My Adventure Trip to Jordan
The satisfaction of reaching ones goal despite encountering a lot of setbacks is immense! I felt on the top of the world when I managed to scrape through the border to Jordan! Even though the trip didn't go as planned...still it was more exciting than it would have been, had it been planned more meticulously to avoid all the hurdles on our way!
This Eid I decided to visit Jordan with two friends. We planned to set out from Jeddah at 6:00am in the morning but when I finished packing all my stuff and went down to the parking I found that the parking and the adjoining road has been blocked due to the Eid prayers at the neighbouring mosque. We were informed that we could take our car out only after they remove the prayer matress off the road at 8:00am. So we waited and at 8:00am sharp we started from Jeddah. We followed the road along the red sea via tuhail and Rabigh heading towards Yanbu. Until then it was quite uneventful when we lost our way for a while as we couldn't decide whether to continue towards Yanbu or go towards Madinah in order to reach Tabuk. When we finally decided that we should keep near the sea we found out that we have already taken the exit for Madinah and couldn't find a proper U-turn. Finally we took a chord route to Yanbu after crossing an industrial area with 8 traffic signals. Finally we reached Yanbu.
At Yanbu we stopped for a little snack and we pressed forward for Umm-luj where we decided to have lunch which we packed from our Jeddah home. At Umm-Lujj we parked our car by the beautiful sea beach, and unpacked our lunch. We sat on a park bench by the sea and enjoyed the scenic beauty of the Red sea while having our 'Parantha and aloo subzee'. It was 2:00pm when we started again. Now we were heading towards Alwajh and Duba. The Road to Duba was a narrow double carriageway but the view on either side was breathtaking!
At Duba we left behind the sea and turned right towards Tabuk. Tabuk is one of the most cleanest cities that I have encountered during my traverse across the entire Saudi. I found more patient Saudis there. The people there were real gentlemen and for a change it was a pleasure talking with them!
From Tabuk we headed on to the Haalat Aammar border with Jordan. When we reached the Border it was already 9:00pm at night. At the Border it was a huge task explaining them that we want to go to Jordan for a visit but we don't have a visa & that we needed one. We exhausted all our Arabic vocabulary and even used sign language and a tourist map of Jordan to make them understand. But they were very co-operative all along. Atlast they said something in Arabic and put an exit stamp in our passport. We were jubilant until they asked for a tafeet(authorization) for the vehicle. "Wayn Tafeet seyieera?" As it is a vehicle owned by our shirks we carry an authorization with us and we candidly handed it to them. It was an Arabic letter with a seal. Then came the scrutiny.....then a shake of the head then a second scrutiny by the captain and then came the answer "fee tafeet Qatar, KSA, Oman.......maafi Urdoon" "Khallas roh Tabuk" We requested but nothing came of it. But atlast the captain took us to an Hindi Naffer and explained to us that it is possible if we went back to Tabuk and took a rent-a-car and came back. They cancelled our exit stamp with a comment and we immediately went to the Tabuk Airport. There all car-rental agencies refused to give a car for Jordan as the Muroor is closed for the Eid and no tafeet is possible. They asked us to come after the Eid. We were extremely disappointed when one car rental Naffer gave us a brilliant idea! He told us to go to the Haql/ Aqabah border where it would be possible to avail a border Taxi ferry service.
With renewed hopes and energy we immediatey headed towards the Aqabah border. When we reached the border it was almost morning. We explained to the border guards and almost immediately they asked us to park our car in a fenced parking area. Thereafter we were taken to some border crossing agents who charged 150SR per head to cross the border. But he did not guarantee the Visa. We haggled with him and made him agree at 100SR per person. Atlast we had our exit stamped and crossed the border to Aqabah. once at Jordan it was easier to explain to the Captain that we needed a 14 day visa upon arrival for touring the country. He asked us where we wanted to go and stamped the Visa after a few queries! We were elated! The Taxi dropped us at the Aqabah JET bus service Mahatta. From there we took a bus to Amman.
At Amman we hired a Taxi and went to Budget, Hertz, Avis, europcar and all that was on offer was a Mercedes S class for 300 JD which was too expensive for us. So we continued with our Taxi. We settled for 200 JD for Jerash, Dead Sea and Petra.
