After the highs of the past few days, sickness aside it was
going to be hard to top Wadi Rum and Petra. Our itinerary was altered due to
unsafety in the Sinai Peninsula so instead of going to the coast we headed back
north for a few stops around Jordan to see some of the other best sights of the
country.
Still feeling rotten from sickness the day before, we hardly
ate anything all day. Poor Craig was the worst though. He seemed to be passing
in and out of lucidity throughout the day, at one point deciding to do his own
tour of Kerak Castle after initially not feeling well enough, he fell asleep on
a bench and we couldn’t find him when we returned to the van. Fun times.
Kerak Castle was built by the Crusaders to control the
region and protect themselves during the crusades. After the crusaders withdrew
the fort was used by local powers right up until the Ottomans put the last
touches on it.
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| The view from the top |
Usama took us through all the remaining chambers and rooms
and areas of the castle but to be honest there’s not much there, the walls
themselves are the highlight still standing high and proud in the middle of
modern day Kerak.
After Kerak we descended to the lowest point on the face of the
Earth, the Dead Sea. At 424m below sea level it makes your ears pop as you
descend. The sea is famous for its high salinity, 7 times more salty than the
ocean and absolutely nothing lives in it, not even microbes. Before we get to
our swimming spot we stop next to Lots wife who is famous as the ‘pillar of
salt wife’ as she looked back as Gomorrah was destroyed and God turned her to
salt. There are beautiful salt formations on the shore and under the water.
We arrive at a seaside resort to a buffet lunch. We’re all
feeling pretty off food so it’s a fairly wasted opportunity to fill up on some
different food. After we get changed and head down to the water’s edge. We’re
advised not to get the water in our eyes or in our mouths because it burns and
stings like crazy.
As soon as you get in you can see the salt in the water.
There are huge seams of it on the ground and you can pick up chunks of it with
your bare hands. The water feels thick and almost soupy, when you get out of
the water it sticks to your skin and forms crystals when it dries. The
experience of floating in the Dead Sea is one of the most bizarre sensations
you could ever experience. You literally sit down like you would into a chair
and you just float. No assistance, paddling or special position necessary. We
all try different poses like reading a book, on our backs and on our bellies,
kneeling is almost impossible as your legs are pulled out from under you to
float on the surface.
After a good float we return to shore for the mud
experience. The Dead Sea mud is famous the world over for its beautifying
properties and we we’re about to miss out on getting it from the source.
Apparently you come out 5 years younger after a mud and soak, we’re sceptical
about the research backing this up. The mud is in a huge terracotta pot and you
just grab handfuls and rub it all over yourself. It is thick and sticky like
clay. We help each other to cover our backs and legs and somehow the idea of
moustaches occurs and we all end up sporting various mo’s.
We dry ourselves in the sun til the mud is cracking off and
go back in the water to rinse off which proves a tough job. The mud is stuck on
properly and we need to really scrub to get it off. Even after we thought we
got it all for another 24 hours we’d still find bits in our hair.
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| Craig finally feeling well enough to take a dip |
A quick shower and we dive into the pool up at the resort,
it is freezing! We don’t care though and have a good paddle around before
calling it a day.
The next day we head back towards Amman but make a nearby
stop at Mount Nebo. From this peak Moses supposedly surveyed the holy land he
would not be allowed to enter. There is a small church at the top that is
currently being restored and after Pope John Pauls visit last decade it was
declared an official pilgrimage site. The panoramic view across the Dead Sea to
Israel is spectacular. There is a small museum dedicated to the artefacts found
from a church that existed on the site from around the 6th century.
Supposedly Moses tomb is located on this mountain but so far its presence is
not confirmed. There are eucalypt and wattle trees planted all over the site
making it a little strange and familiar to the Australians.
The drive from Mount Nebo to Amman Citadel takes us back
through Ammans dreadful traffic. Sitting high above the capital is the remnants
of the fortress that successive empires used as their seat of power. The view
from the top of the hill is good and we can see the former world no1 largest
flag flying in the distance at 60x30 metres in size it’s still real big!
Unfortunately time does not permit us to go into the citadel so we make do with
surveying our surroundings and climb back into the cars for our next stop,
Jerash.
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| Photo Credit: Nicole Murray |
Jerash is the best preserved Roman site in Jordan. Built as
one of the original Ten Roman Cities to control the region after conquest.
