I traveled to Jordan in 2005, combined with Lebanon, Syria & Egypt.
Jordan is more expensive than the other 3 countries.
I met some people with whom I had been in touch with on the Internet.
This map I created it, also on my Live Journal page.
Below is the diary of me, what I did around Jordan (entering from Syria).
16th April 2005 (Saturday) : In the morning, I was in Damascus, Syria. Then seeing The Roman Theater in Bosra (still in Syria), crossed the border to arrive in Ramtha in Jordan ! Then a bus to Irbid, got conned of the bus fares when the bus stopped in Irbid. From Irbid, another bus to Um Qais.
Also in Um Qais, I saw parts of Israel; Sea of Galilee & the infamous Golan Heights ! Amazing sights considering I couldn't enter Israel for this trip !
So, Jordan was the 3rd country of this 1st Middle East trip for me.
17th April (Sunday) : Morning bus back to Irbid, then a bus to Ajlun. An old Muslim fort perched on a hill; Later a taxi to Jerash. Roman ruins just everywhere & it's a huge area !
In the early evening, a bus to Amman, the capital of Jordan. Called up Adel only to be told that Ahmed would pick me up instead...
Slept at their place after a tiring day. They loved my photos !
18th April (Monday) : I decided not to stay another night in Amman but moved to Madaba. Seeing the famous mosaics was nice ! I also chartered a taxi to The Dead Sea & Mt. Nebo. Didn't swim in The Dead Sea but just played with the water & seeing Israel on the other side. Also, my taxi driver even scooped a mud for me to bring back to Malaysia. Then, he took me to Mt. Nebo, seeing mountains & thinking that Moses probably seeing the same 'highs & lows' in front of him. At the hotel in Madaba, the receptionists were laughing at me for bringing back the mud from The Dead Sea. They said the quantity that I took back was just enough for a lab test ! I should have brought tons & tons of them (the mud) ! I just smiled, telling myself that I was not that crazy (like them maybe...).
19th April (Tuesday) : Had to wake up early just so that I could catch the university bus to Karak to see the Karak Castle. I couldn't sit for 2 hours because all the seats were 'unofficially' reserved for the students !
Yes, maybe all these students also had their coffins reserved for them ! Huh !
Arrived in Karak, high up & had to drag my luggage. After ample time in Karak, I had to reach Petra, the highlight of this trip in Jordan.
First, from Karak...took a bus to Ma'an. I had to wait for the bus to fill in enough passengers in Karak before it finally departed to Ma'an.
In Ma'an, another waiting time to a point that a man was so annoyed that he started to make a big fuss of, "How much longer do I have to wait !?"
Finally, I reached Wadi Musa...the town leading to The Ancient City of Petra. Checked in to a hotel which only accepted men.
20th April (Wednesday) :
Entered Petra at 6 am. walked along The Siq, amazing ! Feeling good as this path was also done by Sean Connery (the actor), although he was on a donkey ! Spent 1 whole day around Petra. Climbed up to The Monastery...2 hours !
Climbed up to The High Place Of Sacrifice, another 2 hours ! I was bushed going down & seeing too many people, students mostly I decided to go out ! Feeling good, feeling happy !
Stopped by at a photo shop then suddenly things went kaput ! There's a problem when the photo shop tried to download my photos from my memory stick into a CD-R ! ALL my photos taken (previously) in The Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, Karak Castle & Petra were all gone !
The photo shop blamed my memory stick & I (secretly) blamed them ! Well, I had to blame someone didn't I ?
Thank God I still had my photos from my other (cheap) camera...Nevertheless, I was just went moody after that !
Still, I 'picked up the pieces' & still went for Petra Night Excursion & I had to refotmat my memory stick just so that I could take some night photos around Petra. Didn't enjoy much...Slept early. Didn't feel good at all ! NOT at all !
21st April (Thursday) : I woke up early, I wanted to leave Petra ! I wanted to leave Jordan. No, I didn't think of what happened the previously day as a bad omen or something like that but I was guttered ! Really guttered ! After all, I was all around Petra & I did some good hikings & climbings around Petra; It's just that I don't have any more photos from my sweet sweet memories while sweating them out in Petra !
I took a bus to Aqaba. Yes, I purposely skipped Wadi Rum ! Sure, I wanted to be in a desert but in Egypt, which was my next destination & no more in Jordan...
In Aqaba, I bought the ferry ticket (USD 39) to Nuweiba in Egypt. It was the fast ferry...only 1 hour.
Had some nice companies on the ferry; A German girl studying Arabic in Irbid (that bad place for me ! Read the above text, will ya !) & it's nice listening to her story about how the Jordanians accepting her especially she had a piercing on her chin ! Also sitting next to me were 2 elderly sisters from German. They were really nice ! They lent me their pen & asked me to keep it for good. We arrived in Nuweiba..in 1 hour's time.
