Jordan - a very good trip, more or less
Mar 31st, 2013, 03:42 AM
#21
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Moremiles your comments about St Georges make us feel better. In fact we wondered if we had missed some of the mosaics as what we saw was barely discernable. It didn’t help that ten minutes after we entered a stern faced gentleman kicked everybody out, promising us that we would be allowed back in in a few minutes. When that didn’t happen we just wandered off.
5alive when we first looked out from the panorama it was very hazy and the Dead Sea and Israel were barely visible. Then over the span of 20 minutes everything became crystal clear. It was like our own personal revelation. Very memorable.
The original plan had been to only spend the one day in Madaba before heading to Petra. But we suspected we might still be fatigued from the travel and lack of sleep so we had added another day. Now what to do with it? We understand many of the travellers here plan these things well in advance but we’re more of the show up and ask around for advice types. We knew we wanted to see Jerash but that could wait until the end of the trip. Well actually it couldn’t said Odeh. We should skip Amman entirely and head right to Jerash via the Jordon River Valley he said. He found us a slightly larger car and off we went.
Moremiles your comment about the kids not looking too frightened make me laugh. The first time I used an ATM machine in Madaba I entered the lobby of a bank. A very young girl (maybe 7) followed me in and put her hand out, but not like can I have a Dinar please but more like gimme the cash bud. Our daughter said no you have to leave and the little girl basically told our daughter to take a hike. She was getting her cut of the cash. It wasn’t bothersome, in fact it was kind of cute, but you could tell (when combined with some other incidents) that many of these kids don’t grow up shy.
5alive I think what we will remember along with their friendliness is how amazed and proud they were that someone (daughter) was studying their language. I realize that thousands do, but these people acted like they had never heard of a North American actually studying their language in university. They kept asking “where, where are you learning to speak Arabic?” Our daughter would say Canada and they would just shake their heads. They really did seem proud that someone was studying their language.
So Sunday was the big day. Rental car day. We have given up renting cars on vacations the last few years. When it was just the two and then three of us we would rent. But with the arrival of two more kids, the need to rent a van and the fact that we would often be driving on some pretty narrow roads had resulted in us relying on public transit. So in many countries where people rent (Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, South Korea etc.) we relied on public transport. But the Jordon route we were taking was a pretty simple triangle. Plus public transport sounded challenging (the bus from Petra to Wadi Rum doesn’t run unless there are enough passengers) and I kept reading that driving in Jordon was a breeze. So much to the surprise of the family I rented a mid-sized car from Monte Carlo rental car. They had been recommended by Odeh in our pre-arrival correspondence.
The car was delivered to our hotel in Madaba at 8 am on Sunday. Odeh had a map of Jordon beside the counter that I had spent significant time with him reviewing. I am guessing he did this for hours a day as everyone had the same question. What is the best route to get from Madaba to Petra? This would be like answering how do to get from Newark airport to Philadelphia six time a day. To Odeh only one route made sense – the King’s Highway. There was the Desert Highway which was faster but boring. There was the road along the Dead Sea which was a bit out of the way. My concern was that the King’s Highway went through a couple of towns that might be difficult to navigate and that in total it would take much longer than the Desert Highway. And it would take longer, Odeh would point out, because there were things to look at. “Like what are you here for dude, to look at things. Take the King’s Highway. Do you hear me – take the King’s Highway.” Okay he didn’t quite say that but you could tell he was thinking it.
Fine then, we would take the King’s Highway. And then with ten minutes to departure, a light went off in Odeh’s head. He had arranged for a car to drive a couple from the hotel to Petra, stopping at a few of the sites along the way. We could just follow that car. Personally if I were the couple I would not be too crazy about our driver having to pay attention to the car behind us for 200 miles. But I approached her and said in French that I hoped it wasn’t a problem if we did this. She replied in French “oh no that is fine and perhaps it will slow our driver down a bit”. Then I approached the man and said in French the same thing. Except he didn’t speak any French. He was Hungarian and spoke English. She spoke very, very little English and he spoke no French. They had just met a few weeks previously and were now touring Jordon together, without talking much apparently. That sounded like fun.
5alive when we first looked out from the panorama it was very hazy and the Dead Sea and Israel were barely visible. Then over the span of 20 minutes everything became crystal clear. It was like our own personal revelation. Very memorable.
The original plan had been to only spend the one day in Madaba before heading to Petra. But we suspected we might still be fatigued from the travel and lack of sleep so we had added another day. Now what to do with it? We understand many of the travellers here plan these things well in advance but we’re more of the show up and ask around for advice types. We knew we wanted to see Jerash but that could wait until the end of the trip. Well actually it couldn’t said Odeh. We should skip Amman entirely and head right to Jerash via the Jordon River Valley he said. He found us a slightly larger car and off we went.
Moremiles your comment about the kids not looking too frightened make me laugh. The first time I used an ATM machine in Madaba I entered the lobby of a bank. A very young girl (maybe 7) followed me in and put her hand out, but not like can I have a Dinar please but more like gimme the cash bud. Our daughter said no you have to leave and the little girl basically told our daughter to take a hike. She was getting her cut of the cash. It wasn’t bothersome, in fact it was kind of cute, but you could tell (when combined with some other incidents) that many of these kids don’t grow up shy.
