Welcome to Jordan

“Welcome to Jordan”

I recently returned from a week-long vacation in the country of Jordan.

This might seem an unusual destination, but a friend and I were thinking of going to Israel, both for the first time, but it was Passover and reservations were non existent so we chose neighboring Jordan instead.

An escorted tour was not an option for us ….so using our guide books and the internet we booked our air and all the hotels quite easily. However, it was quite difficult to get rooms in the Dead Sea .We did not know we were competing with a world class auto race and a nursing conference in the area, and as there are only a few hotels, it was a challenge. All was done except for the transportation between the cities, but we thought we could handle it with the concierge in each hotel. We even had recommendations for restaurants in Amman. So we thought we were good to go. Generally, I like to stay at small boutique hotels but that does not exist in Amman. So we chose 4 or 5 star hotels in each city.

My friend and traveling companion flew from Paris and I flew from NY. I flew Royal Jordanian, which was unusually good. Foreign carriers are so much better than American ones, unfortunately. We both landed within two hours of each other. Her flight was four hours and mine 14. We both had hotel cars meet us. Landing is very easy. Obtaining a visa can be done when you land, just make sure you have Jordanian money to pay for it (it costs 16 Jordanian dollars). I purchased JD’s from my bank before I left. There are porters (remember them!) to help you with your bags and my driver was waiting for me. I left at 11:30pm and landed at 5:00pm Jordan time.

We stayed at the Marriot and were very pleased. The help was so kind and courteous and we began to hear the “Welcome to Jordan” from everyone we met. We saw the important tourist sights the first day (please refer to the guide books) as there is not much. The taxis are difficult as they do not put their meters on so we were over paying until we learned that you can go most places in a taxi for 1 or 2 JD’s. We were giving five until we learned. Then we never ask and just gave the drivers 1 or 2 dollars and left the cab. It worked.

All the guide books suggest a famous native lunch place to eat in, called Hashem.

My friend and I pushed ourselves to eat in this outdoor cafeteria but I kept visualizing my hospital stay the next day from severe dysentery, but we did eat there and no tummy problems. Do not even think of going the bathroom there. Also always carry Kleenex with you.

A lovely street to explore is Rainbow Road, where there are some antique shops and the Wild Jordan Foundation which the Queen runs. A lovely gift shop is attached. Also, Jebel Amman Street is also interesting to explore for architecture. (Not really spoken of in the guide books)

We were respectful of the morals of the country and wore slacks and non revealing tops but no head scarves. We also found if you go to a shop and stand at a counter and there are men waiting, the woman is always served last, even if she showed up first!

The next day we went to the concierge to ask how to get to Jerash, a city and a very famous architectural site and they are only interested in selling us a private car and driver, of course, with their commission. They do not tell you or help you to know that a yellow cab will take you and wait for you for a fraction of the price of a car. My only complaint about the Marriot was the concierge was very unhelpful for alternative methods of travel and even lied about the availability of buses and taxis.

The ancient city of Jerash should not be missed and the drive there and back is also a good way to see the country…about an hour. It is an afternoon or morning, not more. The rest of the day we spent exploring the new shopping centers in Amman, the newest was the ABC Department Store and then there are the more established ones: Mecca and City, which are quite near each other. Trust me there is nothing to buy and the food courts feature all our exports. No movie theaters in any of the malls.

We tried several times to eat at the restaurant Fakhr el din, which is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Amman and each time we called they were fully booked. So if you are going to Amman book dinner before you arrive at this restaurant. We ate at an Italian restaurant named Romero that was just okay and Tannoureen, also just okay. On our return to Amman we ate at the Intercontinental Indian restaurant and that was quite nice.

We found another car to take us to Petra one way. We negotiated a good price, as it is a three to four hour drive. When he picked us up it was another driver who then took us to the original taxi driver to explain to us that this was his cousin and he had to work at the garage today but all would be well taken care of as the cousin spoke a little English and knew the way. What could we do so on we went? Security is very tight in Jordan. You are checked each time you enter your hotel or a mall and also on the roads. There are many check points on the road south to Petra. The first one we went though, our driver did not have the proper permit to go from one county to another, so the police issued him a ticket. Needless to say he was pissed and not very pleasant to be with. Thank goodness I had a map as I had to guide him a few times but he much preferred to ask a man on the side of the road rather than take my word. It is being “the woman thing”. He was not happy when we did not tip him above the price we had agreed with his cousin. We got to Petra in good shape but it is a harrowing drive through a mountainous part of the country. We soon realized they do not take the highway as I think there are tolls on that road so they would rather take the sea road and not pay. Even though it is much more scenic, you have to cut inland down south and that road is so scary. Do not drive yourself unless you are a very accomplished international driver.

