After travelling through Libya and Egypt, I crossed over to Jordan, using the ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba. Jordan made such a pleasant change – things generally worked, and while things could be a little more expensive, you never felt that people were trying to rip you off. A much nicer experience.
The premier tourist destination in Jordan is of course Petra. Even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve probably seen it in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” The key sites of the Treasury and the Monastery are very impressive, but some of the other parts do require a little imagination.
Here’s a few different views of the Treasury, the first thing you see on getting through Al-Siq
What Roman-controlled city would be complete without an amphitheatre? Those guys did love their theatre
It’s a fairly long haul up to the Monastery, but worth it. Here’s a shot from the path up there, and the Monastery itself.
Everywhere I went in the Middle East, people were trying to sell me camel rides. I managed to avoid them all though, I don’t like the way they treat their animals
We had a nice day travelling from Wadi Musa up to Amman, stopping at Crusader castles, and the Dead Sea. Notice the haze in the air? The taxi driver thought that was a pretty clear day. I think it must be dust from the desert.
Obviously we had to go for a swim in the Dead Sea, then coat ourselves in the mud afterwards. A strange experience – the water is like a fine baby oil, and feels odd on your skin. A bit of fun though. If you look closely, you can see Israel in the background. It’s also a bit weird being so far below sea level – 418m.
Some kids I met in Amman wanted me to take a photo of them. The one at the back was a bit too cool for school though.
100 years ago, Amman had around 2,000 people. These days it’s more like 2.5 million. Not suprisingly, it’s really just a great big dirty city, lacking a little in planning.
