Experiencing Mars on our very own land!

Just to give you a background, the red sand and barren rock landscape of Wadi Rum is very similar to Mars Land, huge red sand desert with tall barren deshaped rocks with almost zero vegetation creating a extraordinary Space like experience. Many Hollywood movies showcasing Mars has been shot here..

Red Sand Dune @ Wadi Rum

It was so confusing to make the bookings for Wadi Rum, I wanted it to be safe as I was supposed to stay in the middle of vast desert. Luckily one of my colleague from client site referred me to a camp owner and it turned out to be a clean and safe campsite.

Entry to Desert

As soon as you enter the Wadi the vastness and the abstract desert hits you, challenging you to go further deep inside it. Wide red sand fields having huge sandstone and granite mountain offers great opportunities for hiking. Narrow canyons and fissures cut deep into the mountains and many conceal ancient rock drawings etched by the peoples of the desert over Milena.

Nabatean Encryption
& the hike through canyon and rocks, below..

I took an option for half day desert (3 hrs) safari which included visit to Nabatean Temple, Lawrence Spring, Sand Dunes, Little Bridge, Um Fourth Rock Bridge, Lawrence House & Khazali Canyon. The most of part of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here.  There are options for camel ride and longer desert safari also, covering few more desert attractions/ rock formations lasting upto 6 hours. And if you want then hot air balloon ride @ 180 per head is also available to enjoy the skyline of the desert.

Um Forth Rock Bridge

The day ended while sipping Bedouin tea on top of a hillock while the sun was slowly setting behind the vast red sand dunes and tinting every inch of sky in deep “Amber”. There was no sound apart from the blowing wind after some time that also resembles silence. That’s when the calm desert evening hits your soul and the red hot day converts into a chilly winter evening.  

Sunset veiw - Though I didnt capture it nicely

Khalid, our tour organiser, took us to the camp (basic Bedouin Camp) in his rugged Arabic decorated SUV, where I got served with special vegetarian dinner whereas others enjoyed some non-vegetarian version. After that I sat beside the Bonfire for long time gazing at the star studded night, enjoying small talks with fellow travellers and listening a local artist playing OUD and singing local Jordanian/English/Hindi songs.

Tea Time Inside the camp

Next day it was time for the city of Aqaba, to take a dip in the Mediterranean Sea. Booked a glass bottom boat ride along with snorkeling through the sea. Tried my hands at snorkeling in the middle of the sea without even knowing swimming. BTW this was my 3rd death defying act in Jordan trip, the first & second were at Wadi Mujib. One being when I slipped from the rock while climbing against the water falls, the only saving grace was the rope which I was holding with my only two hands. The other when some-one accidentally pushed into the rocky/high current water stream, and I panicked, this time I would have definitely died  if it was not for my guide who pulled me out of the stream like and put me on a nearby rock like a vegetable!

View from Glass Bottom Boat

10 mins into the sea and Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan all were almost at an equal distant, I was excited like a kid after seeing so many international borders at once.

Floating in the Dead Sea.. One more check on my bucket list!

Dead Sea, Wadi Mujib & Bethany beyond Jordan:

Not Clicked or Witnessed by me, just googled by me.. ;-)

My plan was to visit Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib so we left early from our hotel in Amman. As both these places would have required 3-4 hours each.

To my dismay, right near the dead sea, my taxi driver told that Wadi Mujib is closed due to the heavy rains in the preceding week. Had to change my plan, and decided to visit Bethany beyond Jordan, the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ. The only option is to take a guided one hour tour (@ 12.00 JD). The last point of the tour is the 10-15 feet wide river stream dividing Israel and Jordan. On the other side of the river (i.e Israel) lot of people were taking bath in the holy water. 

Me @ Jordan River, in Jordan and people behind me are in Israel. International Waters you see.. ;-)

After this one hour walk in scorching heat it was time to have an experience that was on my bucket list since long, weightless floating in the Dead Sea. 

Fact1: The mud of dead sea has medicinal healing powers and is used in all kind of body products from mud packs/soaps to moisturizers. 

The huge salt water lake having Jordan and Israel on either side of the shore. If you walk 3 feet inside the water the upthrust of water will pull your legs and make your body float with no efforts, one can actually read a book while floating. 

Fact 3: The lake is having a water salinity of 34.2% making it impossible for any living creature or plants to survive in its water and that is also the reason for huge water up-thrust forcing your body to float instead of sinking. 

