Jordan...worth visiting!

It was!

The treasury ...photos don't do it justice

This coffee is soooo strong...Is that a camel in my sediment?

these ones add colour and atmosphere to this ancient site

the colours change depending on the light

predominantly pink

Petra taxi's taking a rest

walking towards the Monastery

nothing ventured...

worth every of the 800 steps to get there 

its a magical spot

way up in the mountains!

Royal Jordanian Airlines from Cyprus to Amman, Jordan 

arrival hall waiting for hire car

excited to be in a different "culture" again

can't wait to get to Petra, a 3 hour drive away

but first overnight in Amman...view from rooftop of the Landmark Amman hotel

heading to Petra

stopped at this roadside stall to buy grapes

The ancient Roman city of Jerash about 45 minutes from Amman 

enter through this gate

and spend some time

imagining what it was like

in a bygone era

before fast cars

when things were built to last

even if some bits did fall down eventually!

bagpipes Jordanian style

view from Ampitheatre

where the music has inspired some dancing

photo of 6th century Byzantine map at Madaba the city of mosaics

original map in Greek Orthodox church

Mount Nebo Moses' burial site

view from Mt Nebo

road across to Petra from the Dead Sea

fellow traveller

Dead Sea

Sunset over the Dead Sea

Crowne Plaza pool at Petra . I stayed at the more modest Edom hotel

approaching entrance to Petra

map of site

photos do not reflect the majesty of the pink cliffs towering  above you as you walk  towards the Siq

channels carved to bring water into the site

little remains of this carving but with imagination you can see it

this guy is available for photo opportunities

I got up at 4am to see the sunrise

and then walked for 10 hours!

it was worth it

my ecco's took a beating

I was tempted to have a nap

happy chappie

Manal and her family welcomed me into their home

in the distance is their business -a tea break halfway to the monastery 

it's a long walk back

the scenery along the way

a well trodden path

mosaics at the Byzantine chuch

I'm tempted ....

but keep on walking

another stunning sky

Manal's friend Mustafa works at the Monastery cafe. He has surprisingly good  teeth!

hiking to the Monastery along Manal's walk

lovely spot for a meditation break

Manal 

Breakfast at the Bedouin camp

hot sweet tea 

Bedouin camp

Some places are bigger than the tourists who invade them. Petra, in Jordan is one of them.

Deserving of its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Petra was settled by the Nabataeans an industrious Arab people, more than 2000 years ago. Historically this huge and beautiful archaeological site, a vast, unique city carved into a sheer rock face was an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and Southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

But Petra is much more than just an historical site, it is home to Bedouin people, whose warm hospitality, strong connection to the land and rich cultural traditions provide a colourful and engaging backdrop to the natural beauty of the landscape.

A comfortable 3 hour drive south from Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport, along the modern sealed Desert Highway, Petra can also be reached in 5 hours along the more scenic Kings Highway with a detour along the Dead Sea.

Immigration formalities are simple and easy (most foreign nationals can obtain a visa on entry for 20 Jordanian Dinars) and unlike my experience with their Australia and British counterparts, Jordanian officials are courteous and welcoming.

A short time later, after picking up a hire car, I am heading north for the 30km drive to Amman for an overnight stay at the Amman Landmark Hotel before visiting the ancient city of Jerash in the morning.

Amman is a modern city undergoing extensive growth and construction. It is a harrowing drive along a series of spiralling circle roads and roundabouts that are so new that the GPS does not recognise them. It takes a good hour of frustration and asking locals to find the hotel but finally I am relaxing with a fresh fruit juice and snack looking at Amman’s skyline from the safety and distance of the hotel’s rooftop. *

Well worth a visit before you head to Petra is Jerash, an ancient Roman city nestled in a quiet valley 48km north of Amman. Its paved and colonnaded streets, hilltop temples, amphitheatres, plazas and city walls and gates remain in exceptional condition, and if you are lucky you will be entertained by Bedouin bagpipe players or watch re-enactments from Roman times.

Madaba is also worth stopping at, if only to see the 6^th Century Byzantine mosaic map at the Greek Orthodox Church of St George.

The church is small, but interesting with every available space covered with elaborate mosaic works, the most impressive being the remains of the map which shows all the significant places on the ancient trade routes, most of which I realise I have been to now.

You can also stop at Mt Nebu, the spot where Moses is supposed to be buried, Karak Castle an ancient crusader stronghold and visit the Dead Sea. The drive along the Dead Sea at sunset is wonderful as the road hugs towering cliffs on one side and a vast expanse of sea on the other, with stunning views across to Israel in the distance.

To reach Petra from this road you turn inland and the road climbs steadily to cross over a mountain range leaving the Dead Sea behind as the night settles across a peaceful desert. 

It is 11pm when we finally arrive in Petra and I am glad to meet the friendly staff at the Edom Hotel, have a hot shower and imagine what I will see in the morning. 