Jerash at its peak was home to approximately 45,000 people. There are plenty of
outstanding examples of architecture still standing including Hadrians gate,
the theatre and several temples. The site is spread out over a pretty decent
area and it’s all only accessible on foot. The old market area is exceptional
and reminded us of St Peters square in the Vatican.
The heat was getting up there and Usama was going to give us
a three and a half hour tour. This after our Petra experience was going to be
too much so we asked for a 2 hour rapid version.
At the theatre there were two guys doing shows for tips so
we listened as they belted out on the bagpipes and drums. The acoustics were
still fantastic and later we stood on a particular spot in the theatre and you
can hear your voice echoed back to you.
Whilst in the theatre a school group of young boys became
fascinated with our group and showing off to the girls. Posing for pictures,
singing and showing off. When the bagpipes started they all gathered along the
stage swaying in the same manner as the Bedouins did in their desert dance.
After finding and gathering everyone together at the
entrance we headed back towards our hotel about 2 hours’ drive away. Being only
mid-afternoon and having ‘free time’ for the rest of the day our car decided we
wanted to go back into Amman to go to Starbucks and get iced coffee. Its 40 odd
degrees, we’re hot and want a little familiar surroundings with air
conditioning. We decide to hijack the car.
With Usama in the other car we tell our driver we want to go
to Amman to the mall where Starbucks is. He’s totally chill about it and starts
to take us that way. A frantic phone call from Usama and some exchanged words
with the driver put us back on the way to our hotel. False promises of iced
coffee available in our hotels surroundings did little to impress us when we
got home.
On the way there several people beeped and pointed to our
car whilst saying things to our driver. We figured something was up but didn’t
really worry as our driver was unphased. This continued for about 45 minutes
until a longer than previous discussion between another motorist and our
driver. Shortly after we pulled up to have a look at what everyone was pointing
at. Our tyre was flat. Not a little soft or low, completely flat. How long it
had been that bad we weren’t sure but using an air compressor we pumped it up
and got on the road again. Super safe!
When we got back to our hotel we were just in time to
witness an unusual traffic event. A large mob of goats were being herded down
the street by a kid on a donkey. Spilling out across both lanes the goats were
blocking traffic both ways and causing beeps, light flashes and shouting from
both directions. Ignoring all of this the kid just herded the mob down and
across the street to an empty lot across from us and carried on like nothing
had happened. Just another day in Jordan.
Our flight to Cairo the next day was early and we were up at
5am to have enough to time to get there from our hotel. Driving through the
usually clogged arteries of Amman at dawn with hardly anyone around us was a
little surreal but maybe that was the lack of sleep. What we have noticed from
Middle East flights is that there is always significantly less women who fly
than men, this flight only had five women, three of them from our group.
On entry to Egypt we needed to buy entry visas but could
only pay in USD not local currency which we found a little strange but we were
through easily enough into Cairo to meet our new guide and onto our next
adventure.
Lessons Learnt
- Eating at a tourist site might be clean and generally safe but it’s always terrible food and poorly priced. Unfortunately sometime you just have no other option.
- Always have sick tablets available when travelling. No exceptions.
- Getting the Dead Sea in your mouth is borderline vomit inducing and on your lips is like rubbing a chilli on them.
- The amount of Australian flora found everywhere is surprising but given the dry and hot conditions they thrive just like home.
- The camaraderie of the group having gone through a terrible food poisoning ordeal together is sealed.
Parting Thoughts
Jordan has flown by with a
combination of convenience and new friends making it all so easy. We are so
glad we decided to do an Intrepid tour as using the public system whilst
possible would have been time consuming and difficult. The culture is so
different and trying to get things done without a local assisting you can be a
hair pulling experience.
The Dead Sea is truly a must do
in your life. It’s unlike anything you’ll ever experience elsewhere and with
‘only’ fifty years until it dries up completely without intervention from
Israel and Jordan it could be gone by the time our grandchildren get to travel.
So get in while you can.
Wadi Rum was the highlight for
sure and again, doing it with a group just made things so easy and carefree. We
are loving not having to organise transport or think up and research what to
do.
A number of times we drove past
the Syrian embassy in Jordan. What can only be described as the most forlorn
and desperate looking people were huddling outside it in a desperate attempt to
get information on their families and if they can claim refugee status.
Currently a refugee tent city for Syrians is the fourth largest ‘ciity’ in
Jordan and you can imagine the conditions. Hopefully the Syrian crisis is
resolved soon.
Super keen to get onto Egypt and
see what one of the world’s oldest nations has to offer.
Simon and Amy xoxo
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