We did an hurricane tour of Jerash and then headed to the dead sea. Jerash is beautiful! We were in the Roman Decapolis! We tried to soak in the atmosphere. And there was the hippodrome with the horses. I felt like Judah BenHur and wanted to pose for some photos on a Roman chariot, but we hadn't the time for that! There was Hadrian's Victory arch. We snapped a few pics and had an Arab style lunch in a local restaurant.
Thereafter we went to the dead sea to relax in the balmy waters. People say the mud has a therapeutic effect on the skin...so we put some on my belly and went off to float on the water. It was nice and I didn't feel like coming back to the coast. It was a nice resort which offered toilets and baths(albeit dirty) and had nice swimming pools. After dipping in the swimming pools and having a thorrough bath we headed for Petra which was to be our final destination. Soon we were in for the shock of our life! The road to Petra from Amman was extremely dangerous with steep slopes(some about 45 degrees) and sharp curves. The Taxi driver was as reckless as can be and every 2 minutes we had to say "shwai shwai" but to no avail. Then came the most horrific part. Suddenly the roads became desolate and dark and the steep slopes and curves increased. We were afraid for our lives. The Cabbie also looked tense! He kept on talking over the phone with someone. That made us more nervous. We even thought that if he mugged us we would be at his mercy! After manoeuvering such dangerous roads for almost 3 hours we came again saw some lights and a trace of a small hill town. The town was called Tafilah. After a long drive across many hills and Wadis including Wadi Musa we reached Petra, only to find that it is not open to visitors at night. However this time we were very tired after the long excurson so we were not so keen to go inside the Petra. But, 'inchalla' we will go back after a month to see the Petra which is now among the 7 wonders of the new world.
I came back with pleasant memories of the trip. I found the people of Jordan extremely friendly and modest. They are very accomodating to foreigners and are always willing to help. I have attached a few photos from my trip but I am afraid the pics aren't so good as I am not a skilled photographer!
it is very terrific journey as pictures speak and tell us the story
QS it was 20JD before. But after it was included in the New 7 wonders of the world they have increased it to 50JDb for each person. If you want to hire a guide that will cost you another 50JD for the group.
50JD?? I was in Petra last year, I think it was around 20JD, not 50 for sure.. Hhmmm.. And yes, we were walking in Petra 7 hours non stop, including climbing the stairs up to the sky for about couple of hours... On our way back we were out of any energy, so we rode the horses.. Then we proceeded to Aqaba.. Before Petra we stopped at Dead sea... I liked this trip a lot.. Although I think Jordanian authorities could invest much more into tourism, and get huge income out of it accordingly.. There are so many historical sights, attractions and places for resorts, that could be developed dramatically and make a profitable investment.. As of today wherever you go you feel lack of civilization, starting from challenge of getting a bottle of water in Petra. They say, Aqaba is getting better, but ironically, just few meters across the border, there is Eilat, all flooded with lights, you can feel high pulse of night life there, while Aqaba is mostly in darkness, and there is basically no a night life whatsoever.. That's where Jordan could make a lot of money!
Yes it was a terrific journey indeed! Right now I am sifting through the pics....Will post some as soon as I finish sorting them.
Great post edifis..sounds like you had a terrific journey!
Would love to see pics!
After my previous trip in which I couldn't enter with my car I decided to go back to Jordan again....this time with 'a tafeet for the seyieera'.
This time around I could visit a few more places which I missed out on my last trip. I was finally able to enter the Petra...although it was very tiring on foot but every bit of effort was worth it! Petra is magnificient!Although I would say the entry fee of 50JD(about 270QR) per person is quite exorbitant. It took a whole day to go around Petra and in the evening I found myself drawing from my last reserves. Finally I slumped into the car quite breathless and replenished my energy with a few bananas and chilled beer which we had brought along from Aqaba. Then I went back to the hotel in Aqaba.
Next day we went to the 'Wadi rum' On my way I saw the old Wadi rum-Hejaz railway. 'Wadi rum' offered some exhilarating views. I enjoyed the vast wilderness of the valley and tried to imagine how it would have been to ride with the bedouins! Although the scenery was good I couldn't do justice to it with my limited photographic skills and an ordinary camera. Oh! how I wished I had a good camera with me!
