Jordan March 31

I went to a presentation of "Petra by Night", last night. You walk about 2 km, of which about half is the Siq, which is the narrow canyon leading to the Treasury, the main attraction in Petra. The way is lit by candles along the walk. I brought a flashlight which helped greatly. The front of the Treasury is also lit by numerous candles. It is quite a magical setting. You are in an opening, almost the size of a football field, surrounded by sheer cliffs over a hundred feet high, towering above. The sky was clear, stars shining brightly.

An Arab started to play a beautiful melody on a flute. At the end they illuminated the facade of the Treasury.

It wasn't cheap, nothing in Jordan, and especially Petra is. The evening walk was 34$, entrance to Petra is 100$, for one day, 110$ for a two day pass. Those prices are for tourists that are staying in Jordan. For day visitors to Petra, mostly tour groups from Israel the fee is 180$, for a day visit.

Since the Syrian war tourism has taken a real hit. Tourism is one of the main sources of income for the country. In 2010 there were 8 million tourist visits, in 2015 it had dropped to 3.7 million.

My driver from Madaba told me that he used to drive this route 15 times a month, in high season, now it's 2 or 3 times.

Jordan is an interesting country of contrasts. You can drive for miles, and see nothing but uninhabited desert, then you come to a spring, or river, and suddenly everything is green.

This is one of the driest countries in the world. Water consumption, per capita, is one tenth of what it is in North America. One tenth, think about it, how often would you flush the toilet? I'm doing my bit, only one shower so far.

Jordan has a population of 9.5 million. This includes 2 million Palestine refugees, escaping from the West Bank, and 1.4 million Syrian refugees since 2010. It's laughable when we look at the fuss because Canada accepted 25000 this year.

I have decided on a day of rest today. I didn't get back from Petra till 11, and had a shower, did some laundry. I was thinking about going to visit Petra today, but it's a 5 am wake up, so I am going tomorrow; one of the nice thing about my flexible schedule. I was talking to some tourists at my hotel in Madaba, and they only had one day at Petra, and it was last Monday, and it was cold and rained all day. What a shame.

I did walk into town, Wadi Musa, nice hike, like walking from downtown Hamilton up the mountain. Fortunately the weather is nice, 21 and sunny.

Wadi Musa seems more conservative. In Madaba a lot of women were on the street. Here it's mostly men. There is no mixing of the sexes. The only time a man and a woman are seen together, it is a married couple. 

I did encounter my first beggar, a women in a black burka holding a baby. It could have been a doll, because there was no sound or movement. She was heading to the entrance to Petra. A lot of scams in this town.

Food is expensive, a medium pizza is 15$. 2 oranges and 2 small bananas, 4$. And that's at a local market.

Also, thanks for the feedbacks. Thanks to Carl I now know that, because I didn't become a shepherd, there are a lot of happier sheep out there. 

Jordan April 1

I am pleasantly surprised at how well I am feeling today. No aches and pains, no more than usual. I had a good nights sleep, woke up only once.

I did drink a lot of water yesterday, I took a 1.5 L bottle with me, which I finished on the walk, and then drank another 1.5L bottle within an hour of getting back to the hotel.

I have decided to stay another day at the hotel. Just relax and read. My hotel has a lovely rooftop patio.

When I started my walk the temperature was 11, by the time I got back it was 24, and very little shade.

Petra is has an amazing history. The area has been inhabitant end since 7000 BC. The city was started by the Nabateneas at about 300 BC, and reached its height at the time of Christ. It was on all the trade routes between Asia and Egypt, and the Mediterranean. The facades were carved at about this time.

Petra is at the bottom of a bowl, surrounded by mountains.

As impressive as the facades so is the system of water conduits they constructed to supply water to the city. Flash flooding was a serious and deadly danger, and the excavations discovered a sophisticated series of dams and cisterns. There are no streams, all the water had to be collected from springs and run-off. The conduits were lined with terra cotta tiles. There are mil s of these water channels.

After the Nabateans, Petra became part of the Roman Empire. By about 500 AD trade routes had changes, and a couple of major earthquakes caused the city to be abandoned.

