My Visit to Jordan

Jordan was a last-minute addition to my itinerary. Petra and Jarash were on my "Must-See" list, and Amman is an amazing city with its own rich history. I had read internet accounts about how great it was to bike the King's Highway (roughly Amman to Petra) but unfortunately there was no time in my schedule to cycle very much. I lost a day to HARD rain in Amman (during which the Yahoo forecast curiously said "overcast"...) and so the only cycling I did in Jordan was 1 kilometer from my hotel to the bus terminal...

Petra's Treasury in the Morning Light

I flew from Aswan to Amman (via Cairo) with my bike boxed in the two cartons I still had from the states. Although it was 10 PM, there was convenient bus that ran to Abdahli station (really just a parking lot), just two minutes' walk to the Al Monzer hotel. Jordan has a much cleaner feel than Egypt. Friendly people and a rich history add to its appeal, and I felt at home instantly. Besides Amman, I had plans to visit Jarash and Petra. Sadly, there was no time to bike in this wonderful country, and I used the excellent bus system to get around.

Jarash, View from South Theatre

To get to Jarash, an ancient Roman outpost, I took a 7 AM bus from Abdahli station. I had bought some water and snacks the night before, and there was a street vendor at the bus station who sold excellent boiled egg & cheese sandwiches. The ride took about 50 minutes through some hilly terrain, and I walked to the ticket entrance as it opened at 8. It had just stopped raining, and I almost had the place to myself. The impressive ruins sprawl over a large area, and there are two beautiful amphitheatres here. The South theatre is the largest. Its elaborate stage reminded me of the Greek theatre at Taormina in Sicily. The theatres are in fantastic shape and are still used for performances and festivals throughout the year.

The colonnade ajoining the South theatre, is a beautiful open area bordered by scores of intact columns. Beyond this is the agora, or market, with many levels and thousands more beautiful columns. I wandered through here for hours, amazed by the state of preservation. Jarash has been compared to Pompeii, but instead of volcanic ash it was covered and preserved by sand. Further south, higher up a hill, were a few remote buildings with intact tiled floors and a few more columns. Here, I met some security guards. One, named Faisal spoke some English, and the other was studying English from a book. I produced my Arabic book, and we laughed about the content of each other's books. Faisal wedged my pocketknife's blade into a crack at the base of a huge ancient column. It wiggled steadily, thus showing how the freestanding column was actually swaying in the breeze. I gave my new Jordanian friend a Hot Wheels car and headed downhill to the small south theatre, which was undergoing tile repair on its stage floor. I found my way to the bus stop by way of a busy souk (market) and bought more tasty local fare. After returning to Amman, I walked downhill to the downtown area (complete with McDonald's) for shwerma and to visit its Roman amphitheatre. Then I taxied to the Shmeisani Safeway (an American landmark for shopping, internet access and Kentucky Fried Chicken) to send a few E-mails. On my walk home, I located the JETT (Jordan Express Tourist Transit) station for my day trip to Petra tomorrow.

 

Petra is the greatest. Everyone recognizes the treasury as the "set" for the climax of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". But there's so much more...

It's a 4-hour bus ride on the foreigners-only JETT bus, not unlike a Gray Line tour bus. The driver stops for 20 minutes about halfway at a tourist trap/restaurant that has good prices despite inevitable kickbacks. I'll only have 5 hours to explore Petra, so I'm the first person out the bus door when we finally stop. It costs JD20 for foreigners, JD1 for Jordanians. Favoritism? But there's nowhere else to compare. The hike in starts on flat PAVED asphalt for about 1 kilometer. The siq (canyon) narrows dramatically, just as shown in the Indiana Jones movie. And when you catch a first glimpse of the treasury through the narrow chasm, it really is MAGIC. Horse buggies come here, making this spot accessible to handicapped and people who can't walk far. But as impressive as it is, it's only a small part of Petra. Some people go no further and are still impressed, except for the treasury's interior. There is simply a small square room behind the ornate facade's door with an empty alcove in each wall. It LOOKS like a Hollywood set in that regard. Those nutty Nabateans blew their whole decorating budget on the outside. I gave a Hot Wheels car to a Spanish boy here with his parents.

HOT WHEELS at Petra

Petra is huge, so huge that to explore it properly, you should allow 2 full days. I'm a runner who had 5 hours to do as much as I could. There are elaborate stairways cut into the rock that you can climb for HOURS. And the stone is swirling red rock with beautiful formations in the individual steps as well as numerous caves that are passed as you climb up to the "High Place", a simple sacrificial altar (complete with blood drainage channel) at the top of a large rock hill with a tremendous view. For a tourist, I did a pretty good job going off-trail and scampering over rocks in my Nike shoes. On my way down, I was passed (badly outpaced) by sure-footed Bedouins going about their business in simple leather shoes. The park is a hiker's paradise, with many different trails, climbs, views, caves, and "buildings" carved into the surrounding cliffs. Many "temple-ish" facades are in the park, but none so well preserved as the treasury or the monastery.

The monastery, at first glance, looks a lot like the treasury. They are both carved out of stone, as opposed to constructed. The treasury is at the bottom of a canyon, carved into (and bordered all around by) a solid cliff face. The monastery, in contrast, stands alone at the top of a rock hill. A serious climb up many rock steps awaits the would-be visitor. Horses, donkeys and camels can be ridden up to the monastery, but I was determined to hike it myself. A Bedouin kid at the bottom told me that his donkey could make it there in 20 minutes, but it would take me an hour. That's all I needed. I ran most of the way up, passing tour groups resting all along the way. I made it to the top in 18 minutes. The view is awesome, and naturally includes Bedouins selling cold sodas at the top. They hike up there carrying cargo...