An African Adventure part 5 - Jordan

Now I know Jordan is not in Africa, but it was the final stop on our epic African adventure so it has to be part of the same series of blog posts. Also: sorry for taking so long to getting around to writing this.

So having spent nearly two weeks in Egypt it was off to Jordan for eight days. We flew from Cairo with Royal Jordanian and arrived in Amman to be met by another person from American Express Travel. We had a driver for the whole time in Jordan, a lovely young man by the name of Gausan. Leaving Egypt was an experience, from the time we arrived at the airport to the time we got on the plane we went through FIVE security screenings and actually got frisked as we got on the plane, then were accompanied by three air marshalls on the flight. Which just reinforces my desire to never go back to Egypt.

So we arrive at our hotel in Amman and as soon as we got up to our room we realised this maybe was not the place for us. We had requested a non-smoking room but there was an ashtray and some matches on the table, and Kendall counted seven burn marks on the furniture. Plus it stank of smoke. The mini bar was an empty and turned-off fridge, and there was one glass for both of us to share. The really fun thing was the nightclub that started at 2.30am directly above our heads.

The next day with the assistance of our driver, we moved hotels. If you are going to Amman say hi to Hani at the Four Seasons for me. Also stay there because it is wonderful.

During our time in Amman we visited the desert castles on the way to Azraq, as well as the fortress there where apparently Lawrence of Arabia holed up for a while.





We saw the ancient roman ruins int he middle of the city, and the ampitheatre.





We visited the ancient Roman city of Jerash, and Ajlun Castle.





We went swimming in the Dead Sea, which is quite a surreal experience. I say swimming but really it's more like enforced floating.



We saw the ancient sites of Madaba and Mount Nebo (apparently Moses is buried there).



We visited Petra and it was amazing. For quite some distance you walk through the Siq, which is the narrow gorge that leads to the city,



and then you arrive at one of the most famous sites you'll ever see:



Honestly I felt like Indiana Jones. There are a lot of carvings and buildings in Petra, they think that at one time there were several thousand Nabateans who lived there. You can climb the mountain and see the view of the Treasury from above, as we did.



We went to Wadi Rum, and drove around in the desert for ages. And we saw the spot where the Hab was positioned in the movie The Martian (the one with Matt Damon).



We stayed at a resort in Aqaba on the Red Sea for a night and just chilled out (excellent Italian restaurant at the Movenpick Tala Bay). And then we travelled back to Amman for a couple of days before heading home.

I really enjoyed Jordan after the madness of Egypt, the people were all lovely and the sights magnificent. I would definitely go back.

In summary, go to Jordan, see all the sights, and stay at the Four Seasons in Amman. It is well worth the experience.