs to tourists. However, each night they have to return to their town, rather than sleeping in the caves as they once did.
The rest of Petra is a huge expanse. Less then 7% of the city has been uncovered and it still feels monumental. Two of the best spots, aside from the treasury, are up the mountain. The high place of sacrifice is up 300 steep stone stairs. It is where the Nabateans use to sacrifice their children to the gods. The view is amazing. You really do feel like you are on the top of the world. The highest point is up 800 stairs to the monastery. It is larger than the treasury, but less well preserved.
You can take a camel or donkey rides around the site, but we walked instead. The total distance was huge, and it hurt to walk even one more step by the end of the day. There was practically no one in Petra. Typical days have hundreds of tourists in front of the Treasury at any given time. The photo with the camels was taken early in the morning. There were about 10 other people there. However, by the evening there was no one left but us. As you can see from my second photo in front of the treasury (taken about 6 hours after the first), there was no one else there. Seriously, the opportunity of a lifestyle to experience such an amazing place with virtually no other tourists.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
October 2nd 2011
Rise and shine! It's time to leave Amman! We traveled by van to Mont Nebo, the site where Moses is said to have seen the promised land. The view was extraordinary. For the second papal visit, a monument of the sun was constructed on the ground. Each day on the date that the pope visited, the light from the sun will land directly on that one spot. There is a big church filled with mosaics on the floor. You can see Israel from the top of the hill.
The view driving through the mountains is stunning. We took the much less traveled mountain route and got the view of a lifetime. The roads were sand, with only enough room for one car. It was very slow going, which is nice because we had time to appreciate the view. Jordan is a very beautiful country!
It was only a thirty minute drive from there to the Dead Sea. The entire area is privatized, so you have to pay to get into a resort to see the Dead Sea. Our resort was very pretty and had two fresh waster swimming pools to relax in after going into the dead sea. The beach lining the Dead Sea is covered in crystallized salt. Once you get into the water it is hard not to float! You stay effortlessly above the water - so cool! It was 36 degrees out ;with perfectly blue skies, nothing could have made this better!
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
Rise and shine! It's time to leave Amman! We traveled by van to Mont Nebo, the site where Moses is said to have seen the promised land. The view was extraordinary. For the second papal visit, a monument of the sun was constructed on the ground. Each day on the date that the pope visited, the light from the sun will land directly on that one spot. There is a big church filled with mosaics on the floor. You can see Israel from the top of the hill.
The view driving through the mountains is stunning. We took the much less traveled mountain route and got the view of a lifetime. The roads were sand, with only enough room for one car. It was very slow going, which is nice because we had time to appreciate the view. Jordan is a very beautiful country!
It was only a thirty minute drive from there to the Dead Sea. The entire area is privatized, so you have to pay to get into a resort to see the Dead Sea. Our resort was very pretty and had two fresh waster swimming pools to relax in after going into the dead sea. The beach lining the Dead Sea is covered in crystallized salt. Once you get into the water it is hard not to float! You stay effortlessly above the water - so cool! It was 36 degrees out ;with perfectly blue skies, nothing could have made this better!
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
October 1st 2011
There is no need for an alarm clock on Jordan, as the call to prayer started at 4:45 this morning. It is live singing over speakers, so the sound carried throughout the area. The mosque that is less than 50 meters from my hotel is called King Abdula II- the most famous mosque in Amman. I went to see it from the outside at 7am (there was no sleeping after the prayer calls, as they are repeated several times over the next 30 minutes). To my surprise, I was invited into the mosque. It wasn't set to open to the public until 8am, so I was the only one there. I had to wear a full length black dress with long sleeves and a hood to be allowed to go inside. The inside was even more stunning than the exterior. I got a tour around the mosque and into many of the rooms inside it. Note- wear flip flops when going into a mosque, I had to take off my shoes 4 times!
After breakfast (flat bred, cheese, and egg) I took a taxi to Jeresh. It took about 40 minutes to get there. Jeresh is a Roman town that is now ruins. There is a large earthquake every one hundred years in Jordan and over time they have devastated the site. Never the less, it is still gorgeous! There are about fifteen sites scattered around the area. You have to go through a set of valleys and hills to get to them all, so you can not see them all from any one point. There were very few tourists there. Tourism is down 75% in Jordan, so every tourist site feels like you have it all to yourself!
After taking a taxi back to Amman I went to the Citadel in downtown Amman. It reminded me of the Citadel in Halifax in terms of size and height, but very different structures. The buildings on top are mostly ruins that they are attempting to renovate. There is a museum there that houses pottery, jewelry, coins, and tombs spanning various ages that were found during the excavations of the area.
The walk back to the hotel took me through downtown Amman. The shopping stores are organized by type. I had a good laugh, as the first dozen stores I passed sold only elaborate lighting. I was beginning to think the only thing that was sold in Amman was gaudy chandeliers...
