Jordan surprised us all with its inviting people, vast ruins and stunning natural beauty. Any concerns we had about how we would be received by the Jordanians were alleviated right away. Everywhere we went, people would say, “You are welcome here. Welcome to Jordan!” Shopkeepers invited us in to have tea and talk about their area’s history and waiters befriended the boys, spoiling them with special drinks and ice cream.
Jordan has some incredible history and some of the most spectacluar ruins in the world. The impressive sites we saw right in the capital city of Amman were dwarfed the next day by Jerash’s vast ancient Roman city that reached its peak in the 3rdcentury AD. We were astounded by the immense temples, columned streets and buildings that we speculate would rival those in Athens and Rome.
With the images of Jerash still in our heads, we headed south to the crown jewel of Jordan’s historical past, Petra. As advertised, it was even more impressive than Jerash. Petra is a city that was literally carved out of the red rock by the Nabataeans 2500 years ago in about 400BC. Petra, with its natural and carved structures, is an explorer’s dream and the kids immediately began scampering up rocks and looking in caves. The stunning 1.2km narrow rock canyon leading into the village would be well worth a visit on its own, but there is so much more. Palaces, temples, tombs and homes were intricately carved out of the sandstone walls. It would take at least 3 days to explore the sprawling city in any depth. We walked ourselves ragged for a day and a half and were only able to cover a fraction of the excavated ruins. And they estimate it is only about 20% uncovered!
Another highlight of Jordan was our overnight in a Bedouin Camp at Wadi Rum Reserve, only about 20 km from the border with Saudi Arabia. Wadi Rum is Moab, Utah on steroids with its sculpted sandstone mountains and vast desert plains. We stayed in a rustic tented camp run by the local Bedouins. We sat on the floor in the communal dining tent while we drank tea and listened to our guides sing and play their local music. We climbed up to rock bridges, ran down sand dunes, visited Lawrence of Arabia’s old home and took an uncomfortable but mercifully short 30-minute camel ride.
To contrast our experience in the desert, we went to a posh hot springs resort near the Dead Sea to pamper ourselves and get the grit off of our bodies. It was a beautiful place but also probably the emptiest hotel we have ever been in. Definitely more staff than guests!
On our return from Israel/Palestine, we spend one night on the shores of the Dead Sea and had a memorable swim/float/mud bath. Although we had heard that the salinity would provide extra buoyancy, we were shocked to find that it was difficult to even fully submerse yourself. You couldn’t drown in the sea if you tried!
