Time-Lapse Jordan]]]> Time-Lapse
So, due to my inconsistency getting this blog going, I’ve missed being able to talk about many of the countries we’ve visited over the years.  I’m going to start a new feature.  It’s a Time-Lapse, which will highlight the places we visited and our thoughts on a place.  Tell me what you think of the idea.  

Camel and handler in Petra.

 

Jordan
 
We went to Jordan last December for about 10 days, which was plenty since it is such a small country.  We rented a car and drove ourselves all around.  After living in both South Korea and Turkey, driving in Jordan was quite easy.  All the directional signs are in English and in Arabic, and the roads seemed very well maintained.  Driving in Amman was a little hairy, but no more so than any other big city where we don’t know our way around.

We found the Jordanians to be some of the friendliest people that we’ve ever encountered.  Even though our countries are on two sides of the Palestinian-Israeli issue, not one person said anything negative to us.  In fact, since Obama had just been elected if they did bring up politics it was with a jubilant note that things would be changing for the better in their eyes. 

The main attraction in Jordan is Petra, of course, and it was stunning!  We spent two days there and our favorite times were before 10:30 in the morning and after 3:00 in the afternoon because it seemed that was when the busloads of tourists were not there. 
 
I would suggest buying the three day pass to Petra as there is so much to see and do.  The first day we didn’t get too far in because it was in the evening.  The light was gorgeous for taking photos and there weren’t too many people there.  Although trying to get a photo without a tourist in it was still pretty difficult. 

The Jordanians are some of the friendliest people we've ever encountered.

One of the best parts of our Petra visit was hiking up to the monastery.  It was a gorgeous walk; the vendors offered to make you cups of tea, and there was a goat herder with his flock at the monastery, so that always makes for great photos.

Jerash – Situated a few hours north of Amman, you can easily have a taxi or car and driver from the hotel take you here on a day trip.  The site is a very large Roman area with a colonnaded central area and much more. 

Umm al-Rasas- This site is one of the World Heritage Sites, and the big draw were some large mosaics.  We went later in the day, and there were no people there at all.  One of the guards took us around and shared some stories with us. 

The Umayyad Desert Castles – Taking the long road east towards Azraq (180 kms from the Iraqi border) there are a number of desert castles that historians can’t agree what their use was.  Some think they were  royal retreats, others think they are stops along the way (like a caravanserai) and still others believe they are meant to oversee the crops in the area.  At any rate, they are all different.  Again, this is a pretty good day trip out of Amman, and well worth it.

We visted two castles which are within 18 kms of each other, Qusayr Amra and Qasr Kharaneh; both were amazing.  Qusayr Amra is very small, but with well-preserved frescoes decorating much of the walls and ceilings.  It is the main reason the castles are designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The second one, Qasr Karaneh, was very impressive as well, but in an entirely different way.  The building itself, even though undecorated was fascinating.

Azraq Fort – This fortress was built in the community due to its location on an oasis.  Apparently, the site has been occupied since Paleolithic times.  Lawrence of Arabia liked it so much that he made this fortress his headquarters during the Arab Revolt.

Biblical Sites
Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan – The site is right on the river, and on the other side the Israelis have built a similar site. The water was brown and the site was very small. 

Madaba- The Greek Orthodox Basilica of St. George located here is very ornate and filled with icons and frescoes as well as the famous Map of the World mosaic.  It’s a short stop, but well worth it.

Mount Nebo – Along with some more mosaics, this offers the view of the Promised Land that Moses reportedly saw coming down the mountain.  It was amazing how high you felt and how much you could see. 
 
The Dead Sea – It was cold…and expensive!  The Jordanians know what they have and they want you to pay dearly to experience it.  I would have paid the outrageous cost if I thought I could have enjoyed it for awhile.  My friends went and they only stayed in the water 15 minutes.  They did say it was a strange feeling, being able to stay afloat as well as they were.  I would definitely go if it were warmer.
 
Red Sea – We did go to the Red Sea and went snorkeling one warmer afternoon.  The wind wasn’t blowing quite so badly, and when it did pick up, we left. 
 
The snorkeling was great!  We saw many, many varieties of fish and were able to enjoy some interesting people watching as well. 

