Blogs from Amman, North, Jordan, Middle East - page 2

31 mars (Toujours au Marriott Petra, Chambre 811) 10h00Am. Debout devant ma fenêtre, je tire une gorgée de mon éternel Earl Grey en observant des chèvres brouter de la brindille dans les collines inertes et recourbées de Petra. Dès que mon regard s'attarde sur quelques mouvements à l'extérieur de ma capsule, je souris, prenant soudainement conscience que le paysage à l'extérieur de la chambre 811 n'est pas qu'un simple décor photographique fixé dans le temps. Le téléphone de ma chambre sonne soudainement, me sortant d'un coup de mon ennuyante routine de prisonnier. Il n'est pourtant pas l'heure du lunch. Au bout de la ligne, l'ambassade canadienne m'annonce de bonnes nouvelles: une entente entre le Qatar et la Jordanie permet le décollage d'un avion le 2 avril à 1h15AM, à partir de l'aéroport international d'Amman (Queen Allia), ... read more

10 mars Austrian Airlines. Déchaussé, je m'étire dans l'astronef en me déroulant de toute ma longueur sur les bancs vacants à mes côtés. Je m'élance vers mon escale en Autriche dans un avion rarement vu aussi vidé de ses voyageurs. Leur absence est presqu'inquiétante. Nous sommes qu'une soixantaine de passagers sur une possibilité de 210 en direction de Vienne. Pour une traversée de l'Atlantique, il va sans dire que j'aurai droit à davantage de verres de vin et de verres d'eau qu'à l'habitude. "Jamais vu aussi tranquille" que m'a avoué, avant de décoller, la cravate du comptoir à l'aéroport de Montréal. "Ils ont cancellé le vol de demain. La peur du Coronavirus aura réussit à vider nos avions. Espérons que vous pourrez revenir" avait-il alors ajouté à la mi blague en tirant son sourire lacté jusqu'à ... read more

Following a buffet breakfast and checking in luggage (for the bus driver), we boarded the bus for a trip to Mt. Nebo. This is where Moses viewed the promised land since he wasn't permitted to enter. It is believed he died on Mt. Nebo or nearby, though the exact place is not known. I was warned it would be cooler and windy on Mt. Nebo, but I wasn't prepared for the intensity of the wind. It felt like you were being blown over the hillside as you walked toward the sites. I will post a short video on my Facebook page for you to see just what I mean. As you walk up the hill there is a large stone like the one place over Jesus' tomb and a statue of Moses to commemorate his life ... read more

We’re still feeling very intimidated by this sprawling city and its seemingly grumpy residents, but we decide to be brave and head off to see some of the sights. Our confidence is not helped by the security guard manning the x-ray screening machines at the entrance to the hotel, who tells us as we leave to “be careful”. We could see the Amman Citadel from the hotel window, and the ever reliable Google Maps told us that it was less than two kilometres away. What it failed to tell us was that Amman is built on a series of hills with deep valleys in between them. We climb the wrong hill, and then need to navigate a series of precipitously steep steps down that hill and then up the right hill on the other side of ... read more

Highlights of Amman Day 1 We start our tour today. After arriving last night we will be joined by the others today. There are 15 of us with another 4 joining in Egypt. Our guide is Mohammed.We set out for a tour of the city starting with a visit to the Royal Automobile Museum. A collection of cars and bikes, some used for special occasions by the Royal Family. Amazing collection. The vehicle used in the Martian movie was at the front. The movie was filmed at Wadi Rum Which we will visit in a few days. We then visited the Roman settlement where there is a huge theatre, mosaic floors , colonnaded streets. We also saw a Jordanian pipe band. Same sound as a Scottish one although it was a strange sound to hear in ... read more