So we were in the Middle East, the Kingdom of Jordan was about 2 hours away by air. It was a country on our bucket list but we had one problem, we had 5 days to see everything we wanted to see before getting back to work. The reasonable call would have been: “Let’s do it another time”. Yeah, that didn’t happen hence I’m writing this blog!
The only way to do all the things we wanted to see in Jordan in 5 days was to have a local driver/guide with you. Our hard working driver, Mr. Yousuf Al-Wahsh (which translates to Mr. Joseph The Monster in English) was our man for this mission.
Day 1
Amman
The city built on seven hills; Amman is one busy place. Do not expect to see contemporary architecture or sky scrapers. This is a very traditional Middle Eastern capital city. It is divided into the east and west side. The west side of Amman is where we spent our first afternoon in Jordan, wondering around the old city and the souq, eventually finding our way to the old Roman citadel, overlooking the over-populated and very traditional part of the capital.
After our first day of discovery, an old friend that I haven’t seen in years picked us up to a night on the town. Amman has a great variety of bars and clubs for a casual drink or a full-on night out. Keep in mind that Amman is a very expensive city, 1 Jordanian Dinar is $1.04 US. A beer at a five star hotel will set you back about 12 Jordanian Dinar.
Fun fact: Amman was previously known in the Greco-Roman era as Philadelphia, which is the city of brotherly love. Today Philadelphia is a good local beer to enjoy on a hot summer day.
Day 2
Kings Highway:
We took off early in the morning from Amman and took the scenic Kings Highway route that eventually led us to Petra. Our first stop was Madaba where we had the chance to look at St George’s Church and the ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land. Yousuf sensed at least one of us was fascinated by the mosaics which Madaba is famous for and took us off the beaten track to what used to be a privately-owned farm house until the mother discovered a centuries old mosaic under the wood cook stove a few decades ago. This mosaic was deemed so valuable that the Franciscan monks have since purchased the land and uncovered the mosaic for preservation and to be shared with those who are in the know of its location. This detour gained Yousuf some major points!
The next stop was Mount Nebo, a historic and religious site where Moses was granted the first view of the Promised Land. You can see the West Bank, Jordan River and even Jerusalem from there on a clear day. Signs clearly indicate which direction for each city and the approximate distance from Mount Nebo. There is some dispute, but this may also be the site of Moses’ burial for those interested in the religious pilgrimage.
The adventure continued in the Mujeeb Valley. A breath taking mountain road (not for the faint of heart) leads to the Kerak crusader castle, which was considered one of the biggest castle forts of its time. After a quick traditional Jordanian Mansaf which is a rice dish made served with lamb and a yogurt sauce called Jamid (a specialty of the city of Kerak), Yousuf was able to change our itinerary and make arrangements for us to visit Wadi Rum which, sadly, was not in our schedule. (Tip: Do not drive after that meal! It is very heavy and is guaranteed to knock you out!) Since one of us is obsessed with cramming as many sites as possible into every tour itinerary, Yousuf could hardly refuse the challenge we gave him.
Wadi Rum
A magical place, where the most popular name is Lawrence! I know this is not the first name that pops in your mind when you think of the Arab Bedouin tribes residing in Wadi Rum. The name took popularity after the hero, Laurence of Arabia, who helped the locals fight the Ottoman oppression.
At the entrance to Wadi Rum a Bedouin with a pickup truck greeted us. We were instructed to ride in the open back to truly experience the scenery and lifestyle of the locals. We raced against the setting sun to clamber up a sand dune and watch the sun set. After sunset we drove further into the valley to experience more of the fabulous Bedouin hospitality at a camp hidden in the rocks for traditional dinner of lamb and vegetables cooked buried in the ground. The sky was clear and there were thousands of stars visible. We wish we had one more day so we could spend the night in the camp and explore more of this UNESCO site the following day. In any case, we saw a condensed version of Wadi Rum before heading to Petra in the dark.
Day 3
Petra the UNESCO World Heritage Site
After a long day of touring, a couple of heavy meals, I woke up in Petra to check into our hotel for the night. I was fast asleep again because we had a very early 5 AM start the next day. This was not only to maximize our time and cross things off our list, but also to beat the heat as it was early July and temperatures reach into the high +30C early in the day. The next morning I stepped outside and the first thing on my mind was: “Nothing can describe this majestic city!” Wow! Jaw dropping.
We didn’t have much time to look at the whole city but our guide, Zaid, who is one of the few remaining Bedouin who was born in a Petra cave before the locals were relocated by the government, gave us an exclusive behind the scenes tour. After walking down the Siq and taking a few Indiana Jones action shots, out of the blue the narrow walls become wider into an open space. Before you is a big façade, the treasury, the breathtaking most iconic building in Petra. It is overwhelming to look at that prefect architecture carved in rocks and believe that it was made thousands of years ago.
The tour of the city took about 6 hours and we barely saw 25% of it. It can actually takes days or even weeks to discover it all. Being with a local guide helped us a lot; he knew all the shortcuts and we might have used a couple that said “NO ENTRY” but no one seemed to stop us so we scampered behind him. Due to the short time and the heat, Zaid recommended we use mules to help us climb the 1,200 stairs to view the treasury from above. Walking on foot would have taken over 1.5 hours, but using the mules allowed us to be up in 20 minutes. Since neither my significant other nor I are mule riding experts (ok, we have never ridden a mule before), we had a short tutorial and were gently guided by a boy of about 7 years who ushered the animals to follow Zaid on his up the stairs for this view:
After hours on the animals we were more comfortable with this traditional means of transportation and experienced lots of giggles from the silly creatures.
Day 4
Dead Sea
The lowest point in the world is a resort town, but it is a must see! It is home to the Sodom and Gomorra salt pylon which is visible from the highway from Petra but not marked due to religious reasons. Without our local guide we would not have seen it.
Also very near to the Dead Sea is the baptism site of Jesus. Don’t be alarmed once you’re there because there is a serious military presence because the River Jordan is actually the border between Jordan and Israel. Both countries have built facilities for worshippers to experience the site on their respective sides of the river.
To best experience the Dead Sea you have to check in to one of the resorts along the coast. It was a welcome break for us after a couple of days of running around and long hours of driving to just relax and soak in mud! Over and over and over…. But you can also get creative with pictures..
Day 5
Jerash
Only 48km from Amman, Jerash prides itself to be one of the biggest and well-preserved Roman sites outside of Italy. It was reminiscent of the Roman ruins we had seen in Ephesus, Turkey the year before. Here we had a private guide who carefully explained the architectural feat as well as the harmony between the major religions of the region in earlier times. It was in important reminder of how people have traveled the world and interacted with different cultures for thousands of years. We had the chance to wander around the old city, soak in some history and look at the preparations and set-up of the ancient amphitheater as it was being prepared for another festival. The city has hosted the annual Jerash Festival since 1981. We didn’t spend much time touring the city, as it was our last stop hours before getting to the airport and saying good-bye to Jordan.
Jordan is great place to visit, just like other countries in the area, great history, unique cuisine, generous people and amazing culture. Leave a comment if you have any experiences to share or any questions:
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