My wonderful trip in Jordan

My trip began and ended in Madaba, an ancient city. I rented the car via Monte Carlo rent a car company and all worked very good. It was nice driving through the country from Madaba until to Aqaba and then back with detour to Aljoun.

In Madaba I stayed a couple of days and have been to look at the famous mosaic Map Madaba in Saint Gorge Church. Was a little disappointed because I thought it is bigger than it was and also because in the church it was quite dark, so the mosaic appeared not so good. But anyway it was really interesting to see it and even the church self was nice.

More than that I not visited because I decided to do it then when I will be back from my trip. Instead I have gone to Monte Nebo and look at this hill from where Moses saw his beloved country, but could not go there and got to die on the hill, where it is now a church for his memory.

Unfortunately I could not see the church inside because Italian people who took care of the whole area there had renovate it, but it was possible to go around there and look at the wonderful view over the landscape. I got to see also Jericho, which I would like to visit, but not this time when I would travel only in Jordan. So it wait for me one other time :) 

There down somewhere was Jericho, so near, only 27 km. 

I like such dry almost deserted landscape, I don't know why, but it is so exciting in my eyes, or rather not so exciting as mystical can I say, so beautiful. Many my friends don't understand me, why I felt in love with the desert, they see only sand and stone like here in Jordan, but it is wonderful. My beloved landscape ☺

Back to Madaba I tog one detour to the mountain there or how I would call those hills and it was funny to meet camel and sheep and goats on the road so we had to wait before especially one goat moved and let us pass. 

 

Then we came to the end of the paved road and it was finish even with piste so we turned and gone back to Madaba.

Next day we started the trip to Karak and gone on only small roads, because I not like big roads and moreover small roads go deeply through the country and small villages and it is the best way to learn about the country a little more.

The dam here is Mujib dam, it was quite big dam and we made stop at some cafe up on the hill with a wonderful view over the whole area there. The owner of cafe said to us that there down is one cemetery 2000 year old, so I have to believe him, of course. He was happy over us because we were his first visitors that day with him. He told that nowadays are not so many tourists traveling to Jordan, and his life begin be also difficult economical. 5 years ago there were many tourists so he needed to have more employees, now he can manage the all self only.

I made him more happy when I bought one "old" coin from him. He claimed it was about 3000 years old and is from the time of King Mescha, the king of Moab. And, that he self found the coin there near his cafe. As opposed to the cemetery 2000 years old so I do not believe much of this second statement, but a nice souvenir it is. It costs 20 JOD so even the price is really cheap, but if he found it self so ??? LOL

Then we arrived to Karak and after to find the hotel Cairwan with help of one locals, because even if the hotel was right on the street we drove on so we were blind and not saw it. It was nice small hotel in very good location and nice view to all sides including Karak castle.

After we checked and leave our luggage at hotel, we gone to find the road to the castle. It was not so easy, because self town is a little chaotic, streets are going here and there and no signs to the castle we found either. But at finish I parked somewhere there I thought it can be near the castle and it showed that I had right.

Not so good picture, but it was difficult to find some good place and take a good picture of the whole castle.

It was so big, so I could take only small parts of the castle. It was nice and interesting, I have never seen before any crusader castle of course so it was extra exciting.  I had Jordan pass so I could go without to pay for entrance ticket so it worked good with this pass.

There were upper and lower court so it took quite long time to walk through there. Prison was there also, kitchen and shops too. About 20 thousand people was living there around that time. Walls was well preserved, though they have also restored it not so long time ago have I heard.

 














We spent one night there and next day it was time to go to Petra, it was about 180 km from Karak.

We drove again on only small roads, through Tafilah, the town where Lawrence on his rid toward Damascus had a fight with Turks and killed all of them.
But, this event happened only in the movie. Not in T.E.Lawrence book Seven Pillars of Wisdom where indeed it happened in another way.

Such small roads we were driving and it was really funny and enjoyable to drive there and see landscape which was a little green also.

