It's been hard staying positive around here sometimes, so this blog has really fallen to the wayside. But things are changing for us. Officially referred to as “The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”, Jordan was one of those places we were told we HAD to see before leaving the Middle East. With an impending move on the horizon, we decided to experience this majestic land ourselves. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, and Iraq, Jordan is a place that historically captivated ancient travelers. Today, Jordan enthralls millions of tourists with its energizing cities, biblical history, mysterious Petra, inexplicable Dead Sea waters, and the ancient beauty of Wadi Rum. This is the story of our fabulous Christmas holiday, 2009.
Starting in the beautiful city of Amman, we were amazed by the contrast of it all. Amman is a beautiful mix of old and new—one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, it is a city of hills between the desert and the Jordan Valley. Our tour began at the Roman Citadel where we came face to face with the Dead Sea Scrolls, climbed through the ruins, and overlooked the modern city of Amman. Most top-quality finds were sold to the highest bidder and are housed in world-famous museums, so the Dead Sea Scrolls we saw at the British Museum this summer were more complete, oh well! It was amazing to watch the kids climb on the unearthed ancient ruins--something not allowed in other parts of the globe.
Focused on tourism, (the American-born) Queen Noor encouraged the restoration of the historic Amman (Philadelphia) amphitheater which you can see from the Citadel. Despite the majestic of it (situated amongst old town-house size homes), we decided not to push the kids to visit it and, instead, we moved on. Jerash was next on our list. The area is considered to be home to the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world dating back more than 6,500 years. The kids were most impressed by the physics of the amphitheater where no microphones are needed. Walking up the steps of the amphitheater was awesome and incredibly frightening because they were so steep. I had fears that the kids would just tumble down, but all of that vanished as we sat peacefully and watched the Arab musicians strum away on their jibras. The jibras sound like a deeper-sounding, smaller-looking version of Scottish bagpipes.
The next day we moved from ancient history to the city of Madaba and Mt. Nebo where we brushed up on our Old Testament knowledge. Mt. Nebo is thought to be the site where Moses was first given the view of the Promised Land. When we got there, Rob and I thought a lot about my Nama and how proud of us she would be. The highest point is marked by a map which shows Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. We continued our biblical tour with a visit to St. George's Greek Orthodox Church where a 6th century Byzantine map of Jerusalem and other holy sites was unearthed. The most amazing part of this history is that it's not protected by anything but a piece of carpet. During services, a piece of carpet is rolled over and people walk all over it. Important ancient discoveries are so common in Jordan that they just become part of life. Raed, our driver, told us that more than 50% of the homes in old Amman (where we were the day before) are built on Roman ruins, so to most people--they are not a big deal.
From Mt. Nebo, we made the long drive to Petra which took us through a vast array of landscapes. From the forests and city of Amman to the limestone mountain ranges of the King's Highway. We stopped briefly at Karak castle which was monumental for the crusaders and the Langlands family. The kids loved running through the soldiers' sleeping chambers, prison cells, stables, and the large kitchen areas. It was hard to leave the fun, but Petra, my dream locale, was calling.
As the long drive through the desert made way to sandstone mountains, I knew that Petra was on the horizon. As we drove higher up the mountain, we arrived at an amazing diamond in the rough. We crept our way into Taybet Zaman Hotel which reminded me of the Olerai House. The hotel is located just outside of Petra in an old 19th century city called Taybet Zaman. The entire complex is built of huge sandstone bricks. This gorgeous locale made me even MORE eager to get to Petra the next morning.
At 4.30 am, the Azan (the first call to prayers) began. But the mountainous terrain of this area made the call even more amazing (read: louder and closer)--the musical prayers came from at least a dozen different mosques and were the most beautiful I have heard yet. Full of excitement, I knew I couldn't go back to sleep--Petra was here! Raed picked us up and drove us about 20 minutes down to the gates of Petra. It was there that we met our guide, Zaid (who, oddly enough, went to university in Santa Cruz and used to live in Emeryville). Trekking into this unique city carved by the Nabataeans showed off how they were influenced by their travels (and thefts) from China, India, Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. We started the hike into Petra with a horseback ride for the kids. Walking through the towering rocks, I was bummed that I had just finished teaching the rock cycle at school. As Rob and I walked to the Treasury with our mouths aghast at the magnitude, the kids were excited to walk in the troughs (once used to control the water flow), climb through caves, and dodge the camels and horses people were paying for transport. By the time we got back to the hotel and crashed, Rob and I looked at each other and equated the experience to that of safari--a mezmorizing and exhausting experience that everyone SHOULD have (besides by just Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).
The next day, we were off on another fun adventure. Wadi Rum is a magestic site which remains virtually untouched by human hands. Though a few Bedouin tribes still remain, Wadi Rum is the type of desert you envision when you think of the Middle East. T.E. Lawrence called it "vast, echoing, and god-like" and once there, I could totally see why. We went dune bashing through these great expansive dunes, checked out rock drawings by ancient Bedouin tribes, and listened to our voices echo amongst the mountains. Wadi Rum is most famous as it served as the set for "Lawrence of Arabia," I guess now we have to see the movie.
After our dune bashing, we loaded up in Raed's van and made the three hour trek along the coast to the Dead Sea. Being just a stones throw away from Israel was exciting and scary as it forced us to go through numerous checkpoints with guys with big guns. The most interesting part of our drive was when we got to a junction with signs to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel-- we were just 10 minutes from the borders of each of these 3 countries. And despite the tension between Israel and the rest of the Arab world, Israel and Jordan have figured out how to work together when it comes to the runway used by the King Hussein International Airport (Jordan) and Eilat Airport (Israel). For both airports, in (sometimes) enemy countries, they use the exact same runway (since both countries are within spitting distance of each other). Why can't we all just learn to get along like this?
Anyway, after a long, hot drive, we finally arrived at the Dead Sea--Rob's highlight of the trip. We checked into our hotel, dumped our luggage, got dressed in our bathing suits, and walked down to the Dead Sea to take a dip. The water was unlike nothing I've ever experienced. Water from various sources, including the River Jordan, end up in the land-locked Dead Sea which also serves as the lowest place on Earth (even lower than the Grand Canyon). The water leaves an oily residue on your skin while the mineral-rich heavy waters make you float with little effort. Trying to get up from a floating position--now THAT takes effort. We rounded off our trip to the Dead Sea with a lovely pasta dinner at the Marriott Hotel which included--BACON!!! God, I love Jordan!
The next afternoon, we woke up and make the quick 1.5 hour drive back to Amman. We unloaded in our last hotel and got a taxi into the old downtown of Amman. The shopping district was full of life and energy. There was music and laughter, great food on every corner, and shops full of everything one could want. After walking through the steep alleyways and stocking up on a few last minute purchases, we ended up at Hashem Restaurant--Jordan's most famous hole-in-the-wall. For around $10 we ate in a no-frills restaurant that would have scared most people. Stacks of freshly made pita are tossed onto your table when you arrive. Your meal of hummus, falafel, foul, with tomatoes and mint are served without plates and silverware. Despite the look of the joint, the walls are full of pictures of Arabian royalty and international heads of state who all came to eat the most delicious food. It was the first time in 7 days that Anouk didn't complain about her meal and Xavier didn't come up for breath until there was nothing left on the table. Our experience at Hashem was the best way to end our lovely holiday trip to Jordan.
...I wonder if the American Community School in Amman has openings.
check out pictures of our trip...
