Jordan

When

  • March/April 2012 for six days

Places

Ajlun castle ruins

  • On top of a hill and pretty well preserved.

Jerash city ruins

  • Massive ruins very spread out – it even had an area for chariot racing;
  • There was a huge amphitheatre where some locals were playing some music which sounded great and we danced along.

Wadi Rum

  • Camping under the stars here in the middle of the desert was great and we went for a few walks up the dunes and through the mountains;
  • We had a jeep safari here driving all through the Wadi Rum desert and to some stunning look out spots;
  • My birthday here so they surprised me with a birthday cake – in the middle of the desert!!

Petra

  • Geez this place is pretty damn impressive, the Monastery especially;
  • The entrance fee is not cheap (about $50) but lasts for two days – make the most of it and take your time exploring the many many caves;
  • You can even ride a donkey up to the monastery if the walk is a bit steep.
Petra Monastrary..
Petra Monastery..

Aquaba

  • A cool coastal town where locals swarm the beach;
  • We went on a glass bottom boat where they showed us a sunken Palestinian tank which they were pretty proud about;
  • Locals were leading horses and camels up and down the beach for rides and even a dancing camel!!!
Aquaba from the water..
Aquaba from the water..

Accommodation

  • Jordan Tower Hotel had hostel rooms in Amman
  • Wadi Rum desert camp – incredible!
  • Accommodation was organised through the tour

Language

  • Arabic but English is fairly common and you shouldn’t have any issues.
  • Hello: Salām (Arabic)
  • Thank you: Shukran
  • Good bye: bāy bāy
  • Yes / No: na’am / lā

Visa

  • Jordan tourist visa is required for Australians on arrival, visa fee JOD10 ($14.10USD)
Stunning..
Stunning..

 

Money

  • Jordanian Dinar (0.70 JOD = $1 USD)

Food

  • Mezze platters which includes food such as hummus, falafel, pickled vegetables, baba ghanoush, tabouleh, olives, pickles and other various dishes
  • Fatoush, tabouleh and baba ghanoush are big salads and quite common
  • Mixed grill kababs – Kofta is delicious with ground meat and various spices
  • Mansaf is a traditional Jordanian dish made of lamb cooked in a sauce of fermented dried yogurt called Jameed and served with rice or bulgur
  • Typical breakfast – white cheese, cucumber and tomato – in a salad
The tea man in Aquaba.!
The tea man in Aquaba.!

Tips and tricks

  • I cannot recommend Petra enough. I personally had not read much about it before I went to Jordan but it is one of my favourite places there – just so incredible and amazing how they could build something so massive!
  • Aquaba is a little town off the normal path and it was cool that a few of us went here instead of the Dead Sea (I had been there in Israel so didn’t need to pay for it again). There was a hive of activity with kids running around splashing in the water and even a dancing camel!

Jordan blog posts

Goobers..
Goobers..

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