We arrived today after a long flight from Dubrovnik and are now checked in to The Pasha Hotel, a funky hotel in the heart of Amman. Just sitting down to a snack of Hummus with more mouth-watering dishes to follow. We are so looking forward to the food here!
The above map gives you a perspective to where Jordan is located in relation to Israel, Syria and Iraq.
The map below shows where we visited in the Northern and Western areas outside of Amman on May 17th and 18th. 
The blue circle on the map indicates Amman. On the 17th we spent a full day visiting the North of Amman stopping in Jerash, Ajloun Castle and Ajloun Forest Reserve. Jerash is the second most popular site to visit in Jordan and there were very few visitors. The history of the city is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean basin. The earliest Arab/Semitic inhabitants, who lived in the area during the pre-classical period of the 1st millennium BCE named their village Garshu. Later the named transformed into the Arabic Jerash. Evidence dating to the Bronze Age (3200BC-1200BC) have been found in the region. It was a spectacular site to visit. Below are photos of Jerash.
Below are pictures of Ajloun Castle.
Ajloun Castle is a 12th Century Muslim castle situated in Northwestern Jordan. From its high ground the castle was guarding the three Wadis which descend toward the Jordan Valley. Wadi is Arabic for Valley. It was built in the 12th century and has been the nucleus of a settlement which has grown to become the present town of Ajloun. We were able to explore many areas of the castle and see many interesting artifacts from the various time periods of the region. Joyce and I both said “wow”, this is what it must have been like living in a castle. It was very cool!
Below are a couple of pics of Ajloan Forest. Our final stop for the day.
May 18th we headed to Al-Maghtas (Arabic for Baptism) a World Heritage Site on the East bank of the Jordan River. Jesus’s baptism site known as “Bethany Beyond the Jordan”. We also visited the Dead Sea, 400 meters below sea level, where we covered ourselves in Dead Sea mud and floated effortlessly in the water. And we mean effortlessly, you couldn’t stop from floating. Trying to stand upright was a challenge.
After the Dead Sea we visited Mount Nebo, which overlooks the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. The drive up the mountain was like driving on the moon, barren rock-scape, 40 degrees Celsius and hairpin turns to an elevation of 900 meters. Our final stop was Madaba, known for its 6th century mosaic map of the holy land now located in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George.
Next stop the Dead Sea. 400 meters below sea level but quickly decreasing. The sea has fallen over 9 meters in the last 10 years. Lucky to see it now before…?
Below, Mount Nebo, the monument to Moses and the place of his death.
Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge in Jordan, approximately 817 meters above sea level, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the promised land. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the North, a more limited one of the valley of the Jordan River. The West Bank city of Jericho is visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day like we had today.
Final stop of the day was the city of Madaba, known for its 6th century mosaic map of the holy land.
May 19
We spent a lazy day browsing around Amman City centre and the Rainbow Street market. The centre of town is a mass of bustling shops and hoards of merchants flogging pretty well everything you can think of. Finished the day in the upscale neighbourhood of Rainbow Street sipping tea and smoking shisha.
May 20th we spent the day driving South with our guide Ramzi Petra.
Our first stop was the Mujib Valley (Wadi Mujib) known from the Hebrew Bible as River Arnon. The river enters the Dead Sea at an elevation of 1,380 feet below sea level. We stopped for Bedouin tea at the summit.
Please ignore the small spot on the camera sensor. We didn’t notice it until several days and many beautiful pictures later.
The castle is a typical example of Crusader architecture with Romanesque style stone vaults, numerous corridors and strong doorways and underground were amazing, vast, dim-lit vaulted rooms and corridors. We were almost alone which made the experience all the more fascinating.
On December 18, 2016 a series of shootings took place in Kerak that the so-called Islamic State ultimately claimed responsibility. 11 Jordanians and a Canadian were killed. During the gun battle the militants took shelter in the castle.
Like Petra, it is a Nabataean site, with buildings carved into the walls of sandstone canyons. It is much smaller than Petra and consists of three wider open areas connected by a 1,480 foot canyon. It is accessed separately from Petra and is included in Petra’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Archaeologists believe it was a suburb of Petra meant to house visiting traders on the Silk Road. After the decline of the Nabataeans, it fell vacant and was then used for centuries by Bedouin nomads.
Petra is the high lite for many tourists travelling to Jordan however every site we visited in Jordan to date has had its own uniqueness.
Petra is a special place because of its enormous size and amazing sandstone architecture. We spent about 6 hours on site covering 17 km, (24,965 steps, 54 floors climbed) according to Joyce’s iPhone health data program. There were over 800 steps up through mountains and canyons to the Monastery at the top We both had a swollen right knee and sore ankles the next day even though we wore proper hiking shoes! Be warned, a one day visit is a serious workout!
It is not know precisely when Petra was built but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the first century BC and grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices. Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city in the 4th century AD. The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city which was ultimately abandoned. By the middle of the 7th century Petra appeared to be largely deserted and was lost to all except local Bedouin from the area. Petra is also known as the rose-red city, a name it gets from the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the cities structures were carved. Also interesting to note is the city was carved from the top down to prevent sand from falling into the eyes of those who did this magnificent work.
800 steps of climbing led us to this amazing structure.
May 21-22, Petra to Wadi Rum to Aqaba
After our 6 hour exploration of Petra we collapsed into our car and headed off on a 1 1/2 hour drive to Wadi Rum.
Wadi Rum is also known as the Valley of the Moon and is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in Southern Jordan, about 60 km to the East of Aqaba. Wadi Rum has been inhabited by human culture since prehistoric times with many cultures leaving their mark in the form of rock paintings.
Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917-1918. The area is spectacular and we took a jeep deep into the heart of the area to watch the sun set from a perch high up on a rocky crag. After sunset we spent the evening at a Bedouin camp and feasted on roasted goat and assorted side dishes. A few hours after sunset all of the camp’s lights were turned off revealing an amazing star filled sky.
The following morning at 5:00 am we met up with a young Bedouin boy and his two camels. After an interesting camel mounting experience off we rode through the desert to find a perfect location to watch the sunrise.
After an amazing camel back sunrise we headed off on a one hour drive to Aqaba, the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba and sits on the Northeastern tip of the Red Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa.
There is great diving in the area and several so-so beaches but it is a very conservative Muslim area so not comfortable for Joyce to enjoy any beach time.
The view from our hotel room looks out over a beautiful mosque and in the distance the city of Eilat in Israel.
The day time temperature was in the mid to high 30’s and so not being able to really enjoy a cooling seaside dip we decided to make a detour to Sharm El-Sheikh, on the Southern Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Below are two pictures of the view from our hotel room.