 

Then it happened what could end really bad. We had GPS, normally I not like and not need to have GPS but this time I decided to have it, because the map I had was not much detailed and as said, I wanted to go only on small roads. By the way, it was almost Sean Connery voice talking, so I started calling GPS for Sean ☺

I drove and "Sean" said to me Turn right, but I didn't it because it was one more smaller road there and I was thinking it cannot be there I would turn right, even if I saw not any other road turning right. So I continued but "Sean" insisted I would turn back, then make U turn and turn right, to that small road. So I was thinking OK, I do it.

Then I slowed down because the road went up a little bit and I wanted to see which direction it continues, because sometimes appeared not the continuation. And then suddenly I got to brake hard, because I saw that the road ended there, went nowhere, just down to the precipice. Ch. Then I backed as quickly as possible to not stand so close to the edge, and went out of the car and took these photos as a reminder of where we could end up if I had not such a good reaction. And brake of course too.

It seems here on the picture above where I stopped the car. Really near the edge it was. Still I feel me strange looking at those pictures. Not good feeling it is to think at what could happen. Since that I not trusted much to "Sean" and every time we drove up I slowed extra much for to see in time the direction of the road. But then, the rest of our trip never happened something like this, so it was good and nice. ☺

After arrival to Petra we not did much, it was a little late to go and visit it, so we stayed at hotel only, then

gone to the dinner and sat a while overlooking Petra at night.

What is to write about Petra? Many people saw pictures, heard and read about this wonderful place from the time so many years ago, about the mysterious Nabataeans period known for its life and architecture, so I cannot much to write about.

We took actually the carriage because my friend have a little difficult to go and it was nice anyway to see Petra. We stayed often for to admire the places, then we came to the end of way where my friend was sitting at the restaurant while I walked around there to see more than only from the carriage. It was marvelous place, incredible buildings.

Down there it must be some gutter that collects water running down from the cliffs, I think almost.
Our driver could not speak English so well so when I asked something he often did not know what I mean, so I got no answer.

The whole day we were there before we turned back. The coachman was not so nice towards the horse at end, when we would go up it was difficult for horse, but coachman began to hit him with the whip, so I did not like it much. Then came loose even strap from the horse to the cart and then coachman became almost angry at the poor horse instead to calm him and attach the strap again. So it was not so nice ending of our visit to the ancient Petra.

Wadi Rum

Highlight of my wonderful trip in Jordan was in any case Wadi Rum and even if I wanted see many other places there so this was most important to me and if I could not see it, I would not be so satisfied with the trip.

Of some unknown reason I have became falling in love with the desert and I have seen the desert in North Africa, in Egypt and Tunisia but mostly in Morocco, but never have been in Middle East so it was my first meeting with the Arabian desert.

Earlier I have been even interested of to read about the desert and countries histories there, and of course I saw also movie about Lawrence of Arabia, Queen of the desert and even Theeb, one nice movie about a little boy in the desert.

I have also read Seven pillars of Wisdom but it was a few years ago so now I have to read it again with fresh memory of Wadi Rum and the desert there. I began do research also in the history so to speak, so I will see what for conclusion I come to LOL

But back to my trip and I start with this famous seven pillars which looked at me as soon we approached Visitor center. There are seven pillars even if you see most only five. Those two are smaller not so easy to see at first moment.

What happy and glad I felt me, to see this, in reality, not only on the picture. Almost exhilarated I was and so angry with one group of the tourists who just came and stood directly in front of me. Sometimes I hate tourists, even if I self are tourist also.

After formality there in Visitor center we drove to village Wadi Rum where we would meet our host there who would take us then to the camp. We got to wait a little in the house because it was midday and as hot, it would be cooler later at afternoon. It was nice there in the house, we got the tea and talked about all possible and impossible about the desert, the life self and so. 

