Crossing the desert–Jordan

May 16 & 17 2011

I take back every even passingly negative thought about Jordan.  I see now that the minor inconvenience at the beginning was just so I could fall totally and completely madly in love with the country.  I admit that I’m in a minority with this, as the rest of the group is much less enamoured of the Hashemite Kingdom than I am.  (It may have something  to do with the guide, but I digress)  I may be a closet Arab.

From breakfast on the first day, when they served an almost all-Jordanian buffet, I was dancing with joy (tired from 3 hours sleep, but delighted at the local food.)  Then we went to Petra.  Words fail me when I try to describe the red city.  It took 4 hours. almost 5, and we only made it past the Necropolis. My camera died on the way in, too, so I have only about 90 photos.  To see it in full would take, according to Jabra (our guide, aka James) about a week.  Lunch was at a wonderful Jordanian buffet restaurant, and again, I was in heaven.  I spent the afternoon bus ride to Amman talking to Jabra about all sorts of stuff, and had a great time.  I bought some lovely Bedouin pieces (which he bargained down for me) and again, a great time was had by all.

Then yesterday, we went to Medaba to see the city of mosaics, and to Jeresh, which was the largest Roman city out of Rome.  Again, wonderful Jordanian food, and more excellent silver chosen by Jabra.

Finally to the Israeli border, where the Jordanians weren’t keen to let me out (and they could have kept me) and the Israelis weren’t too keen to let me in… they regarded my passport with suspicion, then slammed an electronically controlled door in my face.

I admit, part of my love of the country may have something to do with our guide, in which case, my sole comment would be that he did his job well.  He is fired with a great passion for Jordan and its history, which he communicated well.  I could see the people from all ages filling the ancient streets as he described them; could feel the bustle of the crowds and almost smell the olive oil lamps burning from the pillars.  But more than that, modern Jordan is beautiful, thriving and bustling.  (With a hideous traffic problem in Amman.) There are gorgeous, spacious stores selling everything one could want, cheek by jowl with some hand carts filled with fruits and grains still pulled as they have been for thousands  of years. Unlike Egypt, the streets are not filled with trash.  There is mostly a sense of drive, which is great.  And I love it.  I will miss Jordan.  More, I will miss Jabra, my Jordanian Gabriel,  after only 2 days.

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