Wadi Rum

For me, the (surprising) highlight of our trip to Jordan was the jeep drive into Wadi Rum, the desert. In a dilapidated Toyota jeep that looked as old (and proved as sturdy!) as the mountains themselves, we drove into the desert. My first time in the desert since we were in Egypt, I was again struck by the difference between traveling in Egypt and Jordan. In the former, the desert is swarmed with camels and small-time merchants trying to swindle tourists whereas in the later the desert is quiet. Needless to say, Wadi Rum is more beautiful than the desert in Luxor or Cairo. In Wadi Rum, the sand is combed by the wind, peppered with stones and laced with mountains. The only evidence of mammalian presence is the fading camel footprints.

The Dead Sea

Jordan’s seaside reminded me of west Ireland’s Connemara’s Clifden. The sea water is still and the beach is quiet.  At the Movenpick Resort I gamely coated myself with mud and floated in the salty Dead Sea.  I was able to simultaneously wave my arms and legs, buoyed by the saline water.

Petra

The sunrise morning call to prayer woke us up on Christmas Day, the day we were visiting Petra, the major reason for us visiting Jordan. Much to my surprise, the ancient city of Petra is much larger than I expected. We hiked for what felt like miles into the city to explore the Treasury as well as the amphitheatre, tombs, temple, priest’s home and residential spaces. Petra stinks of many discrete smells: mules, horses and burning juniper trees. The local children look smaller than their peers in London and New York and wear what looks like colourful hand-me-downs. With faces that look like they’ve been shined with dirt rather than soap, they try to sell us postcards. The valley was so cold my teeth felt like they were chilled on ice.
What surprised me about Petra and about Jordan in general was the natural beauty that the country has to offer in addition to the cultural sightseeing. The rocks are tinted red but upon a closer look, a myriad of shades of orange, pink, purple and yellow emerge, and figures of wealthy traders and camels are carved into the stone.

Aqaba

Within minutes of landing in Jordan, M was already a mini celebrity. We were back in the Middle East where M’s name draws attention from the sleepiest of customs officials. Amidst a sea of blue-eyed blondes waiting to enter the country, M is always in the spotlight.  Although M got the same attention in Jordan as he did in Egypt last Christmas, the countries are nothing alike.  In Egypt it was rare for local women to walk in public spaces even in a group or with male members of their family whereas in Jordan I noticed a number of women accompanying their husband to dinner or shopping in Aqaba.  Whereas in Egypt someone was always trying to sell us something (a scarf, nuts, etc.), the merchants in Jordan are less aggressive and more respectful of body space. Overall, Jordan feels like a much more civilised country than both Egypt and Morocco.

The city of Aqaba is located in southern Jordan and is surrounded by rose-colored mountains and silk-like sand deserts.  After visiting the local aquarium  where I spotted a fish that looked like it grew hands and reminded me of a recent gift my bro got me (N.S.’s “Your Inner Fish”), we took a glass-bottom boat ride in the Gulf of Aqaba where we witnessed a lively and colourful world under water.