Blogs from North, Jordan, Middle East - page 13

Salah had a thing for lettuce. So much so, he blamed the wind it made him pass, on the banana trees in the fields. Or at least I think he did. Eating a whole head of lettuce in one go has not only got side affects but its got consequences. The side affects being that it makes you pass copious amounts of wind, the consequences are that the person sitting in the back of the taxi has decided to declare it to the world through the world wide web. Salah was our taxi driver for the day, and other than his denial about his flatulence he was a perfect gent. We were picked up by him at 10am for our trip to see Jerash and Ajloun. Both of these are in the north of Jordan and ... read more

Amman citadel Temple of Hercules. Dedicated to the hero god as 161-166 AD when the city was called Philadelphia. The hand and elbow of a 35m high Collossal stature was found and Hercules was found on many coins from the area at that time. Hercules was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Umayyad palace and town with baths and collonsfed street Fortified Walls Bagpipes- traditional instrument Head of Tyche wearing turreted crown Museum All the way from stone age 40,000-10,000 years ago, Neolithic ages etc. all the way up to the Roman Age. Tgere are many prehistoric remains in the museum as Jordan is rich in remains from prehistoric periods as the south Levant was the only corridor through which wary humanoids migrated from Africa to the rest of the world. Much Nabatean sculpture ... read more

Hi Everybody! I have always been intriqued by the Middle East, but my common sense convinced me to use caution when visiting this part of the world. Jordan is an amazing country, full of contrasts. The people here depend on tourism and are genuinely friendly. We started our adventure in Amman, the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan and home of 80% of its citizens. It is a city of many hills, white stone homes, modern skyscrapers, ancient Roman ruins, and many markets. It is scorching hot in the summer but very pleasant in January. Amman has been inhabited for 9000 years making it one of the world’s oldest cities. Muslims make up 96% of the population and Christians 4%. The people of Jordan have religious freedom and seem to live peacefully together. King Abdallah II ... read more

Where did you grow up? What did you learn at school? And than...where did you or are you travelling? All these may be granted for most of us, but it is actually the beauty of what make humans so different. I studied latin and greek in high school for 5 and 6 years, Mari's father is fluent in ancient greek and latin (and in a few more languages). For us, the Roman Empire history is part of our education, deep down there. We grew up visiting sites and learning about our ancient past. You will see my point very soon. Leslie is born in Asia. He has been for few years in an International American school and for the last 18 month in an International English school. English system in Year 6 study the Aztecs, but ... read more

The ancient part of Jerash city also known as the old Roman city of Gerasa makes a fantastic day trip from Jordan’s capital city Amman. It is considered one of the best preserved Roman cities & indeed the size and level of preservation simply blow your mind! Finding my way around to Jerash, local style For this day trip I decided to opt for a local style transportation as the journey is always a big part of the experience. So no taxi hired (from Amman return, 30-40JD) but instead the local bus system (a minibus which leaves once full, less than 2JD return)…So now, time to practice my still very limited Arabic! After ending up at the wrong place, chatting a bit more with the cab driver & a lady along the road, finally ended up ... read more