Guest Editor – Karin Hennessey – Karin had recently traveled to Jordan on a holiday and gives you a chance to discover the mystical land of Jordan, it’s spectacular natural beauty, ancient architecture and well preserved cultural heritage.
The Middle East is fast becoming a popular winter sun destination given its relatively close proximity to Europe (approximately 5 hours flying time from London), wonderful warm year round climate and rich cultural and historical interest.
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a small country with few natural resources, and unusually for this region, no oil, but it has played a pivotal role in the struggle for power in the Middle East. Jordan’s significance results partly from its strategic location at the crossroads of what most Christians, Jews and Muslims call the Holy Land. It is one of two Arab nations to have made peace with Israel and is a key ally of the U.S.
In November 2009, we chose Jordan with a view to balancing our time between relaxation at a five star deluxe hotel (that are plentiful in the Middle East), and making day trips to the spectacular Rose City of Petra, the lunar landscape of Wadi Rum in the desert, and the mystical Dead Sea.
By far the best and most economic way to get there is with the long established Voyages Jules Verne (tour operator). VJV offer scheduled flights direct to Aqaba which no other airlines do, (the others make a stop-over in Amman, the capital city), and are currently offering a heavily discounted price at the newly opened Five star Movenpick Hotel at Tala Bay. They are promoting a week’s stay with flights and accommodation for approximately £579.00. An independently booked return flight costs almost double this price without accommodation so go now before it’s too late! If you are lucky enough, you will be greeted by the lovely ‘Laurent’ (VJV representative), who will entertain you en route over the microphone on the coach to your hotel destination with his ‘allo, allo’ French accent and ‘listen carefully, I will repeat this only once’ sense of humour!
The best place to stay on the coast, in order to swim and dive/snorkel in the Red Sea, is Aqaba. Aqaba is a major port and home to the Jordanian royal family. It is also a duty free town, although apart from a plethora of jewellery and pottery shops, there is not much to tempt you to part with your Jordanian dinars. You won’t need to worry about being hassled to make a purchase or haggle over prices because the Jordanians are forbidden by law to browbeat tourists into buying!
Although downtown Aqaba doesn’t offer much in the way of tourist attractions or nightlife, much investment is being ploughed into developing the area of Tala Bay as a holiday destination. Hotels, restaurants and man-made harbours are being constructed all along the coastline.
The Movenpick hotel certainly lives up to its Swiss attention to detail and standard of hygiene. The staff were extremely attentive and anxious to please. Facilities included five different style restaurants, an inter-connecting lagoon-like swimming pool, an infinity pool that was 75 metres wide, umpteen Jacuzzis and swim-up bars.
It was incredible to realise that from our hotel balcony overlooking the Red Sea we could see Egypt and Israel. In fact, we were divided by a strip of water that would take no more than fifteen minutes to float on a lilo to the other side (but don’t forget your passport!).
The Jordanian people are very proud of their heritage and adore their royal family. With a population of only 6.3 million they are a closely knit country and many have had a personal meeting with the King at some stage in their lives. Within every establishment you will find a photograph of the late King Hussein who died in 1999 after 46 years on the throne, struggling for peace and democracy.
We learnt a lot at the lost city of Petra which was carved from pink sandstone cliffs by the Nabateans two millennia ago and left undiscovered until 1812. The Bedouin tribes who lived in the caves were keen to give us a guided tour of their old homes, before they were moved into urban communities by the government. Petra is a fascinating insight into the lives of the old silk route traders who travelled by camel caravan, down through the siq (narrow crevice between the rocks) and out into the open and resplendent Treasury where the merchants trading took place. This was also the setting for the Raiders of the Lost Ark. At Wadi Rum, where Lawrence of Arabia came, you can travel by camel through the terracotta sand and desert landscape reminiscent of the Grand Canyon and spend a night under the stars camping with the Bedouins and eating a traditional feast of Mansaf (a dish of rice and lamb) served with generous hospitality and accompanied by singing and playing of the rebab (their equivalent of a small guitar).
Our final excursion to the Dead Sea was very educational. The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. Biblically, it was a place of refuge for King David. It was one of the world’s first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers. People also use the salt and the minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. It lies 422 metres below sea level and is a salt lake bordering Israel and the West Bank and Jordan to the East. The salinity and harsh environment has ensured that no animals can live here. We were advised not to shave two days before entering the water because it would burn, and to avoid any water getting into our eyes. On entering the water your natural inclination is to swim and then you quickly realise you will be turned upside down if you do so! Be aware that at this time of year, it is dark by 4pm which means you need to make the most of the daylight hours.
I highly recommend Jordan, and it’s wonderfully genteel and generous people, it will be an unforgettable experience which will make you yearn to experience more of the Middle East.
Thanks for the post, Karin!!