Shalom Sweet Friends!

Today, I am crossing the border into Jordan and will travel to Jaresh, Amman and finally Petra. Petra was always the ultimate destination but because I booked an overnight tour, Jaresh and Amman are big bonuses to my trip! I’ve heard many things about Petra, the rose colored city carved into the sandstone in the middle of the desert and of course had to see it. I booked this tour through Abraham tours and I have to say their prices are the best and they offer great service and guides. I have not been disappointed!

Our small mini bus picked us up at the hostel Sunday morning and we drove east into the West Bank along the Jordan river towards the Sheikh Hussein Crossing. It’s one of several border crossings from Israel to Jordan but we were told this one is the easiest to pass through for tourists. Let me just say that crossing the border from Israel to any one of its neighboring countries is a BIG deal. There is tons of security at both the Israeli terminal and the Jordan terminal and they are not playing. It’s serious business here and not to be taken lightly plus no photos allowed. The three others on my tour – Helen, Christopher and Steven – and me were more than a little nervous. There were also exit and entry fees to be paid at each crossing, so additional money was needed, some in Jordanian dinar but fortunately there are money changers at the border. 🙂  Steven and I sailed through security with our US and British passports, but the other two were questioned for about 15 mins each. Once we were dropped off at the Israeli terminal, our Israeli driver turned back as he, as an Israeli, is not allowed into Jordan. Once we crossed through to the Jordan terminal, our new guide Mah’di met us. He and Sam our driver would accompany us on our two-day tour of Jordan.

I have to say up front that Mah’di was the BEST tour guide ever! Not only was he extremely knowledgeable about his country and its ancient history, he put our safety and comfort first in every situation. He was kind,  smart, quiet but engaging. I liked him immediately as did the others. He took care of everything at the Jordanian border including our visas, money changing and offered advice on how much money we would need in Jordan.

Our first stop was Jerash. Like I said, my goal was to see Petra, so Jerash was a bonus, and I really had done no research on the city. Turns out, it is second only to Petra as the leading tourist site in Jordan. It is said to be the Pompei of the Middle East because it is so well preserved and dates back to the Bronze Age. The ruins are huge and they continue to excavate and uncover more and more of the ancient city.

Jerash was a favorite city of the Roman emperor, Hadrian, and reached its zenith in AD 130, flourishing economically and socially. The city began to decline in the 3rd century, later becoming a Christian city under the rule of the Byzantine empire. The Muslims took over in AD 63. An earthquake destroyed much of the city in 749 AD, but the final blow to the city was dealt by Baldwin II of Jerusalem in AD 1112 during the Crusades. The earthquake and the destruction by the crusaders left almost all of the city literally buried underneath sand and dirt. It was only discovered in 1806 by a German archeologist.  Since it was buried for hundreds of years, the city is remarkable well preserved.

There are Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Christian and Muslim influences throughout the city, but highlights included Hadrian’s Arch, The Hippodrome, two very large theatres, two large temples dedicated to Zeus and Artemis, two Roman baths and a very large oval Forum. It is very impressive and we spent hours exploring the site with our guide. After the tour, we went to a beautiful restaurant overlooking the city. It’s one of those restaurants designed for tour buses with a buffet lunch. The food was plentiful and very tasty with both hummus and falafel (YAY) and the wait staff were wonderful.

Next we drove to Amman, the capital of Jordan. It is a city of almost 5 million people and like Jaresh has a long history with ruins from many different cultures.  We visited the citadel on one of the peaks in the city and managed to catch a perfect sunset while there!

As the sun set, we drove toward Petra. It was almost a four hour drive to the south, so we settled in and tried to sleep. We were heading towards the Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp located in Little Petra, where we were staying for the night. The camp is one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had. As we entered into the small valley where the camp is located, it was completely dark and our driver stopped and turned off the lights. In front of us was what at first looked like a city in the distance with hundreds of lights but then we realized it was our camp set into the mountains that were lit with small lights. It was magical!! I knew I was going to love it!

Bedouin’s are an ancient nomadic tribe of Arabs who traditionally live in tents or shacks in the desert. The Bedouins who run the camp sleep in the communal tents or outside under the stars. The camp is set up with some 40 odd white, square two-person tents that have two twin beds, rugs on the floor, a night stand with a light and a candle and lots of blankets. There are also larger “family” tents that sleep four people. There are shower and toilets there as well and a towel is provided along with soap. At 11 PM, the generator is turned off (solar powered) and so you have to use a flashlight, your phone or the candle to see.

When we arrived, we were greeted by our hosts who took our packs and showed us to the dining tent. As you might imagine, when the sun sets in the desert it gets cold quickly. I put on my fleece jumper and jacket as our Bedouin hosts walked around barefoot and in their short sleeves! They built a fire in the communal tent while we ate dinner. In addition to the four of us plus our guide and driver, there was a family of four from Sweden who we saw at dinner. Our meal was simple but very good with hummus, a variety of veggie salads, bread, olive oil, baked eggplant and cauliflower, and chicken and rice.

After dinner, we retired to the communal tent where the fire was ablaze and they served us hot tea with sage or Bedouin whiskey as they called it. It was very warm and cozy in the tent which was filled with wool rugs and pillows on which we relaxed. About 10 PM, I turned in. The long drive had worn me out and I wanted a good nights sleep so I could enjoy Petra the next morning. I walked outside and looked up at the stars – AMAZING! Out in the middle of nowhere with no lights, the stars were incredible. I went to bed feeling so very, very grateful for this adventure. I’ve already seen so much since May 2014, and now I’m in Jordan, a country that I never even considered visiting, sleeping in the desert under the stars. I am truly the luckiest girl on the planet!!!!

The city of Petra deserves it’s own post, so I’ll close for now. I hope today makes you feel like the luckiest person on the planet, cos likely you ARE!