Update: 03.11.2005
Place: Nuwaiba (Sinai)/Egypt
Day: 19
Distance traveled: 3,531km


I need to write about Jordan without further due or soon I will have trouble gathering my thoughts and only my recorded and scribbled notes will remain. The notes are there to help me remember, if I take too long to put it all together they will just become meaningless doodles or ramblings.

I left Syria and entered Jordan with no problems whatsoever. Thank God here in Jordan there is no "diesel tax" practice. No persistent "friendly brokers" or "tip hunters"... Everything is part of a routine procedure, as it should be. First the triptyque is done. They stamp your triptyque document (Carnet de Passage en Douane). There is a coupon that is supposed to be stamped and detached during entry. They don't stamp it and they don't detach to keep it either. So one page of the document is already ruined. Now I wonder what will become of it when leaving the country. Will it get stamped, or will it find itself a place among memoirs from Jordan as the lost triptyque page from my pocket? We shall see. Anyways, then you go through customs but don't think it's a regular simple customs control. Imagine a control strip, 3 lanes wide and 20-25 meters long allocated to the passenger cars. On either side of this strip there are sidewalks with long marble banks. The cars were lined up along both sides; I joined the one I thought was shorter. The hoods, doors, trunks of all the vehicles were wide open, everything inside from luggage to plastic bags were all sitting on the marble banks waiting to be inspected. An officer (I think a customs control officer) was inspecting all the vehicles inside out; under the seats, trunk, spare tire well, in the engine bay, inside the mudguards, etc. He was knocking on the doors and the mudguards- I guess by the sound - to check if there was anything hidden. After the vehicle, luggage was the next. He was opening every bag and suitcase, emptying some and checking each zipped part. When I saw all this, for a split second I thought of turning the car around and heading back to Turkey. Then I remembered what Andy and Claire told me so I decided to try my luck. There were 3 cars in front of me when I joined the line. The inspection of no more than 10 pieces of luggage and bags along with those 3 vehicles took about half an hour. In the meantime, the officer was glancing at me and my car each time he was done inspecting a vehicle. I couldn't figure out what he meant, but mine was the only vehicle with its doors closed. In an effort to stop sticking out in the crowd too much, I decided to open the hood at least. There was no point in opening any other doors in advance because even if I did I wasn't going to save much time compared to the time it takes to inspect everything as he does. It was then my turn. I dropped my shoulders and put up an innocent and timid face trying to smile at the same time. When the officer walked up to me I said "Salâm aleykum" and pointed to only open part of the car: the engine. Didn't work! As he walked to the back I didn't need to put effort into dropping my shoulders anymore. He rested one foot on one of my "half-bumpers" and began to fill in the form he had: my name, license plate… In the meantime I was trying to open the trunk and show him the situation inside. Oh what? He filled in the form, signed and gave me a copy. What do you mean? Done? "Finished?" I asked. He said "Yes, sir!" "You can leave". I jumped in the car after a heartfelt "Shukran!" Then he tapped on the window and told me I need to close the hood. Umm, I guess he's right.

I got a few other things done like the insurance in order to record the vehicle into my passport and I had to wait about half an hour for the insurance guy to come back from the Friday prayer. Then I entered Jordan at around 14:00 on Friday, October 28.

I was going to stay in Amman but I planned to stop at Jerash on the way. Previously I also had Um Qais in my list of "must see" in Jordan. However, as I said before, my interest in history and archeology isn't at a level to help me endure two Roman ruins on the same day. Besides, practically speaking it didn't look like I could fit the two in one day. According to the information I have Jerash seemed to be more "worth seeing" than Um Qais so I picked that.

Jerash (Gerasa) :

Jerash gained its reputation during the reign of Alexander the Great (333 B.C) although its history dates back even further. The city was annexed to the Roman Empire by the General Pompey. In the meantime trade with Nabateans flourished thanks to agriculture and the iron mines in the Ajlun region. Nabatean Kingdom was abolished by Emperor Trajan in 106 A.D. and this helped Jerash prosper even more. The city was then re-built Roman Kingdom style. The city was prepared for Emperor Hadrian's visit in 129 and a triumphal arch was built to his name to celebrate his arrival.


