This phrase, “Welcome to Jordan!”, is one that I heard over and over in my time there. In many ways it came to represent my impression of both the country and the people. I found the Jordanian people to be incredibly welcoming, prideful, humble, and interested in learning from you in addition to sharing their culture. With that being said, we definitely had our fair share of Jordanians taking advantage of tourists and making our trip more challenging than it needed to be. But most of my memories are with those that welcomed us with open arms. Coming from Doha it was refreshing to meet so many locals and see the way they live their lives and be able to engage in conversation with them in a souvenier shop, taxi cab, tourist attraction, restaurant, or hotel. When we left Jordan I felt I understand at least a small bit of the lifestyle led in that country.
Our trip to Jordan was months in the making and was really a big Applebee’s sampler platter. The group that went was myself, Brennan, our friends Joce and Cait from Canada, Will from Ireland, and Steven from Australia. We all met up in the Amman airport and immediately hit the road to start our trip. First stop was Aqaba where we went Scuba Diving off the beach. It was the first time diving for Will, Brennan, and Steven. The reefs and fish there absolutely blew my mind, especially walking into the water with scuba gear from the beach. The colors would even rival what I saw at the Great Barrier Reef and there were over 20 dive sites in the area we were.
From Aqaba we took a cab to Wadi Rum. Our cab driver, Hussain, had an incredible taste in music. A taste captured on a cassette that he has probably been playing for 20 years. We sang along to everything from “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” to “Hotel California”. Wadi Rum is a desert with mountains that we went off roading through before going camping. Our guide for this was Sulemon, one of the greatest men I have ever met. Sulemon is one of the people that really shaped my opinion of Jordanians. He was kind, prideful in his country, explained his Bedouin lifestyle, his passion for working in tourism and much more. He was an incredible host and I can say confidently that we all learned a lot from him. At Wadi Rum we met two guys, Scott and Moe, who we got along with swimmingly and they ended up joining us later in the trip in Petra and Amman too!
Wadi Rum and then on a bus to Petra. I ended up sitting in the front of the bus while the rest of the crew was in the back. There were open seats next to me at the start of the ride but we proceeded to pick up 5 or 6 different hitchhikers along the way. Every time I made a friend he would jump off and be replaced. Pretty lonely. Some of you might not be familiar with Petra, but it is one of the world wonders and was built over 2,000 years ago by the Nabateans (a local tribe). The basically carved incredible architecture from the mountains and Petra served as a core trading point between the east and the west.
Right when we got to Petra we met up with Scott and Moe and went into the site. It was INSANELY expensive (equivalent of $75 to go in) but worth every penny. It is so hard to describe as we walked through over 2,000 years of history amongst a sea of tourists. We were fortunate that Will became our tour guide, qualifying himself by watching a documentary and reading up on Petra. When we arrived at the treasury (most famous of Petra sites) he was a wealth of knowledge. We did some hiking that day, almost killing Moe, and then came back at night to see the treasury lit up by candle. The next day we were in Petra as well and climbed over 800 steps to see the Monastery which was as impressive, if not more than, the Treasury. We were also joined by another Doha buddy Andrew who was also in town. After two longggg days of hiking the men treated themselves to a Turkish bath and well…we know how that goes.
After Petra it was off to relaxation at the Dead Sea. We were staying at a 5 star resort (Thank you Brennan Biddle) which gave us all the beach access we could want. Floating in the dead sea is WAY better than advertised. Everyone we talked to said “oh, you only need 15-20 minutes there. It’s nothing really.” Are you CRAZY?!? You float on water without doing anything?!?! I compare the moment we floated in the dead sea to the moment peter pan realized he could fly. It was incredible. Not to mention the mud we covered our bodies in!!! By the end of the day my skin as softer than the day I was born. One last thing, Will and I were fugitives in the hotel the whole time we were there but that’s part of a longer story.
Last stop!!! Amman!!! What a unique city. Littered with Roman Ruins, Arab architecture, souqs, and bustling streets…Amman was one of my favorite cities I have visited. It just made me feel alive! We arrived late and had one of the most epic (yes that word is usually overused but here is appropriate)nights out we could have asked for. We met up with Scott and Moe (who live in Amman) and some of their new friends for a night of hotel/house parties and guitar sing alongs. Best ending to the trip we could have asked for and the following day we did all of our site seeing before heading back to Doha. As a result of said, “epic night out”, Will lost his passport which made for quite the adventure the following day but luckily a cab driver returned it the next day and no harm done!
As you can imagine there are TONS of details to fill in with all of this. Unbelievably the trip was only 5 days but we did SO SO much. It was one of the best trips I have been on, and a big part of that was the people. So thanks to everyone who made the trip possible and can’t wait for the next one!
No major updates aside from travel. Back to work as usual. Lots of great things going on in Education City. And tons of leadership programs coming up. It’s great to be back in Doha especially now that it is “winter” and we can get back into camping season! More updates to come soon!
