It was a journey of biblical proportions, starting with a mad dash across three countries in as many hours as we crossed borders from Egypt through Israel and finally into Jordan.
As we drove north along the shores of the Red Sea several hours earlier, I started feeling nostalgic about Egypt. It’s amazing how a week in beautiful, relaxing, hassle-free Dahab gave us both the perspective we needed to appreciate the amazing experience Egypt had been, baksheesh-gammon and all.
We arrived in Jordan renewed somewhat from our rest in Dahab and ready to take on the local touts and hawkers but, well, there was no need: the Jordanians were warm and welcoming, and on the rare occasions they did try to sell us stuff, they were more than happy to accept a friendly ‘no thanks’, which they usually followed up with, ‘you are welcome to Jordan’.
Our first stop was Aqaba, a nice enough place very much geared to the Red Sea tourist trade – there’s even a Coronation Street-themed pub called the Rovers’ Return. We were here though mainly to visit a nearby jewel in Jordan’s crown – Wadi Rum, of Lawrence of Arabia fame.
Having checked into some pretty nice digs in Aqaba, we decided on arrival not to stay overnight in Wadi Rum, opting instead to trip to the Rum and then luxuriate back at our hotel . . . . it was a decision we regretted immediately upon setting out into the beautiful sand-swept valleys, with their dramatic rock formations and perfectly-sited Bedouin camps.
No expectations can bring such wonderful surprises though . . . . Wadi Rum at sunset literally took our breath away.
Amazing Wadi Rum sunset.
Alas, the same couldn’t be said for the vocals of our Celine Dion-mad guide who, while a natural with the dance moves, imprinted our memories of Wadi Rum forever more with ‘My heart will go on’. Maybe it was fitting.
Our path through Jordan continued through Petra (check out our post on this amazing World Heritage site), and then on to Madaba, our base for northern Jordan, and a city famous for its ancient mosaics, including the oldest map of Jerusalem in existence, crafted in the 6th century.
This is an area steeped in Roman and Crusader history, and some serious biblical significance. Our journey took us past the impressive 12th century Crusader castles of Shobak and Karak, both of which were besieged and taken by Saladin in the same period (although it’s worth noting the latter castle bears no physical resemblance to itself in the film Kingdom of Heaven…that you’ll find in the deserts of Morocco at the Atlas Studios!).
We also wandered the streets of Jerash, one of the best preserved ancient Roman cities we’ve seen, with huge temples, paved and colonnaded streets, and beautiful theatres, one of which offered the surreal experience of a Jordanian bagpipe band striking up renditions of Scotland the Brave and Yankee Doodle for anyone who entered.
In Amman, we meandered through the old citadel perched high above the hills of crowded downtown, and added the city’s 2nd century, 6,000 seat Roman Theatre to our obsessive collection.
On the biblical front, we visited Moses’ alleged resting place atop Mount Nebo, along with the very holy Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where Jesus was baptised (the audio guide said the proof is in the fact that the ruins of no less than five churches have been found at the site . . . . the jury’s still out for us on that one).
We also climbed to the 700-metre high hilltop castle of Machaerus, where Salome danced for King Herod and the head of John the Baptist.
On a whim, we also decided to cross the nearby border back into Israel and visit Jerusalem (also an experience that deserved a blog entry all its own).
Of course no trip to this part of the world is complete without slathering oneself in mud and then experiencing the surreal sensation of swimming, or should I say bobbing, at the lowest place on earth – the Dead Sea.
Dead Sea mud party….
And that’s pretty much how we ended our Jordanian adventure – in a very nice stay on the Dead Sea, living the high life and enjoying one of those bucket list experiences while we pondered the epic biblical and human history of this extraordinary corner of the world.