Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in between

[robd]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

View attachment 20233

So this is where/when gossiping around the water cooler started?

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

So this is where/when gossiping around the water cooler started?

Started a lot longer before that :shock:

Anyway, heading on we went through the Roman 'colonnaded street' from about 100 AD and then to the impressive Great Temple. We are told it was Nabataean in origin (100 AD), adapted by the Romans then the Byzantines. Pretty impressive in scale.





Then, at the end of the Basin its the Qasr al-Bint, a Nabataean temple (unusually, constructed not carved), also adapted by the Romans. However adjacent to that is a far more blessed site - the Crowne Plaza café ! Cool, shady and with all sorts of cold beverages, its the place to collapse after a day's climbing, trekking and investigating.




From this end of the basin, with afternoon light, the Royal Tombs get full exposure.





Unfortunately by this time we were all both stuffed and pretty well Petra-ed out so we decided to pull the pin on the Monastery climb. Disappointing, but we had done 2 high climbs so turned back with few regrets. There were opportunities to look again at the Theatre, Treasury and most of the other Nabataean structures on the way out.

Then we did the 1.2 km Siq, the 0.8 km pre Siq, and then the town and our ride back to the hotel came into view. It had been a full 8 hours on the go; the weather at about 28 degrees wasn't too bad, but boy we were looking forward to a shower, massage and drinks on the terrace of the Marriott!

 

[craven morehead]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Excellent TR many thanks RooFlyer :mrgreen:

 

[jetlagger]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

.

Security, like all the hotels we saw in Jordan was real and reasonably serious. The Intercon had raised car barriers and inspection of the trunk and car underneath (mirror on a stick) before a car could enter and there was no parking directly outside the hotel.


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Looks like a retro Benz in the background..

Superb TR & lovely photos.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

A word on the Marriott at Wadi Musa / Petra. Its not the 'top' hotel (I think the Movenpik next door would get that), but its pretty nice.

I mentioned before that it was set up on a hillside out of town and over-looking the mountain range behind ancient Petra. The dawns and sunsets are superb.




There' s several outside terraces where you can enjoy a drink with the view and the Italian restaurant also has a terrace where you can dine outside. Several lounges (all smoking, unfortunately), all with views of course. The service is pretty good and there were hot pre dinner snacks available (stuffed vine leaves etc).





We ate at the Italian restaurant both nights and while pricy, the food was a good antidote to the 'middle eastern' fare we had been enjoying to that point. We really liked these Jordanian reds. Pretty solid, in the Australian style.





The accommodation is in two relatively small wings, with rooms arranged around an internal courtyard. Pretty standard chain type rooms but with some nice touches. I had a major problem with air con in my room, and two visits failed to fix it the first evening, in spite of assurances that it would, and the room was at 29 degrees all night. Next day, a promised room change failed to materialize so we had 'words' . A third try at fixing and another assurance of a solution only had partial success - the minimum temp was 26 degrees. At check-out, I found a nice, un-announced and un-asked for discount on the bill which was a nice thing, but I would have valued better sleep more! Never-the-less I would be happy to return here.






So! That's Petra behind us. Off we headed, south, to a touch on Wadi Rum, Aqaba (TE Lawrence country) and then north to the Dead Sea.

 

[drron]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Again lots of memories.
I totally agree with you Jordan is a great place to visit and Petra should be on everyone's to do list.
Glad to hear the Syrian situation hasn't affected their hospitality.I am sure they need the tourist dollar more than ever now.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Anyone with the faintest inclination to visit Jordan should go ASAP (but watch the temperatures ). The 'Syrian situation', although having absolutely zero impact in Jordan ( except along the border and refugee areas) has decimated visitor numbers.

Great for having places to yourself, lack of queues, better deals if you want to bargain.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

We drove south towards Aqaba, and did a quick side trip to Wadi Rum. This is an area of desert marked by stark rock outcrops and mountains. Its 'Lawrence of Arabia' country - a lot of the film was shot here, and its where TE Lawrence and members of the Arab Revolt hung out. Unfortunately it was an overall disappointment to us. We didn't get to Wadi Rum proper, but the very edge and didn't get far off the highway, using a pretty beaten up 4WD to scoot over the dunes and around several valleys.




We were told that the cave on the right 'was actually used by Lawrence' . Well, maybe.



