HK of J, Part II

Kiryat Shmona (Israel) --> Amman --> Mt Nebo --> Petra --> Wadi Rum --> Aqaba --> Nuweiba (Egypt)

Head back from Israel at the Sheikh Hussein border crossing (paying half the departure tax that I'd have otherwise paid at the main crossing at Allenby Bridge). However, a small hiccup at the Jordan side of the border: they only put entry stamps beside the Israel exit stamp so I end up with two entry stamps - one in each passport - and can only get one exit stamp. Still, my plot to avoid evidence of a visit to Israel in my main passport is still in action.

After arriving in Amman I use it as a base to do a daytrip to Mt Nebo where one Moses - aged about 120 years - stood and saw the promised land and beyond. Didn't know that? Time to brush the dust off your Old Testament and turn to Deuteronomy 34. Basically there's a small monastery cum archaeological site there with a few mosaics and an old rock door. Any a guy selling tickets (for the low, low price of 1 JD). It wasn't bad but would have been a lot more impressive if the weather had been better. In fact the weather was a lot better than the preceding few days when snow had settled on the hills around Amman and (I later found out) Petra. It also gave me the opportunity to catch a nasty cold which clogged up my head, caused my ears to pop and my eyes to hurt. Popping paracetamol to maximum dose helped but it took a good three weeks for me to get back to 'normal'.

After this daytrip I had the pleasant opportunity to spend an evening drinking with Hani, the receptionist of the hostel where I was staying (the very decent Farah Hotel, in Downtown), and a couple of Italian NGO workers who were living in the West Bank. It was jolly expensive - beer in Amman is not at all cheap - but also a good way to relax after seven months of being jobless and having no responsibility. I have revised my opinion of Amman up a little on account of this night out.

The next big stop was the Rose Red City of Petra. Easy to do - a direct bus from Amman to the town of Wadi Musa, just two kilometres from Petra - and a cheap hostel found from the recesses of my Lonely Planet. Petra, however, is far from cheap: 21 JD (about 23€) for one day and an extra 5 JD per day up to three days. It is also the biggest tourist trap this side of the River Jordan: the place is heaving with tour groups and locals offering donkey or camel rides and peddling cheap jewellery. However - and there's always a 'however' - the gates open at six in the a.m. so, the following day I rose at the uncharacteristically early time of 5.45 and headed to Petra. There were about five other tourists there at the time and absolutely no local salesmen (they start at 9am). I walked around, took my photos and left by 10 a.m. feeling absolutely stuffed as my monster cold from Amman took hold. Petra is without doubt very beautiful and one of the top archaeological sites that I've seen so far (which is saying a lot noting that I've seen Greece, Turkey and Syria on this same trip) but also wins the 'Most Pimped To Tourists' award for the vulgar and shameless trap that it's become.

I also had one other big objective for Jordan: Wadi Rum. Famous for beautiful desert landscapes, T. E. Lawrence and the Arab revolt (and of course the film, parts of which were filmed here) and, unfortunately, famous for high prices and limited public transport too. Good news! The lovely people at Valentine Hotel where I was staying in Wadi Musa (and yes, painted a disgusting, romantic pink colour all over to emphasise the name) could arrange a daytrip with overnight stay in a campsite. Was there a catch? No! It turned out cheap enough and I signed up.

As someone who doesn't normally engage in hyperbole I can safely say that Wadi Rum was an amazing place and I'm glad I didn't miss it. Desert implies flat, brown and sterile however Wadi Rum (strictly speaking Wadi Rum Protected Area as WR is one of a number of valleys there) is a mixture of desert mountains with colours ranging from pale yellows and creams through to dark reds and browns. Large lumps of rocks stick out of the desert. We (me and the person who shared the 4x4 with me) were driven around for about five hours before being dropped at camp to relax before tucking into a super meal of chicken and vegetables (cooked in an underground oven).

Jordan is now crossed off the list but I need to get to Egypt: next stop Aqaba, specifically the the ferry terminal there to catch the ferry to Nuewiba in Egypt. That gave me time to look around Aqaba and I can safely say that T. E. would weep. It is a joyless, soulless place full of resorts, bars and restaurants targeting cruise ship passengers. I happily bought my ferry ticket full of anticipation of leaving this place and, with enough Jordanian money to pay for little more than my stay and departure, headed to the terminal the next day. Boarding time approaches and passes so I hunt down the man in the information booth (they don't bother announcing information, you have to find it): no ferry today because of high winds in Nuweiba. And apparently no ferry the day before either, the same day a jolly fat man in the city centre ticket office happily took my money for the ferry ticket without noting this delay. This meant only one thing: a night on the tiles, quite literally, along with quite a few other passengers. Thankfully I had my trusty inflatable travel pillow and earplugs to ensure that I got a peaceful four hours of sleep that night.

I got by with frequent visits to a kiosk selling falafel sandwiches and bottled water and, after a 24 hour wait, was on the boat to Egypt.