Jordan - Petra

I couldn’t resist the two day trip to Jordon and Petra via the Abraham Hostel Tours in Jerusalem. I’m generally not one for group excursions but sometimes it just makes sense depending on what you want to do and what country you are traveling in. At times border crossings, transportation issues, language difficulties, cultural misunderstandings and the hassle factor can negate any chance of saving money by doing it on your own. Everything can take considerably more time to do. Jordon, considered safe, still poses some security risks in my opinion.

So, I booked the trip and showed up for the bus with about 30 others at 7 am. Our first hurdle was the Israeli border into Jordon. As a group we were left up to own devices, without a guide,  to check out of Israel. Only those departing the country are allowed into the immigration building. There was a little confusion at first but we all figured it out and made it through after a bit of time. Upon reaching the Jordanian side we were met by a guide who led us through process. Three of us had been left off the group manifest which created some issues but our guide took care of it. All in all the he border process was kind of a lengthy hassle but not too bad. We rolled into Jordan with guide, an armed policeman assigned to the group for the whole time, and a very skilled bus driver.

From Jerusalem we had crossed through the Palestinian West Bank into Jordon. The first couple of border villages on the Jordanian side were poor, rough, and third world dodgy. A pack of young school boys were walking down the street as if they were going to block the bus. As we reached them they parted. Some appeared to give a friendly wave while others spit and threw things at the bus and/or displayed vulgar hand signals. Some of the kids were quite young which was disturbing to say the least. My first impression of the people of Jordon was not good. Fortunately, it was only at the border villages that I noticed such behavior. The rest of the time the Jordanian people seemed fine. The Bedouin tribes people I was to meet were exceptionally hospitable and friendly. Our guide was very nice and professional.

t was a long climb out of the Jordon valley which is 1300 feet below sea level. The road is pretty decent but steep and narrow in sections. We ascended up through olive groves interspersed with oak trees and open views. I found it to be really beautiful country.

Our first stop was Jerash and lunch before visiting the Roman ruins of Old Jerash with it’s Roman racetrack, arched gate, roads and amphitheaters. Our guide moved us through the fairly extensive complex at a nice pace. From there it was on to Amman, Jordan’s major city where we visited the Citadel which is an ancient Roman fort set atop a mount in the middle of it all. The views of the city are fantastic. With the day getting late we pressed on to Petra where stayed in tents at a Bedouin tourist camp. We arrived at the desert camp around 11 pm. It backed up to a rock face lit up by numerous lights. We were served Bedouin tea around a fire with traditional live music before a nice dinner. The camp atmosphere was very pleasant. It would have been nice to have arrived earlier to enjoy it more. Unfortunately we had lost quite a bit of time at the border which set us behind schedule.

The Crown Jewel of Jordan is the Roman ruins of Petra and my main reason for wanting to visit Jordan. Petra is a Roman city built into red sandstone cliffs. The complex is suspected of being started could as early as 300 B.C. and consists of numerous caves and impressive facades. One site in particular was used in an Indiana Jones movie.

We got a nice early start for Petra which gave us a good 6 hours to hike around. We were free to take off on our own, as I did, or you could follow the guide. Most visitors travel a little over a mile via foot, camel, horse, or cart to see the most famous site, “The Treasury”, as seen in the Indians Jones Movie and a not much further beyond. From where most turn around you can continue another mile or so uphill to a site known as, “The Monastery”. Beyond that you can continue up a little further to a couple of high points atop a ridge to get some spectacular views. I’d say 6 hours is a minimum but a good amount of time to check things out.

Petra extends more or less through a red sandstone canyon with swaths of darker reds turned brown along with swirls of gray that look like marble from a distance. Local Bedouin tribe’s people set up rustic little coffee, tea, and souvenir shops all along the way that adds to the atmosphere.

Petra is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site which draws the tourist but it appears to be managed well. Despite large numbers of visitors the place remains spectacular and it really doesn’t detract from the experience too much if you are willing to walk a little further than most. I enjoyed it greatly and consider it to be one of the coolest sites I’ve been to.

From Petra it was a long trip back to Jerusalem. Checking out of Jordon was pretty easy. Getting back into Israel was a mess. First we passed through several checkpoints and gates before reaching immigration. Two large busses with mostly Arab Muslims, most who didn’t know how to stand in line, were challenging each other for the only open window. Another bus showed up behind us. Eventually the Israelis opened two more windows for a total of three. As I neared the window a couple of guys butted right in front of  me and threw their passports on the counter I immediately spoke up and the Immigration officer caught what was going on thus scolding them. A couple of other guys walked up and did the same thing but I noticed they had official looking Palestinian Territory passports. I sensed they were government officials so I didn’t say anything. Eventually I made it to the counter and thus began the questioning but not too bad.

From there it was a security check. Poorly managed and understaffed, however, everything looked like it was being checked. I had some problems getting passed the brash guard but cooperated fully as we determined the metal lace loops on my boots were setting off the metal detector. I then proceeded through 2 more passport checks. One officer seemed genuinely interested in my travels with my colorful passport stamps as he would like to do the same. Finally, out the door to a bus that was waiting for us. Everyone made it through except for 3 who were being detained. The bus left without them. Two being detained were a Canadian couple with Pakistani Muslim last names. They were an extremely nice couple who I had talked with earlier in the day. The husband is a prominent Oncologist from Toronto, however, profiling as practiced by Israeli immigration, was not in their favor. Our guide on the Israeli side said it was normal for some people in the group to be detained at the crossing. We were all given transportation vouchers beforehand just in case.

Eventually we made it back to the Hostel after a jam packed 2 day blitz through Jordan. With exit and entry taxes plus the price of the trip it wasn’t cheap but worth every penny. It seemed like everyone felt the same, however, not sure I can speak for those detained at the border.