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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Rose
Red City We've just come back from a business trip to Amman, with a little sight-seeing on the side, and found the inhabitants of the country courteous and welcoming, and nor did we encounter any hostility resulting from possible future Anglo-American action against Saddam Hussein. Local people told us that their businesses were seriously affected by a lack of tourists at the moment and we were offered discounts at hotels, souvenir shops and historic sites. We went in for half price at Jerash Roman ruins and Karak and Ajloun Crusader castles. Petra was JD11 (about £10) for a day ticket. If hiring a car in Jordan, driving outside the capital is relatively easy, although destinations aren't well sign-posted, but driving in Amman is not for the faint-hearted as there are a lot of roundabouts with no apparent regulations, just a free-for-all. If driving south to Petra, the Desert Highway is quite easy but boring. The King's Highway is more interesting, but takes longer than you would think from looking at the map and there are major roadworks in Wadi Mujib and a very long, under-signposted diversion on the final stretch of the journey. Make absolutely sure you allow enough time to arrive in Petra before nightfall. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Petra, which is literally two minutes' walk from the entrance to the site, an advantage for getting in early in the morning and even better when you're staggering home later in the day. It also has a nice (heated) swimming pool for unwinding in and enjoying the spectacular view. In theory Petra opens at 6 a.m. although the ticket man didn't turn up until 6.15 on the day we were there. Getting in early allows you to take good photographs without crowds of tourists in the way and also lets you climb to “The Monastery”, one of the most famous buildings, before the heat makes the ascent unbearable. It's uphill all the way and includes about 800 steps! It took us two “forty-somethings” about fifty minutes to get there, but is well worth the effort. One of the most interesting places that we visited in Jordan was Mount Nebo, the Biblical site where Moses surveyed the Promised Land. The view is spectacular and the church contains some beautiful Byzantine mosaics. We also found time for a quick float in the Dead Sea. It's worth paying to use the facilities at a resthouse or hotel, so that you can shower the salt off afterwards. We also enjoyed some excellent food, including a Mensaf - chicken and rice soaked in yoghurt and eaten Bedouin style, with the fingers (right hand only of course) and standing up. Food prices are very reasonable and alcohol is widely available, but does tend to bump up the bill a bit. In Amman, we stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel, which is excellent although perhaps a bit pricey. We flew via Istanbul, by the way, where the airport is pretty chaotic, so weren't altogether surprised when our luggage didn't arrive back with us at Heathrow. However, it was delivered to our door, safe and sound, later the same evening, so no harm was done First published in VISA issue 49 (January 2003) |