... land of falafel and hummus
... land of unnecessary blinkers
... land of middle eastern hospitality
... land of speed bumps
It's been quite a while since my last visit to an Arabic country. But it was not only the cultural aspect that made the travel anticipation a bit stronger than usual. Jordan is surrounded by somewhat critical countries you normally only hear about on the news, such as Syria or Israel.
However, right upon arrival we were greeted by friendly people: the car rental company gave us a free upgrade (for first time visitors), the employee checking the car with us gave us some driving recommendations (the Bedouin have a really good heart but they are not the best drivers).
He was right, but it seemed that not only the Bedouin but most Jordan drivers made their own rules. Using signals to change lanes seems to be a waste of action, changing lanes whenever convenient as well as opening new, non-marked lanes is a standard, backing up on a highway without reversing light is an option, honking is a must.
The street bumps added salt to this interesting taste of driving soup. There were small ones, big ones, ones with potholes on them, most of them not announced or even visible in unlit streets.
Our round trip included: a short stop in the city of Madaba, 1,5 days in Petra, 2 days in the Wadi Rum desert, 1 day at the Red Sea, 1,5 days at the Dead Sea, 1 day in Jerash and 2 in Amman, the remaining time was consumed by driving.
The most impressive highlights were
... Petra: stunning scenery
... Wadi Rum Desert: so much "nothing", but so soothing
... Red Sea: accessible reef ideal for snorkeling
... Dead Sea: an experience one simply has to make.
... Amman Souks: colorful hustle and bustle
We were surprised how much diversity the country had to offer and how friendly tourists were greeted. More than once when asking whether we could take a picture we were involved in a friendly short conversation.
Overall Jordan is a definite recommendation and for us, finally, a check off on the bucket list.
The journey back home was a bit of an Odyssey as we could not land due to fog. The plane had to go around about 100 m above the runway and we ended up in an airport 240 km further northeast from where three hours later (at 2 a.m.) a bus took us to the original destination. It was a long night, but better safe than sorry.
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