On to Jordon..........

 $1 US      = about .6 Jordanian dinar
 1 Sterling = 1 Jordanian Dinar

VISAS
You can purchase a visa on arrival at Aqaba port. I cannot remember the exact cost but less than $20 anyway.

Sunday 21st to Monday 22nd September 1997
Hotel; Petra Hotel, Aqaba, Jordan
Room Type: Roof (JD 1.5 each)
Verdict: Fine if the weather is good. In fact relative to other reports the roof is better than the rooms below.

Aqaba
There are cheap and great scwhermas at the market stalls to the left of the first main road in to Aqaba.
Take a walk down by the shore and chat to the locals. You may be able to get a free small boat cruise in the gulf of Aqaba. The coral is mostly dead here but there is some marine life swimming amongst the shipwrecked underwater graveyards. Many huge industrial tankers float in the bay accessing nearby Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egyptian shores. Not a pretty sight.

There is a tourist Bedouin camp about 2km in the Israel direction. This is a good introduction to the culture but is very touristy. Aqaba castle is worth a gander, bring a flashlight and beware of holes into dungeons.

Many antique and similar shops line the streets.. Befriend a local to show you around and possibly invite you for dinner. If not a dinner invitation you will at least get to meet many of his friends' establishments and learn and observe the local skills and crafts.

Tuesday 23rd September 1997
Hotel; Wadi Rum Hotel
Room Type: Roof (JD 2.5 each)
Verdict: Fine if the weather is good again, brilliant view of the stars. The other option is to camp in the desert or out the back. It is not as 'at one with the local culture' as it seems, the tents are often triangular tents, not Bedouin style or you run the risk of many desert creatures clambering over you during the night. Perhaps we were just cry-babies.

Wadi Rum

WADI RUM is in the middle of the desert between Aqaba and Petra. It is a great stop over and an opportune time to spend a night in the desert and watch the sun go down behind the jebels (rock mountains). Get a group of about 6 people together and organize your own jeep. If you go directly to a driver from the local village the cost will be less than if you go to the tourist reception area. Ask other people leaving to get contacts. You can get a quick camel ride for one hour if you wish or hire camels for the desert trek but this may be slow.

TIP: Befriend the local guy in charge. A large rich tour group had a buffet meal set up for them. We got to get a plateful for free rather than pay the 5JD. The guy in charge looks like an Arabic Ben Elton.

The trip is great. Make sure you get to see all the rock caverns, sand dunes, rock bridges etc. If your guide has enough English he will explain and show you the Nubian rock markings and drawings which otherwise you might miss.

 

PETRA 
      

Wednesday 24th 1997
Hotel; Wadi Musa Spring Hotel, Petra
Room Type: Roof (JD 3 each)
Verdict: Grand, dirty toilets on the roof but go down to the 2nd floor or find a rich mate with a room.

Petra
The hotel has a lovely and welcome all-you-can-eat buffet for 3 Dinar. You can watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade which show shots of The Treasury, Petra. This film has been running every night for 4 years at this hotel. The hotel supplies a bus down to Petra. Please note that if you decide to walk it's a long way. You'll need your energy once you get to the opening Siq.
A two day ticket to Petra costs JD25 (one day JD20). Apparently you can get it for about $2 if you get it when buying your Jordanian visa in your home country (not an option for us). From the ticket office the entrance is only a few hundred metres, you don't need to hire a donkey or horse. The 2km walk through the narrow Siq is not tough but the sun can get quite hot. The view through the crack of your first sight of The Treasury is amazing, especially in the late morning sunlight. Go to the High Place of Sacrifice first, a steep climb to the left before the first amphitheater. From here climb up to the very top and you can see an overview of the wondrous spectacle that the Napateans created. Climb down the back side of the mountain and explore the fantastic caves and houses with natural coloured stone interiors. Truly a natural wonder.
Further along, the Monastery is another steep and exhausting climb and perhaps should be left for the second day if you are at all tired. A walk through the rest of the place is splendid enough for the first day.

DO NO MISS PETRA IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE AT ALL IN THE MIDDLE EAST. It is spectacular!

JET buses leave at various times of the day for Amman.

