With a 7am start we passed through the Jerusalem check point one last time as we headed back towards to the Dead Sea to cross over to Jordan via the Allenby Bridge. While swimming at the Dead Sea a few days before you can very clearly see the mountain ranges that belong to Jordan. Now we were headed in that direction. Nothing is ever easy especially in a country as divided as Israel. We paid our departure tax and cleared Israeli customs then boarded our Jordanian bus. As we crossed over our passports were collected by our guide who disappeared inside to get us cleared for entry. A little while later, tourist visa sorted, we were officially in.
As we were 2 hours behind schedule at this stage we went straight to our first stop of the day which was possibly the most pristine Roman City in the world. Dating back 1900 years, these ruins in Jarash are still mostly intact and give you a great sense of how the Romans lived all those years ago. The architecture and forward thinking ways of building such things as underground sewage systems never cease to amaze me.
We then traveled to the capital of Amman and visited the Citadel that is perched atop a mountain offering 360 degree views of the city. The citadel is home to the temple of Hercules with part of his statue, a hand, laying at the base of the temple. The remains of the Islamic Palace are also located here. Even from our vantage point we could see ruins scattered throughout the city where time has been forgotten and buildings of modern life have popped up around them.
Our next adventure on our list was Wadi Rum. An absolute incredible place where the Bedouins still live amongst the rocky outcrops. Wadi Rum is about as a spartan a landscape that we've ever seen. After arriving in our air conditioned coach, we were treated with a local feast of lamb, chicken and vegetables cooked in their underground overs as well as a plethora of salads. It is here we prepare ourselves for what's next by doning our Keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress, and get on board our 4WD. We spend the next 2.5 hours being driven through the desert on the back of the ute using our Keffiveh to keep the sand out of our eyes and mouth. We stop along the way to take in the breathe taking views and for some it was an opportunity to ride a camel. Fun fact - apparently The Rock was filming a movie in the area. We didn't see him but we did see what looked like part of a set and the locals were all very excited about it.
We were back on the road again and off to visit Karak Castle, a crusader castle owned by Reynald de Chattillon. He was an evil man who attacked innocent Arab caravans and tortured the survivors. He was executed by Saladin himself before the crusaders lost Jerusalem to the Saracens. Heading towards the Dead Sea we saw Wadi Mujid, one of the few visible rivers that still feeds into the Dead Sea. The Jordanians have created a dam and underground pipe system for the water to reach the Sea from the valley so it doesn't carry the ridiculous amount of rubbish that is found at the dam in the river to keep the Sea pure. Our final stop of the day was maybe the official site where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. Like many religious sites in Israel it is unclear if this was the actual site.
On our final day in Jordan we took a ride up to Mount Nebo, the possible resting place of Moses. On a clear day you can see Jerusalem from the lookout. Our last stop was the city of Madaba, home of Mosaic art. There is a church here with a mosaic map of the holy land from 1500 years ago. Of course the church is only 135 years old and rebuilt on the same spot housing what's left of the map inside. Again it is amazing to see the knowledge and smarts of the people back then to know what the holy land looked like in order to make the map without the use of modern technology.
After lunch we headed back to our gorgeous cliff side hotel for an afternoon of well deserved rest. We ventured down to the shores of the Dead Sea and had one last float around while Caleb took advantage of the mud bath. On the Israeli side the 'beach' was black sand and mud. On the Jordanian side it was very rocky with pebbles of all sizes colored bright red along the shore possibly from rust caused by the high salt content. Either way experiencing this rapidly declining Sea from both countries was loads of fun. I just hope it is still there in the decades to come as more and more rivers that feed the Sea sadly dry up.
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Travelers Tip - A visa is required for entry into Jordan. As we were traveling as part of a tour group this was automatically done for us but if traveling independently please check your requirements.
Travelers Tip - Highly recommend an overnight stay in Wadi Rum. We only got to experience about 4 hours out here and it's on our return list to at least stay 1 night next time round.
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