We arrived in Petra to stay at the Movenpick, which is a Swiss hotel chain and 4 or 5 stars. Its main advantage is its close proximity to the gates to the Petra site. We did not want to go into the hotel’s fancy dining room so we hit the streets and walked to downtown Petra for a place to eat and peruse the tourist shops. There are a few restaurants near the hotel that serve good clean simple local food. Some of the shops are run by Bedouin men who are quite handsome and accessorize their eyes with kohl…even the modern ones. There really isn’t anything else to do here but spend the day exploring the ruins. We started out the next day and it is a very long walk even to the first of the ruins. I managed to do three quarters of the entire site and had all intentions of going back the next day but when the next day came I couldn’t bear doing it all over again. We did take the donkey cart back but it only goes a little way of the long way home. My friend was in better shape than I and she did not finish either.

The concierge at this hotel was also not interested in finding any other option than a private car so once again we found a cab and negotiated a price to go to the Dead Sea and also a trip to Wadi Rum.

Wadi Rum, an immense desert area is a real tourist trap. They have organized it with different spots in the desert into package deals. We took the 2 hour trip and it was very disappointing. But I guess you do it as it is what you are supposed to do. Maybe if we did the whole deal, which is all day, I might have been more impressed. We brought our lunch so we did not have to eat in their café which looked like it was really only for groups. Yes, there are wonderful parts full of natural wonders but they make it too touristy or maybe we did not do it right. I am sure glad I did not choose to sleep there as they push sleeping like the Bedouins in a tent. If the tent was anything like the 4 wheeler we took I wanted no part of it.

On to our next place which was about two hours away… the Dead Sea. It is not a town but a part of the Dead Sea where hotels, on the Jordan side, are located. Across this narrow sea is Israel. There are 4 or 5 large hotels close to each other near a public beach and the convention center. That is the Dead Sea! The most modern chic hotel is the Kempinski and the next I think is the Movenpick, where we stayed. It is set out like a village with cobble stone walkways between two-story buildings where the rooms are located. There are lots of pools and access to the beach. It is just lovely. They also have placed 3 different restaurants around a square with outdoor tables and chairs. When we were there in April it hit 130 degrees and did not cool off that much in the evening. The food is just okay but the scenic way the hotel is laid out makes up for the food in the restaurants. We did have to stay at the Dead Sea Hotel one night and that is not for luxury travelers. There happened to be a world class auto race when we were there and a nurse’s convention so the hotels were totally booked. One day of relaxing and a mud bath and a float is enough here. They also do not tell you how hard it is to swim in this water.

One day we took another taxi to go to Madasa and Mt Nebo, two sacred biblical spots, which is really just a morning. The guide books promote a small hotel in Madasa called The Mariam and we went by it and were very happy not to have stayed there.

Back to Amman to make our flights back to NY and Paris. We thought we should stay near the airport as my friend’s flight was very late and mine very early. The Alia Gateway Hotel is dreadful but I am not someone who stays at airport hotels very often to compare it to others. We tried to get into the Fakhrei din restaurant again and still could not get a table so we went to the Intercontinental Hotel to their Indian restaurant and were lucky enough to catch a pretty progressive wedding going on in the hotel. A huge group of singers follow the bride in and out of the hotel and it was quite a show. In this wedding the men and women mixed, but the first wedding we witnessed at the Marriot, the men dropped the bride and their women off and the women celebrated by themselves. I guess the men went somewhere but we didn’t find out where. The women at that wedding were covered by robes but this wedding they were wearing very revealing long dresses.

The airport is very simple with strict security. I had a run in with a chauffeur that I noticed was pulling his weight for a young man he was taking care of. He tried to push ahead of me once or twice but he picked the wrong lady. I got cheers for my little speech to him. And then I saw him way past where non passengers were supposed to be and notified security and they started to question him. The young guy he was trying to help was from The American Embassy and trying to get upgraded with special treatment. Ha Ha! I was very happy to see him sitting in the back of the plane with me during the trip. We do not need to be pushy Americans in Middle Eastern countries.

In conclusion, Jordan is a very good trip and easy to go independently. I understand why most high end tour companies tagged it on to their trips to Egypt. The Jordanians are very well schooled about being nice to tourists. I do think they have to work on the transportation systems in this small country especially for tourists. I did read that they were working on a railway but it keeps getting stalled.

Jordan is also very safe and they love America (not George). It was a pleasure to see how different it is from what we constantly hear about Middle East chaos. You do not need guides as your book will explain all the sites for you.

Facts :

1. Blackberries do work here
2. All current is 220 but some plugs are European and some English
3. Lots of Atms and they still take our dollars
4. Hot book for foreigners “Married to a Bedouin”
5. Watch Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones DVDs before you go
6. Read the Jordan Times the local English newspaper on line

www.jordantimes.com to see what’s doing.

1. Check Jett buses to see their schedule and then work around it.
2. The tour books say that the luxury hotels have buses to take you to your next destination….not true.