Cardo Maximus (colonnaded street) and entrance to the Artemis Temple (Gerasa)

City reached its peak in his history after becoming a colony of the Roman Empire during the 3rd century. But the happy days didn't last long; first Palmyra was no more, then when the caravan trade lost its popularity to maritime trade Gerasa also lost its favorable position. In the following period the most significant change in the city was the construction of seven churches by the order of Justinian following the adoption of Christianity... The city was used as a Christian garrison for a while during the 12th century and then it was completely abandoned, up until 1878, the arrival of Circassians fleeing from Russia.
Left Jerash and after an uneventful drive I arrived in Amman at around 17:00. I didn't have much trouble finding Dove Hotel which I picked from Lonely Planet.


Amman (Oh Man!):
Dove Hotel was the pick of the day because it was classified in Lonely Planet as "best value for the price" among the middle range hotels and its price range appealed to me. It is located in Jebel Amman (Amman Mountain/Hill), an area with big hotels and embassies and generally inhabited by diplomatic personnel. Actually it is a little further from the city center and -naturally- very quiet... In that sense it resembles Ankara's Gaziosmanpasa a little... I parked at the front and can't say I wasn't impressed when I saw the "Best Western" sign hanging on the wall. The "Irish Pub" sign at the basement of the hotel especially attracted my attention.

I was disappointed when I entered the hotel and even more so when I saw the room but I knew it would be tough to find another at that time and I was also tired. My disappointment took a turn for the worst when I first went down to the Irish Pub first (was more like a Jordish Bar) and then when I took a shower in the morning and grabbed the towel only to realize how filthy it was. I couldn't decide whether I should be upset for not getting my money's worth or "being" a sucker for not realizing how bad it was before settling in. Amman is actually not a stopover for the expeditioners for three reasons: First, it is not an interesting city. Second, accommodation is grossly expensive (like in my case, price/return ratio is way too high at the expense of the guests). Third and last -I realized this was the most important reason - driving around in Amman wears you out completely. I will tell you why the "realization" in a minute.

As I said before Amman is actually not a city where people like me do not prefer to stay. I had two reasons why I wanted to stay: I didn't want to say "I went to Jordan and haven't seen the capital"; also I wanted to finish up the Syria update while I stayed a couple of nights. After the "minor" disappointment I experienced in Dove Hotel, I decided to go for a drive not only to have a look around the city and have an "authentic" dinner but also to find an "acceptable" accommodation. I wish I didn't. Just like Istanbul, Amman was also built on 7 big hills, and now it is spread on 19. Don't be misled into thinking that the hills are anything like our hills of Istanbul or the Roman hills. Some of these hills are divided by deep valleys and these valleys are also populated. So the city layout has adapted itself to these valleys and hills. Meaning, you can't find a street or road in the city that stretches along a straight line, that you can see one end from the other. Streets (and roads) are winding which makes you dizzy and your navigation a challenge. Initially I was comforting myself thinking "Thank God my GPS is on and Dove Hotel is marked". Little did I know and found out to my dismay later that this didn't mean much. You look at the GPS and see that you are about 150 meters away from the hotel and you cheer "there we are". You turn the car into a street in the direction of the hotel and then all of a sudden... Dead end! Yes, the street ends and from where it ends you look "down" at the bottom of a 100 meter valley to see roads, houses, another section of the city and the places you want to get to on the other side of the valley. But it is true that the distance to the hotel is 150 meters. What is wrong is that there is a 150 meter wide valley in between. You look to the right and left of the valley to figure out how to cross to the other side. You spot a few streets going down your side and up the other; you take a bearing and get in the car to find these streets - to no avail. In Amman almost every street or road (with the exception of the largest main roads) is one-way, and these one-ways swiftly take you to another place, that is another "hill". It was iftar time when I commenced my city trip and the roads were all deserted so I could drive around comfortably. However, in the advancing hours of my trip it became difficult as people started coming out after breaking their fast. In places I had to make a loop and drive through the same streets repeatedly. The GPS tracks multiplied and became so thick that I am sure you could feel them by just touching the screen. If I tried a little more I could make a relief city map of Amman. But in this one the streets would be elevated as opposed to the buildings.