Fact 2: Did I tell you that the surface and shores of the Dead Sea are 423 metres below sea level, making it Earth’s lowest elevation on land. 

The Private Beach of  Hotel @ The Dead Sea, Land till this board was covered under water until some years back!

At dead sea either you can go to Amman beach with an entry fees of 15 JD which is a public beach changing room and bathrooms are also available here. Or you can book a day entry to the private beaches of the 4-5 star resorts (costing around 45-55 JD which includes pool access, bathroom/changing room access, and some food options), I took the later at Dead Sea Spa resort. Spent my time floating on the dead sea while covering myself in the mud.

Guessed it right, that's me covered in mud, effortlessly floating in the Dead Sea

If you drive further ahead you can trek down to one of the cleanest shores, having beautiful salt crystal formations. If you want to save money and experience the cleanest waters you can float there also. It is small but little tedious trek down to the lake.

Salt Formations at the Dead Sea, Oh yes 100% witnessed by me for long time.  but no camera taken while trekking down so PC: Google

Fact 3: The Dead Sea is drying up at an alarming rate, if we don't take Global Warming issue seriously this little natural wonder will be vanished in few years. 

While returning my driver took me to one of the many souvenir shops on this route. The options in these shops are pretty good (especially mosaics) but high on cost side but you should definitely pay a visit so that you can figure out what you should look for, in Down Town Amman ;-).

Wadi Mujib: Some clicks by unknown but good photographers, and trust me its much more fun then it looks!

I had to go again on next weekend to have once in a lifetime experience at Wadi Mujib, this time I checked in advance whether its open or not. The entrance fees to Wadi mujib is 15 JD per head, and it is suggested to take a guide along with you which might cost another 40 JD. Few places in the trek are really tricky and having guide along side is really advantageous. Wear shoes which has good grip and survive in water. It is 2-3 hrs trail depending on your fitness level 100% in water. It is a must do if you love adventure, trek against the flow of a cliff is an experience to remember.

The Lost City of Petra..

My first trip in Jordan was to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The major reason for the visit was my love for National Treasure (the movie) and Treasury. Initially my only objective was to reach Treasury click some photos and wassup it to my husband and then go to Wadi Rum!

The Treasury

But as I started planning for the trip, I googled more about this Nabatean city and my so called lost love for History got the fuel for awakening. Finally, I decided to take a two day tour (55 JD for non-Jordanian) to Petra one with guide and one without guide as it pretty expensive (50 JD per tour). First day I took the guide and second day did a self-track to the monastery.

The King's Tombs inside Petra

The entire city is carved through the rocks. There is only one free standing building the city and that it also the Land-mark where the main trail ends. It’s around 3 hours (round trip) trail, wall painting, temples are there through the siq. After around 40mins to one hours into the Siq one can see the bright light of treasury peeping through the slits between the rocks, you don’t need to be a photographer to make a beautiful photo out of that, proof is below.

Golden Glimpse of Treasury

My guide was a Bedouin and he gave interesting insights about the life in the city of Petra. He also told that he was born in the city of Petra and used to live in one of the caves here till 1985. As per him till 2013 there used to be huge queues to visit the city of Petra which has now significantly reduced. He also told that if I would have arrived a day earlier could have seen Petra by the Night (which is only available on Monday, Thursday & Friday nights). The entire pathway lit by oil lamps looked awesome in his mobile photos I am sure my mobile would have done a similar job and I would have tagged it “shot on iphone 6s” ;-) (I know, bad one!)

Petra by Night. PC: Google

The tour guides leaves at the free standing building. That's the only surviving structure that is free standing in the entire city, rest all are carved through the mountains. 

In the Left Center that Wall kind structure is the only free standing structure which has survived, built by Romans!

As the Sun was setting, I started rushing back to the entrance to avoid walking in the dark but the Sun was gone within in a flicker and by the time I reached Treasury it was pitch dark. Luckily there was one group waiting there, I tagged along with them till the end. Ate dinner an awesome at the restaurant near the ticket counter sent back images home through the restaurant wi-fi and went –off to sleep.

Mummy of a Baby Camel, which died at an early age!