Was Jordan better than Lebanon & Syria, for me ?
Do you really want to know ?
Jordan is more expensive than the other 3 countries.
I met some people with whom I had been in touch with on the Internet.
This map I created it, also on my Live Journal page.
16th April 2005 (Saturday) : In the morning, I was in Damascus, Syria. Then seeing The Roman Theater in Bosra (still in Syria), crossed the border to arrive in Ramtha in Jordan ! Then a bus to Irbid, got conned of the bus fares when the bus stopped in Irbid. From Irbid, another bus to Um Qais.
Also in Um Qais, I saw parts of Israel; Sea of Galilee & the infamous Golan Heights ! Amazing sights considering I couldn't enter Israel for this trip !
So, Jordan was the 3rd country of this 1st Middle East trip for me.
17th April (Sunday) : Morning bus back to Irbid, then a bus to Ajlun. An old Muslim fort perched on a hill; Later a taxi to Jerash. Roman ruins just everywhere & it's a huge area !
In the early evening, a bus to Amman, the capital of Jordan. Called up Adel only to be told that Ahmed would pick me up instead...
Slept at their place after a tiring day. They loved my photos !
18th April (Monday) : I decided not to stay another night in Amman but moved to Madaba. Seeing the famous mosaics was nice ! I also chartered a taxi to The Dead Sea & Mt. Nebo. Didn't swim in The Dead Sea but just played with the water & seeing Israel on the other side. Also, my taxi driver even scooped a mud for me to bring back to Malaysia. Then, he took me to Mt. Nebo, seeing mountains & thinking that Moses probably seeing the same 'highs & lows' in front of him. At the hotel in Madaba, the receptionists were laughing at me for bringing back the mud from The Dead Sea. They said the quantity that I took back was just enough for a lab test ! I should have brought tons & tons of them (the mud) ! I just smiled, telling myself that I was not that crazy (like them maybe...).
19th April (Tuesday) : Had to wake up early just so that I could catch the university bus to Karak to see the Karak Castle. I couldn't sit for 2 hours because all the seats were 'unofficially' reserved for the students !
Yes, maybe all these students also had their coffins reserved for them ! Huh !
Arrived in Karak, high up & had to drag my luggage. After ample time in Karak, I had to reach Petra, the highlight of this trip in Jordan.
First, from Karak...took a bus to Ma'an. I had to wait for the bus to fill in enough passengers in Karak before it finally departed to Ma'an.
In Ma'an, another waiting time to a point that a man was so annoyed that he started to make a big fuss of, "How much longer do I have to wait !?"
Finally, I reached Wadi Musa...the town leading to The Ancient City of Petra. Checked in to a hotel which only accepted men.
20th April (Wednesday) :
Entered Petra at 6 am. walked along The Siq, amazing ! Feeling good as this path was also done by Sean Connery (the actor), although he was on a donkey ! Spent 1 whole day around Petra. Climbed up to The Monastery...2 hours !
Climbed up to The High Place Of Sacrifice, another 2 hours ! I was bushed going down & seeing too many people, students mostly I decided to go out ! Feeling good, feeling happy !
Stopped by at a photo shop then suddenly things went kaput ! There's a problem when the photo shop tried to download my photos from my memory stick into a CD-R ! ALL my photos taken (previously) in The Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, Karak Castle & Petra were all gone !
The photo shop blamed my memory stick & I (secretly) blamed them ! Well, I had to blame someone didn't I ?
Thank God I still had my photos from my other (cheap) camera...Nevertheless, I was just went moody after that !
Still, I 'picked up the pieces' & still went for Petra Night Excursion & I had to refotmat my memory stick just so that I could take some night photos around Petra. Didn't enjoy much...Slept early. Didn't feel good at all ! NOT at all !
21st April (Thursday) : I woke up early, I wanted to leave Petra ! I wanted to leave Jordan. No, I didn't think of what happened the previously day as a bad omen or something like that but I was guttered ! Really guttered ! After all, I was all around Petra & I did some good hikings & climbings around Petra; It's just that I don't have any more photos from my sweet sweet memories while sweating them out in Petra !
I took a bus to Aqaba. Yes, I purposely skipped Wadi Rum ! Sure, I wanted to be in a desert but in Egypt, which was my next destination & no more in Jordan...
In Aqaba, I bought the ferry ticket (USD 39) to Nuweiba in Egypt. It was the fast ferry...only 1 hour.
Had some nice companies on the ferry; A German girl studying Arabic in Irbid (that bad place for me ! Read the above text, will ya !) & it's nice listening to her story about how the Jordanians accepting her especially she had a piercing on her chin ! Also sitting next to me were 2 elderly sisters from German. They were really nice ! They lent me their pen & asked me to keep it for good. We arrived in Nuweiba..in 1 hour's time.
Was Jordan better than Lebanon & Syria, for me ?
Do you really want to know ?
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