Jordan

I can hardly express how much I loved Jordan. Despite being similar in so many regards to Israel the overall atmosphere and friendliness of the people was overwhelmingly more agreeable.  In addition to truly enjoying watching the arid landscape go by (with the odd dust devil appearing on the horizon – or maybe that was actually a mirage from dehydration in the heat?) I had the opportunity to read History of Ancient Israel by Michael Grant and From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman which so supplemented the experience.

I have since fallen in love with hummus and pita bread – which has led to a week long search for comparable items back home. For any Calgarians, Kalamata Grocery is the best so far however any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Enough of my chatter, here are a sampling of images from my first trip to Jordan.

Church of St. George. Madaba

Having not yet visited the Grand Canyon I can hardly put it at a relative scale but to step off a comfortable air conditioned bus into 44°C dry heat, and this view, it is hard not to have your breath taken away. The lowest nature reserve in the world.

Wadi Mujib. 410m below sea level.

Crusader Castle – Kerak. Al Karak

Oh Petra. If you ever have the chance you  must go. It is such an amazing experience despite the numerous other tourists. The variance in brilliant colours of the stones and the amazing architecture is something that will be impossible to ever forget.

Toonie sized beetle in the Siq leading to Petra. Please rest assured however I did not make this one dinner. If you aren’t sure what this is in reference to, when I was in Thailand last year I was asked what I wanted for my birthday dinner. In jest I replied, “bugs”, as you commonly see a variety of different roasted bugs in the markets. Sure enough, I got a plate of roasted crickets. I can assure you they taste significantly better then they sound.

The last turn at the end of the Siq before seeing the Treasury nearly met the expectations laid out in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! You can’t help but wonder how amazing a view this was when Petra was a vibrant city.

Although there was no time to attempt the full day hike, there were four crazy souls (myself included of course), who thought it would be a brilliant idea to climb the second highest path in Petra. Eight hundred steps in fourty-some-degree-heat. Entirely feasible! Although I will admit I was somewhat jealous of this dog about three hundred steps up.

The view however made the short hike more than worth it.

Thank you so much for looking! Next up Dubai (and me with a camel…)