It is the sandstone colour of the surrounding landscape, which greets me in the morning, and I walk past still quiet cafes and eateries to the entrance of the site.  The new Petra Visitor’s Centre is still being built and in the meantime you can buy a ticket at the white caravan where you can also engage a guide.

If you bring your passport or proof of overnight stay you can get a discount and pay 50 instead of 90JD or 55 for a 2 day pass.

Petra is full of monuments carved into solid rock by the Nabataeans but nature has also left her mark and that is evident on the 3km walk from the entrance of the site to As-Siq the ancient main entrance to Petra as you walk through an impressive deep and narrow gorge of stunning natural beauty surrounded by cliffs that soar up to 80 metres high.

You can also get there on horseback, by horse and cart, on a camel or on a donkey.   

One of a number of the most impressive monuments in the site, Al- Khazneh (the Treasury), will greet you as you emerge into a large open area. Here, even the largest person will feel dwarfed by the huge size of the 30m wide x 43 m high façade which was originally built as a tomb for an important Nabataean king. Take your time and sit for a while, perhaps have a drink in the open air café to absorb and appreciate the majesty of this beautiful monument.

Imagine arriving at night and walking slowly along the same 3km pathway but this time by candle light and arriving at the treasury where you sit silently sipping, hot tea, looking up at the stars or absorbing the beauty and energy of this stunning place lit up by 1800 candles and listening to live Bedouin music. This is Petra by Night.

Three times a week (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8.30pm to 10.30pm at a cost of 12 D) you can have this experience and listen to a local Bedouin guide tell the story of this ancient place.

 

The night I went was disappointing as there were a number of rude and talkative tourists who insisted on talking and talking flash photographs throughout.

You could easily spend a number of days to properly explore this huge site, but if time is limited, the Royal tombs, colonnaded street and Ad-Deir Monastery, in particular, are a must. The High Place of Sacrifice is a hard walk but a good spot to see the sunrise. Officially the site opens at 6am but if you have a 2 day pass and speak to locals you could be there even earlier. 

Petra is truly an awe inspiring and unique place rightly described by some as the 8^th wonder of the ancient world. It has something to offer to the historian, anthropologist, architect, geologist and nature lover, but also to anyone who wants to experience a sacred place and meet local Bedouin people who will welcome you with open arms.  

GETTING THERE

I took a short 1 hour flight from Cyprus with Royal Jordanian Airlines http://www.rj.com/ but Amman can easily be reached from a large number of other European destinations including London and Athens.

* Accommodation in Amman

http://www.landmarkamman.com  Amman is a good location if you want to visit the Roman City of Jerash which is about 45 m north of Amman JD 8 entry but otherwise my suggestion would be to by pass Amman altogether and stay at Madaba which is closer to Petra.

Accommodation in Petra

I stayed at the Edom Hotel www.edomhotelpetra.com, a basic but comfortable and affordable 3 star hotel, a short walk to the entrance of the archaeological site.

Other well located, but more expensive options are

Crowne Plaza Resort http://www.petra.crowneplaza.com/ or the popular

Movenpick Hotel  http://movenpick-resort-petra.h-rez.com  that serves expensive but good western food at its poolside bar

DRINK

The cave bar is a 2000 year old Nabataean tomb, so an interesting place to have a drink and wind down after a long day in Petra. A local beer costs 6.50 JD expensive, especially by Jordanian standards, but it was worth it just for the location and ambience.

FOOD

Try the national dish of Mansaf, lamb cooked in herbs and yoghurt or any of the many mezze sharing dishes on offer.

CULTURAL INFORMATION

If you are a woman, don’t be offended if Muslim men don’t shake hands with you. They will politely decline if it is just before their prayer time

Alcohol is only available in tourist areas and some hotels

USEFUL ARABIC PHRASES

Hello –Marhaba

How are you –kayfa halik (f) kayfa halak (m)

Yes- Na’am or Aiwa

No La

Please Minfadlak

Thank you Shukran

Goodbye Ma salaama

Excuse me Assif

CURRENCY

The Jordanian Dinar (JOD) is worth about 1.41 USD

TRANSPORT

The best way to get around Jordan is by hire car or taxi. Roads and signage are good.

Bus Companies that go to Petra

TRUST 06 5813449

JETT 06 5696151

ALPHA 065827623

A good, English speaking Taxi driver I could recommend is Yousef A Fodoul 962 0777636410. He got up at 3.30am to take me to a Bedouin village to see the sunrise and again at 6am to drive me the 3 hours back to Amman Airport on my departure and charged me a very reasonable 60JD for that trip. I had been quoted much more.

TOURIST INFORMATION

www.visitjordan.com

Crabs from the Dead Sea and other stories

I’m on the roof top of the Landmark Hotel in Amman. It’s late but I’m hungry, so the crab salad catches my eye. I am advised it is “fresh” and order it even though my companion tries to dissuade me. (After all, I tell myself, it is a 5 star hotel and there’s water around so it must be fresh).