5alive I think what we will remember along with their friendliness is how amazed and proud they were that someone (daughter) was studying their language. I realize that thousands do, but these people acted like they had never heard of a North American actually studying their language in university. They kept asking “where, where are you learning to speak Arabic?” Our daughter would say Canada and they would just shake their heads. They really did seem proud that someone was studying their language.
So Sunday was the big day. Rental car day. We have given up renting cars on vacations the last few years. When it was just the two and then three of us we would rent. But with the arrival of two more kids, the need to rent a van and the fact that we would often be driving on some pretty narrow roads had resulted in us relying on public transit. So in many countries where people rent (Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, South Korea etc.) we relied on public transport. But the Jordon route we were taking was a pretty simple triangle. Plus public transport sounded challenging (the bus from Petra to Wadi Rum doesn’t run unless there are enough passengers) and I kept reading that driving in Jordon was a breeze. So much to the surprise of the family I rented a mid-sized car from Monte Carlo rental car. They had been recommended by Odeh in our pre-arrival correspondence.
The car was delivered to our hotel in Madaba at 8 am on Sunday. Odeh had a map of Jordon beside the counter that I had spent significant time with him reviewing. I am guessing he did this for hours a day as everyone had the same question. What is the best route to get from Madaba to Petra? This would be like answering how do to get from Newark airport to Philadelphia six time a day. To Odeh only one route made sense – the King’s Highway. There was the Desert Highway which was faster but boring. There was the road along the Dead Sea which was a bit out of the way. My concern was that the King’s Highway went through a couple of towns that might be difficult to navigate and that in total it would take much longer than the Desert Highway. And it would take longer, Odeh would point out, because there were things to look at. “Like what are you here for dude, to look at things. Take the King’s Highway. Do you hear me – take the King’s Highway.” Okay he didn’t quite say that but you could tell he was thinking it.
Fine then, we would take the King’s Highway. And then with ten minutes to departure, a light went off in Odeh’s head. He had arranged for a car to drive a couple from the hotel to Petra, stopping at a few of the sites along the way. We could just follow that car. Personally if I were the couple I would not be too crazy about our driver having to pay attention to the car behind us for 200 miles. But I approached her and said in French that I hoped it wasn’t a problem if we did this. She replied in French “oh no that is fine and perhaps it will slow our driver down a bit”. Then I approached the man and said in French the same thing. Except he didn’t speak any French. He was Hungarian and spoke English. She spoke very, very little English and he spoke no French. They had just met a few weeks previously and were now touring Jordon together, without talking much apparently. That sounded like fun.
Mar 31st, 2013, 05:10 AM
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Really am loving your report. Not glossing over the more "real" bits is fascinating.
My mom and I had an interesting experience after our float in the Dead Sea where the bathhouse was locked up with our clothes still inside. Our driver negotiated through the door to get the boy mopping to open it for us -- it took a LOT of heated discussion. And when he finally opened up he threw out the bucket of dirty water, partially dousing our guy. Not good. We were quick to get in, rinse off and change and VERY thankful we had someone there to help us in that situation. Maybe it would've required some dinars to get the door open if we were alone or maybe we'd still be there shivering in salty bathing suits
My mom and I had an interesting experience after our float in the Dead Sea where the bathhouse was locked up with our clothes still inside. Our driver negotiated through the door to get the boy mopping to open it for us -- it took a LOT of heated discussion. And when he finally opened up he threw out the bucket of dirty water, partially dousing our guy. Not good. We were quick to get in, rinse off and change and VERY thankful we had someone there to help us in that situation. Maybe it would've required some dinars to get the door open if we were alone or maybe we'd still be there shivering in salty bathing suits
Mar 31st, 2013, 06:59 AM
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Great you got to follow someone who knew the route as, in my experience, the signage is not good and my Arabic friends were always asking directions too! People in the mideast really do appreciate our attempts to speak Arabic and I find, are quite surprised and entertained by it(or maybe that's just my feeble accent) so your daughter probably got a lot of attention with her more professional language skills.
Hope you enjoyed the King's Hwy!
Hope you enjoyed the King's Hwy!
Mar 31st, 2013, 08:28 AM
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Leslie I have always enjoyed reading your posts. You really are a traveller. I see your next trip is to Iceland. We are going there in August.
Ah the signage Moremiles. First I appreciate that they have some signs in English. But so many of the signs were washed out and not readable. We were not sure whether it was the sun, or sand or age or what. But many of the critical signs were not helpful.
For both personal reasons (I was an orienteerer – the sport where you find your way through the woods with a map and a compass) and professional reasons (I am a communications consultant and know that what you say is not as important as what the other person hears) I have always been interested in how people offer directions. What the direction giver says sounds so simple to them but can be overwhelming to the recipient. So as we were leaving the hotel, Odeh says he will tell us how to find our way to the edge of town and from there we can follow the other car. He wants to do this as he knows we will lose the other driver in traffic. So here we go. His directions were “up the street to the left, turn left, down two lights to the light that isn’t working, turn right, right at the next light that also isn’t working, left for quite a while and then right on to the highway”. I’ve got a better idea Odeh, we will follow the other car. Which as predicted wasn’t easy as the driver was driving as a local and we were driving like terrified tourists. But we managed to keep up with him and soon found ourselves on the highway.
