After saying good bye to Ramez at the airport we were on our way to the next stage of our trip – Jordan. Our first impressions of Amman was….clean. Straight off the plane and right into our day of touring with our driver/ tour guide – Mohammad! Same name, different guy, different country. He is going to be with us for the 4 days we are here which is great. Private tours are definitely the way to go, no Tilley Brigade to have to wait for!
Our first stop was Ajloun to visit Qala’at ar Rabad, a castle built by the Arabs to defend against the Crusaders. It is quite large and has many rooms on different levels and it was fun checking them all out. We were there at the same time as a school group – about 50 rowdy schoolboys who were running wild in the castle. Quite glad we were not in charge of them!
Next we went to Jerash to visit the Roman ruins there – quite incredible. It is extremely well preserved and you can even see the ruts made on the road by the chariots!! Hadrian’s Arch was built to honour his visit (in stark contrast to Britain in those days!) and is a grand entrance to the city. We were linked up with a local guide, Mr Mohammad (made that easy for us), who was a close talker and a bit of a boob man!! He also took over command of Errin’s camera and proceeded to tell us where to stand and would take photos of us with the ruins and would then insist that we checked out each one, coupled with his slow pace it is a wonder we got round the ruins! He was a very sweet old man and even picked us some flowers and was obviously quite happy with being the guide for such beautiful ladies! Hilarious. Errin gave him her water as he seemed a bit frail at times and it was very hot out – we didn’t want him to expire on us!
The ruins are remarkable and we could just imagine the streets full of toga wearing citizens going about their daily business with chariots charging down the main street and shop keepers displaying their wares in their shops just behind the columns lining the main street. There were two theatres in this city and they are still used today for the Jerash Festival. We happened to arrive at one of the theatres in time to hear a three man Arab bagpipe and drum band play – Scotland the Brave was in there! I even did a wee Highland fling much to the delight of Mr Mohammad.
Our next point of call was The Citadel in Amman, which also afforded a great view of the city, the largest flag in the world and kites being flown by the local kids (shades of Kite Runner). The Temple of Hercules is there plus there is a museum that has some of the oldest sculptures known to man. They are very basic but it is hard to believe that they dated back to almost 8,500 years ago. By this time we were starving but Mohammad came to the rescue and had a couple of falafel wraps waiting for us – delicious.
Our hotel, Le Merdian, was quite luxurious and we felt like a couple of princesses (no comments from the peanut gallery please!). We took full advantage of the amenities – comfortable housecoats, slippers…..and like a couple of losers, stayed in and watched a movie while eating strawberries and much to my delight, drinking NZ sauv blanc purchased in the duty free shop in Cairo. Bliss.
Mohammad picked us up at 9.00am and we were off to Petra via a number of historical (and holy) sights. Madaba is a town famous for mosaics and we stopped off at St George’s which is a relatively new Greek Orthodox Church built on the site of a Byzantine church. They discovered a mosaic that is believed to be the oldest map of the Holy Land and remains a key part of the church. We visited a mosaic school and saw how they are created. Painstaking work done by hand, this school was developed by Queen Noor and her foundation to provide women and the disabled with work. The quality of the craftsmanship is flawless and Errin was able to find a couple of pieces that she really liked….just adding to the weight of the luggage. Super.
Next we went to Mt Nebo where Moses is supposed to have seen the Promised Land before he popped his clogs at a mere 120 years old. They believe he is buried somewhere in the area but are not sure where exactly. We came across a group of school girls there – a huge contrast to the behaviour of the boys the pervious day. Orderly lines, well behaved, shy hellos and what’s your name. Girls are so much better!
Off to the Dead Sea! We stopped in at the Dead Sea Spa to go and enjoy the buoyancy of the sea which is 27% salt content, at the lowest point on earth. It was a very strange feeling and we had great fun floating with no effort required. We did feel kind of icky after but had a dip in the freshwater pool in the resort, and sat in the 30C heat for a while before we had to leave to drive 3 hours to Wadi Mussa where we are staying. The drive took us to the extreme – one of the highest points in the area, through mountainous villages and varied countryside.
Our hotel is based on an Ottoman village and is very pretty. Only two nights here and then we are off to Turkey…..but first, we do Petra!!!!
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