Day 1
We arrived in Amman in the afternoon, realized the flies in Jordan are a million times more bothersome in Jordan than Qatar, then hopped in our rental car. This is my first time renting a car in another country which was quite an experience. We first went back and forth with the rep on the price seeing as how I had a great deal through the company's website in USD and they wanted to tell me it was a misquote and that it should have shown up in more Jordanian Dinars. We were also given a pitiful little dinged up Corolla with a 1/4 tank of gas that we had to pay to get out of the parking lot. The rep also did not see fit to tell us that gas stations are not exactly plentiful or that speed bumps randomly showing up on the highway ARE. Nor were we expecting that for a Nov. parliamentary election some nice chaps had plastered flyers over virtually every single road sign in the entire country. Nontheless, we successfully drove 4 hours from Amman to Aqaba, at the southern tip of Jordan. Checked into the hotel after a huge bus of French tourists and ate dinner.
Day 2
Aqaba is on the Red Sea which is known for it's amazing diving/snorkeling (similar sites in Eilat, Israel and Sinai Peninsula in Egypt). We were hoping to get a snorkel in before heading north for the day, though the water temps were around 75°. We were given some loose directions for a snorkel site called Japanese Gardens that took us away from the resort beaches and into the public beaches. Public beaches in this area are a little crazy... lots of tents/camping, but it looked like mainly families instead of typical beach hippies. After walking for a little while we gave up and Natalie bargained our way onto a glass bottom boat where we saw a ton of fish as well as sponge coral, reef, a sunken tank reef and a shipwreck reef. I think we all agreed it was a better option than snorkeling.
We then moved on to Wadi Rum, which according to Wikipedia, is "known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who based his operations here during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18." It was also the filming location of Lawrence of Arabia. We had a quick lunch and headed off in the back of a pick-up truck to see some of the sites. Kevin, I think, described it best as a "reverse Grand Canyon." The ground was an awesome orange/red sand and all around were these imposing mountains and crags and dunes and siqs. It was a neat trip and we had a nice guide who would stop the truck as soon as he saw a camera come out.
Caught a little shawarma/falafel/shish taouk dinner at an awesome dive called Al Arabi in Wadi Mousa and finished the day with Petra By Night. This is a ~1km walk from the visitor's centre through the Siq to the Treasury. Everything is lit by luminaries along the way and moonlight (fortunately we had a full moon). The walk is supposed to be silent but we're fairly confident many of the folks there had no idea. It was peaceful when we found a few gaps in the walk where there were no people at all. We made it to the awesome Treasury where we were treated to Bedouin tea and several musical performances. Crashed at the hotel quite late and prepped for the next day.
Day 3
We woke up at the crack of dawn and started back at Petra again. We were a little shocked at the entry fees which are now around $71 USD. Kevin just read that the fees increased on 11/1, but oh well! The fees now include a guide (which we passed on) and a 700m horse ride from the visitor's centre to the Siq (which we passed on but Nat and Pat went on). When there is only one Petra, you pay what they charge. :) The weather was supposed to be overcast but was clear, warm and sunny. We trekked again through the Siq back to the Treasury which was still outstanding. We walked through the rest of the park and up to the Monastery which is similar to the Treasury, but only about 800 steps straight UP. According to the Petra folks, the total trip was about 16km roundtrip (10 miles) but I think we all debate the accuracy thinking it was much less. We started around 7:30, I think, and finished just after 1.
Ate some delish shawarma again at Al Arabi and set out for the Dead Sea. We were warned when we rented a car and decided to drive ourselves (most of our friends rented a driver) that the roads are not terribly well marked. We can confirm that YES, roads are not terribly well marked. We got a little lost on the way from Petra to the Dead Sea and adding to the confusion were signs that mentioned cities south and north in the same direction. I think we lost an hour or two but it wasn't the end of the world. Our hotel was AWESOME.
Day 4
Nothing like a day of nothing at the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is pretty much the lowest point on Earth and almost 9x more salty than the ocean. The salt concentration lets anyone, even Kevin, float magically. So in true form, we started with a float. Then on to a delightfully warm infinity pool, then back to the Sea to mud up, then back to the pool for sunset. We smoked some double apple shisha at the terrace bar and had a late dinner. An exhausting day of nothing.
Day 5
We said goodbye to another beautiful morning at the Dead Sea and headed to Bethany-Beyond-The-Jordan, which is purported to be the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. We were led to remains of what was thought to be the baptismal pool (now dry) which is surrounded by remains of 3 churches. The tour is then led to a section of the Jordan River which is small and murky. The Jordan River marks a border between Jordan and Israel and there is a similar Baptism Site on the other side of the river in Israel.
We headed back to the Amman airport and got a nice surprise upgrade to first class! Thanks, Qatar Airways!
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