The first part of the King’s Highway was pretty simple. And I have to say that overall we found Jordanian drivers to be pretty good. The pavement is not divided into sides like it is at home where this side is ours and that side is yours. People drive all over the pavement. And there is a lot of honking. Traffic circles are lawless. But generally people drove more slowly and calmly than I have seen in Egypt for example. It was like Cairo but everyone has swallowed two valium.
After not too long a drive we came to Wadi Mujib. I would love to know how many North Americans and Europeans have heard of Wadi Mujib. The number must be very low. But if this isn’t one of the most beautiful places on earth, I don’t know where is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Mujib
We drove down one side and then up the other side. The other driver stopped at a roadside tent where they offered us chairs and tea. The view was out of this world. Of course we purchased something and negotiated very little as the tea and the view were worth the 10 Dinars for the ahem “high quality stone” in the ring my wife purchased. We then continued on to the famous Karak crusader castle. According to the online map I had studied, the castle was to the east of Karak. The other driver headed to the west part of town and of course he was right. Despite the castle being very visible from the highway approaching town (as most of them are) we never would have found it on our own. We stopped there for about an hour. We had read that headlamps or flashlights were helpful in some of underground passageways of the various castles. So we all brought the headlamps we had used on the Inca trail in 2012. They proved quite helpful as promised. The castle is very large and very high up, protected by valleys on three sides. It has an interesting history as most castles do.
We then drove a good distance before arriving at Shobak castle. This castle was built in 1115 to protect the road from Egypt to Damascus. And you could see how this would be possible. What a commanding position over very barren landscape. I wish they could have protected the final 100 meters of the road up to the castle gate. It was not in good condition and on the edge of a cliff. We did not enjoy that. Without being asked a guide gave us a tour of the place. At the end he brought us to a very elderly gentleman who played what appeared to be a rusted out muffler with a string across it. He also sang, rather horribly I would say. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. We left him a few dinar as well as something for the guide. I noticed the other visitors left nothing. I wish the rules on tipping were clearer but I suppose that isn’t how tipping works.
Our final stop before Petra was Little Petra. We had decided beforehand that we would not visit Little Petra, not knowing that we would be following another car. But we are glad we stopped. If you see Little Petra before Petra itself it is quite stunning (this probably wouldn’t work in reverse). By then it was five in the afternoon. It was then a short drive to Petra (or Wadi Musa) where our driver seemed to get lost. We went around in circles for some time. Then he opened his window and pointed at the hotel where we were staying. The French/Hungarian couple were staying elsewhere. So we waved goodbye and offered our eternal thanks. We would not have made it without the other driver.
The website for our hotel mentioned reserved parking at a nearby lot. Hee hee. The reserved parking was nowhere to be found. We parked on the street with kids and cars whizzing inches by our car. A man saw me looking at our parked car with a worried look on my face. He came over and said “don’t worry about your car. It will be perfectly safe here. You can leave the windows open if you want. No one will take anything.” This fellow was clearly a sharp cookie. I asked him what he did. He said he was a guide bringing clients to Petra. And in fact I spoke to him the next day at Petra, telling him he was right. Our car was just fine.
Ah the signage Moremiles. First I appreciate that they have some signs in English. But so many of the signs were washed out and not readable. We were not sure whether it was the sun, or sand or age or what. But many of the critical signs were not helpful.
For both personal reasons (I was an orienteerer – the sport where you find your way through the woods with a map and a compass) and professional reasons (I am a communications consultant and know that what you say is not as important as what the other person hears) I have always been interested in how people offer directions. What the direction giver says sounds so simple to them but can be overwhelming to the recipient. So as we were leaving the hotel, Odeh says he will tell us how to find our way to the edge of town and from there we can follow the other car. He wants to do this as he knows we will lose the other driver in traffic. So here we go. His directions were “up the street to the left, turn left, down two lights to the light that isn’t working, turn right, right at the next light that also isn’t working, left for quite a while and then right on to the highway”. I’ve got a better idea Odeh, we will follow the other car. Which as predicted wasn’t easy as the driver was driving as a local and we were driving like terrified tourists. But we managed to keep up with him and soon found ourselves on the highway.
The first part of the King’s Highway was pretty simple. And I have to say that overall we found Jordanian drivers to be pretty good. The pavement is not divided into sides like it is at home where this side is ours and that side is yours. People drive all over the pavement. And there is a lot of honking. Traffic circles are lawless. But generally people drove more slowly and calmly than I have seen in Egypt for example. It was like Cairo but everyone has swallowed two valium.
After not too long a drive we came to Wadi Mujib. I would love to know how many North Americans and Europeans have heard of Wadi Mujib. The number must be very low. But if this isn’t one of the most beautiful places on earth, I don’t know where is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Mujib
We drove down one side and then up the other side. The other driver stopped at a roadside tent where they offered us chairs and tea. The view was out of this world. Of course we purchased something and negotiated very little as the tea and the view were worth the 10 Dinars for the ahem “high quality stone” in the ring my wife purchased. We then continued on to the famous Karak crusader castle. According to the online map I had studied, the castle was to the east of Karak. The other driver headed to the west part of town and of course he was right. Despite the castle being very visible from the highway approaching town (as most of them are) we never would have found it on our own. We stopped there for about an hour. We had read that headlamps or flashlights were helpful in some of underground passageways of the various castles. So we all brought the headlamps we had used on the Inca trail in 2012. They proved quite helpful as promised. The castle is very large and very high up, protected by valleys on three sides. It has an interesting history as most castles do.
