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