Amman and Good Byes

We arrived back in Amman in the late afternoon. Some of the group were leaving late that night and the rest of us at various times the next day. At our last supper, we decided to go to a night club - yes there are night clubs! None of us had "clubbing" outfits, except maybe Mel who continuously flouted the "dress modestly" rule, but we were assured by Ayman that it wouldn't matter.

It was very much like any night club you might find, bodies bouncing to the music, people having a good time, it was Friday night and the place was packed. The music wasn't really my scene, but it was great to cut loose and dance! No creepy guys, no unwanted attention. What fun!

The next day, Dominique and I, along with 3 others who weren't leaving until much later decided to see some of the sights of Amman. Fidarus, is a devout Muslim, and he asked if we would like to come with him to the King Abdullah I Mosque so he could make up for missing the service yesterday. We could visit while he prayed and then we could go to visit the Amman Citadel afterwards. We agreed so off we went. 

The King Abdullah 1 Mosque is MASSIVE. It was built in the 80s and it has a beautiful turquoise blue mosaic dome that can fit up to 3000 people!

As infidels we were allowed to enter some parts, but we females had to don a chador, which they had readily available for rent. It was a hot sunny day (big surprise) and the chador were made of polyester - unpleasant! But the mosque was totally worth the discomfort as it was absolutely beautiful. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, and we weren't allowed to into the main body of the mosque (the bit under the big dome), but we did visit the women's part and some of the other common areas. The mosaic work was lovely as was the stained glass.

When Fidarus was done, we were off to the Citadel!

Towering above the city, on a hill, is the Amman Citadel. This historic site comprises a 1700 meter wall that dates back to the Bronze Age, the iconic Temple of Hercules, and the Umayyad Palace. The Ammonites lived in this area during the Iron Age. The citadel dates back as far as the Bronze Age. It was during this period that it was fortified (around 1800 BCE). Since then the site has undergone many rebuilds and additional constructions during the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad eras. As a result of the large number of constructions on this site, very little remains from the original Bronze Age citadel. We spent some hours wandering the ruins - the Temple of Hercules (160 AD), the Umayyad Palace (7th or 8th century AD), and the Jordan Archaeological Museum. We were all a bit over ruins by this point though and we were hungry. 

The BEST falafels!

We had heard it said that the BEST falafel place in Amman was just down the road from our hotel so we decided to go see for ourselves. It was a little place, with take away only. OMG. The rumours were true. Best falafels ever!

 After that it was time to say goodbye to Amman and our new found friends. Suan and Shann had gone in the morning and Dominique and I vowed to come visit them one day in Malaysia. Fidarus, who was from Singapore told us to look him up if ever we did make it to that part of the world. Maybe one day we will.

 

Aquaba

Faheem, me, Fidarus and Jennifer

Aquaba is the southern-most and the only costal city in Jordan. It is situated on the gulf of Aquaba at the top of the Red Sea. Today was a relax day and we were going on a boat ride. Some of us would snorkel and some of us (namely Dominique and I) would dive! We also talked Jennifer into giving it a go - later when asked what she thought of diving she said, "I didn't like it. It was too quiet." 

Abdallah was our dive master and he was a great guide. It had been a few years since either Dominique or I had gone diving so there was quite the learning curve, but once we got back into the groove all was well. Due to pollution much of the corals have been destroyed here, but we still got to see a turtle, grey reef sharks and some colourful coral fish. The water was fine and the day was warm. All in all a great day!

Dominique, Abdallah our Dive Master, & me

 

I borrowed Faheem's GoPro to take some photos underwater

There was a tank under there!

Wadi Rum

 

Now, you may have noticed that I rarely mention the fellow members of the group we were traveling with, this is mostly out of respect for their privacy. One person though was quite trying. Dominique and I get along very well with Suan and Shann from Malaysia and for the most part get on well with the others in our group - the large majority of which are under 30. 

And then I lost it.

We were back on the bus today and headed toward Wadi Rum aka the valley of the moon. We were going to stay in a Bedouin-style camp in the desert. Ayman (our guide) tried to describe the wonder of sleeping in the desert; the quiet, vast expanse of the sky above you, the wondrous silence, the magnificence of the stars and the milky way, the peace and tranquility... it sounded like bliss. 