We then drove a good distance before arriving at Shobak castle. This castle was built in 1115 to protect the road from Egypt to Damascus. And you could see how this would be possible. What a commanding position over very barren landscape. I wish they could have protected the final 100 meters of the road up to the castle gate. It was not in good condition and on the edge of a cliff. We did not enjoy that. Without being asked a guide gave us a tour of the place. At the end he brought us to a very elderly gentleman who played what appeared to be a rusted out muffler with a string across it. He also sang, rather horribly I would say. But it was enjoyable nonetheless. We left him a few dinar as well as something for the guide. I noticed the other visitors left nothing. I wish the rules on tipping were clearer but I suppose that isn’t how tipping works.
Our final stop before Petra was Little Petra. We had decided beforehand that we would not visit Little Petra, not knowing that we would be following another car. But we are glad we stopped. If you see Little Petra before Petra itself it is quite stunning (this probably wouldn’t work in reverse). By then it was five in the afternoon. It was then a short drive to Petra (or Wadi Musa) where our driver seemed to get lost. We went around in circles for some time. Then he opened his window and pointed at the hotel where we were staying. The French/Hungarian couple were staying elsewhere. So we waved goodbye and offered our eternal thanks. We would not have made it without the other driver.
The website for our hotel mentioned reserved parking at a nearby lot. Hee hee. The reserved parking was nowhere to be found. We parked on the street with kids and cars whizzing inches by our car. A man saw me looking at our parked car with a worried look on my face. He came over and said “don’t worry about your car. It will be perfectly safe here. You can leave the windows open if you want. No one will take anything.” This fellow was clearly a sharp cookie. I asked him what he did. He said he was a guide bringing clients to Petra. And in fact I spoke to him the next day at Petra, telling him he was right. Our car was just fine.
Mar 31st, 2013, 09:51 AM
#27
That's a beautiful drive isn't it? (said by someone who was a passenger not the driver) We loved both Karak and Shobak - when we saw the latter it was shrouded in fog which instantly transported me back to the middle ages.
We saw Little Petra the day after Petra and thought it worthwhile.
Great report!
We saw Little Petra the day after Petra and thought it worthwhile.
Great report!
Mar 31st, 2013, 10:02 AM
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Wadi Mujib is indeed beautiful! I'm glad you thought Little Petra worthwhile as I even thought so after seeing "Big" Petra. Showbak is also quite an impressive setting and you were right to tip the man playing the muffler-he lives in that tiny room at the entrance(most of the time) and earns his living(partly) on tips.
Apr 1st, 2013, 05:04 AM
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Thanks a lot colduphere.
I have to say I'm very wimpy about renting a car and doing the driving. We default to hiring a driver usually. So I appreciate reading about other people's experiences -- and especially when they admit to challenges -- so I don't feel like such a loser!
I'd forgotten about those bagpipes at Jerash - it was surreal!
Looking forward to more of your fabulous writing.
I have to say I'm very wimpy about renting a car and doing the driving. We default to hiring a driver usually. So I appreciate reading about other people's experiences -- and especially when they admit to challenges -- so I don't feel like such a loser!
I'd forgotten about those bagpipes at Jerash - it was surreal!
Looking forward to more of your fabulous writing.
Apr 1st, 2013, 06:22 AM
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Elizabeth please come on our next trip and take the pictures. That is a skill we don’t have. Moremiles, you really know that area. This is a terrible thing to admit but one of our kids, while listening to the guy playing the muffler, said “Is this Gordon Lightfoot (a famous Canadian singer who probably performed a year or two longer than he should have)? So we were all trying to stifle laughter and be respectful while listening to this fella.
Grassshopper, India is a big question mark. We are not sure we can take the poverty. I appreciate comment’s like Femi’s about including the good and not so good in this trip report but they are raising a moral dilemma for me when I get to reporting on the second day of our desert stay. We had a fabulous time but a few things were screwed up by our camp. I am debating whether to mention their name as apparently even a couple of bad references on the Internet can hurt business. But I will get to that.
We were staying at another modest place in Wadi Musa/Petra called the Al Rashid. Nice place. But it was almost empty, even though they were moving into peak season. By most accounts the area is still suffering a drop-off in tourists going on 4-5 years now. This leads to a story that will sound self-congratulatory but I really don’t mean it to be.
The cook/server at the hotel was a young Egyptian man. Unfortunately there was no one to cook for. We were the only people in the restaurant. That can’t be good for his income or job security. He made us the most amazing meal, so amazing we asked if we could take a picture of him standing behind all of the food he had prepared for us. At first he didn’t understand what we were asking but finally he did. We took a picture and showed it to him. He was so, so happy. He asked the owner to come in and look at the picture. We definitely feel a little guilty about being able to travel to countries where people work so hard just to get by. It is such a great feeling when we can generate a little happiness for them.