Next day I woke-up at 6 as had to cover longer trail (6 hours trail to Monastery) and then head back to Jordan. As soon as I looked out of the window I could see dark clouds covering the Sun and it was drizzling. Waited there for an hour, hopping for rain to stop but it didn’t. Finally had no option but to start. So went ahead like that one, it was kind of fun trekking the siq, fully drenched, awesome weather and no tension of clicking photo graphs as I couldnt have taken my phone out from the water proof puch! The water was flowing like a river through it and I could imagine that how Petra is easily exposed to flash floods! I completed the trail in close to 7-8 hours with 3 small excursion from the monastery to the awesome viewpoints.

The Monastery at my Back Drop!

Amman In and Out..!!

There is a nice calm vibe in the Air. No one is in hurry, nobody honks in traffic (people have patience) even if the road is blocked for hours. Ok, I exaggerated a little! Steep hilly roads makes every ride a small thrill ride filled with joy. 40% of Jordan’s populations resides in Amman. Islam and Christianity are two major religions followed here. Few of the things that shouldn’t be missed in Amman are:

Rainbow Street: A Lively street full of Restaurants and pubs on both side of the street. Some restaurants which are at the edge of the hillock offer breathtaking views of downtown with awesome food. The small cafes have pretty sit-outs to enjoy the weather and food. Often these are occupied by some talented music artists which do not shy away to practice. This street reminded me of the lively (full of art) streets of Rome.

Sheesha: Smoke is oxygen for Jordan and Sheesha is pretty much the respiration system to inhale it. (I know it is one of the worst metaphor I might have used, but couldn’t think of anything else). Every restaurant / Café offers Sheesha with lot of flavor options. Cafes in are petty lively on the weekend evenings (i.e. Thursday, Friday & Saturday evenings). One can also find huge exclusive tobacco shops selling off beautiful sheesha vessels along with some unique flavors of tobacco.

Boulevard: I am not sure how it is round the year but when I went there, it was beautifully decorated with flowers and plants all around to celebrate Spring and there was Arabic rock band giving live performance and the crowd was going crazy while hearing the songs. Though I don’t know Arabic but I also loved the performance and thoroughly enjoyed it. Followed by some nice Italian food at the open restaurant near the Amphi theatre. Definitely a different picture of Amman.

Spring Festival @ Boulevard

Turkish Hamman: My bet to pamper myself after the Wadi Mujib Trail, Well I tried Alf Layla Wa Layla to relax and believe me it is a must try if you are in Amman. The complete 2-2.5 hrs process relaxes not only your body but your mind as well. Very Clean and nice place with friendly staff and awesome services. Though I have not been to

he tiredness I had post
Turkey, but what I heard from people that it was one of the best Turkish Hamman better than Turkey also!!

Shopping at Down Town: The souk here is modernized to a large extend it doesn’t look/feels anywhere near to the Souks of Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Still roaming around the streets of Down Town is an experience in itself. You can find few small establishments at the basements having some reminders of the Souks. One can head to JAFRA for some delicious food and a round of sheesha and there are live Oud performances after 9.00 PM at JAFRA.

This wasn't our ride 

Taxi Ride: Must hire a taxi to experience the thrill of drive through the steep roads of Amman, to enjoy the soothing Arabic music that the radio station plays, to hear some lovely welcoming words from the taxi driver despite of them not knowing English they will definitely say “Welcome to Jordan” and also for the passive smoking through your taxi drivers (:-P).

Falafel at Hashim’s: Me being a vegetarian it’s was the only fall back place I had. Small shops in the open serves awesome falafel (unlimited @ 3 Jordanian Dinar). And it is so famous that you just need to tell Hashim to Taxi Drivers they will themselves take you to the restaurant. BTW did I mention, that this is one of King Abdullah’s favorite places. 

Hummus & Falafel @ Hashim

Visit the Malls: Amman has some large malls full of all international brands. I am not a mall person but, if one is interested one can visit Taj Mall, Mecca Mall or Galaria Mall for some shopping and food.

Citadel + Amphi Theatre: The Amman Citadel is a historical site at the center of downtown Amman, Jordan situated at the Hilltop. It offers the top view of Roman Amphi theatre,  major attractions at the site are the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace.

Amman Top view @ Citadel

The Blue dome Mosque @ Citadel

The best time to visit Citadel is the early evening (it closes by 5.30 Pm) so that the view of crimson sun setting behind the tall modern building can be enjoyed from the Hillock. 