When Petra was rediscovered by Europeans in the early 19th century there were Bedouins living there. Excavations showed a different city. In the Siq, which is more protected there was a 2 m layer of dirt and stones, which had accumulated over the years. When this was removed it uncovered parts of the original Roman road, and a water conduit running the entire length of the Siq. 

On the main site the original city was under 10 m of dirt and gravel. Excavations are still continuing.

In 1985 the Jordanian government came to an agreement with the local Bedouins to move from the historical site to newly built villages nearby. Part of the agreement allowed the locals a monopoly on all commerce on the site. All the kiosks, and there are many, restaurants, donkey, camel, and horse rides can only be run by locals, and they pay no rent or taxes. All the guides are also local tribesmen. At the moment there are still 20 Bedouin families living near the site.

Jordan April 2

I am pleasantly surprised at how well I am feeling today. No aches and pains, at least no more than usual. I had a good nights sleep, woke up only once.

I did drink a lot of water yesterday, I took a 1.5 L bottle with me, which I finished on the walk, and then drank another 1.5L bottle within an hour of getting back to the hotel.

I have decided to stay another day at the hotel. Just relax and read. My hotel has a lovely rooftop patio.

When I started my walk the temperature was 11, by the time I got back it was 24, and very little shade.

Petra is has an amazing history. The area has been inhabitanted since 7000 BC. The city was started by the Nabateneas at about 300 BC, and reached its height at the time of Christ. It was on all the trade routes between Asia and Egypt, and the Mediterranean. The facades were carved at about this time.

Petra is at the bottom of a bowl, surrounded by mountains.

As impressive as the facades so is the system of water conduits they constructed to supply water to the city. Flash flooding was a serious and deadly danger, and the excavations discovered a sophisticated series of dams and cisterns. There are no streams, all the water had to be collected from springs and run-off. The conduits were lined with terra cotta tiles. There are miles of these water channels.

After the Nabateans, Petra became part of the Roman Empire. By about 500 AD trade routes had changes, and a couple of major earthquakes caused the city to be abandoned.

When Petra was rediscovered by Europeans in the early 19th century there were Bedouins living there. Excavations showed a different city. In the Siq, which is more protected there was a 2 m layer of dirt and stones, which had accumulated over the years. When this was removed it uncovered parts of the original Roman road, and a water conduit running the entire length of the Siq. 

On the main site the original city was under 10 m of dirt and gravel. Excavations are still continuing.

In 1985 the Jordanian government came to an agreement with the local Bedouins to move from the historical site to newly built villages nearby. Part of the agreement allowed the locals a monopoly on all commerce on the site. All the kiosks, and there are many, restaurants, donkey, camel, and horse rides can only be run by locals, and they pay no rent or taxes. All the guides are also local tribesmen. At the moment there are still 20 Bedouin families living near the site.

Jordan April 3

It was off to Aqaba this morning. I had planned to take the bus, but I had to take a taxi to the bus station, about 2 km uphill. Not with my luggage. Once I got in the cab he convinced me to hire him to go to Aqaba. The cab fare to the bus would be 3JD, the bus 7JD, and then I would have to find my hotel. He offered to take me to my hotel for 20JD. Not a bad deal for a 120 km drive. He even bought me a tea, and a bag of fresh falafels, along the way. 
They like their tea, and everything very sweet. Bakeries have the most delectable displays. One of the desserts is Al-Hooh which consists of layers of phyllo pastry stuffed with nuts or dates. It is then fried in ghee and dipped in sugar syrup. Ghee is clarified butter. You won't find that on any WeightWatchers menu.
Coffee is also interesting. It is Arabic coffee, similar to Turkish coffee, only with an added cardamom flavour. Doesn't taste like coffee, but quite tasty. You get a small cup, and the bottom cm is coffee sludge. Small sips are the way to go.
Aqaba is at the most southerly point of Jordan, at the end of the Red Sea on the Bay of Aqaba. It is the only port in the country, and so has a lot of commercial importance. Even in ancient times it was at a crossroad of the trade routes between Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Today it is also a huge tourist spot, beautiful resorts and beaches. There are coral reefs, and scuba diving is a big attraction. It's where the Jordanians go in the winter, because of the mild weather.
Today the high reached 32, not something I'm used to. I walked for about four hours, and I was beat.
I am off on a boat trip to do some snorkelling tomorrow.
Interesting what you can do in the desert.