We did come across some Bedouins who were 'falconing'. We thought this meant that they were using falcons to catch 'game' - with the mantled glove, hooded falcons etc. Um, no. The other way round! They had a live mouse (or similar) in a snare like device and they pinned it to the ground. Flacons were supposed to come down, get caught in the snare and hence be caught, and sold. We also saw a number of petroglyphs - age unstated, showing camels, deer etc.




After Wadi Rum (redux) we continued south to do a 'drive by' of the city of Aqaba, at the top of the Gulf of Aqaba, at the top of the Red Sea. We would have loved to have spent a day here, but couldn't fit it in. The climate is glorious and the diving is great, we were told. Like many, my only knowledge of Aqaba was through 'Lawrence of Arabia' "To Aqaba!". Its an interesting place, even as a drive by. Immediately across the valley is the Israeli city of Eilat (with the apartment block towers) and you can see Egypt just down the gulf a bit, beyond the point in the centre of the pic on the left.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

At Aqaba we swung north and zoomed up the good highway north towards our Dead Sea resort hotel, at its northern end. The countryside is mostly barren, with the Israeli border to our immediate left, sometimes ony a 100m away. Although relations between Israel and Jordan are not bad at the moment, this is still a rather hot zone, with barbed wire fences and posts bristling with cameras. I was told we could not stop, and if a police car came into view, to put my camera away 'just in case'.






"The Dead Sea is dying" is something we heard constantly in the area, and its not a joke.

South of the Dead Sea on both sides of the border are a series of large evaporation ponds, driving a large industrial complex. The Dead Sea is naturally rich in some elements, such as sodium, magnesium, boron and some other things. South of the sea proper, large ponds allow evaporation of the water, concentrating the minerals and elements, which are then extracted via industrial plants. This has been going on for about 30 years, but in the past 10-15 years it has produced a very noticeable effect on the Dead Sea. Inflows have been greatly reduced (see the dam for Amman's drinking water we came across earlier) and the siphoning off of water for mineral recovery means that for the past 15 years or so, the Dead Sea has been falling by over 1m per year, and is now 30 metres below what it was. This drop is very noticeable along the shoreline.

The shore of the Dead Sea is now about 423m below sea level.

Apparently there is a plan to channel water from the Red Sea and this would appear to be essential.




The Dear Sea is a very deep green and salt crystallises around its margins. We stopped to see Lots Wife - the pillar od salt conveniently right next to the highway.




But there is no doubt that the Dead is still a magnificent sight. Again, that's Israel over the way.

 

[bigfoot786]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Great TR RooFlyer, Thanks for the efforts.

Just a tip for anyone looking to visit Jordan any time soon, try and not visit between mid Dec to Mid March. It gets very cold. I've been based here for a few years now and never knew a desert city could get so much colder than Melbourne in winter.


This is a picture from my balcony in downtown Amman in March last year.

So suggest if you want as great an experience as RooFlyer, take his advice and check the weather for the time of year you plan to visit.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Cripes! I could never imagine such a scene based on my visit

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

At the north end of the Dead Sea is a cluster of hotels and resorts and we stayed at the Marriott. Have to say, its a pretty swish place, notwithstanding the site is pretty good to work with!

Enter through very solid gates and raise/lower pillar car barriers, then a winding road through lush gardens to the entrance. The lobby is very striking, both during the day and at night. The whole hotel is very spacious; lots of marble; space and great views from the terrace over the pool area and Dead Sea. At night both inside and outside are subtly lit up.



Rooms again were pretty standard for a large chain.



We had a major negative in the Italian restaurant at dinner that evening. The service was simply appalling, from start to finish. This was a major downer and we repaired to the terrace bar to lick our wounds.

The site is on a slope down to the Dead Sea and there is a spectacular series of pools, with fountains etc on terraces with water cascading one to the other. Three major ones and several side ones.




But the sunset over the Dead Sea and the hills of Israel was the highlight - and that's probably much the same in any of the hotels The lights of Israel shone over the Dead Sea. Just to the left of the RH pic we could see the lights of Jerusalem illuminating the mist and dust above the hills.




Of course there is always the golden sunset shot. Until tomorrow, where we dip in the Dead Sea, see Jesus' baptism site and head for the airport.