I continued my preoccupation with driving directions by asking the man at the front desk to draw me a map of the route to the Petra site. He was chuckling at me as the route couldn’t have been easier. Mind you he did tell us there was free parking which it turns out there wasn’t. And we followed a sign for the site entrance which led us to the back of a construction site where we were turned around by some workers. But all of this was happening early enough in the day that there was little traffic and it was easy to get reoriented. The good news was that we did not have to pay the rather steep entrance fee to Petra for our 14 year old. They’re not kidding around with an entrance fee of 50 Dinars.
I am sure most people reading this have been to Petra. Is there a more spectacular scene anywhere than the Siq leading to the Treasury? It reminded us a bit of the (admittedly much longer) lead in on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. When you get finally get there (the Treasury/Machu Picchu) you just stand in amazement. Is this real?
After 20 minutes of standing and staring we took the advice of our Lonely Planet guide and began climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice. This is slightly off the main route that most visitors take. Unfortunately half way up the climb my wife fell and hurt her knee, but she insisted on making the rest of the climb. At the top we could hear a young woman yelling “Fine then, go wherever you want. Who cares if you get lost? I don’t.” It turns out the young woman was a local sitting on the side of the trail selling trinkets. She was yelling at our son who was blindly following some people in front of him who had wandered off the trail. This was a feisty young woman. She was 15 years old and spoke seven languages, all learned from tourists. Her English was perfect. She entertained us for a few minutes but then returned to selling to the next set of climbers. In Spanish. The ability some people have with languages.
After wandering around the top for a bit we had to make a decision as to which route we would take to the monastery - a back route or return to the main area and take the more common route. We decided given my wife’s knee that we better return to the main area and see how she felt. In the end we did not make it all the way to the Monastery, despite 100 offers of donkey rides. A bit of a disappointment but with three days coming up in the desert there was no reason to push things.
Two notable events. There was a place you could sit down and buy a drink. The guy in charge of attracting customers was very entertaining. He had every passerby laughing at his lines. He came over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, in an ultra serious voice loud enough for people to hear “Sir, in this your daughter?” When informed that yes it was, he said “I’ll give you five camels and two donkeys. Please think about it for a few minutes. I’ll come back. Please, it is a serious offer.” Once again, everyone was laughing. The levity was appreciated as it was very hot and very dusty.
After several hours we started walking back up the Siq on our way out of the site. From around the corner we could hear two men really screaming at one another. It was the driver of a horse and buggy and a German tour guide going at it. The German guide had told his 30 or so clients to form two long lines, side by side. Everyone had closed their eyes and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. It was kindergarten revisited. They were doing this for the last 200 meters or so before they reached the Treasury. I guess he would eventually tell them to open their eyes and the Treasury would be revealed in front of them. Except that with their eyes closed they had wandered in front of a horse and almost caused an accident. It was kind of hard to believe that 30 adults were going along with this game. And even with the screaming match going on, no one was opening their eyes. They were standing in the middle of the Siq, blocking traffic, waiting for the march to recommence.
Grassshopper, India is a big question mark. We are not sure we can take the poverty. I appreciate comment’s like Femi’s about including the good and not so good in this trip report but they are raising a moral dilemma for me when I get to reporting on the second day of our desert stay. We had a fabulous time but a few things were screwed up by our camp. I am debating whether to mention their name as apparently even a couple of bad references on the Internet can hurt business. But I will get to that.
We were staying at another modest place in Wadi Musa/Petra called the Al Rashid. Nice place. But it was almost empty, even though they were moving into peak season. By most accounts the area is still suffering a drop-off in tourists going on 4-5 years now. This leads to a story that will sound self-congratulatory but I really don’t mean it to be.
The cook/server at the hotel was a young Egyptian man. Unfortunately there was no one to cook for. We were the only people in the restaurant. That can’t be good for his income or job security. He made us the most amazing meal, so amazing we asked if we could take a picture of him standing behind all of the food he had prepared for us. At first he didn’t understand what we were asking but finally he did. We took a picture and showed it to him. He was so, so happy. He asked the owner to come in and look at the picture. We definitely feel a little guilty about being able to travel to countries where people work so hard just to get by. It is such a great feeling when we can generate a little happiness for them.
I continued my preoccupation with driving directions by asking the man at the front desk to draw me a map of the route to the Petra site. He was chuckling at me as the route couldn’t have been easier. Mind you he did tell us there was free parking which it turns out there wasn’t. And we followed a sign for the site entrance which led us to the back of a construction site where we were turned around by some workers. But all of this was happening early enough in the day that there was little traffic and it was easy to get reoriented. The good news was that we did not have to pay the rather steep entrance fee to Petra for our 14 year old. They’re not kidding around with an entrance fee of 50 Dinars.
I am sure most people reading this have been to Petra. Is there a more spectacular scene anywhere than the Siq leading to the Treasury? It reminded us a bit of the (admittedly much longer) lead in on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. When you get finally get there (the Treasury/Machu Picchu) you just stand in amazement. Is this real?
