We were so busy traveling and then figuring out life in COVID-19 times that I never seemed to find the time to get back to this blog. We are finally somewhat stable again now and I have the chance to get back to where we left off. We had so many great adventures from the time I last wrote in Wadi Rum, Jordan. There were only a few days left in Jordan but we had a lot of ground to cover.
After our amazing desert camp experience in Wadi Rum, we drove to Aqaba, a resort town on the Red Sea in Southern Jordan. About 10 km from Saudi Arabia to the south, Israel to the north, and directly across the Red Sea from Egypt. After the night of camping in Wadi Rum and some long days in Petra, this was a welcome respite with lots of relaxation time in the pool and at the beach.
We ended up spending Halloween at the resort in Aqaba and assumed that Halloween would be a bit of a non-event for the kids this year. We were really surprised when we found out that the resort had all kids of celebrations set up for Halloween for the kids. There was pumpkin carving, crafts, face-painting, fire-dancers, and a great live performance in the evening. The kids had a blast.
The resort was great but really didn’t feel like we were experiencing anything remotely like Jordanian culture. It was similar to large resorts anywhere else in the world and our two nights at that resort probably cost more than our accommodation for all the rest of our Jordan travels. We had fun but considering our budget, we could have done without this stop. The one interesting part of this resort, and unique to being in this part of the world, was the range of religious conservatism of the guests. The resort served alcohol for example, something that is not common in Jordan. Some women wore regular western swimwear, including bikinis. Some women wore full head to toe swimwear including a hood that covered their heads. Other women wore full, black burqas including face coverings and would sit at the side of the pool while their husbands and children splashed around and had fun. I try to be very respectful of others beliefs but I have to admit, that was hard to watch.
We left Aqaba early in the morning for our long drive up to Madaba at the north end of the Dead Sea. The drive was beautiful but a bit too long for the kids. We checked into our hotel and then headed out for a walk to find some food. Madaba looked like an interesting town to explore but we didn’t have time. We really only picked Madaba as a stopping point because it was a convenient base for the other sites we wanted to see in the area.
The following day we got up early and headed to the site where it is believed that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. We aren’t religious people but it was still very powerful to visit a place that is so important to the beliefs of billions of people. The day was extremely hot and we were there in the mid-day heat so the kids were understandably underwhelmed by the experience. After seeing the baptismal site, we walked down to the River Jordan. I was surprised how the river was really not much more than a creek, and on the other side of the water was Israel. So while we unfortunately never got to go to Israel on our travels, we were within a few metres.
On the Israeli side of the river, there were a large number of religious groups, mostly older Americans it seemed. They were joyfully singing hymns and having what appeared to be group baptisms. It was hard not to feel a little emotional being at this historic site and listening/watching these groups of people clearly living out a very important moment in their lives. It was interesting that there were so many people on the Israeli side but hardly anyone on the Jordanian side, despite the fact that Jesus’ baptism site was on the Jordanian side.
After we left the baptismal site, we drove a short drive to one of the big hotels on the Dead Sea. The drive was pretty and thankfully pretty short.
Before going in for a dip, there was an area where you could go and slather on some mud from the Dead Sea which were told was very good for your skin. Ronan and Iain wouldn’t even entertain the idea. Riley was a good sport. I think she was just so excited that we were allowing her to smear mud all over herself instead of getting in trouble for it.
Both Iain and Riley got into the water but had to quickly get out. The water is so very salty that you really need to make sure before you get in that you don’t have any cuts anywhere on your body. They both ran out in pain as the salt got to all their various scratches and cuts. Brett and I enjoyed a bit of time floating around.
After rinsing off we went and enjoyed some time swimming around in the pool at the resort. We were so excited to see a massive swimming pool that was completely empty. It wasn’t long before we realized that the area around the resort was thick with flies. They were swarming. You could not sit outside the pool, the only reprieve was to stay under the water. We didn’t stay long before heading back to our hotel in Madaba. It was a full day and we were exhausted.
Sadly that was the end of our Jordan adventure. The next day we got up extremely early to drive back to the airport in Amman. Jordan was undoubtedly the most interesting, different, beautiful, exciting, and educational part of our journey so far. We are so fortunate that we opted to continue on with this plan when we realized we couldn’t afford a tour. It’s difficult to know for sure but I suspect the fact that we did this all on our own made this time in Jordan even more adventurous and memorable for us. We highly recommend Jordan to anyone considering visiting the Middle East. We felt relatively safe and got a good taste of the history and culture of the region. There are so many places in the world to explore that it is hard to justify re-visiting places but I would definitely consider a second trip to Jordan.