I took a break from my trip - to rest and feed myself - withdrew some cash from an ATM and ordered myself a flaming "Hot Something" meal deal in an "authentic" KFC. The spices and the iced coke helped me gain my composure some, so I started to draw myself a route using more "scientific methods" such as looking at the city map, despite the fact that I was well aware it wouldn't work since the map didn't show one-way streets...

There is a very important spot in Amman which you can take as a bearing: Zahran Road and its intersections. Zahran Road enters the city from northwest and goes towards the city center for a while against al odds but then it gives in to the geographic conditions and starts to dance. If you have a GPS and if you mark this road and its roundabouts, namely Circles (1st Circle, 2nd Circle and so on... I think there are 8 and 1st one is closest to the city center) then it is not possible for you to get "completely" lost. Because everyone knows these roundabouts as "Circle" and even on the signs they wrote "Circles". After my "authentic" meal, I found the Circle I saw first on the map when I was driving to my hotel and started towards it. I spent nearly an hour traveling to reach that Circle, and finally the victory was mine, never mind that it didn't come easy, and tired yet happy I found myself in the Jordish... excuse me, Irish Pub. The lustful glances from the only two people in the bar besides me and the music that was playing -which had nothing to do with Ireland whatsoever- reinforced my thoughts that not drinking beer here wouldn't be a great loss at all, so I decided to "upgrade" to the hotel bar. Not sure if it was an upgrade or a downgrade.

The hotel bar was about a 10 meter square internment room, maybe not lustful but timid looks from a few Jordanians committing the sin of drinking during Ramadan, a soccer game on TV with its volume cranked up to the max and the air so saturated with smoke that it was almost about to solidify. I put up with it for about 2 beers.

Now I understand why Amman is not a preferred stopover. I can say this with a clear conscious: "Adventurers who want to do this! Do not ever go to Amman." And I am also content to leave this city the very next morning (10:00 on Saturday, October 29). Destination is Dead Sea (Bah'r Lut), which we know as Lake Lut.

A few last notes about Amman: Did you know what Amman was called before its conquest by the Muslims? Philadelphia! Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the Hellenic ruler of Egypt, renamed it Philadelphia when the Ptolemies were rebuilding the city between 283-246 B.C. When -the good old days were over- and the city was no more on the caravan trade route, it remained a small village until the 19th century but its luck turned after the Circassian settlement in 1878 and the construction of the renowned Hedjaz Railway by the Ottomans between Damascus and Medina. The foundation of today's capital was laid when in 1921 Emir Abdullah bin al-Hussein declared Amman as the center of Trans-Jordan.

Dead Sea/Lake Lut (Bah'r Lut) :
Lake Lut is really an inland sea that located between the lands of Jordan, Israel and Palestine, (currently) about 65 km in length and (again currently) 6-18 km in width, stretching from north to south. It is called "sea" in both Arabic and English but we call it "lake", not sure why. The title "Dead" comes from the fact that, apart from 11 kinds of bacteria, no other life exists in the sea due to its salt concentration of 30% (this is more than 7 times that of the oceans). The most important characteristic is its altitude. The surface of the Dead Sea is at an elevation of 410 meters below the sea level. The reason for this is the inability of the Jordan River to feed it due to high evaporation levels. Result: In the last 20 years the sea level altitude has dropped from -392 meters down to -409 meters and its surface area has shrunk about 30% (that is about 300 km2). Experts say that if the shrinking continues at the current rate, Lake Lut will dry up completely within 50 years. Currently there is work in progress to set up a pipe line which will pump water into Lut from the Red Sea. Project cost is estimated to be USD 6 billion.


At Lake Lut the sun sets behind the land of "unfortunate" Palestine"

Dead Sea is the hardest sea to sink or swim in, due to its high salinity levels. You can "sit" on the water. Ok maybe "sitting" is a bit of exaggeration, but if you bring your legs together as if sitting cross-legged and join your hands together under your knees you can float on your back with your head, arms and legs (and even part of your back) completely out of the water. I think it's probably difficult to understand the position I am trying to explain. I wanted to get in the water and get a picture floating like this the next morning but it didn't eventuate because of the strong wind.

Many minerals found in the sea water and the mud on the sea floor are therapeutic so people not submerge themselves in the water but also rub the mud on their bodies as a treatment. At the bottom the mud is quite sticky and at some parts really loose so as you walk in it may cause you to sink into the mud -almost- up to your hips. Naturally while struggling to get out, you get your share of the therapeutic benefits of the mud from Lake Lut. Then you try to remain sane trying to get the mud off your skin, hands, under fingernails.