Jordan April 4

A mind is a wonderful thing to lose. I'm back to the basics, days of the week and time. My hotel, In Petra, informed me last Thursday that daylight savings time started that midnight. I thought that's a weird day to change the clocks, but I found out that weekends aren't Saturday and Sunday, but Friday and Saturday. There is no school Friday and Saturday, but there is Sunday to Thursday. Ever since I have to check my calendar to make sure I am making reservations on the right day.

I also thought that the time difference was 5 hours. I didn't realize that mistake until I woke up Sandy at 5 am, thinking it was 7am.

Aqaba is very different from Madaba and Wadi Musa. I didn't see a lot of tourists in either, which is funny, because Wadi Musa is only a kilometre or so from Petra. I did spend some time there, but didn't see any tourists. A lot of tourists do Petra on a day tour, arrive by tour bus, spend 4 hours at the site, and leave. There are several hotels close to the entrance, and that's where I stayed. There are also several large fancy hotels on the road from Aqaba. On my drive to Aqaba we met a dozen or so tour buses heading to Petra.

Aqaba is another story. Very westernized, I saw my first Big Mac in Jordan, and a lot more western tourists on the street. There are some fancy resorts on the beach. Israel's city of Eilat is right next door. It's like one city, with a border running down the middle. There are a lot of one or two day tours from Israel to Petra.

Aqaba at night is also very different. It's the first place with a nightlife. Last night was a pleasant evening and the place was busy. Lots of restaurants, and people walking along the promenade. Jordan is very liberal when it comes to alcohol. I was surprised to see quite a few liquor stores in Madaba. There was a little plaza across from the hotel where I was staying. It was the "Hangover Mini Market and Liquor Store". Good name, covers all the possibilities.

This afternoon I took a boat cruise on the Bay of Aqaba. This bay is at one end of the Red Sea, which connects to the Arabian Sea, great for shipping. There are four countries at this tip of the bay. Israel is on the west side, and has just enough room for Eilat. Immediately south is Egypt. On the east side Jordan has about 20 km of shoreline, and then borders Saudi Arabia. On our little trip we saw all four countries. Not that there was much to see. The only settlements are Aqaba and Eilat.

The Red Sea is know for coral reefs, and there are a lot of diving and snorkelling sites. Our tour was on a glass bottom boat, and we drifted over some of the coral. We were also able to get in the water and snorkel.

I have to admit this was a let-down. This is NOT the Great Barrier Reef. The only advantage was that the ride was very smooth. On the way back we had a very good dinner.

The scenery, especially on the way back was beautiful. Aqaba has a rugged mountain range right behind it and the evening sun hit it just right.

On the way back to my hotel I walked along the beach. It was very lively, all locals, families and groups of women and teens enjoying the swimming and gorgeous weather.

A lovely way to remember Aqaba.

Jordan April 5

Yesterday was a wonderful afternoon and evening.

Of the 30 or so people on the boat there were only 6 Westerners. It was interesting to see Arab families and couples up close. The first thing that struck me was that those long dresses hide a lot of bodily imperfections. There were only a couple of the women who were slim, the rest were on the plumb side. Almost all of the men smoked, even some of the women did. None of the women went in the water

The walk home was delightful. I was the only tourist along the 2 km of beach. You really saw the locals, and they were having fun, playing, swimming, going for a boat ride. There were a number of all-female groups having a great time. I remember an evening like this on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Guide books are not perfect. According to my Rough Guide to get to Wadi Rum you can get on a bus to Amman, the driver will let you off at the road to Wadi Rum, and from there you can hitch a ride in. Tomorrow I can get back to the junction, flag down a bus and continue to Amman. Very logical, except that when I went to the bus terminal I was told they make NO stops. The only way to get to Wadi Rum is on a tour or by taxi.

I put up a sign at the hotel desk, and asked if anyone would share a taxi to Wadi Rum. A couple from Lithuania replied, and we shared a cab there this morning. The other myth in the guide book was that there were lots of chances from the highway. We didn't see a single car along the road. It would have been a long wait.