On our last day we started our journey from Aqaba and decided to drive to Amman. We started on the King's Highway but suddenly we decided to take the exit to the hill roads to Tafilah & AlKarak. This road led to the Dead sea Highway and there was some wonderful sceneries on the way and was a pleasure driving. It was the day of the Eid and the little towns were all celebrating. The hills commanded a beautiful view of the valleys below. There were some old ruins along the way...I am not sure Nabatean, Roman or Byzantine...but I saw a sign showing the way to some old castles and another showing a byzantine church. At the end of the hills I could see the salt reefs which was once the land of 'Sodom & Gomorrah'. A few miles to the North we came to a place which is demarcated as "Lot's cave". We climbed up the small hill and the guide told us that this was the place where Lot & his daughters had taken refuge during the destruction of 'Sedom & gommorah'! We found a tomb which was supposed to be Lot's and the remains of what was once a well and a fountain!
From there we went to Jericho to see the 'Baptism site of Jesus' but just a 100m ahead we found a millitary check post and they informed us that it is open only upto 3:00pm every day as it was the border between Jordan and the Occupied land of Palestine(West Bank). So we went down to the Dead sea resort of Amman Beach and enjoyed ourselves by floating on our back.
So thats all this time folks. Next time I will go to Madaba and Mt. Nebo to see the frescos.
Pics coming soon.
Fantastic pictures and commentry.Thank you for sharing your holiday with us all.Glad you had a well earned break.
nomerci got it 100% right. It was vacation and absolute vacation...only to relax & enjoy! ...not to ponder upon problems of society.
Slapper, sometimes one only wants to see the sights and is not particularly interested in the obvious or not so obvious problems within a society. It's called a vacation. People do take those sometimes.
agreed. That's why to really experinece a country and discover its soul, spend as much time with the locals and miminse the no brain tourist hang outs.
Hey slapper..It is not possible to comment on the figures stated by you as the social disparity and unrest does not manifest itself to tourists on the day of the festivities! But if those statistics are correct then there must be discontent simmering underneath...but it is not possible to discern these things unless you mix very closely with the society!
Hey Edifis - i read that Amman is one of the most polarised cities in tne world with the risch west and the slums of the east. With a polpulation consisting of 70 percnet under 30 years facing a bleak future and unemployement at 30%, instablity and social unrest in Jordon will be no suprise to anyone.
Dear Slapper we went during the Eid.....Everybody was busy with the festivities, so I didn't really notice any social unrest or any trace of discontent amongst the people! But then these are things which can only be felt if you stay long enough and mingle with the society.
hey edifis - did you notice the huge gap between the rich and the poor and did you pick up on any social unrest the might be bubbling underneath the surface??
Doha Knight....Kay?
Doha Knight I didn't wake up early as I never slept!
FA I didn't need alarm clocks as I didn't sleep the whole time! I was awake even on the night before and joined a nightly adda!
TB, Britex, Colt, nishat, nomerci, Fatimah, Caballero & Ghazalz...thank you all for taking the time to read about my little adventure!
It feels really nice to share the experience with you guys!
Really enjoyed reading your tour de Jordan...and pictures added the flavor to your write up!
edifis, Are you still in Jeddah...I thought you're back!
Did you make it to Petra. It was my most favorite site to see in my life. Amazing the history of the Middle East.
Edifis, Firstly, how did you wake up so early in the morning when you started from Jeddah..:) Do you think I will believe you started early as that..:)
Well, Glad that you had fun..would love to listen to details when you come to Doha next. This time we will spend some time on the court or QBC as well. Bhalo Thakish.
TFS...would love to drive over there as well. Very scenic and beautiful!
Edifis, i hope you packed some Alarm Clocks, like you use to do it in the College days... :P
Dear God edifis..you sure have a lot of stamina and determination! Glad you enjoyed yourself:)
nice pics..never thought that jordan might be so adventurous..nice detailed writing..
That was some adventure I'd say... nice reading :-)
Excellent. Glad you had an enjoyable trip .. TFS
TFS... I enjoyed reading that ;)
Yeah it's the strangest town I have seen yet! There were a few marriages being celebrated, and they were making strange sounds which resembled a choir song! In local lingo the ceremony was called Aarush.
I lived in Jordan for 3 years....it is indeed the most stunning country with the nicest people I have ever been to. Tafilal.....ha ha ....strange place!
He He! I like Red!
Edifis you are wearing the same red shirt, which you used to wear when playing TT.... :P
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:3799:]]A view of Jerusalem from Dead sea resort.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:3798:]][[wysiwyg_imageupload:3797:]]Here are a few more pics from the trip.