When you leave the water you feel your body is covered with a layer of slippery oily substance - as if you have fallen into the pickle container. If you let it dry on you your skin begins to sting and your skin color turns white. You figure you can't continue like this so you find a shower a.s.a.p and stay there till you feel you are back to normal.

There are a few things to remember before and during the Dead Sea experience:
- Do not shave before it. I shaved nearly 6 hours prior to the swim; even so, the minimal amount of sea water that came into contact with my face burned it something furious.

- Never ever submerge your head in the water. If possible use goggles to protect your eyes. Otherwise you feel like you just had "capsicum gas" sprayed into your eyes.

- Do not try to swim face down. You will look ridiculous.

- Don't even think about diving. Doesn't work anyways.



Sometimes "salt" is so obvious

In the south of Lake Lut 1 million tones of sea water is pumped daily into the evaporation pools spread to approximately 10,000 hectares. This water is evaporated and the remaining potash salt is processed and exported. 4 million tones of potash extracted annually have made Jordan the largest potash producer in the world. Thus we understand why the lake is shrinking so fast.

The sign says, this is the sea level (0 meter level). In the horizon you can barely make out Lake Lut.

Lake Lut is the lowest exposed point on earth that you can reach without getting wet and it is a natural part of the 5000 km long Great Rift Valley of Africa which I will travel along for the most part of my trip. The Valley starts at the Syria-Lebanon border to the north of Jordan and stretches all the way to the southeast of Africa, Mozambique. I will travel along the Great Rift Valley most of the way.

As you drive along the shore of the lake you pass many military checkpoints. At every checkpoint there was a Humvee -with a machine gun atop- and a few soldiers all of whom were good-natured, pleasant, funny and spoke some English at least so we had a few laughs. Destination: Petra via King's Highway!

King's Highway (At-Tariq as-Sultanî):
King's Highway is the most important road of Jordan, which has been a route followed by various civilizations throughout history. At present time it is one of the three large highways that connect the north of the country to the south. I intended to follow this route to reach Petra. On the way, I stopped at Karak, known for the tortures inflicted on the convicts by the last Crusader commander of the fort. And this was the last Crusader Castle I have visited - I hope.

However, my "King's Highway Project" ended at Tafila because either the police officer to whom I foolishly asked for directions didn't understand my question or he couldn't help himself from pointing me to a simpler route, and due to wrong directions I ended up heading towards Desert Highway, the main highway. When I saw it on my GPS it was already beginning to get dark and turning back to get on the road I actually wanted, meant driving on the King's Highway in the dark, which seemed to be risky on a road winding up the hills. I arrived in Petra at 19:35 in the evening.


Petra :
Out of all the places in the world that I have been to, there have been only a few which excited and impressed me as much as this one. I am certain that if I rank it in the top 3, I wouldn't be exaggerating. Even maybe number 1, I just couldn't decide exactly where the others fit.

Petra means rock in old Greek. Yes, that's right and there is sandstone rock everywhere. In fact, all you see is rock.

The nomadic Nabateans who are originally from western Arabia settled in the region in 6th century B.C. and they accumulated riches firstly by looting and pillaging and later by collecting high taxes from the passing caravans (although this would be another method of pillaging?). In response to the massacre in 312 B.C. by the army of Alexander the great on the women and children while the men were out of the city, Nabateans annihilated nearly the entire army of 4000 men (with the exception of 50). During the reign of the Nabatean king Rabbel II the kingdom weakened due to fierce competition from Palmyra in the north and Petra was annexed by the Romans in 106 B.C. In addition to the Nabatean style structures, classical Roman city buildings like colonnaded road, bats, etc., were constructed. During the Byzantium era patriarchate was established in Petra and many Nabatean buildings were Christianized.