Tomorrow I will have to hire another cab to take me back to Aqaba, for my bus to Amman.

I have to say that the public bus system in Jordan is one of the poorest I have come across. I have spent more time in taxis the last week than I have in my previous 75 years. No contest.

This is Lawrence of Arabia country. The movie was filmed here, where he spent time with the local Bedouins. We passed the original train station. 

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom are not a real place. Some enterprising local found a place where there are some natural stone columns, and it is now a tourist destiny.

The most popular thing to do is to go  for a jeep rider into the desert. A lot of people do this on a day trip from Aqaba or Petra. I wanted to stay overnight in a Bedouin camp, and do a hot air balloon ride tomorrow morning. Unless there is a problem with the weather, I'm scheduled to go.

The camp where I am staying is absolutely beautiful. It is large, in the middle of the desert, and like an oasis. There are concrete huts, and tents. I'm staying in a tent, but it's very comfortable. Real beds, even electrical outlets. No toilet or AC. There is a nice cliff behind the camp. Breakfast and dinner is included.

As an added bonus there is a swimming pool, and WiFi. And to think 100 years ago the only way to get around was by camel.

Jordan is really hurting for tourists. Petra is still a big attraction, but most of the tourists come on one or two day trips from Israel. I don't think there are more than 4or 5 groups at this camp. The War in Syria is the big reason. What a shame, Jordan is lovely, the people very friendly, I feel absolutely safe.

Overview of the camp

Jordan April 6

Balloon trip
I was looking forward to this morning, because I had booked a hot air balloon over Wad Rum. These rides are all dependent on the weather, so you never know whether it's a go until that morning. 
I was lucky, it was a go, and I was picked up at 6:15 am. Driving through the desert is another experience. There are no roads, and rocks and mountains are the only guideposts. We drove for about half an hour, and then watched as they prepared the balloon. It's, first laid out, and a couple of big fans blow air into the envelope. When the balloon is almost full, a couple of burners are turned on. This raises the balloon upright, and we got in the basket. There were five of us, and the captain.
We spent over an hour floating above a surreal landscape. It was like a different planet. We rose to over 4000 feet. At that height the balloon could be moving at 100 km/h, and you don't feel a thing, because the air is moving at the same speed. Everything is very quiet, the only sound the occasional turning on of the burner. You can't steer a balloon, all you can do is go up and down. Our captain has been doing this for 16 years, so he is very familiar with the air currents.
Where you land varies from day to day. The trucks follow on the ground, and meet the balloon wherever it lands.
We had some tea and biscuits while the crew wrapped up the balloon, and then we drove across the desert back to the camp. The whole thing took three hours, but it was a fantastic experience.
The rest of the day was going to Amman and then to Jarash. The 12 o'clock bus was full, so I had to take the 2 o'clock bus. That made it a bit tricky because, once I got to Amman, I had to take a cab to another bus station, and catch a bus to Jarash, an hour and a half away. I knew it would be getting dark, and I didn't have a reservation.
The bus ride from Aqaba to Amman was one of the worst I have experienced. It was supposed to be a Deluxe bus, a gross misnomer. My seat was half broken, and kept sliding forward. The man beside me was portly, and the air conditioning worked at 30% capacity. The scenery was another thing. Once you get an hour out of Aqaba the mountains stop, and for the next three hours all you see is dirt. They say Eskimos have a hundred words for snow; well Jordanians must have a hundred words for brown. Everything is flat and is in varying shades of light brown. Even the occasional blade of grass is brown, because of the dust. Sheep are brown, again the dust. When you see a town, all the buildings are a drab brown.
The Desert Highway is well named. It's a four lane modern highway, but there are things you wouldn't see on the 401 in Ontario