Men's stores and household stores line the main streets, while ladies shops are in behind. The ladies clothing is beautiful, well made, and so cheap! I should have come with an empty suitcase. In the ladies area there were also a large number of lingerie shops, with much more risqué choices than what is offered in La Senza. It was a stark contrast to the style of dress on the street. That being said, Amman is a fairly progressive city. As long as tops cover your shoulders and bottoms your knees, pretty much anything is appropriate in the area.
Soon, it was time to meet my group! The group is very small- perfect for a trip like this! My guides name is Faisel and he is Jordanian. He took us to a famous restaurant in Amman for dinner. We had flatbread, falafels and 3 types of hummus. One was similar to what we buy in Canada at the super market. One had full-size chickpeas and yogurt. The final was made with lava beans and was quite spicy. They all put any hummus I've had before to shame. We also had mint tea, made by putting real mint leaves in sweet tea.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
There is no need for an alarm clock on Jordan, as the call to prayer started at 4:45 this morning. It is live singing over speakers, so the sound carried throughout the area. The mosque that is less than 50 meters from my hotel is called King Abdula II- the most famous mosque in Amman. I went to see it from the outside at 7am (there was no sleeping after the prayer calls, as they are repeated several times over the next 30 minutes). To my surprise, I was invited into the mosque. It wasn't set to open to the public until 8am, so I was the only one there. I had to wear a full length black dress with long sleeves and a hood to be allowed to go inside. The inside was even more stunning than the exterior. I got a tour around the mosque and into many of the rooms inside it. Note- wear flip flops when going into a mosque, I had to take off my shoes 4 times!
After breakfast (flat bred, cheese, and egg) I took a taxi to Jeresh. It took about 40 minutes to get there. Jeresh is a Roman town that is now ruins. There is a large earthquake every one hundred years in Jordan and over time they have devastated the site. Never the less, it is still gorgeous! There are about fifteen sites scattered around the area. You have to go through a set of valleys and hills to get to them all, so you can not see them all from any one point. There were very few tourists there. Tourism is down 75% in Jordan, so every tourist site feels like you have it all to yourself!
After taking a taxi back to Amman I went to the Citadel in downtown Amman. It reminded me of the Citadel in Halifax in terms of size and height, but very different structures. The buildings on top are mostly ruins that they are attempting to renovate. There is a museum there that houses pottery, jewelry, coins, and tombs spanning various ages that were found during the excavations of the area.
The walk back to the hotel took me through downtown Amman. The shopping stores are organized by type. I had a good laugh, as the first dozen stores I passed sold only elaborate lighting. I was beginning to think the only thing that was sold in Amman was gaudy chandeliers...
Men's stores and household stores line the main streets, while ladies shops are in behind. The ladies clothing is beautiful, well made, and so cheap! I should have come with an empty suitcase. In the ladies area there were also a large number of lingerie shops, with much more risqué choices than what is offered in La Senza. It was a stark contrast to the style of dress on the street. That being said, Amman is a fairly progressive city. As long as tops cover your shoulders and bottoms your knees, pretty much anything is appropriate in the area.
Soon, it was time to meet my group! The group is very small- perfect for a trip like this! My guides name is Faisel and he is Jordanian. He took us to a famous restaurant in Amman for dinner. We had flatbread, falafels and 3 types of hummus. One was similar to what we buy in Canada at the super market. One had full-size chickpeas and yogurt. The final was made with lava beans and was quite spicy. They all put any hummus I've had before to shame. We also had mint tea, made by putting real mint leaves in sweet tea.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
September 30th 2011
I left Montreal at 10:50 pm yesterday and got to my hotel in Amman at 8:30 pm tonight. There was a brief stopover in Paris, however most of it was flight time. I took Air France. The seats are extremely small and cramped together. The first class seats rival our coach class ones on North American airlines. However, the food was amazing. We were fed every 3 hours with a 4 course meal that was comparable to a higher end restaurant. Although, maybe I'm biased, as the brie and cheesecake could have swayed me...
The drive from the airport made me thankful that I was not a driver here! I did not see a single car use a turn signal, instead they just change lanes when they see fit. As we drove along, it became clear that if the car in front of you was going to slow then you flash your lights at them, causing them to switch lanes. Ironically, 'lanes' are a rather subjective term, as most cars were driving between lanes. The type of vehicles were also very interesting. There was a large number of high end cars and many older model North American and European cars, with very little in between.
On the side of the road there were groups of gypsies. They live in tents and were smoking around camp fires. Some of them had camels and horses as well. They came from Asia and do no not mix with the local people of Jordan.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
The drive from the airport made me thankful that I was not a driver here! I did not see a single car use a turn signal, instead they just change lanes when they see fit. As we drove along, it became clear that if the car in front of you was going to slow then you flash your lights at them, causing them to switch lanes. Ironically, 'lanes' are a rather subjective term, as most cars were driving between lanes. The type of vehicles were also very interesting. There was a large number of high end cars and many older model North American and European cars, with very little in between.
On the side of the road there were groups of gypsies. They live in tents and were smoking around camp fires. Some of them had camels and horses as well. They came from Asia and do no not mix with the local people of Jordan.
Living the dream, folks, just living the dream.