After 20 minutes of standing and staring we took the advice of our Lonely Planet guide and began climbing to the High Place of Sacrifice. This is slightly off the main route that most visitors take. Unfortunately half way up the climb my wife fell and hurt her knee, but she insisted on making the rest of the climb. At the top we could hear a young woman yelling “Fine then, go wherever you want. Who cares if you get lost? I don’t.” It turns out the young woman was a local sitting on the side of the trail selling trinkets. She was yelling at our son who was blindly following some people in front of him who had wandered off the trail. This was a feisty young woman. She was 15 years old and spoke seven languages, all learned from tourists. Her English was perfect. She entertained us for a few minutes but then returned to selling to the next set of climbers. In Spanish. The ability some people have with languages.
After wandering around the top for a bit we had to make a decision as to which route we would take to the monastery - a back route or return to the main area and take the more common route. We decided given my wife’s knee that we better return to the main area and see how she felt. In the end we did not make it all the way to the Monastery, despite 100 offers of donkey rides. A bit of a disappointment but with three days coming up in the desert there was no reason to push things.
Two notable events. There was a place you could sit down and buy a drink. The guy in charge of attracting customers was very entertaining. He had every passerby laughing at his lines. He came over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, in an ultra serious voice loud enough for people to hear “Sir, in this your daughter?” When informed that yes it was, he said “I’ll give you five camels and two donkeys. Please think about it for a few minutes. I’ll come back. Please, it is a serious offer.” Once again, everyone was laughing. The levity was appreciated as it was very hot and very dusty.
After several hours we started walking back up the Siq on our way out of the site. From around the corner we could hear two men really screaming at one another. It was the driver of a horse and buggy and a German tour guide going at it. The German guide had told his 30 or so clients to form two long lines, side by side. Everyone had closed their eyes and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. It was kindergarten revisited. They were doing this for the last 200 meters or so before they reached the Treasury. I guess he would eventually tell them to open their eyes and the Treasury would be revealed in front of them. Except that with their eyes closed they had wandered in front of a horse and almost caused an accident. It was kind of hard to believe that 30 adults were going along with this game. And even with the screaming match going on, no one was opening their eyes. They were standing in the middle of the Siq, blocking traffic, waiting for the march to recommence.
Apr 1st, 2013, 06:44 AM
#33
Love the Petra stories! Sorry to read about your wife's knee, as the rock colors on the back route are spectacular (see http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/C...ast-2009/Petra ) - I hope it healed fast.
Congratulations on driving yourself. After I gave up on public transport for Jordan I wound up on a tour, but I travel solo which makes driving expensive and (more) difficult. I did make sure to sit at the front of the bus for the King's Highway, although I wasn't as wowed as you by Wadi Mujib.
Don't give up on India. It is all the superlatives you can think of, good and bad. The poverty is in-your-face bad, as are the beggars, although some people insulate themselves by having a car and driver everywhere. I give money to a charity (for girl's education) before I leave home so I don't feel so bad about refusing to give to (most) beggars.
Congratulations on driving yourself. After I gave up on public transport for Jordan I wound up on a tour, but I travel solo which makes driving expensive and (more) difficult. I did make sure to sit at the front of the bus for the King's Highway, although I wasn't as wowed as you by Wadi Mujib.
Don't give up on India. It is all the superlatives you can think of, good and bad. The poverty is in-your-face bad, as are the beggars, although some people insulate themselves by having a car and driver everywhere. I give money to a charity (for girl's education) before I leave home so I don't feel so bad about refusing to give to (most) beggars.
Apr 1st, 2013, 06:49 AM
#34
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Don't you love the comical things that happen while traveling, or the comical things that come to mind(ie G.Lightfoot). Sounds like you certainly had an entertaining trip!
I hope your Wadi Rum camp wasn't as basic as the one I stayed at but from what I've heard and read, all of those within the reserve aren't great-but the scenery makes up for it.
I hope your Wadi Rum camp wasn't as basic as the one I stayed at but from what I've heard and read, all of those within the reserve aren't great-but the scenery makes up for it.
Apr 1st, 2013, 01:23 PM
#36
Excellent use of cultural reference (Gordon Lightfoot) to develop the narrator's character. I think "Sundown" marked the beginning of the end.
Seriously, very much enjoying your report. We hope to visit Jordan within the year.
Our son is a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, and encounters the same sort of astonished delight when people realize he speaks Arabic -- or at least the Moroccan dialect.
We've also been questioning whether we want to visit India -- same reservations.
Looking forward to "the desert."
Seriously, very much enjoying your report. We hope to visit Jordan within the year.
Our son is a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, and encounters the same sort of astonished delight when people realize he speaks Arabic -- or at least the Moroccan dialect.
We've also been questioning whether we want to visit India -- same reservations.
Looking forward to "the desert."
Apr 1st, 2013, 03:33 PM
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Wow what great pictures Thursdaysd. I wish we had managed that route. And I am sure you and Moremiles are right about India. What may happen is we spend a few days in Delhi on our way to Kathmandu someday. If that goes ok we will return. Of course who knows how things will play out when you get into your fifties and older. Fra Diavolo good for your son. We suspect our daughter is heading down the same path. By the way I am trying to work Wayne Gretzky and polar bears into this story. It isn’t easy.
