The first few days were spent in Amman, where Ramadan was being observed to the point of never seeing anyone eat or drink in public during daylight hours. The place began to stir around 6pm, with people rushing home via take-away drink stalls and bakeries, outdoor eateries set up for the onslaught from for the hour after nightfall. We saw few, if any, visitors before heading out along the tourist trail. Some explained that dealing with people who hadn't eaten all day would be trying.
On paper, Jordan has a very organised National Park system, with permanent tents and a variety of services. We visited the office in town, which was beautiful, though the staff gave me little assistance in accessing these services. I also emailed some parks directly, though they wished to be contacted after Eid only. So our plans to tour the NPs over the two weeks began to fade. Here's what we did instead:
Looking over the Downtown. Wondering where I can get a sip of water.
These places smelled as good as they look. A wall full of coffee beans around the corner and magic lotions and potions upstairs added to the aromatic explosion.
The Roman Theatre in Amman was worth the visit. Amazing acoustics from the dead centre and a secret whisper point was tested before I struck this pose.
We headed south-west on a public bus to Madaba, a town famous for Christian mosaics and being the largest (30%) Christian population in the country. We teamed up with another Aussie at the hotel and hired a driver for the day to tour the sights in the area. We're at Mt Nebo, where Moses died and Pope John Paul II visited in 2000 to recognise it as a holy site.
Bethany beyond the Jordan on the Jordanian side. It's been agreed upon that Jesus was babtised by John here. Notice the Israeli flag beyond the fence. It's right on the border. Gunned military men and Hummers everywhere.
Down to the Dead Sea ($10 entry to use the showers), where the salt level is six times normal, so nothing lives there. Lisa is almost lying on the water here. It was a strange sensation to not be able to swim as your feet were above the water. Any attempt to be vertical saw you bob to the top. Very weird.
Above the Dead Sea with our crazy but charming driver, Mohammad. Nothing much to see due to the salty air. On a clear day you can see Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Hot springs here in the middle of the dessert. It was about 40'C under the falls and a fair bit warmer inside the 'sauna' cave behind the falls. The heat of the water made the ambient temperature seem cooler.
We jumped in a minibus heading down the King's Hwy, stopping in Kharak, Dana and then on to Petra. Sites like these were tucked away in the middle of the desert.
View from the bus heading through Dana NP.
We had met an American on the bus who we then went hotel hunting with in Petra. The three of us met an English girl in the hotel we chose and before we knew it, Lisa had the four of us following this trail of candles for 800m down the Siq to visit "Petra by Night". At the end of the Siq is the famous Treasury building where the crowd sat and came to a hush while a couple of Bedouins played their instruments and told their story. The echo through the canyon against the ancient backdrop was quite spectacular.
Nick, Kat and Lisa after the performance.
The Siq the next morning.
The surprise at the end of the Siq. The Treasury Building, the most famous of the ancient city that has been named as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.
One of the many buildings we walked past and through over the next two days. Each is carved into the soft sandstone, some 2000yrs ago.
The Collanade.
Backing our way down some stairs inside a building that will definitely be roped-off in the years to come.
The Monastery is about an hour walk uphill from the last shot. It was quite spectacular to see it in the afternoon sun.
I've included a second shot of the same building, taken by Nick, of me standing in the door way to give some idea of the massive scale of the place.
Looking back on the Monastery on the way to another amazing lookout.
The sacrificial altar on another mountain top. Lisa was particularly taken with the blood drainage system.
Kat wondering why she asked about the birth process in NSW.
I thought this was fascinating, the fascia of a building sheared off and sunken into the sand.After a few days of being ripped off beyond belief in the tourist town of Wadi Moussa (Petra) but mezmorised by the ancient wonder of the city, we joined Kat on her trip to Wadi Rum for a 4WD tour and a night in the desert under the stars.
Here, climbing to the spring where Lawrence of Arabia got his water.
Walking up then running down one of the many dunes we were to visit.
And again.
And eventually, the girls got my sleeping mat out...
On the same dune, this is the Frenchman who shared the Landcruiser with us. You can see from the depth of his feet how fine the sand was.
A beautiful bridge I declined the opportunity to cross having seen London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road before and after the collapse.
A good shot of Kat as the sun set.
Our Bedouin host for the night. Plenty of sugary cha and cigarettes kept his singing voice just right. He wasn't too keen on my playing his fiddle though so he gave me his drum to bang.
Alex (the Frenchman) had juggled his way around South America so was happy to accompany our noise. Lots of fun.
The view from the Landcruiser as we sped back to the village across Wadi Rum.
Lisa and I made it back to Madaba to spend our last five days relaxing after a week and a bit racing from site to site. We found Mustafa in a little corner store and he was very happy to height-adjust my slacks from Hong Kong.
As has become a bit of a tradition, I had a haircut at a local barber. He was very fast and seemed to be having a very hearty argument with his colleague so I declined the shave with the cut-throat razor. Lisa also got a haircut. Hers was in a shop front covered by heavy curtains, behind which she and her new friends shed their layers and giggled the afternoon away. I did not get a chance to photograph this as I sat outside in the cold. The visit to Jordan was an interesting experience, in a region that is beginning to come back to life after the damage to tourism post 9/11.We also stopped in Dubai for 24hrs on the way:
Spot the white boy and Lisa window shopping:
Off to Istanbul to meet Claire and Jonathon...
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