Petra continued a humble existence during the Islamic rule from 7th century. In 12th century Crusaders built a castle and then the city was totally forgotten. Bedouins were the only people who knew Petra still existed -until it was re-discovered in 19th century by "Ibrahim" Burckhardt from Switzerland whose real name was Johann Ludwig (or also known as Jean Louis). He lived in Aleppo for 2 years and learned Arabic, converted to Islam and took the name "Ibrahim bin Abdullah", from then on he lived amongst the Bedouins in the Middle East. In 1812 on the way to Cairo from Damascus (following the renowned King's Highway) he visited Jerash, Amman, Karak and Shobak. He learned from the Bedouins there that there were some incredible ruins in Wadi Musa. In his book "Travels in Syria and the Holy Land" he describes his feelings upon what he saw as "the most exquisite of all the historical artifacts". I concur…

As-Siq. Sometimes so narrow that the sunlight cannot penetrate

The entrance to Petra is through As-Siq, a gorge approximately 1.5 km in length. It narrows down to 2 meters at places and from what I read; it is a passageway with gigantic rock walls on both sides reach upto 200 meters. Sometimes the walls get so close to each other that they don't let the sun in. The 30 degrees outside the gorge drops down once inside giving a little chill to exposed skin. At the entrance to the gorge there is a dam and a bridge in front of the dam. The dam was built by the Nabateans in 50 B.C. and a new dam on top of the old one was built in 1963 in order to stop the river of Wadi Musa from flowing into As-Siq. There are water channels carved on either side of the passageway to supply water to Petra. At some places these channels are fitted with 2000 year old red brick water pipes. As-Siq is not a canyon; it wasn't carved by a river. It is a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks due to tectonic movement. It's a fissure.

At the end of the 1.5 km passageway Treasury (Al-Khazneh) appears right in front of you unexpectedly and gives you a big surprise. This 43 meter high and 30 meter wide "structure" is carved into massive sandstone, like almost all the structures in Petra. The symmetry, details, the amount of labor expended on the structures. It is just magnificent.

Despite the grandeur of the façade, in the back there is a simple square hall and behind that a carved small room. What makes these simple hall and room so interesting is the amazing wave patterns formed naturally on the walls and the ceiling, with colors ranging from red to gold and hundreds of shades and tones of grey veins because of the iron found in the sandstone specific to this region. Since red and pink outweigh the other colors and shades, Petra is also known as the Rose City.

Al-Khazneh was in fact carved as a tomb for Nabatean King Aretas III, but it is thought that the name comes from rumors of treasure buried in there by the pirates.



Al-Khazneh. A real "Treasure"

Awestruck by the Treasury, you walk towards the city centre. In the city square there is a theatre carved into the rocks by the Nabateans in 1st century B.C. Its seating capacity of 3,000 was expanded to 8,500 by the Romans. The theatre sustained extensive damage during an earthquake in 363.


Kids selling postcards in Petra - Let them too play a little

The Monastery (Al-Deir) is the most impressive structure (along many others) and the hardest one to reach. Its structure resembles the Treasury but a little bigger in size: 50 meters wide and 45 meters high. It was carved 3rd century B.C. by the Nabateans probably to serve as a temple, and used as a church during the Byzantium era. You reach the Monastery after a continuous 1 hour climb up the 800 steps of the historical stairs, sometimes carved into the rocks.

Waiting for its turn to carry tourists who want to see Petra on a camel

Petra is a beauty that deserves more than a 1-day visit, so I spared another day till noon to see more of it. Especially to capture As-Siq and the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) in the morning light... I left Petra at 12:30 on Tuesday, November 1 and headed to Wadi Ram.

Wadi Ram :
80% of Jordan is desert. The most beautiful part of this desert and maybe the most beautiful desert in the world is found in the Wadi Ram. It is a protected area. It consists of valleys formed around the rocky hills and mountains jutting up out of the desert sand. The desert itself is a product of wind erosion on these rocks during millions of years. The highest point of Jordan, Jebel Ram (1,754 meters) can also be found here in this area which has an average altitude of 900 meters. You can enter the Wadi with a ticket issued at the Visitors Center located in Ram village; about 10 km into the road heading east off the highway which connects Amman to Aqaba. Bedouins wait for you with their 4WD vehicles either at the Center or in the village to take you on a tour of Wadi Rum for a fee. These tours take you to some nice spots where you can watch the sunrise or the sunset (depending on the time of the day); see the house where Lawrence of Arabia lived, and visit the "Lawrence" spring and the Nabatean inscriptions.
If you want you can pay to stay overnight in one of the Bedouin tents set up in the area. If you have your own 4WD, for a set fee they let you enter the Wadi Ram area by yourself. The asphalt-paved road ends as you exit Ram village and you find yourself in the sandy desert.