Sunset @ Citadel

Roman Amphi Theatre, King Abdullah Mosque are the other main attractions of the city.

Souvenirs: One can buy beautiful Mosaic from Bazar shops on the way to Dead Sea or from Madaba. Or small common mosaics (like tree of life) can be bought from down town as well.  Phosporus based Knife paintings (I found few beautiful ones near Jerash) these are also available in Down Town. Evil Eye hangings, available on any souvenir shop. One can also purchase Sheesha flavors from a huge variety of options available (from exclusive Tobacco Shops). There is one really nice one in Gallaria mall right at the entrance.

Souvenir

Solo Travelling Tales, Post No.1 - Jordan, few fact

Lots of people think (and I was one of them before this trip) that JORDAN is not a safe location to visit, due to its close proximity to Syria and Palestine, but let me tell you at times I felt, safer than Delhi. Also the culture there was very modern compared to other gulf countries so much so that it is known as the Amsterdam of Gulf.

The Treasury @ Petra

If I have to summarize my trip in one word, that would be “Unforgettable”. There were so many “firsts” to this trip, which obviously made it unforgettable for me. This was the First time I was travelling to a Gulf country, first time I was travelling alone, first time travelling abroad for work, first time staying away from home for 2 months and many others J

Location: I was stationed at Amman as my client's office was located there, and on weekends I took excursions to visit the places. Jordan is a very small country. All borders are at a maximum distance of 350-400 Kms from Amman and hence that was a workable plan for covering the whole land.

People: 60% population of Jordan consist of Palestine Refugees and now few refugees from Syria have also found shelter here. The country and its people are very warm and welcoming in nature. During my stay at Jordan I might have taken atleast 100 taxi rides and I don’t remember any Taxi driver not asking “Are you from Hind?” and saying “Welcome to Jordan”.

Two very naughty ones.. Especially the one in red

Weather: The most beautiful surprise after landing at Queen Alia airport Amman was the weather, the pleasant breezy spring weather was a superb and refreshing break from the heats of Delhi. During spring (March, April & beginning of May) the weather is very pleasant and all the roads in Amman, road side houses were full of beautiful fragrant flowers. December and January are the coldest months with some snow fall. And for rest of the year 38-39 degrees is the maximum mercury goes to.

Goodies from Hotel: Baklava 

Topography: Most of the region in Jordan is a barren desert. Amman is situated on little hillocks making the evenings and nights super romantic with its awesome views and weather, other cities are mostly deserts except Aqaba which is at the sea shore.

Best Time to visit Jordan: As per me, April is the best time to visit Jordan and my reason for that is the weather. And if you are going for touristy purpose 7-9 days is the ideal tenure for visiting Jordan for covering all major attractions/ places.

Food: If you are a non-vegetarian then Jordan is a paradise for you. You get all kind of meats seasoned with Medeterian spices. Mansaf is a must try (it a rice dish served with minced meat) and for vegetarians Falafel + Mutabal / Humus are definitely and only options to try from the local cuisine. Whether you have sweet tooth or not but you should definitely try Kanafeh & Baklava from some nice sweet shops (not all make it nice). 

Others: Alcohol is not sold is open here, you can only get it in Fine Dining restaurants.  But smoke is oxygen for country, everybody (and I mean literally) smokes everywhere. One of my colleague from Client site told me that she had to fight a lot to make separate smoking zones in the Office otherwise earlier people used to smoke on their cabins/workstations itself.

Solo Travelling Tales: Part 2 - Places to Visit in Jordan

Panoramic view of Southern Theater

Unlike my usual self I didn’t google/ researched anything about Jordan before going there. So the second surprise I got as soon as the hotel taxi picked me up. The taxi driver took me through all the places (with hopes of getting some business) that I could visit during my stay in Jordan.