. Rarely would all traffic stop to let a herd of sheep across the highway. I also saw, on separate occasions, camels and donkeys grazing on the median.
To add to the fun there was Arab disco music on the intercom, no way to turn it off. After a couple of hours they started to play a video, but it kept freezing, so it was back to disco.
Another interesting observation; when the bus stopped for a short break every man, except me, got off for a smoke. Not one woman. Every man here smokes, even some of the women. There is no such thing as a smoke-free zone, not even cabs.
We finally arrived in Amman, after five hours of torture. I couldn't face another bus ride, and arrive in Jerash after dark, having to take another cab to get to a hotel, so I threw my frugality out the window, and I took a cab from Amman to Jerash. (I know some of you will be shocked by this behaviour, uncommon to me, but it's the truth)
The whole story does have a happy ending. I arrived at the hotel I was looking for, and it is lovely. It isn't ritzy but it is spotless, has a hot shower, fridge, and WiFi. The gentleman at the desk was great. He even made me a cup of Arabian coffee, and then told me all about the restaurants in the area.
It has been a long day

Jordan April 7

First some advice to travellers

Number 1 never get a seat on a plane next to the toilet. You'll never rest.

Number 2 in a Muslim country don't get a hotel near a mosque. Prayers start at 4:30 am, and they use loudspeakers.

So far on this trip I'm zero out of two.

I like Jarash much more than the south. I saw my first wild flowers, poppies, and lovely small flowers in a variety of colours. There are trees and green fields!!

The weather is also more to my liking; nothing but sunshine, but high near 25.

I spent a good part of the day walking the ruins of Jarash. This area has been populated since prehistoric times, but the first written record shows a temple to Zeus from about the second century BC, as a Greek colony. In the first century AD the Romans took over, and ruled for a few centuries. Most of the ruins where from that time period. When Christianity became the state religion Byzantine construction, such as churches began. In the 7th century Muslims ruled, until 749, when a major earthquake destroyed most of the city and it was abandoned. It wasn't until the 19th century that Chechen refugees started to live here.

The site is very impressive, I can't think of another site with as much to see. It is bigger than Ephesus.

It starts at Hadrian's Arch, then continues for 500 m, with a hippodrome on the left. This was for chariot races and other sporting events. It had a capacity for  15 000 spectators. Until this year they had reenactments of a chariot race, but, because of the lack of tourists they were cancelled. After the hippodrome you reach the South gate, the main gate to the city. You enter a huge public square, the Oval Plaza, one of the biggest in the Roman Empire. It is lined by a colonnade of stone columns in two elliptical curves. From there you can go up to the temple of Zeus, and the South Theatre, a large theatre, seating over 6 000. 

I have always associated bagpipes as a purely Scottish tradition, but I was amazed, when I was in Spain, a few years ago, to discover that it is also played in northern Spain. To my greater amazement I saw an Arabian bagpipe player at the South theatre today.

Back to the Oval Plaza, and on to the Cardo, the colonnaded Main Street of ancient Jarash. It's 800 m long, lined, all the way, by huge columns. The road still has the original stones, and you can seen the ruts made by carts and chariots, over the centuries. Under the surface of the road, is a sewage system.

There were shops all along the street, and side streets to important buildings, like the baths, and the large Temple of Artemis. There is also a beautiful Nymphaeum, the main public fountain. 

While I visited the site I came across a great number of school groups. They got quite a kick out of seeing an old foreigner hobbling along, and I must have posed for more than a dozen selfies, with me and the kids. The first ones were a couple of female university students who wanted a picture of me and them. I was flattered. The kids

are also big on shaking hands. I felt like a greeter at Wallmart.

Aside from the numerous students I only saw about a dozen other tourists.

I spent about three hours before I walked back to my hotel. It is right at the entrance, so very convenient.

It's a nice place, but the WiFi is slow.

By the way Rum balloon has a face book page where he posts photos of our trip. Feel free to check it out.

Jordan April 8

Today is Friday which seems to be the way our Sunday's used to be. A day of rest. No government offices are open, not even the buses are running.

I was going to walk around town, but a German man checked in yesterday, and I decided to join him in taking a car and going to Umm Qais, a small village at the northern tip of Jordan.

It's taken me a while, but I think I understand the taxi business a bit better. It's a mixture of taxi and Uber system.

In Madaba my hotel arranged to pick me up at the airport, to get me a driver to do the day trip to the Dead Sea, and then to drive me to Petra. All were private cars.

Except for my driver to Petra they all smoked in the car, windows open, thankfully, and they all were on their cell phone frequently. One had two phones, the second one rang while he was talking on the other one. He didn't answer right away, otherwise this would have been a short trip.

