Wednesday, October 15, 2008

And hello Jordan (part 1)

I am really not sure how to describe Jordan so I might describe the tour chronologically - this means you get to hear the best bits first because my two favourite places (Petra and Wadi-Rum) were in the first couple of days. I liked Jordan from the beginning and it was fun to visit Mount Nebo on the first day (where Moses saw the promised land) but Jordan can also be quite overwhelming with the crowds. By the time we got to Petra (day 2) it was much easier to negotiate.
Petra was amazing but I didn't expect anything less. Unfortunately there was a last minute itinerary change (the Royal Family booked out Petra!!) so we didn't stay as long as originally intended but the second day we got up early to make the most of the time we had. The Treasury is the most popular in Petra but I think I liked the monastery best (see photo!). It is a bit hard to see the scale of it from the photo but to give you an idea of how big this is - the ledge beneath the door at the front is taller than me!!
After Petra we drove to the desert (Wadi-Rum) to camp overnight. This involved taking a 4WD which was so much fun! I have never been to a proper desert and it was absolutely breathtaking. We camped under the stars and the next day went on a camel ride. I was allowed to ride the camel solo (not led by a guide). I am not quite sure why they let me do this but it was such fun. I named my camel Percival and I think it relished the dignity of such a name and was very easy to manage.
I could have easily stayed on in both Petra and Wadi-Rum. They were both so incredible and I highly recommend them to anyone thinking of going to Jordan.
This is only the first part of the Jordan posts. I am going up to the north of England this morning so I don't have time to write more but I don't want to forget to tell you about the delicious caradamom coffee!
Sorry I can't write more but I will write again soon.



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