Again this endeavor is pretty pricey, but it was worth it in my opinion.
 
Amman Citadel - In the middle of the city, on top of the hill, lays the citadel.  It has some Roman ruins and is overall a smaller site, but the one real gem is the National Archaelogical Museum.  It is small in size, but had exhibits ranging from the Bronze Age. 
 
Roman Theatre – Downhill from the citadel (about a 15 minute walk) is the Roman Theatre, which although small, was well-preserved.

Amman Hotels – Canary Hotel email:  canary_h@hotmail.com, phone: 4638353

We were absolutely not impressed with the Palace Hotel mentioned in the Lonely Planet.  It was run down and many of the amenities did not work.  However, they did have a good tour guide service where you can rent a car and driver to take you to all the sites.  The phone number is 4624326 and their website is www.palacehotel.com.jo .

Eating in Amman - Definitely try the Hashem Restaurant.  They only serve one thing, falafel, hummus and mint tea.  Delicious and cheap.  You sit in the alley and it’s a great place to watch people.  Address:  Al-Amir Mohammed St.

The fortress in Azraq.

The friendliest goatherder!

While exploring the coastal areas of the Mediterranean you can’t help but to trip over ancient ruins from all sorts of civilizations that came through Turkey at one time or another.  One such site is Uzuncaburc, about 27km north of Silifke.  It was built as [... Friendly Smiles at the Temple of Zeus]]]>

Goats enjoying themselves on the Temple of Zeus.

The friendliest goatherder!

While exploring the coastal areas of the Mediterranean you can’t help but to trip over ancient ruins from all sorts of civilizations that came through Turkey at one time or another.  One such site is Uzuncaburc, about 27km north of Silifke.  It was built as a Hellinistic worship site, but later the Romans came along and built a fantastic little theater and a huge Temple to Zeus.  It is amazing to wander down to the center of these amphitheaters and test the acoustics.  No microphones were needed.  All you have to do is talk in a natural voice and you could hear every word, every inflection from any seat in the house.

We’ve been there a few times and it’s always such a laid back tourist site.  All the people get to know you after only one or two visits.  The village ladies all come running with their hand-embroidered scarves and knitting when they see a car pulling in.  You can also find whatever produce is in season, and spices too.  One man had a bucketful of grapes that were ripe and sweet along with some dried green berries that you are supposed to eat with some fruit (like dried grapes) that would supposedly help you stave off a cold.  I believe it too.  How convenient that you harvest the berries in the fall, when the weather is just starting to change and everyone comes down with colds.  We tasted them, and they weren’t too bitter, but I couldn’t see myself chomping on them for a snack, so we passed.

One of the wonderful things about this site is that there is a village that surrounds it, and the people have lived there for centuries.  We had just entered Zeus’ temple, which is very impressive with its granite columns, and in wanders an old lady (she had to be about 80 years old) and her herd of goats.  We watched as they scrambled among and over the ruins, playing and butting each other as again, they’ve done for centuries. 

Further down the path, we were looking at one of the old buildings and right there was some apple trees that had recently been picked with wooden crates full to the brim, and a lady hanging her washing down the hill.  After that we stopped at one of the city gates, and leaning against the wall were some buckets of grapes waiting to be processed in a  more modern grape press (although not much different at all from the style of the ancient olive press we saw at Kizkalesi the day before).

This trip to Uzuncaburc, just like the first time, was a wonderful mix of history, culture and just being outside to enjoy the weather.  As we continued down the road to the old aqueduct, we passed through rich fields of tomatoes, gourds, pumpkins, and other fall veggies.  We saw donkeys, children, and old men out enjoying the end of the day.  It’s a beautiful and peaceful four kilometers, and even before you get to the aqueduct there are scatterings of ruins and sarcophagi so you know you are on the right track.

The aqueduct itself lies in a narrow valley with a small creek or river that runs through it.  The valley walls are littered on both sides with carved out tombs, rooms, and sarcophagi.  Some are more ornate than others but all have been either pillaged or salvaged and have been shipped off to museums.  Here we are in a whole valley of tombs, and I photograph a horse’s skeleton.  Pretty cool stuff!

The Roman aqueduct at Olba.