Petra, Jordan …Road trip through the Middle East - Day 6
Our apologies are thoughts still need to added below… check back soon!
To be discussed…
Breakfast
Petra
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Aqaba, Jordan …Road trip through the Middle East - Day 6,7
Our apologies are thoughts still need to added below… check back soon!
To be discussed…
Drive to Aqaba: reunite with Brent
Dinner at Romero’s
Day 7:
Happy 25th Birthday, Kendra!
Ferry/Crossing the Red Sea: Decide at 10:30, Ferry Chaos, First Class, Meet Ross & Jon
Niewaba
Dahab: Dinner & Shopping
Driving Across Siani & Through the Night
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Wadi Rum, Jordan …Road trip through the Middle East - Day 4,5
The King’s Highway: Driving South, Mt. Nebo, and The Grand Canyon of Jordan: We left early the next morning to start our drive from Amman south to Aqaba. Jordan is an absolutely beautiful country! We took a few scenic detours along the way including Mt. Nebo, which was the mountain Moses stood on when he looked into the Promised Land for the first time. This is also supposedly where Moses is buried, and of course there is a monastery there. The top of the mountain is supposed to have a spectacular view of the Dead Sea, the Judean Mountains, and even Jerusalem. This might be possible on a clear day, but the day we were there it was anything but clear. The haze of dust and pollution barely let us see the Jordan River. We were too cheap to pay to go into the monastery and get the view from there, so we took our Pajero off-roading for the first time. Considering it was a two-track trail, up a mountain, and a huge cliff on one side, I think we did pretty well! ☺ Continuing down The King’s Highway, we happened upon a huge canyon, and it has been nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of Jordan.” Beautiful!
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Desert Riding - Wadi Rum …Road Trip through the Middle East - Day 4,5
High speeds, no radars, and no roads! Watch this short clip, we like to think of it as a promo for selling Pajero’s! If we could have shown it flying of a cliff… believe me, we would have!
A Castle in Jordan …Road trip through the Middle East - Day 3
After Jerash, we took the long way back to Amman with a stop at a Castle.
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Amman, Jordan …Road trip through the Middle East - Day 2
Getting ripped-off for parking: After a much-needed rest, we tried to find a place to have breakfast. Without the plethora of Starbucks that Kuwait has, we set out in search of an establishment with more local flare. Now parking in Amman is a story all in itself! Like many Middle Eastern counties, parking is mostly limited to street parking. And, after the bombings last fall, Amman has blocked even street parking in front of most hotels and many of the major attractions. We did finally find a dirt parking lot that actually had an empty spot, however the guy “manning” the lot wanted 5 JD (approx. $7.50) to park for 30 minutes!! It was a huge snap-back-to-reality for us! Because there is virtually no tourism industry in Kuwait, you don’t have to worry about people trying to rip you off because you’re a tourist (and parking is extremely cheap!). Jordan, on the other hand, has a large tourism industry and many very poor people who depend on it. We did talk the guy down to a much more reasonable price, but he was back to wanting 7 JD by the time we got back from breakfast!
Fixing tire: After breakfast we explored Amman and didn’t worry about getting lost. We found some amazing views of the city and met some cute kids. We also found a mechanic to repair our tire. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak any English, but a random guy walking down the street (from Kuwait of all places!) stopped to help us out and translate for us. His name was Sayid (for you Lost fans out there!), and he was very helpful and friendly.
Roman Theater: This was our first tourist stop on our trip. Took some great pictures. There is one spot in the theater where you can stand and the specially designed acoustics make it possible for everyone in the theater to hear you. Also, if someone puts their ear on one side of the theater wall, they can hear someone talking on the other side of the theater (See picture “Paulo whispering sweet nothings into Karin’s ear”).
Toledo Hotel: For our second night in Amman, we asked around and were recommended the Toledo Hotel. We would also highly recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Amman! It is a very nice hotel for very reasonable prices. Check it out at www.toledohotel.jo
New Year’s Eve: We spent New Year’s Eve in Amman. We meandered through the streets of the Old Souk, ate swarmas, and Paulo got a shave. Come to find out, the barber actually cuts King Abdullah’s hair every other week at the palace!
We looked through the tour book to find a restaurant to celebrate at, but when we got there, the cover charge for the evening was a little more than we wanted to spend. ☺ It was in a very hip part of Amman, so we wondered over to Starbuck’s and had a mocha. There was a street party, so it was a great place to people watch. We walked more, saw some fireworks, and turned in early.
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