Day 19 - we rolled out of Wadi Rum at 8.10am after watching the sun come up over the desert from our tent (fancy one with a shower & toilet). I went and climbed a rock pile and Jeremy set out across the wadi as the sun crept over the nearby hills - very still, cool and calm. Three camels with riders up, padded past in the distance and I knew I wasn’t in Nelson. Once the sun came over the tops it was time to go.
4 hours later we were in Amman, looking for the Citadel, the Roman amphitheatre and Hill 3039. Our guide Majdi & driver Basil (a purebred Jordanian with 6 kids) found all three targets with ease and I was very happy. The Citadel is an old castle area on a hill in the middle if the old part of the city. Great lesson in local history- interesting stuff but for me it was mostly about the fabulous view of the Roman amphitheatre - and further away the Hill 3039 that the NZ Mounted Rifles attacked during the 1st battle of Amman in Feb 1918. Night attack, bayonets only for a start, terrible wet cold winter weather against a well equipped dug in Ottoman defence. We lost - no surprise given the odds. 3039 is the hill behind the amphitheatre in the attached pic. We drive up to the top of 3039 but couldn’t find an open spot at the top - houses all over the area these days(built back in the 1960s according to our guide).
In the amphitheatre Jeremy and I did a duet performance of the ‘Bush Christening’ for the assembled throng. Polite applause followed. Actually the acoustics weren’t that good cf the amphitheatre at Ephesus - location of my last amphitheatre effort.
Then it was back through the Amman OTT traffic, 2 beers and into bed - getting ready for the 2am start tomorrow- heading for London.