Our last hoo-rah in the Middle East was marked with a trip to Jordan, which is on nearly everyone's list here. Although we are more than capable of going it alone, this time, like our trip to Egypt, we opted to go with the full-service package and have a driver and a guide at every site. In this region that is sometimes very worth it. We don't speak the language, we want to learn the history, and we avoided local hassle.
Arriving in Amman we headed right to the Kempinski hotel for, what else, bowling. The next morning was a full-day trip starting with a visit to the ancient city of Jerash. We walked the Roman ruins among sheep and learned of the way of life from 2,000 years ago. An amazing amount of the city still lay underground. And while it is all a sight to see, nothing quite compares to Arab men in traditional costumes playing Scotland the Brave on bagpipes in a two century old amphitheater. A drive back saw camels on the sides of the road before when arrived in the city again and up a hill to the Citadel. Much of it was like Jerash, but these ruins have a history of 6,000 years and a museum. We then hiked the Roman theater at the bottom of the hill before calling it a night.
The next day we rolled out of town to Bethany on the River Jordan, the site of Jesus's baptism. A long wait for the tourist bus finally got us to the river and we walked a half-maintained trail to the site. It has clearly been kept up for tourism as the river naturally doesn't flow though this location any more. But we did climb down to the river and dip our feet in, 6 feet from the opposite shore of Israel. Armed gunman stood on either side of the creek to secure the boarder. We next headed up to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the Promise Land. While the misty air made seeing clearly impossible, it was still an impressive layout.
The next morning we awoke in Petra with a clear day and cool air and started a walk down into the canyon. The winding dirt road soon narrowed into almost a slot canyon (The Siq) and we were met with amazing tall walls with light jetting in when possible. The curvy walkway continued and within 20 minutes we were at the famous site of the Treasury. All fans of Indiana Jones know this as the shot for the final segment of the Lost Crusade. It was a site. At 2000 years old, it was still well preserved, minus the bullet holes. Since we arrived early, our photo is without obstruction, save the two camels lying in front.
Our guide took us down toward the canyon and to the Roman road, but instead of following the obvious path, we jetted hard right into the foothills. It was the best thing we could have done. Caves (former tombs and homes) were our playground as we hiked and climbed all over the mountain. The rocks were splashed with brilliant purple and pink coloring. And the carvings continued, just as impressive, along side of the canyon. Near the end we rented mules and proceeded down near the Roman road and onto the track.
An often overlooked piece of the Petra landscape, but not to be missed, is the Monastery. Our mules took us up a precarious ridge, risking life as a small slip of a hoof would have spelt disaster. But they were sure footed (the guide just said, "Do not ride them down!") and we made the top. The Monastery was also as impressive as the Treasury, if not more so due to its height and obscure location. Our kids had lunch and a drink and we turned to hike out. By now, hoards of tourists coming up from Aqaba on buses had been let out and were swarming the sight. As we walked the road back against the flow of tour groups I couldn't help but look to the hills and realize just how special this place was, yet how horrible it was down on the canyon floor. Propositioned for a mule, donkey, or camel ride back up about 1,000 times, I hated the tourist trinket crap shops that had no place in a historic site. Once we hit the Treasury, I was done. That peaceful morning picture I captured would turn into the scene of a rock concert, with hundreds of slobs unable to appreciate this view. We hurried up the Siq, again fighting foot traffic, dodging ignorant folk with stickers with numbers on their chest so they could identify their group. It was a poor way to end what I otherwise consider one of the most amazing places in the world. Just don't go at mid-day.
A nice dinner and ice cream greeted our family that hiked 8.5 into and out of the canyon. The next day we were off again, this time to the desert of Wadi Rum. Made famous as the filming site of Lawrence of Arabia, the sandy plains meet the towering masses of rock in a landscape not duplicated elsewhere in this world. We popped into the back of a pick up truck and bounced around the area for two hours, stopping to climb sand dunes and run down or overlook a valley from on high. After we got back to the tents, we decided to do some rock climbing on the mountains behind camp. Then we boarded camels and did a leisurely walk at sundown on the backs of beasts. A dinner of meat (buried deep in the sand with a fire on top all day) filled the void. Our beds for the night were in tents permanently pitched in the sand. Needless to say, breakfast was cold.
Off again to the coast where we parked in Aqaba on the Red Sea. Looking across, one can see Egypt and Israel, and to the left, Saudi Arabia, all while in Jordan. Our view was spectacular (though the Radisson Blu hotel left a lot to be desired). Our afternoon consisted of a boat ride. With its glass bottom we were carted along over a shipwreck and across a reef, sighting fish and jellyfish along the way. Taelyn and Justin snorkeled a bit, but the water wasn't too warm. Back on shore, a BBQ lunch awaited. The next day was a full beach day, though the water proved a tad too cold to enjoy. The girls played with kittens and we stayed warm in the sun. Our final day took us from Aqaba up to the Dead Sea where we went down to the water and floated. The girls were reluctant and stings from the salt water proved to be too much for them to enjoy it, but we did get to cover ourselves in the mud.
