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Published: July 25th 2010
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Wow, wow and more wow. I didn't know much about what Jordan had in store for us and admittedly, I was more than a little sad to leave Dahab after what had been a wonderful few days. In fact, I was sad to leave Egypt altogether. After having long felt unnerved by the very thought of travelling to this part of the world, my love of Egypt was unexpected and took me by surprise. As we set out at 6am to drive to the ferry port 15minutes away for our crossing to Aqaba, I was already making plans to return again to Egyptian soil (and sea!)
However at 530pm that evening, after a day spent at the ferry port having not so much as even sniffed a ferry which we could board, I was more than ready to depart. The day of our border crossing into Jordan was unbearably long and dull to boot. There was an interruption to the routine of playing cards and nibbling away our boredom when I thought we were about to get into an argument with the driver of a huge lorry (who very thoughtlessly parked right beside us as Kevin attempted to change Twiga's
tyre) and this was followed soon after by a heated religious debate among members of our party as we awaited for said tyre to be changed. But mostly, our 13 hour sojourn at the ferry port was entirely uneventful, which was of course, the whole problem. Although Kevin had warned us that this day would be one we may well rather forget, we also understood that this was the only way to gain access to Aqaba and all that lay beyond. And so it was that when we finally set foot on Jordanian soil at 11pm that evening it was with tired and weary limbs, having exhausted ourselves through our sheer lack of exertion. We unloaded our bear essentials from Twiga and marched our way up several flights of stairs to arrive at last on the rooftop of a local hotel where we would be spending the night. Like so many things in Jordan, this rooftop offered one of the best views one could ever hope to see. Facing west, we could see Egypt across the water, neighboured by Israel (or occupied Palestine as Kevin so aptly described). To the south was Saudi Arabia and to our north, the rest
of Jordan. I can imagine few other places in the world where one can stand and look upon the land mass of four nations. Best view in the house undoubtedly!
Waking early in Aqaba the next morning, we spent a few hours exploring this coastal town, remarking on the differences between this new country and that which we had so recently left. What struck me most was how much more liberal the Jordanians seemed to be. Where women had such little profile in the public spaces of Egypt, we suddenly found ourselves in a land where women were a very real presence, so much so that they even occupied positions of power within the community. I almost fell over when I saw my first female police officer, which as a Western woman is an embarrassing admonishment. But having entered a whole new world that very first day we set foot in Cairo, I've spent so much of my time mentally clarifying my expectations and trying to reserve my judgements, attempting to accept the norms and values of a culture so removed from my own cultural experience and understanding. And so I admit I was shocked, though with further discussion
with my peers, I soon understood that Jordan is widely renowned as the most liberal of all the Middle Eastern states.
This morning also delivered one of the most poignant moments of our travels. Having wandered along the coast and marvelled at women splashing about in the waves in traditional dress and others perched beneath beach umbrellas at this seaside location, we spent the better part of 15 minutes trying to seek out a toilet (one of the great perils of travel in a foreign land). Eventually we made our way into a 'cafe bar' (and I use these terms very loosely). Having answered nature's call and ordered a drink, we found ourselves sitting in a huge room with only a handful of other local inhabitants, none of whom spoke English. Having observed this gentleman seated directly to my right, dressed in shabby clothing and missing almost all of his teeth, we were taken by surprise as he quickly approached our table and greeted us with an enormous smile, presenting us with fresh apples and sweets, shaking our hands and even attempting to kiss Adam's hands. To say we were shocked would be an understatement and it pains me
to say that we were more than a little apprehensive as this incident unfolded. We'd learnt in Egypt that it pays to be quite guarded, as people are frequently seeking baksheesh for 'services' rendered. Again, I use the term services quite loosely-this can range from simply greeting you as you enter a building or sight to even pausing beside a door to keep it open a second longer for you to carrying bags or letting you access a toilet...the list is endless really. A surprising number of actions, small or large, can render themselves up to baksheesh being required. There ha been many moments already in our trip when we'd been on the receiving end of perceived kindness onto to be surprised that we'd been mislead or something more than kindness was expected from us in return. And so confronted by a complete stranger, whose appearance would suggest he had very little to his name, made us immediately assume some payment was required for the goods offered and we politely declined. Our refusal was something this gent did not accept, he merely left goods on the table, smiling broadly at us as he sat back down at a nearby table
and continued to watch us, always with a big smile at the ready whenever he caught our eye. Needless to say, we didn't touch any of what had been offered to us and watched with fascination as this kind stranger drank his tea and walked in and out of the cafe several times, observing something unknown to us out on the street. Convinced that at some point this man would return to our table and seek payment from us, we continued to leave the goods untouched. And the moment then came at last when this man got up from his table, came again to shake hands with Adam and offer a smile in farewell before he departed. And I was left sitting at the table with his offered gifts n front of me, feeling completely ashamed of myself. For indeed, this was one of those rare moments when someone extends a hand in friendship, a gesture of kindness, and our preconceptions about an ulterior motive prevented us from recognising the situation for what it was and offering our warm and generous thanks for such a random act of kindness. It was an important lesson learned, and I vowed to continue
to believe the best in others, until proven otherwise, rather than approaching each situation guarded and expecting the worst.
After eating a delicious schwarma and being slightly alarmed by the oddly florescent pink pickle adorning the accompanying salad, we left Aqaba and headed to Wadi Rum for our afternoon jeep safari. I have to confess that the beauty of the desert surprised me. Despite my homeland having a huge central expanse of nought but desert, I've never been to the desert before. As I anticipated, Wadi Rum was indeed dusty and dirty but the colours of the landscape-oh my! They were simply stunning. Wadi Rum also housed some wonderful relics of the past. The 'home' of Lawrence of Arabia, the ancient rock paintings left over from tribes who travelled through the dessert areas, the high bridge and the huge chasm (probably not the official names of these highlights but the way in which I remember them) were just amazing. The vast sand dunes alone elicited delight from those who wanted to have a go at sand boarding. For me though, it was enough to climb up the dune to check out the magnificent view before running back down at
full sprint. Such a lot of fun!
Later in the evening, we headed back into the desert on Twiga, setting up for an amazing bush camp under a canopy of stars. Those stars, I'll never ever forget them. They were astoundingly bright with the moon only being a whisper on the horizon. Eating dinner by their watch, dancing up a storm in our 'trisco', toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate-wonderful. Laughter from all trickled out into the night, across the dark expanse of desert and beyond.
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