Bye Bye Dubai, and

Amman....Oh man!!

My very first day in Jordan was confronting from the get-go. In Amman traffic is a contact sport; indicators are purely optional and line-markings are more like "guidelines" than boundaries; speed is entirely arbitrary; and, although they are meant to drive on the opposite side of the road to us - its not really all that clear. I wish I had something nice to say about the hotel - other than Im glad its "one night only". The staff chain-smoke indoors, theres an odd (non smoke related) smell throughout the place, everything in the room is cracked, ripped, stained or duct tapped togther, and I was physically afraid of the black mould in the shower! Clearly its been a while since I stayed in a backpackers!!

My first venture out into Ammani life put me front and centre with the thing that was going to challenge me most - Arab men. The streets and sidewalks are their domain. It also seems customary to leer. Not just a double-take or a glance, but a full-on watch-every-step-you-take ogle. I was alert, not alarmed, and just pulled my wrap tighter around my shoulders. At any rate my adventure to the Roman Theatre and Citadel in "Downtown" (at the hotel managers suggestion) was turning into Homers Odessey. "Just follow this road and veer left", he said "just ask anyone on the street, they will help you." Not only could I not find anyone on the street who spokle English, I couldnt find anyone who knew what the Citadel was! All I knew it was the highest point in Amman above the Roman Theatre, so I was looking for the tallest minaret I could find. No avail. I stumbled on the Roman Theatre quite by accident when I spotted it in a crack in some construction fencing. It took my breath away! I couldnt find a way in at the entrance sign but managed find a side entrance guarded by tourist police. For the $1JD entry fee I was in and gob-smacked. It is stunningly preserved, and massive!! You need to be part mountain goat to climb it and part base jumper to get back down - not for those afraid of heights!! (And if I could find a compter that could upload my photos I would have some for you!!)

It was there at the top of the amphitheatre that I realised the monument above it wasnt the Citadel, and that the Citadel wasnt a minaret. It was high above the hill opposite the theatre. It WAS the hill opposite the theatre - an old roman fort. Doh!! With blistered feet sceaming at me I realised I wasnt going to make it up the hill by foot so I tried to hail a taxi - again I couldnt find one who knew what the citadel was and my frantic pointing above me didnt seem to help matters - so it was 800 odd steps later and a scramble up the side of a hill and I was in - not the front entrance (again) as it turned out. The Citadel is also breath-taking. It is perched atop one of the 7 hills on which Amman is settled. Smack bang in the middle with Amman spreading out 360 degrees around it. It is home to the Temple of Hercules, and old Byzantine chuch, the Amman museum (of sorts), and numerous other ruins.

That night our tour group met up then went out for dinner. Its amazing really - you go half-way around the world to meet people and you end up on a tour group with two other couples from Australia. Not that I mind, they are great guys - in their twenties and early 30s. Our tour leader seems happy to have a small group of Aussies anyway. Aparently our group was to be 12 but many cancelled given the situation Egypt. At least I have a room to myself!! We ventured out for tea "downtown" to a little place called Hashems which served the same fare to everyone: pita bread, hommos, a fava bean dip, a tomato/cucumber/mint side salad, and falafel - oh and sweet tea in a glass (no milk). Very fresh, very nice and VERY cheap - 8 dinar (about $10) for the five of us!! One of the couples had tried sheesha in a cafe bar around the corner and we were keen to give it a go. Sheesha (it turns out) is tobacco leaves and an optional flavouring (I chose mint to go with my hot chocolate as an "after dinner mint"), which is covered with foil and hot coals placed on top if it. You smoke it though a long pipe and its filtered through water in the bottom of it. It seemed quite innocuous, didnt taste like cigarettes and was a lot of fun. Until.....things seemed to get a little fuzzy and a bit light headed and, are you sure its just tobacco and, maybe Ive had enough now thanks. (We discovered the next day from Faisal, our tour leader that Sheesha is the equivalent of 2 packs of cigarettes and is really really bad for you. Ooops. Have to say though, I didnt feel like Id smoked 2 packs and Im not hankering for another one - at least it wasnt full of all the other crap our cigarettes are.)

Sunday morning we met our driver Mustafa we were away. Sidebar - Faisal and Mustafa have worked together for years and are like travelling with Hamish and Andy. They're a scream. Our first stop was in Madaba where we asked to take a detour to see the mosaic map of the holy land created in the 6th century, but as luck would have it, closed on Sunday. Never mind, we're told, we can take you to see a copy at a local foundation for disabled women. The foundation is funded by the Jordanian goverment, much like Bedford Industries, though much smaller. The mosaic works they create are exquisite. The temptation to buy was strong until one girl came up to me as we were wandering through the shop and introduced herself as my guide, didnt bat an eyelid when I said I was already here with one, then proceeded to walk at my heels wherever I went, until I lost her down an aisle where I was promptly picked up by another one - then all hell broke loose. It turns out the girls have their own "code" and the first girl thought the second girl was closing in on her (what I assumed to be) commission. I left them screaming at each other and made my way back to the bus.

Soon after, we alighted at Mt Nebo. The site where Moses saw the promised land in Israel. I gotta say folks - I dont get it. Maybe 2500 years ago the area was covered in vegetation and had a lot more water, but I didnt see a promised land from where I was standing. The Jordan valley itself looks beautiful, but everything else is desert, hard rocky desert. All the same, it is surreal to stand in the places that have formed so much of our historical and religious narrative. From Mt Nebo the Dead Sea beckoned in the near distance and half an hour later we were in our togs and slapping black mud all over ourselves (here is where Im glad I cant upload photos). For those that dont know - the Dead Sea is 400m below sea level and is 30% saline due to high evaporation and lack of freshwater inflow from the Jordan River. It is dropping further each and every year. Another side-bar: Jordan is what much of SA could become if the Murray dies. We have very similar geology - limestone and sandstone, very ancient and eroded landscapes and a lack of freshwater channels. It also forms part of the border with Israel so there is a 250m limit to how far you can swim out. The Dead Sea mud is high in minerals and prized for its healing properties. At 3 JD it seemed a bargain. After 20 mins of looking across the sea at Israel, it was time to take a dip, only theres no dipping in the Dead Sea - the salt would burn your eyes out, and it is impossible to submerge, so you can look like youre skydiving on your belly with legs and arms in the air (I do have photographic proof, if only I could share it). One oustanding Jordanian buffet lunch later and we were back in the bus.

Kerak Castle was next. Id heard it wasnt worth looking at - but I loved it. Built in the mid 12th century, during the second crusade and was the stronghold of the infamous Reynald de Chatillon (think Kingdom of Heaven). The castle is expansive, though really only the underground sections remain preserved. The castle sits in another range, at much higher altitude and is lush and green compared to the rest of Jordan - it is the fruit bowl of the country.

We arrived in Petra after dark. It had been a huge day. For such a tiny country, Jordan really packs in sites of significance. More on Petra to come.