When it arrives I am so disappointed and a bite of the slimy, tasteless mass confirms my suspicions that it is a type of processed crab stick, nothing like the delicate, “fresh from the sea” taste I was expecting and my mood plummets in response. My companion is bemused, “but what did you expect, there’s no water around”.

“Of course there is” I pout. We’re right near the Dead Sea! Mmm even non blondes have blonde moments.

                             _____________________________

My companion from Cyprus to Petra is an ex Ukrainian Minister, now property developer and businessman, living in Cyprus and Canada. He is a friend of a friend’s friend who I met on a yacht and it just so happened he was going to Petra at the same time. I agree to join him for the drive and offer to share expenses. He is a big man, with a booming voice and bigger presence who smokes pipes and cigars, and tells me that he is now half the size he used to be. He’s old school, standing on the road side of the curb and holding my elbow as we climb over steps and arguing with me when I insist on carrying my own luggage.

He’s a curious character, a mix of sharp businessman, opportunist, kind uncle and child who is a passionate lover of all things ancient and every time he sees a an ancient monument shouts “Oh My GOD, Look at This” with a thick Russian accent and then takes a dozen photos and film footage without stopping to see what he is actually filming. He is an interesting travel companion, with a colourful past and by the time we part he has grown on me.

                             __________________________________

Jordan has a population of around 6.5m people, with a mix of ethnicities and religions living in relative harmony (92% of the population is Muslim, mainly Sunnis). At night the green lights of minarets can be seen everywhere and the sound of muezzin calling the faithful to early Morning Prayer at dawn is my alarm.

                             _________________________________

I have been thinking of a friend in Australia who is suicidal. A series of losses has catapulted her into a dark place. This smart, normally confident woman feels that life is not worth living, and I feel sad and a bit worried. I think about how differently I feel in this moment; excited and happy and strong and I wish for her to feel the same. I hold a picture of her in my mind’s eye and send her love. ‘I’m thinking of you and wishing you a moment, just like this, so that even though life still is and feels  incredibly challenging and overwhelming, this moment gives you hope, introduces possibility and makes you stop to notice and consider that there may be another way to feel good again”.

(I have stayed in touch and passed on information from two psychologist friends who responded to my email for support and my friend has told me that she is no longer actively suicidal and looking forward to being assessed by a Psychiatrist)

It is while I am deep in thought about this friend that I meet Manal. 

I have been climbing a steep path towards the Monastery at Petra and am rounding a corner and stop to catch my breath when I hear a cheerful voice say “Well done, you’re half way there. Would you like to have a tea with us?” A beaming smile covers her small face and she pats the ground next to her and invites me to sit. Manal is 21. She is intelligent and an astute business woman easily charming the many tourists who pass by her little business. Her mother sits nearby. She is only 57, but her lined face and tired body make her seem much older. Russia, her sister smile shyly in the corner and looks cautiously at me until she feels more comfortable and then doesn’t leave my side.

I sit down and have a cup of very sweet local tea and try not to think about the half a bag of sugar Manal’s mother has just poured into the small kettle before lighting up another cigarette.

The family reminds me of a family I met in Morocco a few years ago and we are soon chatting and sharing our life stories.

I talk about my suicidal friend and Manal is horrified, translating the situation to her mother, who agrees that Manal should speak with her and invite her to stay with them free of charge and they can even arrange for a good man to marry her! She cites numerous cases of Western women who have come to live in Jordan and successfully and happily live among the Bedouins.

Later, Manal invites me to join her for dinner in the small village nearby when she finishes work. She tells me to take a taxi and get dropped outside the mosque and ask anyone to take me to her house. I am a little dubious but find out that everybody actually does know her and I am soon sitting cross legged in her house with her father and sister-in-law having tea. After a delicious dinner of chicken and tomatoes and more tea we are laughing and watching a Jordanian version of candid camera and then Manal tries to teach me some Bedouin dance steps!

I decide to get up early and watch the sunrise, and Manal offers to take me to have breakfast with her family in the desert and later to the Monastery via another path.

The taxi drops me off shortly after 4am and Manal and I start walking in the desert, a small sliver of moon lighting our way. It is beautiful and silent and I am very happy to be following this tiny, gutsy Bedouin woman across her land. We stop to have breakfast with her step mother (her father’s third wife) and as they talk, I climb some rocks above their small camp and watch the sun come up and do my qigong.

Later we pass another camp and another, and in each we stop, greetings are exchanged, we are welcomed, and offered tea and bread. Slowly we make our way across the landscape and begin to climb a path that winds around a steep hill. I notice some steps which have been cut into the path reinforcing it and making it safer. Manal tells me that she spoke to the tribal elder some years ago suggesting that the work be done after someone fell to their death and finally funding had been provided and 200 young men employed on the project. I tell her it should be named Manal’s walk and she seems pleased to be acknowledged and begins to sing me Bedouin songs, her sweet voice echoing in the deep canyons that surround us as we make our way to the Monastery.