When we returned to the hotel we spotted two vans parked nearby with a full array of camping equipment loaded on their roofs. And they had English licence plates, which of course meant their steering wheels were on the other side. I met the woman in the hotel lobby. She and her husband and two year old were driving from London to South Africa over a four month period with his parents. They had just driven through Israel. She described that as a real nightmare. They were constantly asked to, or watched as, their vans were taken apart for security checks. Now that they had arrived in Jordon they were being refused entry to Egypt because of security concerns in the Sinai. And once they arrived in Africa they planned to drive during the day and find a place to camp each night. Apparently if you sleep on top of a van the animals will walk underneath you but not bother you. I have their email address. I should check in to see how well sleeping seven feet above the hyenas is working. In any event, their driving challenges put ours to shame.
One major problem we were having was getting enough money out of ATMs to pay our upcoming Wadi Rum bill, which was to be paid in cash. Sometimes the machines welcomed us, but more often than not we couldn’t get any money out of them. Our challenge was compounded greatly when the Al Rashid hotel owner told us he took MasterCard but not Visa. The three of us with bank and credit cards headed out and tried various machines until we rounded up enough cash to pay him and almost enough to pay at Wadi Rum. We found another ATM about 20 miles outside of Petra that gave us the last few Dinars we needed. I should mention that when we were scrambling to find sufficient cash the hotel owner said we could just send him the money upon our to Canada. I thought that was pretty classy.
The drive from Petra to the Wadi Rum Visitor Center was quite scenic. It took about 1:45 hrs. We called our guide from the Visitor Center to let him know we were only 5km away from his location – the Wadi Rum Village. We were happy to escape the Visitor Center without incident as our lead guide Mehedi had emailed me the following warning a few days previously:
“PLEASE NOTE ** Please don't listen to the people who are waiting outside the building (at the Visitor Center) as they spend the whole day waiting to 'catch' tourists and they will lie with you quite happily and tell you they are me or work for me! They can be convincing but don't believe them. I will not wait for you there, and a guide that works for me will not wait for you there. We will wait in the village. Also don't give them the money for your ticket as they will keep it & not give it to the Visitor Center.”
Wow this sounded like scam central. Chinese Rolex watches all over again. We were going to have to be on guard. In the end we arrived at WR Village without incident and Mehedi was waiting for us in the parking lot. We had a pleasant tea together, reviewed our plans for our three day visit and off we went into the desert on the back of an open 4x4. We had a large map with several spots marked on it highlighting where we would visit. The total drive for the day was to be about 27 kilometers with 8-9 stops. The first stop was right around the corner from the Village. It was a hike up to a pond sitting a few hundred feet above the desert floor. Our first stop did not go well for my wife. There was really no path and most of the “route” involved scrambling between and over large rocks. The teenagers had no problem and enjoyed the hike. I was a little surprised at how rough the route was and stayed back with my wife. No big deal at this point.
We then proceeded to drive past some very large sand dunes. The driver was telling us not to worry - he would find us the biggest dune in the area. And he did. I am guessing it was about 250 feet high. Our youngest son basically sprinted up the whole thing. Then the other two kids and I struggled up at a much slower pace. It was one step up and then slide back down. It was very, very difficult and very, very hot. My wife gave up at the half way mark and waited for us at the bottom. Coming down was a blast and took less than a couple of minutes. Overall I would not recommend sand dunes for anyone with heart problems.
We then enjoyed a really tasty yet simple lunch cooked by our guide. The afternoon consisted of stopping at other spots, usually interesting rock formations where we could climb up as high as we wanted to and then enjoy the view. On average we would see other visitors every half hour or so. It was a very pleasant afternoon. At 6:15 we found a high spot and watched the sun set over a nearby mountain. Very peaceful. It was also fascinating to sit and listen to a Bedouin talk about the desert and what his life was like. After sunset we drove the remaining mile or so to our campsite.
At the campsite we were shown to our own very large tent. We were surrounded by 100 foot rocks. There was also a toilet facility and a large dining tent. After settling in we entered the dining tent and were immediately offered some tea. There were other guests from France, England, Germany and Spain. Dinner was excellent (chicken cooked in a sandpit), as was the music. It was an amazing atmosphere. I believe the Spanish couple were on their honeymoon. They could not take two steps without taking a picture of one another. And not just any picture. They would take turns posing in front of a tent, a toilet, a rock, a fireplace etc etc to get just the right picture. It was very humorous. Someday when they divorce they are going to have millions of pictures to divvy up.
The German man was a scientist with the EU in Brussels. He was also an expert on constellations and offered us an excellent overview of what we could see. And there were a lot of stars as the night was clear and there was only a sliver of a moon. With that we retired for the night to the soft sound of a Bedouin playing a lute.
When we returned to the hotel we spotted two vans parked nearby with a full array of camping equipment loaded on their roofs. And they had English licence plates, which of course meant their steering wheels were on the other side. I met the woman in the hotel lobby. She and her husband and two year old were driving from London to South Africa over a four month period with his parents. They had just driven through Israel. She described that as a real nightmare. They were constantly asked to, or watched as, their vans were taken apart for security checks. Now that they had arrived in Jordon they were being refused entry to Egypt because of security concerns in the Sinai. And once they arrived in Africa they planned to drive during the day and find a place to camp each night. Apparently if you sleep on top of a van the animals will walk underneath you but not bother you. I have their email address. I should check in to see how well sleeping seven feet above the hyenas is working. In any event, their driving challenges put ours to shame.