Jordan proved to be a wonderful place to visit, full of history, and very different than the rest of the Middle East.
Arriving in Amman we headed right to the Kempinski hotel for, what else, bowling. The next morning was a full-day trip starting with a visit to the ancient city of Jerash. We walked the Roman ruins among sheep and learned of the way of life from 2,000 years ago. An amazing amount of the city still lay underground. And while it is all a sight to see, nothing quite compares to Arab men in traditional costumes playing Scotland the Brave on bagpipes in a two century old amphitheater. A drive back saw camels on the sides of the road before when arrived in the city again and up a hill to the Citadel. Much of it was like Jerash, but these ruins have a history of 6,000 years and a museum. We then hiked the Roman theater at the bottom of the hill before calling it a night.
The next day we rolled out of town to Bethany on the River Jordan, the site of Jesus's baptism. A long wait for the tourist bus finally got us to the river and we walked a half-maintained trail to the site. It has clearly been kept up for tourism as the river naturally doesn't flow though this location any more. But we did climb down to the river and dip our feet in, 6 feet from the opposite shore of Israel. Armed gunman stood on either side of the creek to secure the boarder. We next headed up to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the Promise Land. While the misty air made seeing clearly impossible, it was still an impressive layout.
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The next morning we awoke in Petra with a clear day and cool air and started a walk down into the canyon. The winding dirt road soon narrowed into almost a slot canyon (The Siq) and we were met with amazing tall walls with light jetting in when possible. The curvy walkway continued and within 20 minutes we were at the famous site of the Treasury. All fans of Indiana Jones know this as the shot for the final segment of the Lost Crusade. It was a site. At 2000 years old, it was still well preserved, minus the bullet holes. Since we arrived early, our photo is without obstruction, save the two camels lying in front.
Our guide took us down toward the canyon and to the Roman road, but instead of following the obvious path, we jetted hard right into the foothills. It was the best thing we could have done. Caves (former tombs and homes) were our playground as we hiked and climbed all over the mountain. The rocks were splashed with brilliant purple and pink coloring. And the carvings continued, just as impressive, along side of the canyon. Near the end we rented mules and proceeded down near the Roman road and onto the track.
An often overlooked piece of the Petra landscape, but not to be missed, is the Monastery. Our mules took us up a precarious ridge, risking life as a small slip of a hoof would have spelt disaster. But they were sure footed (the guide just said, "Do not ride them down!") and we made the top. The Monastery was also as impressive as the Treasury, if not more so due to its height and obscure location. Our kids had lunch and a drink and we turned to hike out. By now, hoards of tourists coming up from Aqaba on buses had been let out and were swarming the sight. As we walked the road back against the flow of tour groups I couldn't help but look to the hills and realize just how special this place was, yet how horrible it was down on the canyon floor. Propositioned for a mule, donkey, or camel ride back up about 1,000 times, I hated the tourist trinket crap shops that had no place in a historic site. Once we hit the Treasury, I was done. That peaceful morning picture I captured would turn into the scene of a rock concert, with hundreds of slobs unable to appreciate this view. We hurried up the Siq, again fighting foot traffic, dodging ignorant folk with stickers with numbers on their chest so they could identify their group. It was a poor way to end what I otherwise consider one of the most amazing places in the world. Just don't go at mid-day.
A nice dinner and ice cream greeted our family that hiked 8.5 into and out of the canyon. The next day we were off again, this time to the desert of Wadi Rum. Made famous as the filming site of Lawrence of Arabia, the sandy plains meet the towering masses of rock in a landscape not duplicated elsewhere in this world. We popped into the back of a pick up truck and bounced around the area for two hours, stopping to climb sand dunes and run down or overlook a valley from on high. After we got back to the tents, we decided to do some rock climbing on the mountains behind camp. Then we boarded camels and did a leisurely walk at sundown on the backs of beasts. A dinner of meat (buried deep in the sand with a fire on top all day) filled the void. Our beds for the night were in tents permanently pitched in the sand. Needless to say, breakfast was cold.
Off again to the coast where we parked in Aqaba on the Red Sea. Looking across, one can see Egypt and Israel, and to the left, Saudi Arabia, all while in Jordan. Our view was spectacular (though the Radisson Blu hotel left a lot to be desired). Our afternoon consisted of a boat ride. With its glass bottom we were carted along over a shipwreck and across a reef, sighting fish and jellyfish along the way. Taelyn and Justin snorkeled a bit, but the water wasn't too warm. Back on shore, a BBQ lunch awaited. The next day was a full beach day, though the water proved a tad too cold to enjoy. The girls played with kittens and we stayed warm in the sun. Our final day took us from Aqaba up to the Dead Sea where we went down to the water and floated. The girls were reluctant and stings from the salt water proved to be too much for them to enjoy it, but we did get to cover ourselves in the mud.
Jordan proved to be a wonderful place to visit, full of history, and very different than the rest of the Middle East.