Then we drove through the desert, between rocks and it was so stunning, incredible. I am not writer so I cannot describe the all, it must sees for to understand. Not even the photos, at least not mine, can show the beauty of whole this incredible place.

Wadi Rum have two kind of the desert, one red and one white and it is as you draw one line between those.

Our host said that the red color depend on how much iron it is in the soil, the more iron there is, the more red the sand and probably even rocks are. Here it was really red color while for example in Erg Chebbi it is less iron and therefore the color is only pink.
Strange, in Morocco they explained for me that Erg Chebbi is clean without dust and therefore the pink color while Erg Chigaga is dusty and therefore its color is yellow. So wonder, how it is actually. Maybe more true is about the amount of iron in the ground?

The camp was beautiful, exact what I wished to have it. Has also spent many hours at home on the Internet before I found it. It was not big, just the right size and from the tent it was a beautiful view over all sides.

We not did much this day, it was late we arrived so we only sat outside the tent there up and drunk tea, very good tea it was, with quite much sugar of course, as usual in the desert, that I know from Morocco and theirs tea where it is yet more sugar than here, LOL. 

Dinner was exciting, most to look at how it prepares, but it was good also. First they make a fire in the sand, then they put in food rack (or how I can call it) in order to burn up and clean it before they put on chicken and potato and other vegetable. The whole then put in brackets in the sand, put the lid on and covered with sand, up on that they made the fire again and let it be cooked in about 2 hours.

It is one special name for this way to cook, zerb it is called.

On the map you see the red and white desert and we did the trip, the route drawn with red color, by 4x4 through this wonderful wilderness desert. It took the whole day and it was only one small bit of it, so the rest is waiting for me ☺

We took a short pause with a cup of good tea and dates cake in the shadow of one cliff, it was so peaceful and quiet there as it can be only in the desert. And fortunately we were only we, they 3 on the picture and me so we had not been disturbed of anyone. Only flies disturbed us LOL

Later in the canyon here we had a lunch and this time we had not been disturbed even by flies.

Those who made this garbage would go to the prison!

Well back in the camp I sat and watched sunset again, so beautiful, wonderful. Not one of those words can express that event.

The evening was nice and silent, for me fortunately no new tourists came so still we were only three persons and our host, so it felt perfect. We all were of the same mind or how I can say so we passed good together.

Probably our host  would be glad to have more clients, but he could sure "survive" hopefully this evening with only us and was happy that one of his clients was happy to not be disturbed of lot of people, LOL

I had very difficult to fall asleep at that night, so many expressions and feelings I had after this day,  the whole day I relived during the night again. And I do it still even now, a couple of weeks after I came back home.

The next day led us the trip in Lawrence tracks where he spent a couple of times in Wadi Rum. But his ride to Aqaba not started here, it went down Wadi Yitms. It was a bit misleading in the movie, but ...

It says that the wall here is remain of his, Lawrence house there.
But I don't know, as I have read so Lawrence came to Wadi Rum later, after the attack of Aqaba and only for to meet up with the army again.
Have to study a little about the all.

 

Lawrence's Spring

and Nabataeans script there on the the bigger stone

This plant works as a soap, if you rub it between hands, then pour on the water so you can wash pretty good with it, strange, but it works.

Unfortunately next day we had to continue our trip so it was our last night in Wadi Rum. We got a special dinner so it felt very nice. And it was also very good, moreover we got companion to the table by our hosts like as we were honored guests. So we got very pleasant last evening there in the camp.

 I am sure the cat wanted to taste it also LOL

My last gazes of Wadi Rum on the way to the village, trying to absorb it and store in my memory, but I'm sure I will come back, it caught me, so to speak. Especially the wild white desert. And people too, most.

I not rode camel, but I like them, they are so funny animals, wish to have one at home, but in Sweden it is a little cold for camels. So I have to move to the desert, provide me with a big tent, camels and maybe sheep too, them I like also.

This tent is almost bigger than my apartment so I can have there living room and bedroom and kitchen and even bathroom LOL