Jordan Post Mortem

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Now that I am back in the U.S. and having Hashem with drawl syndrome I spent a little time reflecting on my month in Jordan. After I finished my Arabic course my wife and I set out on a three day whirlwind tour of the rest of the country.

We had a great driver/guide who I had met earlier and Ahmed AKA "Steve" drove us from Amman down to Petra. One of the real highlights of the trip wasn't Petra, but "Little Petra" as Steve called it which is about 10-15 minutes away from the main Petra site. Little Petra doesn't have the dramatic carvings, but is much more accessible, some great trails and views and is free. After spending some time there we set off to the main site and both are must see spots. We arrived at Petra late in the afternoon and spent about two hours which is definitely not enough time to explore everything at a leisurely pace and then it was off to Wadi Rum to sleep under the stars.

Steve arranged for us to stay at Wadi Jabal Rum Camp which he felt was the best of the Bedouin camps in the area. It was like staying at a high end KOA campground and they served a very nice Mensaf buffet and then some nice entertainment. I was expecting something a bit more rustic and everyone sleeps in their own tents as opposed to the large communal tents that you will see throughout the countryside.

The next morning we decided to swing through Aqaba since we were so close and then take the highway up to the Dead Sea. Aqaba was actually nicer then I had heard and there are several really high end hotels going up. Aqaba is no Hawaii, but I guess if you need a water fix it is worth a visit.

One of the coolest things we saw on the way down to Petra that I almost forget to mention was Showbak Castle which most of the Jordan books gloss over. That was one of the highlights as well as meeting Ali who has a cave just below the castle outfitted with satellite TV, a fridge and is quick to offer up all the tea you can drink. He is quite a character and then we made our way to the crusader castle. Just before you make the final climb to the castle there is an area with fig trees covered in grape vines and pomegrante trees as well as a fresh water spring. We had an impromptou brunch where the crusaders ate hundreds of years ago. In my opinion this is a much more interesting trek then going to Ajloun, but you definitely need a driver or your own car.

After a harrying ride in Steve's car he got us to the Dead Sea in one piece and we stayed at the Kempenski Hotel which is an absolutely amazing hotel. We took a quick dip in the water and then had amazing massages at the spa. Most of the guide books have the Dead Sea far down the list of things to do, but I would put it much higher on the list since it such a unique experience.

Saturday was our last full day and we hit the major religous sites in the Dead Sea area. Regardless of your religious persuasion or beliefs you can't help but feel something on Mt Nebo. We finished our day in Jerash which is Steve, our drivers, home town. I had already been to Jerash and Steve gave us a great tour. As a kid his family owned the land that the old city sits on and told us stories of the things that they did as kids. We finished the night sitting on the roof of the house that Steve is building in the hills of Jerash with two of his sons and a family friend drinking coffee and getting one last Kunayfa fix before we had to head off to the airport.

As great as the historical sites were the two things the couple of things that I will not forget were being invited to eat a traditional mensaf dinner with a friend that I met during my stay in Amman who lived in the city of Zarqa. He gave me an interesting view that most tourists and certainly Americans will never see. He took me into the Palestinian refugee camp, for a coffee in a very local coffee shop and then dinner with his family.

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Comments

[deleted_134750]

yaay, Jordan!
Hey, I was just searching other bloggers in Amman and I found this post. I'm a CIEE student -- our office is the floor above the Ali Baba Center in Khalifa Plaza! I'm surprised I didn't find your blog until now. But it's great you're back home. I have another six months to go! P.S. Hashem is amazing. :)