My car, me and the desert

If your car weighs too much and if it doesn't have tires that are suitable for the sandy terrain (as is my case), the joy of Wadi Ram may very well turn into a torture. You start forward following the tracks of previous vehicles but this is misleading for one, those vehicles were much lighter than yours and two, their tires were wider which allowed them to "float" on the sand. So to your horror you realize that your car is losing "altitude". You try to continue with the same speed as possible without taking your foot off the gas. Your middle differential is in locked position. If it starts to skid you turn the wheel left and right without putting foot down on the gas too much, and help the tires find solid ground. In the meantime you find yourself in the middle of the desert somewhere and on soft ground. The village is no more in sight behind you. To top it all, the sun is about to set; you still have a few kilometers to go to your sunset-watch spot and you are STUCK. That's when you will stop the engine, get out of the car and take a deep breath. You will remember that you are on a desert with the best view in the world, you have food and water, and in any case a Bedouin passing by tomorrow will see you and stop to help. Then it will be time to decrease air pressure of the tires. You will deflate each tire for better grip on sand. This will be the miracle cure to get out of the desert sand. Now off to watch the sunset. I drove towards the coordinates that Andy and Claire previously gave me. My GPS points to the hillside ahead. In fact, I spot there a Bedouin tent and a few tourist tents set up nearby. Had another episode of getting stuck in the sand on the hillside. This time I use the slope advantage and get out quickly but this continues I feel I might miss the sunset altogether and barely make it to the sunrise. That's when I decide to find myself a new "sunset" and "camp" spot. The -relatively- solid ground of the rocky spot which I just passed by will have to do it. If I push my luck some more I will definitely find myself in a big hole in the dark.

I reached that spot, stopped the car and watched that amazing phenomenon. Before it got too dark I adjusted the direction of the car according to the morning sun, direction of the wind and ground conditions. I prepared my sleeping quarters and I opened the first bottle of the "most expensive beer in the world", which I bought in the village. Against the absolute silence and vast open space, it was definitely worth it.



Wadi Ram

The spectrum of colors from blue in the sky over your head, to the golden yellow of the sun in the horizon began to change into a dark blue above and red in the horizon. In the meantime the pink desert sand and the rocks changing colors... And then, there was dark. I wasn't aware that Venus could be so bright as to illuminate the dark night. I never knew that there were so many stars... And that there could be such silence... And such big space...

When my polar fleece top stopped protecting me against the desert chill I got in my bed in the car and began to read my book: Ports of Call ("Les échelles du
Levant" by Amin Maalouf. I took it with me upon Buket's recommendation. I am glad I did. It fit perfectly with the atmosphere. When my eyes started to droop I was nearly half way into the book. I turned off the light and slipped into my sleeping bag. When I last looked at the thermometer it was 12 degrees. I fell asleep.
I missed the sunrise. Just as well. I had a great night's sleep... First thing in the morning I inflated the tires. The rocks could cut into the sidewalls of the deflated tires when driving on rocky terrain. The ground is a little more solid with the morning dew and you can drive easily up until noon. I put up my tent, brewed my tea and prepared myself a nice breakfast.

Have you seen Tea in the Desert?

I left at 11:00 after enjoying my book, tea and the breakfast. I didn't have to struggle much to reach the village by following my previous tracks.

I said Wadi Ram is a protected area. Although the people living here are habitually called Bedouins, the main tribe is Huwaida and they claim that they are the descendants of Prophet Mohammed. The population of Wadi Ram is around 5,000 in total, including the residents of the village. Islamic scholars claim that the place referred to as "Ad" in Koran is actually Wadi Ram. The excavations in the area in fact revealed that there has been human activity in the area between 800 and 600 B.C. The eyes of the world turned back to Wadi Ram again when a Nabatean temple was discovered during excavations in 1933, after Lawrence of Arabia made Wadi Ram famous.
I left the village at noon and drive towards to Aqaba.

