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Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum is one of the world’s outstanding desert landscapes. It is known also as The Valley of the Moon, a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in south Jordan. The main reason why I want to go here because it has breathtaking scenery and a chance to experience desert life and Bedouin culture.
As early as 9am, we left the town Wadi Musa and headed to Wadi Rum. On our way, we stopped at one Bedouin tent for tea and discover about Bedouin life. Bedouins are arab of any of the nomadic tribes of the Arabian, Syrian, Nubian, or Sahara deserts.
It was gloomy that time and started to rain as well. We stayed in awhile in the tent and more herbal teas were serve! As soon as the rain stopped, We went sightseeing in the desert of Wadi Rum.
Finally, we reached the camp. It was huge with several tents. There are lots of people also in the camp. When settled, we hiked again to see the sunset. At dinner time, we had a buffet and shared tables with people from Israel.
After dinner, people started to flock in the dance floor! Yes, believe me theres a dance floor in the camp! Most of the songs they play are arabic. We hangout for awhile and see some arabic moves on the dance floor.
It was a long day for us and very exhausting. We have to leave early morning because my friend has to catch a flight in Amman the next day. So we headed back to our respective tents and fly to dreamland.
We left Wadi Rum at 7am. We went back to Wadi Musa and picked up our backpacks from Petra Gate Hostel and went to the airport to dropped a friend. After dropping a good friend Jun, whom I met in Wadi Musa and became my travel buddy, we decided to go to Madaba to see some biblical stuff!
Madaba
Madaba is a pleasant, relaxed, tolerant and easy-going little town well known for its Byzantine mosaics and being the most Christian town in Jordan.
First, we visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the Promise Land, a land he was himself forbidden to enter. Moses died and was later buried in the area, although the exact location of the burial site is the subject of conjecture.
Mt. Nebo region features several peaks, including Siyagha, the local name of the site, meaning "monastery". This is where you will find the moses Memorial Church.
Nearby, an Italian-designed bronze memorial symbolizes the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross and the serpent that "Moses lifted up" in the desert.
After Mt. Nebo, we went to a place I never thought I will see in my whole life--- The Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where Jesus was baptized!
Then Jesus came from the Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ( Matthew 3:13)
This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. ( John 1:28)
After seeing those wicked Biblical stuff, we had a detour and went back to Amman to spend the night. The next day, we got up early and headed to local bus station to descend to the depths for a bob in the Dead Sea , the lowest point on the earth.
Swimming is probably a misnomer----bobbling is near the masrk. The buoyancy experienced makes it difficult to move through the water and any attempt at breaststroke results in being flipped over.
While in the water, I mean on the water, you will discover cuts you never knew you had and if any water gets in your eyes, be prepare for a few minutes of agony. Just a tip, don't shave before visitng ;)
Dead Sea mud contains high concentration of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iodine, bromine and bitumen. Muds are available for free where you can self-administer a full body mud pack. Leave it in place to bake under the sun for 5-10 minutes and then wash it off in the sea. You can feel tightening of the skin and leaves it feeling smooth, tingling and refreshed!
After spending the whole day in the Dead Sea, we went back to Amman to spend the night before exploring Ma'In in Madaba. The next day, I left the hostel at 9AM and went to the local bus station, where all the signs are in Arabic and even the driver speaks Arabic only. After few minutes of conversing with them with basic arabic words that I know and countless hand signals and signs, I managed to get in to the right bus, pay the right amount of money and reached my destination on time!
Ma'In is famous for its hot spring waterfalls. The water, ranging from 45℃ to a blistering 60℃, tumbles off the hillside in a series of waterfalls and is collected in a variety of pools for bathing.
As one of the perks, I stayed in Evason Ma'In for 3 nights for free where I have my own huge room with two beds, private bathroom and a huge flat TV embedded on the wall. They have a family pool with the relaxing waterfalls on the background, a library where you can borrow some DVD's and 2 desktop computers where you can surf the net and a bar, where I spend most of my time there chatting with guests and staff.
Traveling in Jordan for 11 days is not enough. I missed some important landmarks due to weather conditions and lack of time. Im supposed to go to Aqaba but the plan has been changed because of heavy rains. Jordan is a safe country to travel. I never had any problems with the locals--although some taxi drivers will overprice you most of the time, common sense is your great weapon. If your in the cab, ask for the meter to be turned on. If they refused, leave the taxi and hail another one. Finding a cab in any parts of Jordan is a piece of cake. Jordanians are very very friendly. Most of them cannot speak English well but know some phrases like "welcome to Jordan", "where are you from" or "how are you". I met some good locals and made friends with them. Even the manager in the hostel in Amman, he always give me food and always invite me for a tea whenever Im around in the reception.
Given an opportunity, I will come back to Jordan and see the places I missed and of course, reunited to some friends I met in Petra. So far, This is the best travel I had!
☺ Namaste ☺
