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.