They all have a system where they interconnect. The trip from Madaba to Petra was about 6 hours. After the stop in Karak he asked me for a favour. I wasn't quite sure what it was. I thought he wanted to know whether I minded that he pick up another passenger. I said ok. But what actually happened was that we stopped just after Karak, and we met a real taxi coming from Petra. That taxi, an official one, had a family of three who were going up north. So they traded passengers. I took the taxi to Petra, the family went north with my driver. I thought it was a neat system. It saved both drivers time and money, and worked fine with me. I paid my driver, he was paid by his fares.

The two drivers obviously worked out the exchange over the phone, while we were driving.

A similar thing happened when I took an official taxi from Petra to Aqaba. At the outskirts of Aqaba I was handed over to a local taxi. This gave the local an in, and I used him on my trip to Wadi Rum. On the way to Wadi Rum it was a taxi, the next day he picked me up on his own car.

When I arrived at the Amman bus station, a man approached me and offered me a ride. It turned out to be a private car, and we drove to Jarash. When we arrived at my hotel in Jarash he introduced me to a local taxi driver, who offered his services for any trips around Jarash.

It's quite a system, a mixture of official taxis and private cars. There is no big battle between the systems. 

Yesterday afternoon another guest was at the hotel. He looked rather eccentric, only a small backpack, sandals, sweatpants. He was German, and had all kinds of questions for the hotel owner. I listened in, and he wanted to go to Umm Qais, a village at the northern tip of Jordan. There are some ruins there, and the views over the Golan Heights, and the Sea of Galilee are supposed to be great. It was on my agenda for next week so I decided to change my plans, and go there with him. Because it's a Friday no buses, and we decided to try to hire a private car. So at 8:30 Clement, the German, myself, and the hotel owner went to a nearby intersection. The hotel owner was very helpful, and he bargained for us. So for 25JD we had our ride. Part of the deal was that we would detour and spend an hour at the castle at Ajloun.

This castle, on top of a high hill was built by Saladin as protection against Crusaders.

The castle was interesting, the view from top beautiful. This is certainly the most attractive part of Jordan that I have seen. Lovely hills, green valleys, looks fertile.

Clement describes himself as a pilgrims following Jesus' footsteps. He compared the donkey ride up to the Monastery at Petra to Jesus' ride to heaven.

He is a yoga instructor, but does a lot of travelling. He goes to Thailand several times a year. He is 51.

Umm Qais has one hotel, and the owner was recovering from a big party the previous night, and it took us 20 minutes to gain his attention.

This is the cheapest hotel I've stayed in so far, 20 JD, and not worth anymore

Aside from its location, there isn't much to do. There is one Main Street about 3 blocks long, and that's it. Prices here are cheap. I paid a quarter of what I did in Petra for some fruit. Location, Location, Location.