 

[amaroo]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Outstanding TR

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

I gotta tell you, swimming (or rather, floating) in the Dead Sea is just plain weird. The water feels oily and walking over the slippery rocks to get into the water is quite tricky. You quickly find out if you have any cuts - it stings like crazy. Any water in the mouth is foul and stinging. Of course the salinity (10 x sea water) makes the water 1/4 more dense than fresh water and a person becomes very buoyant. Floating upright is easy and outstretched arms are entirely out of the water. Floating horizontally is very easy and nice but quickly gets boring.

Because the level of the Dead Sea had dropped over 30m in the past 10-15 yrs, the bottom end of the resort is stranded and its a gravelly walk down from the cabanas to the waters edge. People are variously swimming (difficult) or floating or covering themselves in mud from the pots supplied - apparently it has therapeutic properties, but to us this was outweighed by the smell and the ridiculousness of the sight.




After showering off the Sea water, the pools became very attractive!





Mid morning we checked out and hit the road for the short drive to 'Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan', otherwise known as Jesus' baptism site. This was (re-) discovered in the 1990s after the peace between Israel and Jordan and the clearing of landmines in this border area. The Jordan River is today just a trickle and is notionally the boarder between Israel and Jordan but of course has changed course a lot over time. We were shown this part of the Jordan, but its not on the border. Then we were shown the Baptism site - apparently at the bottom of this photo, where the path leads down to the former water's edge (again, it was in the flowing Jordan River 2,000 years ago).




Near the Baptism site are the ruins of several Byzantine churches, built in 5th and 6th Centuries to mark the site. A modern Greek Orthodox Church nearby seems a bit out of place.




Finally came something which I though was a bit surreal or bizarre. A path leads down to the Jordan River again, and one can wade in the river (within wooden barriers) or splash yourself with river water from a font under the cover. About 10m away, is the same sort of facility - in Israel! Tourists and pilgrims can chat to each other across the river. My guidebook says that this is a 'rival baptism site'. On our side, a chap with a rifle made sure that no-one indulged in the river too much (or too far)!

 

[Happy Trails]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

I must add to the chorus of compliments on an excellent TR.
And while I don't suppose you're anything other than easy on the eye, it's good you didn't feel the need to interpose yourself in the photo's.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

I must add to the chorus of compliments on an excellent TR.
And while I don't suppose you're anything other than easy on the eye, it's good you didn't feel the need to interpose yourself in the photo's.

I am ANYTHING but easy on the eye :shock: Hence no pics of self (with single exception of the start, which is over 25 years ago)

 

[feezable]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

I have just read your TR cover to cover. Thank you, RooFlyer, I enjoyed every moment spent on this lazy Sunday morning.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Approaching Queen Alia International Airport in Amman (named after King Hussein's third wife) we passed this sign which says a lot about modern Jordan.

The late King Husein is revered as a peacemaker and father of a modern Jordan. Current King Abdullah II has been on the throne sine 1999 and is continuing his father's legacy. He was educated in the UK and is said to speak English better than Arabic (I doubt that's the case ). The airport is a good modern one, and going to be expanded (what airport isn't?). Bag x-ray on entering the building, then pretty normal passport and security.




Through the duty fee shops to the back of the terminal and up the lift to the Royal Jordanian Lounge. It occupies a 'U' shape on the first floor and is pretty large. Unfortunately a shower cost 11JD (about $15) (don't know if that's because I was on an EK Y ticket or if ts a general charge). But a nice refresher after the drive to the airport. There's a great fresh juice bar (left) (strawberry, mango, orange or carrot) and plenty of seating - café style in the eating area, bar style at the bars, lounge chairs etc etc.




Food options were very good - better than these pictures show. Both middle eastern and western choices.




There are 2 bars. Beer and wine self serve, I guess you asked one of the many staff if you wanted something stronger.




Finally, boarding call. Past the old terminal under demolition, into departure area (to find a delay), then it was on the EK flight back to Dubai, and another couple of days there.

 

[Dalescott]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

I more, I look the more I want to go. Fancy flying with Royal Jordanian Airways, as a stop over to UK. We go twice a year, and I am always looking at different stopovers.

 

[kpc]

Re: Dubai & Jordan by EK/QF First; from Moses to Lawrence of Arabia and lots in betwe

Jordan has been on my bucket list for a long time.... this fantastic trip report confirms why!