Usually on the bus we would talk to our seat neighbours quietly, and Ayman would sometimes point out interesting things or tell us historical facts about the area we were traveling in. Today Jennifer was machine-gunning questions at Ayman, this was nothing new, but for some reason it really, really got under my skin. I was watching Ayman's face getting more and more tense - tense and upset guides are no fun. Jennifer was relentless. I finally snapped and yelled, "WHY DON'T WE TAKE AYMAN'S ADVICE AND APPRECIATE THE SILENCE OF THE DESERT UNTIL WE GET TO CAMP?!"

Well, a hush fell over the bus. I was kinda embarrassed because it wasn't directed at everyone... but when I looked back at my fellow passengers they were all smirking and I even got a thumbs up from Suan. Jennifer shrank back into her seat and mercifully she shut up. Ayman's face remained impassive, but a while later when we were off the bus and playing in the sand he said thank you to me. Actually, a few people did.

 

There were two options available to us this afternoon and evening; the first was a camel ride in the desert and the second was a night walk in the desert. I declined both of these and I was just a little annoyed when I learned that everyone EXCEPT Jennifer was going on the first excursion. But my ire was misdirected as Jennifer, on seeing the disarray in camp, proceeded to clean up. Good on ya Jennifer! 

After dinner everyone went on the night walk. Except me. Our driver was there and one other Bedouin gent but they stayed to themselves and retired early. The stars put on a fantastic show - you never realise how many are in the night sky when you're in a city. The crackling of the fire was the only sound I could hear. Bloody brilliant.

 

Petra

 Where do I even begin...

 

You can see the water conduits
near the bottom

Petra was known to its inhabitants, the Nabeteans, as Raqmu or Raqēmō. The Nabeteans were a nomadic people and they inhabited the area from about 7000 BC. As this area was smack dab in the middle of an important incense trade route, the Nabeteans thought this would be a good place to trade and make some money. Turns out this was a brilliant idea and from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD Raqmu thrived and the Nabeteans became wealthy. 

Then the Romans came and messed it all up. Well, the Romans re-named the place Petra and annexed the Nabeteans and their city. That was the beginning of the end. Sea trade became more prominent, earthquakes happened and then slowly the city was abandoned and "disappeared" back into the desert until 1812.

To get to the city we hiked through the Siq, a narrow 1km-long gorge flanked by soaring 80m-high  sandstone walls. The colours and patterns of the rock are astounding, and there's also evidence of the Nabetean's ingenious water conduits that allowed them to control the scarce water into dams and cisterns making Petra an oasis in the desert. The gorge abruptly ends and you find yourself in front of Al-Khazneh, the famed treasury of Petra. Gob-smacked.

The Treasury’s façade (24.9 meters wide x 38.77 meters high) embodies the Hellenistic style of decoration which reflects the far flung influences of it's trading partners. It's believed to have been the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV. As with all the mausoleums, (yes, the treasury isn't the only one!) the carving started at the top. First, the stonemasons created a slim ledge along the width, then, stage by stage, chiseled the structure, decorations, and interiors out of the wall, following the masters’ preliminary drawings. All components needed to be fully completed before they moved down. The staff could possibly be lowered from the highest fringe of the rock on a seat on a rope for touching up the completed construction, which was then stuccoed (that's gone now). Two vertical rows of slots on both sides of the façade served as climbing notches and as helps for scaffolding to work the outside of the construction. 

There's nothing inside, it's just a rectangular room with incense burn marks on the walls. The corners though, are astounding, so precise it's mind boggling - all carved by hand with simple tools.

 

Well, Petra is not just the treasury. As I said this was a thriving and wealthy trading hub and later a roman city. We spent the day wandering this amazing place, visiting other mausoleums, a roman theatre, the triumphal arch and the monastery...there was even an incense trader there! 

We hiked over 25km today. It was magnificent.

Madaba, Mt Nebo and Kerak

 The next day we were headed out of Amman towards Petra. Along the way we had 3 stops: Madaba, Mt Nebo, and Kerak castle before we stopped for the night at Wadi Musa- the town just outside of Petra. But before we left Amman, there was one important stop to make. The supermarket.

So excited! Ayman told us that we wouldn't have the opportunity to pick up snacks or other sundries for the next couple of days, so we should stock up now while we had the chance. Mainly, this was for our big day tomorrow at Petra, although there would be places to have lunch, there wouldn't be any nibbly type food available and "Trust me," he said "you're gonna need it." He didn't direct us to the type of food that would be good to bring and I must say that the choices that some of our fellow travellers made was puzzling. Is cheese a good idea as snack food in the desert? Really? Nutella? I bought hard fruit and veg and some granola bars.

