Blogs from Aqaba, South, Jordan, Middle East - page 7

Aqaba, Jordan --- October 21, 2010 When one is flying from Dubai to Aqaba and look out the window you now have the ultimate picture to define desolate. This is some of the most inhospitable terrain, sand for as far as you can see only broken with some of the most rugged mountains around. This is a land where humans were never intended to live. Jordan has only 61 miles of territory along the Red Sea and Aqaba is their main port. Just across the bay is Israel so there is a fairly obvious police and military presence. From our balcony at the Intercontental we could look across and see the lights on in Aqaba’s sister city in Israel. A few years ago a couple of terrorists blew themselves up in 2 hotels in Amman, the ... read more

We sleep well. Up at 7 am. Breakfast and then we prepare for our excursion to Petra, which we know is going to be somewhat arduous. We board our bus for the 2 1/2 hour bus ride. The terrain is amazing. Essentially we get to see at ground level the endless mountains we saw from the plane. The land is so arid and barren, you wonder how anything can survive. There are occasional clumps of buildings that constitute villages, and we also see Bedouin tents. On the way, Abraham talks about daily life in Jordan and outlines the history of Petra. Petra is an ancient settlement first discovered and settled by a nomadic tribe called the Nabateans around 200 BC, later conquered by the Romans. Around 800 AD it was mostly abandoned and essentially lost for ... read more

Aqaba and Taba Bay: Aqaba has an astouding location: minutes to Saudi in one direction and very close to Egypt and Eilat in Israel. However, it is also a bit like seaside towns everywhere...lots of restaurants, shops selling diving gear and tourist tat and a few 'luxury ' hotels... Not being divers (so no amazing fish and coral photos...)and by this time, just wanting to lie flat on our backs on the sand, we didn't do very much except laze around, swim and eat....but relaxation at last: no deserts to traverse, no shaking out of shoes in the morning, hoping to dislodge lurking scorpions...just a luxurious ( comparitively, anyhow) hotel and the sea and sand....the only exciting event was Rob coming face-to-face with a giant manta ray (although Rob in full snorkelling gear is a fairly ... read more

Wadi Rum: Well. part of it. None of the trucks were air-conditioned and being asthmatic, I couldn't risk a two hour plus journey out to the desert in the August heat - disappointing! And I wasn't the only one who decided not to - wonder how much it would cost to get better trucks and how much money is lost by tourists deciding not to go? But at least we did get to see a tiny bit of it. Just have to wait for another trip...... read more

Four days have passed and we have reached the south of Jordan, Aqaba at the red sea. After warm and long days in the desert it was time to treat ourselves with a nice dip in the crystal clear water. I've been to Eilat twice and I have always been able to see Jordan from far, but now I was in Jordan looking at Israel and Eilat. It was a funny feeling. We were sitting on the beach in Aqaba, to the left we could see a city belonging to Saudi Arabia (walking distance), across the sea were the mountains of Sinai in Egypt and to the right, in the bay, was Eilat, Israel. It's a weird feeling knowing we can't go to the left (Saudi Arabia) and the people to the right (Israel) can't come ... read more