Today was an odd mix of contrast and contemplation for us coupled with a bit of pampering. We enjoyed a leisurely morning, there was no need to rush today so we had a late breakfast; all our visits are not too far from the Dead Sea so we could take our time.

First we headed into the Abarim mountains in search of Mount Nebo. Considered a most holy place, this is where Moses was finally granted sight of the Promised Land before his death; it is also said that it is within these lands where he was subsequently buried. As such, the site is of great importance to many faiths.

Continue reading →

The following few days of our visit to Jordan we’ll be more tourists and less hikers. We’re heading south and we started our journey with a visit to Aljoun. our destination today is the Dead Sea and Aljoun Castle was en-route. We’d read good things about the area so decided to pay a visit.

Standing 1250 meters above sea level this 12th Century fortress was built under the rule of the sultan Saladin. The castle is set on top of Mount ‘Auf and provides fabulous views of the Jordan Valley, indeed as a military fortress the views were key to its existence, providing excellent sight of invading crusaders.

We followed Google’s direction and drove up and up out of town. Our Hire Car is tiny. Gerry calls it a rollerskate and today it was tested to the limit with some of the steep hills and sharp bends. But whilst we trundled along in 1st and 2nd gear we counted our blessings that we weren’t having to walk.

Continue reading →

Wow what a day we’ve had!

Last night our chicken dinner was wonderful. After we’d eaten, the man of the house brought us tea in the lounge. We stayed up late talking about war and peace and ancient history. He had been a colonel in the Jordanian army but had hated it; his father had decreed that he would be a soldier and so for 20 years he was. When his father died he changed career and became an interior designer.

After breakfast this morning we returned to Pella where we had booked a walking tour of the hills around Pella. We were to meet our guide Samur. Our instructions had said that we were to meet at the house above The Visitor Centre. So we drove up and parked and the door was open. A lady led us to the garden and asked if we wanted coffee. She called a man and he welcomed us and he said he was Samur. We drank coffee and waited for him to return. After 30 minutes we asked when we would start our hike. No hike he said and looked confused. I took out the email and he looked, shook his head and pointed to the next house along. We entered the wrong house but nonetheless they gave us coffee.

Continue reading →

We said goodbye to Amman today. There was so much that we never got to see of the city but I guess that means we’ll need to return one day. We took a taxi back to the airport where we were met by a gentleman from the Monte Carlo car hire company. We had decided that the best way to explore Jordan was to hire a car and this local company had 1000’s of 5* reviews and so we booked. It would be reasonable to say that it was with a fair amount of trepidation that we drove away in the direction of Pella in the north of Jordan.

I had organised for us to have a 2 hour archaeological tour of the ancient site of Pella, it was booked for 3 o’clock and we made good time arriving 20 minutes early.

We had opted to drive off the highway and on the quieter roads to Pella, with hindsight that probably wasn’t the wisest choice but we did get to see a lot of rural Jordan and there was much excitement as we drove by the Dead Sea junction… but that little gem will have to wait a few more days because we were heading north.

Continue reading →

This post has moved to my new website : https://thenwewalked.com/amman-capital-jordan/