Our first stop was Mt.Nebo. This was the place where Moses got a glimpse of the promised land and then died. After all his hard work he was not allowed to enter the promised land. Harsh. There's a modest church that has some ancient mosaics dating to 530 CE! I could imagine the view - allegedly you can see Isreal across the valley, however, we had a hazy, windy day and visibility was disappointing.

 

Onward!

We stopped just before lunch at Madaba. We were here to see the famous Byzantine-era mosaic map of the holy land which is preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George. There are approx 2 million pieces of coloured stone that depict the Nile delta and the valleys, villages and towns that surround it. Really cool! 

We had about an hour to kill before lunch after that so naturally we went shopping. I ended up buying a runner made of camel hair. Where I was going to fit it, I don't know.

After lunch, we were back on our little tour bus and on the way to Kerak Castle. The way was winding and dry. There ain't much growin' in these here parts.

We stopped mid-afternoon at Karak Castle, one of the largest Crusader castles in the Levant. Built in 1142, it is a massive structure with large ditches all around it to defend against sieges.

Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (aka Saladin) tried twice to capture it and failed. It was his nephew in the 1188 who finally capured this important post. There were many battles to win this castle and it changed hands many times. In 1893 the Ottoman empire regained control and housed a garrison in some parts of the castle, but other parts had been pilfered by the locals who took the stones containing potassium nitrate which is used to make gunpowder.

Its was really quite spooky in there, dark and cool, with the wind howling through the place kicking up the dust and dirt. You could almost hear swords clashing and the battle cries of the Crusaders and the Saracens fighting for their lives...or maybe it was just me.

After our visit to the castle we got back on the bus to head to Wadi Musa a small town just outside the ancient city of Petra. We arrived late and we had the option to visit the famed Treasury at night, but I just wanted to go to bed, knowing that we were getting up at the crack of dawn and walking all day. Tomorrow Petra! SO EXCITED!

 

The Dead Sea

 

The Dead Sea is 430 m below sea level which means its the lowest place on earth. It's also the saltiest body of water on earth - over 9 times saltier than the ocean! (how they figure that out I dunno) Because of this nothing grows around it, and nothing lives in it...hence the name. You can actually see crusts of salt along it's edges. It's hot and dry and not very inviting. 

We arrived in time to have lunch - it was sweltering outside, so the air con was quite welcome. As we ate we could see the sea...we could hear it calling...I can't even remember what we ate.

After lunch we went down to the beach, it was impossible to walk bare foot on the sand because it was too hot. There were also little crests of sand where salt deposits had formed. Although there were some people there, it wasn't packed - there's no lingering on this beach, you go in, you frolic then you go.

You can't swim in the Dead Sea, you just float. It's the weirdest sensation. Have you ever tried to submerge a wake board or some other flotation device? Imagine that your body reacts the same way. So when you try and swim, you're really just skimming the surface. The water is also quite viscous, it's a little like oil, but not. It's inadvisable to put any water in your mouth or to try and submerge your head. Yeah, ok I got some water in my mouth..it's really, really gross.

When we had our fill of Dead fun we got out and tried to towel off, but because it's oily-ish you just end up smearing it rather than wiping it off. It was heaps of fun!!

Needless to say the bus ride back to Amman was very quiet...we were all sleeping like the Dead.

Jerash

 The next morning we were off to Jerash which was a short drive from Amman.

Although we were visiting Jerash - a Roman city until the mid 8th century CE - the site is much older than that. The earliest settlement has been dated to 7500 BC! Jerash was a hub of travel in it's Roman days, graced by the likes of Alexander the Great, and the Emperor Hadrian (of Hadrian's Wall fame).

Ayman, our G-Adventures guide, is very knowledgeable and he learned us many things about Rome and the way they did things. For example, the main road through town was always called Cardo Maximus and it was oriented North-South and it was lined with columns where mechants set up shop. While walking down this columned avenue, you can imagine the hustle and bustle that must have gone on here.  There's also a Decumanus Maximus which runs East-West. 

Old city-New city in the background

 We wandered about this ancient city for a while and met up again as a group at the theater. Remember back when we were in Athens and I asked you if you could spot the difference between a Greek and a Roman theatre? Roman theatres have a "back stage" - Greek theatres do not.

This, the South Theatre (the North Theatre was much smaller - for council meetings and the like and it was destroyed by an earthquake), seats 5000, and just like the Greeks before them, the acoustics were amazing.

After about an hour of wandering Jerash, we were off again. To the Dead Sea!