Friday 26th September 1997
Hotel; Veynese Hotel, Amman (capital of Jordan)
Room Type: 3 beds (2.5JD each)
Verdict: FILTHY. DO NOT GO HERE nor the hotel near it. They are full of cockroaches, bed bugs and dirt. Found a huge cockroach in my boot and they were flying and creeping around all night.
GO TO THE FARAH HOTEL

Saturday 27th to Tuesday 30th September 1997
Hotel; Farah Hotel
Room Type: Roof
Verdict: Fabulous. This is a new hotel and therefore not yet in the guide books. It is marginally more expensive than the rest if you stay in a room but cheaper on the roof. It is clean, has a brilliant foyer, TV and spotless facilities. Large basins are provided for washing clothes which dry very quickly on the clothes lines on the roof. There is an office from where you can make international phone calls in the basement.

Amman
Sight-seeing
Amman, the capital of Jordan is a great place to spend a few days. There is plenty to see within the city and popular day excursions include the ancient ruins at Jerash, mosaics of Madaba, the view and tomb of Moses at Mt Nebo, and the Dead Sea.

The amphitheater is worth a stroll and a sitting down to write letters in the park by the font is pleasant. You will be hassled by tea vendors and kids but it is harmless fun.

AROUND AMMAN
Jerash
Jerash is a great example of the historic city. Get to these ruins from the Abdali bus station about 1.5 kilometers from the hotel. Take a right up the hill from the Farah hotel to locate the bus station. The trip takes about 1 hour. However, if you are extremely stuck for time and are planning to visit Palmyra in Syria give these ruins a skip. Otherwise it is well worth a visit though the entry fee is rising.

The Dead Sea
From Amman you can visit the Dead Sea by local bus (you may have to get two). It costs 2JD just to enter the area. Bring food and water as it is very expensive to buy in the restaurants there. Collect black mud from the sea bed - ask someone to show you where to get it. It is free, you don't have to buy it off a local, it's just a case of finding it. Rub smoothly over the corps, allow to dry in the sun and then wash off to leave your skin feeling soft as a babys' bum. Beware of splashing the water in your eyes -it hurts. The Dead Sea is supposed to be nicer from the Israeli side which is something to note if your trip includes a visit to Israel though it is probably more expensive.

Madaba and Mt. Nebo
Madaba is a town about 60km outside Amman and is home to many famous tile mosaics. You can get a bus there from Abdali station. From Madaba you can get a taxi up to Mount Nebo where Moses is buried and visit the lovely church on the hilltop. The view over the Jordanian valley overlooking the Dead Sea and Israel is great on a clear day. Unfortunately we could hear bombing in the distance echoed through the valley from South Lebanon which was quite eerie. The mosaics in Madaba, though world renowned were not up to my expectations though others seemed to appreciate it more than I.

Visas and travel tickets
From Amman you can organize visas to neighboring Syria and get a Jett bus to Damascus. Book this bus over the border from the Jet bus station a couple of days before your due departure. For the Syrian visa you may require a letter of recommendation from your embassy. There is an Irish consulate here as well as many other embassies. Unfortunately you embassy may charge you for your letter, our did not but we know that the Australian embassy did. Syrian visas cost about $40 depending on your nationality.

Eating and Entertainment
There are great local food eateries and schwerma stalls along the roads by the Farah hotel and towards the markets and they're cheap You can even treat yourself to a Magnum ice-cream. There is a McDonalds and other American style fast food joints in Amman though they are far away from the old part of the city where most travelers stay. Around the old area there are small local pubs or cafes selling alcohol. Further away are more western bars with less atmosphere including an Irish pub located in a hotel. It does not sell Guinness!
There is a good cinema showing western movies but you will need to get a taxi there. Check the local paper for venues and times and ask the hotel reception to write the location in Arabic for the taxi driver. It is a good idea to do this for most things to save a lot a hassle and sign language with taxi drivers Use the old rule -Bargain the price of a cab if there is no metre.
There is an internet cafe near the first circle called Books@cafe. Ask a local for directions up the hill. Charges per hour is about $4 on or offline.

> on to Syria and Israel

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© Catherine Wilson 97-99