The Plan B Adventure

After over a month on the road with everything from meals to transportation to accommodation being planned we are free again to do anything we like. It was a nice change of pace after travelling for the first three months self-sufficiently but it is also very draining. When you pay for a service you want to make sure you get everything out of it and the guides are always more than willing to make it very worth your while. We had a great time but realized one thing….these old bones need a restin’! As we get back to travelling on our own we are more apt to take mid-day breaks, settle in after an early dinner, and drag our lazy butts out of bed at 10AM. It’s our choice and we like having that option again.

Well, Jordan is just the place to do that. This country is set up to be travelled easily on your own. From north to south is only six hours by car which is a welcomed change from some of the arduous bus rides we have undertaken. As we will find over the next two weeks Jordan contains just as rich a history as any of the other Middle Eastern countries and is populated by some of the friendliest people (they keep getting friendlier) we have encountered. Everyone yells “Welcome to Jordan” as you pass by or even from across the street!

We arrived at the Queen Alia Airport just south of Amman at 2AM via an easy flight from Istanbul. Due to the time of arrival we had to arrange for transportation to our hotel in advance. This is always a good choice at 2AM instead of the tiresome haggling of taxi fees with an unknown driver. Additionally, many of the budget hotels in Amman are either a bit too budgety or located in the noisy downtown area so we opted to stay outside Amman in a great little town called Madaba. This was a brilliant choice! The Miriam Hotel located on a quiet side street in Madaba provided transportation from the airport, breakfast, help with day-trip planning, and even has a swimming pool!! As we were looking to relax and take a load off for a few days this was the perfect place to do so. Wandering down the quiet streets; frequenting the abundant treat shops; sipping our new favorite sweet, mint tea; and exploring the historical mosaics of this ancient Biblical region was just what we needed to slow down. Well…we did leave out one thing and it was definitely the best and cheapest…..the falafel or shwarma sandwiches!!! Every meal in Madaba consisted of at least one as the sandwiches cost 40 cents and the flavor was unlike anything we’ve tasted in the States.

The next few days spent in Madaba consisted of day trips to some of the neighboring sights. A favorite had to be the ancient Roman city of Jerash. The modern town, itself, is not much but the ancient city and ruins deliver a perfect overview of the greatness this city use to hold. From its collonaded ‘Cardo Maximus’ street to the multiple theatres and Oval Forum meeting place, as soon as you step foot in this town you are transported back into time and feel like any minute Emporer Hadrian will come prancing through his arch. In order to make the experience even grander the local Jordanian Tourism Board employed the experts that helped film ‘Gladitor’ in order to put together true-to-life battle scenes, chariot races, and well-rounded education on Caesar’s famous Sixth Legion. It’s a fascinating experience and if you are young (looking) enough make sure to ask for the student discount as the prices are a bit steep!

In combination with Jerash we ventured into big city Jordan and it’s capital Amman. We had only a half a day but enjoyed some of the major sights which, again, had an overwhelming Roman influence. The next day we opted for a relaxation retreat to the Dead Sea, only a short drive from our home in Madaba. This is more of a ‘been there, done that’ type of experience yet we both really had a blast trying to sink ourselves and stay upright in this bouyant water. Wow….what a trip to try and stand and have your feet shoot up to the surface!! The beach (if you want to call it that) is not all that enticing so we recommend if you’d like to stay there longer than a daytrip to hit one of the multiple luxury resorts and also daytrip to Israel which is just a quick swim across the Sea!

A few days of relaxation in Madaba (and multiple falafel pitas) helped to kick us in the butt and get us back out there on the sightseeing trail. This kick pointed us in the direction of Petra, the 2000 year-old Red Rose City! We were very excited as we jumped on the bus down the King’s Highway as this city is one we have both been looking forward to seeing since we started planning this adventure almost a year ago. The one thing we didn’t figure into our planning a year ago was travelling on a Friday in a Muslim-dominated country. Well…everyone has to pray and our Muslim driver did so for an hour at the roadside Mosque along with almost our entire bus. That was fine with us as we want the holiest driver we can get as we fly down the highway. It also allowed us the opportunity to meet Joe and Heather, friends (more on them later) travelling together whom both originate from the Pacific Northwest.

We stepped off the bus smack dab in front of the Cleopetra Hotel….get it?…and were warmly welcomed by Mosleh and Abdul who live by the mantra…”Pleasure before business” as well as “Come as Guest, Leave as a Friend!”. This meant we were treated to two hours of tea and conversation before even seeing our room or unpacking our bags. This is really the way things should be done and it is clear that others like it as well by the amount of travellers staying at Cleopetra. If you end up staying at Cleopetra, insist that you get at least one of their “mom’s home cooked meals”….they are fantastic and cheap too!!

Being that the day was almost over we decided to wait and venture to the ancient city tomorrow and instead went down the street for some…..can you guess???!….Shwarma sandwiches. Man, these things are great!!! In our estimation ancient Petra is one of the most breath-taking cities of the old world so stay tuned….check on the photoblog for a sneak peek!