Amman: Amman is the capital city of Jordan and most developed of all and itself has quite a few tourist attractions such as citadel, Ampi theatre, King Abdullah mosque, Down town.  For more details of Detailed link coming up shortly
Petra: One of The Seven Wonders of World, is the most visit tourist attraction in Jordan. It is a Nabataean city carved through the Rock Mountains. It is the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. As per our guide before 2013 (before the outbreak in Syria) there used to be 100s of meters long queue for its entrance. Detailed link coming up shortly

Treasury @ Petra

Dead Sea: Beautiful turquoise blue waters forcing your body to float instead of sinking, black mud at it shores has skin healing properties and salted water makes it impossible for any living being or plant to survive in it. Floating in Dead Sea is one of those things that was part of my bucket list. Detailed link coming up shortly

Floating @ Dead Sea

Wadi Mujib: If you love adventure then this is the place to be, there are 4-5 different options (both wet & dry trails).  I would not be writing much about it but suggest to experience trekking in the river having knee height water, climbing on the rocks against the cliff through a rope, sliding from the top the small cliffs feels like a steep water rides in an amusement park but in natures lap.

Wadi Mujib.... PC GoogleSearch as it didn't carry any camera on the trail

Wadi Rum: Wadi means Valley, and it is the largest valley of Jordan. It’s a desert red sand desert with high barren rock formations. The last habitation here is the Rum village, after that it’s all desert. The desert safari, camping and star gazing is one of the highlights here on a clear night (though nothing can be compared to Nubra Valley, Ladakh) are major activities here. Detailed link coming up shortly

The red desert @ Wadi Rum

Aqaba: It is the city on the shores of Mediterranean Sea. It borders Saudi Arabia on one side and Israel on the other. And if you take a boat ride in the sea 10 mins, into that one can easily see Egypt. It is famous for shopping and beaches. Temperature here in general is 5-7 degrees higher than Amman. It city has beautiful corals underneath its water one can enjoy Glass bottom ride, snorkeling, scuba diving etc.

Reef as seen from top of the water @ Mediterranean 

Jerash: Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. Within the remaining city walls, archaeologists have found the ruins of settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age, indicating human occupation at this location for more than 6500 years. 

It is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. Entrance costs 10 Jordanian Dinar (JD, as of April 2016) for all foreign visitors, which includes the Jerash Archaeological Museum.

Sunset @ Zeus Temply, Jerash

The entrance to the Archeological Park is through the Hadrian's Arch, the southern gate of the city followed by Hippodrome partially restored, roman era stadium. The Visitor's Centre is located at the entrance to the archaeological park (just south of the Hippodrome and the Arch). Various sites such as the forum (the oval plaza), the south theatre, temple of Artemis, Nymphaeum are few well restored historical structures in Jerash.

Hadrian's Arch

Just outside of the archaeological park is a small souq—an outdoor bazaar, of sorts—that provides a well-rounded offering of Jordanian souvenirs and handicrafts. Many of the shop keepers are amiable and are willing to bargain over prices. Local children and teens will try to sell you Roman coins and other small artefacts found on the site though it is not advisable to buy from them as it is illegal.  

Ajloun Castle (also Rabadh Castle), an Islamic fortress, is one and half hour away from Amman. The castle is located on the top of a mountain just outside the small city of Ajloun. The castle is an interesting maze of passages and levels, and offers a wonderful view of the surrounding area, northwestern Jordan, and off into Galilee. I clubbed Ajloun and Jerash together on a single day excursion from Amman.  

Entrance to Ajloun Castle 

Al-Karak also known as just Karak or Kerak, is a city in Jordan known for its Crusader castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak lies around 150 Km to the south of Amman on the beautiful King's Highway. It is situated on a hilltop and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. The castle is divided in two sections upper court and lower court. The lower court has been converted to a museum. The architecture of the galleries in both the upper and lower court are similar. However as per the information board, the lower court is magnificent, unfortunately it was closed for renovation when I visited.  

Alleys @ Karak Castle

Mount Nebo is an elevated ridge in Jordan, mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land. The Dead Sea, West Bank of Jerico, Jordan River Valley and Jerusulam is visible on a clear day, and the day I visited was no less than that. Here I met a very friendly and nice Tourist Police Officer who knew good English and guided me to the entire site, gave insights and offered me a help if I ever need for any travelling plans in Jordan though I never utilized it. 

Serpentine Cross Sculpture @ Mount Nebo

Madaba: After visiting the church at Mount Nebo I headed towards the ancient town of Madaba. Madaba is the city know for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics. I chose to visit St George's Church & the floor has a mosaic map of the holy land, been protected in bits and pieces. 

Map of Holy Land @ St, George's Church

Before viewing the map, take a look at the full-size replica in the ticket office, making it easier to spot the details that you want to focus on in the church. There is a beautiful market around the church shops selling souvenirs of all shapes and sizes.