One major problem we were having was getting enough money out of ATMs to pay our upcoming Wadi Rum bill, which was to be paid in cash. Sometimes the machines welcomed us, but more often than not we couldn’t get any money out of them. Our challenge was compounded greatly when the Al Rashid hotel owner told us he took MasterCard but not Visa. The three of us with bank and credit cards headed out and tried various machines until we rounded up enough cash to pay him and almost enough to pay at Wadi Rum. We found another ATM about 20 miles outside of Petra that gave us the last few Dinars we needed. I should mention that when we were scrambling to find sufficient cash the hotel owner said we could just send him the money upon our to Canada. I thought that was pretty classy.
The drive from Petra to the Wadi Rum Visitor Center was quite scenic. It took about 1:45 hrs. We called our guide from the Visitor Center to let him know we were only 5km away from his location – the Wadi Rum Village. We were happy to escape the Visitor Center without incident as our lead guide Mehedi had emailed me the following warning a few days previously:
“PLEASE NOTE ** Please don't listen to the people who are waiting outside the building (at the Visitor Center) as they spend the whole day waiting to 'catch' tourists and they will lie with you quite happily and tell you they are me or work for me! They can be convincing but don't believe them. I will not wait for you there, and a guide that works for me will not wait for you there. We will wait in the village. Also don't give them the money for your ticket as they will keep it & not give it to the Visitor Center.”
Wow this sounded like scam central. Chinese Rolex watches all over again. We were going to have to be on guard. In the end we arrived at WR Village without incident and Mehedi was waiting for us in the parking lot. We had a pleasant tea together, reviewed our plans for our three day visit and off we went into the desert on the back of an open 4x4. We had a large map with several spots marked on it highlighting where we would visit. The total drive for the day was to be about 27 kilometers with 8-9 stops. The first stop was right around the corner from the Village. It was a hike up to a pond sitting a few hundred feet above the desert floor. Our first stop did not go well for my wife. There was really no path and most of the “route” involved scrambling between and over large rocks. The teenagers had no problem and enjoyed the hike. I was a little surprised at how rough the route was and stayed back with my wife. No big deal at this point.
We then proceeded to drive past some very large sand dunes. The driver was telling us not to worry - he would find us the biggest dune in the area. And he did. I am guessing it was about 250 feet high. Our youngest son basically sprinted up the whole thing. Then the other two kids and I struggled up at a much slower pace. It was one step up and then slide back down. It was very, very difficult and very, very hot. My wife gave up at the half way mark and waited for us at the bottom. Coming down was a blast and took less than a couple of minutes. Overall I would not recommend sand dunes for anyone with heart problems.
We then enjoyed a really tasty yet simple lunch cooked by our guide. The afternoon consisted of stopping at other spots, usually interesting rock formations where we could climb up as high as we wanted to and then enjoy the view. On average we would see other visitors every half hour or so. It was a very pleasant afternoon. At 6:15 we found a high spot and watched the sun set over a nearby mountain. Very peaceful. It was also fascinating to sit and listen to a Bedouin talk about the desert and what his life was like. After sunset we drove the remaining mile or so to our campsite.
At the campsite we were shown to our own very large tent. We were surrounded by 100 foot rocks. There was also a toilet facility and a large dining tent. After settling in we entered the dining tent and were immediately offered some tea. There were other guests from France, England, Germany and Spain. Dinner was excellent (chicken cooked in a sandpit), as was the music. It was an amazing atmosphere. I believe the Spanish couple were on their honeymoon. They could not take two steps without taking a picture of one another. And not just any picture. They would take turns posing in front of a tent, a toilet, a rock, a fireplace etc etc to get just the right picture. It was very humorous. Someday when they divorce they are going to have millions of pictures to divvy up.
The German man was a scientist with the EU in Brussels. He was also an expert on constellations and offered us an excellent overview of what we could see. And there were a lot of stars as the night was clear and there was only a sliver of a moon. With that we retired for the night to the soft sound of a Bedouin playing a lute.
She sounds like a great sport.
Apr 1st, 2013, 04:56 PM
#39
Glad you liked the photos! Those rocks were awesome.
The only way I (mid-sixties) get up dunes these days is with someone pulling. Or pushing...
Please don't use Delhi as a proxy for India - that would be even worse than using New York as a proxy for the US. Worse because the main "sights" are from either the British or Mughal Empires.
The only way I (mid-sixties) get up dunes these days is with someone pulling. Or pushing...
Please don't use Delhi as a proxy for India - that would be even worse than using New York as a proxy for the US. Worse because the main "sights" are from either the British or Mughal Empires.
Apr 1st, 2013, 08:54 PM
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Another person reading along and enjoying! We leave for Israel on Thursday and plan to spend a night in Petra. Wish we could do more in Jordan, but the going may be tough with my husband's torn miniscus and the pulled muscle in my back today.
I agree that you must keep India on your list. It was one of the most fascinating places we have ever been. If you go, be sure to include Varanasi. Thursday - We liked Delhi, but perhaps that was because we spent time there at the end of the trip and it was a nice change spending time in a city.
I agree that you must keep India on your list. It was one of the most fascinating places we have ever been. If you go, be sure to include Varanasi. Thursday - We liked Delhi, but perhaps that was because we spent time there at the end of the trip and it was a nice change spending time in a city.