Jordan April 9

How the time flies.
My hotel in Umm Qais was basic. My room was clean, the AC worked, the bed was fine.
The bathroom was not. Not quite as bad as some of the ones in India. The was a definite "Eau de sewage" present. No way I was taking a shower. I only used it for the necessities. 
Breakfast was included. I didn't expect much, but even that was an overestimation. It consisted of a cup of tea. There were two middle-aged Jordanians present, and one came over and presented me with a freshly baked, still warm, flat bread and a piece of cheese. The only cheese I have seen here is the "Smiling cow" one, the one that comes in little triangles. Pseudo cheese.
Very nice of them.
At 8 I set off for the ruins of the ancient city of Gadara. Jesus performed a miracle here. It was quite an important city at one time. Romans were great engineers. To supply the Roman settlements in the area they built 170 km of channels, with 106 km of tunnels, 1.3 m wide. They were lined to cut down on water loss. Some were 70 m below the surface. The roads here are the original Roman roads. More than 1600 years, and no potholes.
One of the interesting things about the Roman structures in Gadara is that basalt was used. This is a dark hard rock, quite attractive.
My timing was perfect. When I got there, at about 8, no one was there. By the time I left, at about 10, school buses full of kids arrived.
I had a nice cup of Arabian coffee looking over the valley. I'm getting to like this coffee. To be honest it doesn't really taste like coffee, as we know it. It is very strong, bitter, and the cardamom flavour is strong. One of those will keep you going for a while. The way it's made is interesting. They pour some very finely ground coffee, with the cardamom in it, into a small metal pot, which has a handle. Then they pour hot water in. There is also a large round container, like a very large wok, which is filled with sand that has been heated to a high temperature. They then move the pot in the sand, to superheat it. You can see the coffee boiling. This is then poured into a cup and served. It is very hot to start with. You also have to wait for the coffee grounds to settle , unless you like brown sludge. There is no filter. As I said it is an acquired taste.
The views at Umm Qais are great. The only problem is they all talk about seeing many things, on a clear day. There is no such thing as a clear day in Jordan. It is always hazy, I think it's pollution.
It does give you a bit of a chill to realize you are actually looking at the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights. All those names that suddenly have a new meaning. A nice feeling.
The scenery is lovely, lots of rolling hills.
I took a local minibus to Irbid in the afternoon. After this it's off to Amman, and then back home.
Irbid is a large city known for its university. Otherwise not a lot to see or do.
I have noticed quite a difference between Madaba, Aqaba, and the northern part of Jordan. I haven't seen one liquor store in Jarash, Umm Qais or Irbid.
The other thing that stands out is that women are not seen on the street as much, in the north. Every little store, and there are hundreds is staffed by men. Men wander the streets, women only to shop and go home. The only working women I have seen were in my hotels in the south. And they were working the desks. The housecleaning staff is all male. I have a seen small number of women drivers, but they are the exception.
My hotel is very nice, and it's near the university. You do see a lot more women in this area, and the majority dress western style. 
I found a neat little bakery that makes pita and flat bread. The flat bread is large, I would say almost half a metre in diameter. They use it as wraps, or just tear off bits and dip it into hummus or yogurt. This bread is used like a spoon, you dip it into the stew. 
This bakery does it the old fashioned way. There is a brick oven shaped like a large ball, with one opening. The baker sticks the dough against the inside wall, and when it's done it falls away, and he catches it. A hot job, but the result is delicious.
It started to get hot again, over 30. I was talking to Sandy, and she said its -15 in Dundas. Quite the difference.
Have fun
Ralf

Jordan April 10

April 10

Today has been the most enjoyable day of my visit to Jordan.

As I mentioned, when I was touring the Roman ruins at Jarash, I met a couple of lovely young ladies, who wanted a picture with me. We talked and I found out that they were university students in Irbid, where I was headed in a couple of days. I asked if they could send me a copy of their photo, and I gave them my email.

They forwarded the photo the next day and invited me to spend some time with them in Irbid.

I gladly accepted, and we were together for most of the day.

Both their families came from Syria, originally. Reem was actually born in Halifax, and has a Canadian passport. Her family now lives in Saudi Arabia. Nour's family now lives in Kuwait. 

They are both students at the university in Irbid, Reem in premed, Nour in Nutritional Science.

They both speak excellent English, so it was easy to have a conversation.

They both are firm believers in Islam, but they have an open mind about other people's point of view. 

They answered a lot of my questions about the Arab world, and its cultural practices. It was a very open back and forth 

We went to a mall, my first in Jordan. Very Western, although you had to go through a metal detector to get in. Most women wore the hijab, the scarf that covers the head and chest. Aside from that the dress varied from tight jeans to full dress. I asked Reem and Nour, and they were comfortable with the hijab. They liked it because they didn't have to worry about hairdos. They also said that the modest dress was helpful in discouraging unwanted male attention. I guess males are the same everywhere.

I was impressed with their mature attitude and belief system. It was so nice to see this side of Arab women. 

They had a fun time trying to teach me some Arabic words. I am a hopeless case when it comes to languages. I am probably the tourist that has seen more countries, without ever learning a single word of the local tongue.

They also introduced me to Syrian ice cream. I think it's the best ice cream I have ever tasted. It is very elastic, almost like gum, but rich and fantastic flavour. I was also treated to lunch at a very nice restaurant.

As I said, it was my most enjoyable day. With young people like that there is hope for all of us.

I wish them the best of luck, Shukran

Ralf