I arrived in Aqaba the same day (November 2) at 16:00. I planned to stay in Aqaba for 2 days, to have a look at the underwater of the Red Sea and partly, to complete this update. But it didn't quite work out that way. If you lose your sense of calendar and if are not aware that Bayram is at the door while you are making plans, you realize with dismay that your dreams of spending two days in a hotel by the sea in Aqaba are over. Forget about the ones by the sea, from trash to 5-star all the hotels in or around the city were totally booked out. Apparently the Saudis fill up Aqaba, excited to come out of Ramadan and have 4.5 days of holiday. I made the mistake of picking the parking lot of a mocamp to sleep, where the noise did not subside till the early hours, so I could not sleep at night. I think my Jordan adventure needs to come to an end and I should cross over to Egypt. Saudis wouldn't follow me there and I might be able to find a place to stay.

I was at the ferry port at 8:00 on the first day of the Bayram (November 3). Two ferries that run between Aqaba and Nuwaiba port of Egypt daily. One is a fast boat like the ones we have between Istanbul and Bandirma. It crosses over to the other side approximately in an hour and it departs at 12:00. The other one is a giant boat to transport very heavy vehicles. That one takes 3-3.5 hours and departs later in the afternoon. Naturally I opt for the faster one. I don't remember in what order I got the complex ticketing, passport and triptyque procedures done but each time I had to wait for someone anywhere from 5-10 minutes to half an hour. After all, it is the first day of Bayram and people take their time exchanging Bayram pleasantries. At last I made my way to the pier to board the ferry only to find out that the documents -as I found out later, that were the ticket for the vehicle- were amiss. I went back and collected them from the desk of the triptyque officer and was back at the pier at 11:45. 3 hours and 45 minutes. Not bad, is it? You do have an advantage here though; if you come from a non-Arabic country, or rather, if you come from a "western" country you always get the special treatment. In the passport line, triptyque line, when boarding the ferry, on the boat, etc. They get your paperwork done and let you through first. When loading the vehicle on the ferry they park your vehicle last and reverse so when unloading you will be the first to land on Egypt and without having to maneuver. Once on the ferry they take you to the 1st class, even if you hold a 2nd class ticket. They don't even ask you if it is 1st or 2nd class when they are collecting your ticket. Even so, I can't say I was overjoyed to pay USD40.00 for me and USD170.00 for my car.

Ferry was surprisingly on schedule and casted off the dock at 12:00, whereas I was told by the 2 American ladies I came across in Palmyra that their boat was delayed for 3 hours departing from Egypt.
Yes, I have completed Jordan leg and am on my way to the third country of my trip but this time on the sea. I will tell about my ferry trip at the beginning of my Egypt update.

* * *
- Compared to Syria, Jordan is more organized and as far as the rules are concerned more disciplined. They generally obey the traffic rules and refrain from honking the horn unless necessary. But here you are more likely to be a victim of the road signs. When you realize that the signs with Latin alphabets are gone and that's when you know you are lost, of course by that time its too late. When you enter the Jordan, and especially the capital Amman, you can tell that the "civilization" made its way into this country by the indicators such as McDonalds and KFC.

- 98% of Jordan's population consists of Arabs. But 60% of the Arabic population is Palestinian Arabs. Their population increased from 586,000 in 1958 to 5.3 million as of 2001 census. The reason for this big rise is the Palestinian immigrants. Palestinian immigrants are granted exactly the same rights as the Jordanian citizens. The country is home to about 4,000 Chechens and 30,000 Circassians who fled Russia in 1878.

- Jordanian Dinar (JD) is more valuable than US Dollar. USD1.00 buys JD0.70. 1 liter of diesel is 220 fils (1 Fils = 1/1000 Dinar). There are plenty of ATMs and credit cards are accepted at most places.
- Accommodation and food are both a little expensive here and there is less variety -again, compared to Syria. In some cities you might not be able to find a hotel. Cheapest hotel acceptable by my standards start from JD15.00. Still, in any case I suggest that you check the rooms to see if they are really up to scratch.

- Food is not cheap. A filling meal will not cost less than USD10.00.

- There is also no need to worry about one's safety in Jordan. On top of this, the police in the big centers and the soldiers whom I came across all spoke some English at least. The percentage of English speaking population is high enough so a mono-lingual English speaking foreigner would not have much of a problem.