Travel Blog » Middle East » Jordan

Jordan Travel Blogs

Background: For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a formal peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II - the eldest son of King HUSSEIN and Princess MUNA - assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. After a two-year delay, parliamentary and municipal elections took place in the summer of 2003. The Prime Minister and government appointed in April 2005 declared they would build upon the previous government's achievements to respect political and human rights and improve living standards.

Jordan

Map of Jordan

Jordan's Flag

Hostels in Jordan
Latest Jordan Blog Entries
Jordan Photos

By Snoo
August 6th 2009

The Saga Continues Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman

So once we received out transit visas we had to find a new taxi since our taxi from Amman abandoned us because Americans are always kept at the boarder for ridiculous amounts of time. So we go out into the parking lot and start asking around. Almost everyone was headed back to Jordan. Most people were helpful and tried to gesture vaguely in the direction of where we could find a taxi but really I think they had as little of an idea as we did. The people we did find tried to charge us outrageous amounts of money, like $50 [View Full Entry]

By grystone
August 5th 2009

best accommodation in wiad rum Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum

breakfast resturant

I went with my family to Jordan for 5 days and we didnt know that there is an area in jordan like wadi rum we only knew petra dead sea jarash and some other places but when we went to petra we met our bedouin tour giude Talat Twaisi he told us about wadi rum he made evey thing impresive to as he knew we like such as this place and we like hiking and walking . then we decided to go there even we had no enough time to go there so we had to cancel our first night in [View Full Entry]

By crenshawroehler
August 5th 2009

I waited 10 years for this? Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum

Look at these fascinating inscriptions...

Our first visit to Jordan was 10 years ago. It was also the first time the three of us traveled together. We created our itinerary and cultivated our list of places we had to see and things we had to do. Kyle was most excited about seeing these very old inscriptions in Wadi Rum. He kept discussing and discussing these inscriptions that were near Lawrence of Arabia's well. His excitement seemed to swell the morning we were scheduled to go to Wadi Rum on Dec. 30, 1999. We were in the back of the jeep driving to the infamous well and [View Full Entry]

Kyle taking in the view of the inscriptions

By crenshawroehler
August 4th 2009

Camel University: Where Dreams Come True Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum

Campsite in Wadi Rum

It has always been Valeri's dream to take camels across the desert for several days and camp under the stars...that dream came true in Wadi Rum, Jordan. Our hope was to learn everything we could about camels and riding techniques, but it turned out to be so much better than just Camel University. I know that there is no way to convey what we experienced, but we will try... We went to Wadi Rum to retrace Lawrence of Arabia's footsteps on the backs of camels and, at night we camped with a Bedouin family. When we first arrived, we met with [View Full Entry]

By jon3
August 4th 2009

Aqaba Middle East » Jordan » South » Aqaba

Aqaba was the final major location along the trip. It is a resort town that is also a tax free area! This is supposed to mean that things are super super cheap here. However, all the meals and such still cost more than they would in Irbid. The area proved to be a very relaxing place just chill. We went to a resort area, The Royal Diving Club, to swim and snorkel. Along this area is a natural reef, which is actually pretty beautiful. Even though the land is lifeless except for tourists and bracelet sellers, the seas teamed with life. [View Full Entry]

By crenshawroehler
August 2nd 2009

Tracing the Steps of the Bible Along the Jordan River Middle East » Jordan » West » Dead Sea

Look Ma

We did more than just cover ourselves in mud, float, and pamper ourselves when we were at the Dead Sea! We all had visited the Dead Sea on the Israeli/Palestinian side, but we had never visited the Jordanian side. We were not disappointed. Our first visit to the lowest point on Earth was 10 years ago during our first Mid-East trip. We all said we hoped we would return without believing it would really happen. We were blown away by the bouyancy and our ability to float without effort. Floating in the Dead Sea is a one-of-a-kind experience that should be [View Full Entry]

Remember the Sunday School song...A River Running Deep and Wide?

Purple Pride at the Lowest Point on Earth...Go Cats!

By jon3
July 29th 2009

Petra Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra

Petra

This past weekend marked a lot of travel. The first main stop was at the old ruins of Petra. This is an ancient city that is carved into the sides of a valley. Think of the Grand Canyon minus any water and with buildings in the walls. The people who lived here must have had a whole lot of time on their hands as they were able to devote so much time to making these various structures. The different "caves" were thought to be public buildings but are now thought to be tombs. It seems that the powerful people really do [View Full Entry]

By jon3
July 28th 2009

Wadi Rum Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum

Rock

The next stop on the weekend tour was Wadi Rum. I left Petra with an ingrained image of man ability to manipulate nature and make a niche. I also left with a hell of sun burn that still requires hourly-ish gallops of aloe. I feel like a lizard shedding my skin. Anyways, Wadi Rum proved to be almost the opposite of Petra. It is a barren waste land sorta of place. It leaves you wondering why people would ever what to live in such a place. The result is that there isn’t really anyone who lives here but bracelet sellers. These [View Full Entry]

By crenshawroehler
July 27th 2009

Breakfast in Beirut, Lunch in Damascus and Dinner at the Dead Sea Middle East » Jordan » West » Dead Sea

Lunch in Aleppo, Syria

Wow what a day of travel! We started out in Beirut, drove across Syria and ended our day floating in the Dead Sea! It was a day of seeing the countryside and border crossings. It was amazing how each country handled their military and border police. Most of the time in Syria and Lebanon was spent greasing palms. The process in Jordan was expensive, but efficient. If you were to look at our pictures or over hear our conversations, you may think that we travel just to eat or that we spend our time between meals thinking about the next meal...so [View Full Entry]

By jon3
July 22nd 2009

Hair Cut Middle East » Jordan » North » Irbid

Before

So I thought my hair was getting way too long while I was here. It just was hot and all. So a friend and I went off to get a hair cut here in Jordan. Seems that a finely tuned hair line and lots of gel is the current fashion. Enjoy the pics. Tonight, I am heading off to have Mansaf at a new friend's house. He has been preparing the meal all day and even skipped school to make it. It should be interesting. [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Middle East » Jordan

Jordan Travel Blogs, page 8

Jordan Travel Blogs

Jordan