A Different Kind of Tour: After our crowded bus tour through Israel, we headed for a very different experience in Jordan. No religious focus (although Ramadan began while we were in Jordan) , no large groups, ONLY a support system that helped us tailor the experience to our own desires. Working with Jordan Direct Tours, we enjoyed a reasonably priced personal tour with just one car, our driver, and us. The company was great to work with, and our driver, Suffien was terrific. To check out Jordan Direct Tours, Click Here.
Our week in Jordan so exceeded any expectations we had. I don’t think Jordan is on many Americans’ bucket list. However, we highly recommend adding it, if you can. The country, the culture, the history the archeological sites and the wonderful, kind people made this experience so memorable for us. This is the first of three separate blog posts for our Jordan experience.
Our crossing from Israel into Jordan: A most interesting travel day.
On our own once more, Sara and I took a taxi from Jerusalem, back to the desert, to the Allenby Bridge, known in Jordan as the King Hussein Bridge. Here we would cross into Jordan. We didn’t have the Visas we would need to enter Jordan, but Jordan Direct, promised to provide them and meet us at the border crossing.
The taxi took us to a bus stop on the Israeli side of the bridge, where we paid a fee for the crossing and then waited for the bus. This was simple enough once we found the spot to catch the bus. Sara texted Jordan Direct that we were on our way, and soon we crossed the bridge into Jordan. There we entered the chaos of the King Hussein Bridge Terminal.
It was crowded with scores of people speaking, and often shouting, in languages we don’t know. They issue no visas here, so many who just arrived were frustrated, unable to enter without the necessary documents. Some sat with their luggage, waiting for help to arrive and we saw one or two women crying. Long suffering workers, protected only by their Plexiglas windows, tried to deal with ten or more people, all demanding their attention at one time. At each window a circle of people, all striving to push in closer, shouted and reached in with their documents – no polite ques here.
We watched for a while, somewhat amused and somewhat nervous, wondering how we should move on. But happily, we were rescued when Raeed from Jordan Direct found us, greeted us with a smile and showed us our documents. Then he moved up to a window, pushing his way in. It’s great to have someone who knows how to work the system.
Soon we left the terminal, and Raeed led us just a short walk to the car where we first met our driver, Suffien. From there, we drove out of the desert and up to the Jordanian capital of Amman. Suffien brought us to our very nice hotel where we settled in for the evening. Unfortunately, on this hot spring day, the AC was not yet in service. But the hotel featured a lovely rooftop restaurant with views all around the city.
4/2/2022: Day Two: We headed north of Amman to visit:
- Ajloun Castle is a 12th-century Muslim fortress in northwestern Jordan. A well-preserved example of medieval Arab military architecture, once governed by Saladin himself, the fortress sits above the town of Aljoun. It was built by the Ayyubids in the 12th century and enlarged by the Mamluks in the 13th.
- Jerash: Known as the “City of a Thousand Pillars” and sometimes as the “Pompeii of the East,” Jerash is a large and well-preserved Roman city. Today the excavation site features a large theater, a lovely oval Piazza, and a long, column-lined main street. You can see just the tops of some columns, protruding from the ground, to remind you that further layers underground have yet to be excavated.
- We lunched at the Artemis Restaurant on our return from Jerash. They offered a very nice buffet with some truly great humus. Then we returned to our Amman hotel for the evening.
4/3/2022: Day Three: Happy Birthday, Sara!! And Welcome to the First Day of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, lasting 29 to 30 days. Observing the month of Ramadan as a time of daily fasting, prayer, and reflection is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Observant adult Muslims fast from dawn to sunset each day. The fast serves many purposes. It commemorates the first revelation given to Muhammad, and it reminds us more vividly of the plight of the poor and suffering. The Five Pillars also require generosity to support the poor and others in the community.
We learned a lot about Ramadan from Suffien, our driver. We noticed that the city was not busy during the hot, daytime hours, but it would spring to life at sunset. Most restaurants were closed except for a few in the most touristy of areas. In our experience, Muslims seem to enjoy the Ramadan fast as they look forward to ending each day enjoying a meal with friends and family.
- The Citadel in the center of Amman is a large fortress that goes back thousands of years, even prior to the Romans. Today it’s a major excavation site atop one of Amman’s many hills. It features the remains of the Roman Temple of Hercules, the Umayyad Palace and great views over downtown, as well as the National Archeological Museum. Suffien arranged an English-speaking guide to help us better appreciate the site. We’ve learned that having a guide is well worth the money.
- From the Citadel we enjoyed a birds-eye view of the well-preserved Roman Theater. With seating for an audience of six thousand, this impressive theater is the largest in Jordan. After touring the Citadel, we visited the theater for a closer look. Adjacent to the theater, we also checked out the small Folklore Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions.
- Then Suffien himself became our guide for a walk through the Center of old Amman. For us, it looked like a pleasant marketplace, with lots of shops. But Suffien said it looked like a ghost town. All the restaurants and coffee shops are closed, even on this warm, sunny day. This is Ramadan in a Muslim country. After sunset, it will all come to life again.
- From Amman, we headed back down to the dessert for one night in a wonderful resort hotel on the Dead Sea. At 395 feet below sea level, it’s the lowest land on Earth. This was our second opportunity to swim/float in the salt-rich waters of the Dead Sea. The beach here was much nicer, far more inviting than the mucky black waters on the Israeli side.
4/4/2022: Day Four: We Travel South along the King’s Highway, once part of the ancient Silk Road.
- Mount Nebo: Where Moses saw the Promised Land before his death. A very nice tourist spot with a small museum, a modern church built upon the ruins of an old monastery, and fabulous views from the mountaintop all around the area. The site is built and managed by the Franciscans, who take great pains to preserve and display the many ancient mosaics on the site.
- Madaba: The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George: Like many orthodox churches, this one is filled with icons and mosaics. An amazing mosaic on the floor goes back to the 6th Century CE. It provides a detailed and surprisingly accurate map of the Holy Land, and especially of Jerusalem.
- Madaba: The City of Mosaics: Our next stop was a shop where beautiful mosaics are made and sold. A young man took us into the workroom where four or five workers were creating the mosaics, selecting the colored stones and skillfully placing and gluing them into the pattern. They provide work for the disabled, so the government supports them, allowing them to package and ship items at no cost. Although the shop was full of beautiful furniture and gorgeous images, we soon realized that — even with free shipping — their products were beyond our price range.
- Shobak Castle: A crusader fortress built by King Baldwin 1115. From this fortress, the Crusaders could watch and protect caravans of pilgrims and merchants. It was defeated in 1189 by Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. It’s a large fortress atop a huge mountain overlooking the desert landscape. In the 14th Century, the castle was taken over by Muslim soldiers known as the Mamluks. Today much of it is still in ruins, although efforts to restore are evident. The view around these desert mountains is fascinating.
- From Shobak Castle, our driver took us further south, through the dessert, to Wadi Musa (Arabic for “Valley of Moses”), the tourist town built around the remains of the ancient city of Petra. After our long drive, we would have time for dinner and then our first glimpse of Petra with Petra by Night.
