Jordan - Part II (02/16/2018 - 02/18/2018)

Our final two days in Jordan were spent in Wadi Rum and at a Dead Sea resort. I was quite surprised how green the country was, especially in the north - and how quickly it turned to desert as you go south.

We woke up early in Petra to drive to a pick-up point to take us to Wadi Rum. I have to admit I was a bit nervous as it wasn't entirely clear to me that the logistics were figured out between the Bedouin driver and our local driver, and when the pick-up point was a semi-abandoned service stop on the side of the highway I was really calling things into question.  Moreover, there was no cellular service in the desert, so if we missed this pick-up, who knows what we would have done.  Luckily, both drivers were punctual, and said semi-abandoned rest stop was actually across the highway from the main road leading to the Bedouin village.

Wadi Rum, or sometimes known as 'Valley of the Moon', is one of the most alien landscapes I've ever visited. If it wasn't for the clouds, I'd think I was on Mars.  Everything was red sand or stone. It's no surprise that numerous science fiction films were shot here, including 'Red Planet', 'The Martian', 'Rogue One', and 'Prometheus'. What further helped the illusion of being on another planet was the fact that we spent the night in inflatable bubble tents, each with its own airlock. For a moment, I wondered whether this is what a Mars colony would feel like.

Following Wadi Rum, we drove to the Dead Sea, where we did the typical touristy things of floating in the incredibly buoyant water (and do NOT get any of it in your nose, ears or mouth - trust me), and playing with the highly mineralised mud.  The part I didn't appreciate was how fast it was disappearing - since the key tributary, the Jordan River, was increasingly increasingly used for irrigation, as well as being dammed by Israel for its own water needs (there is a long long discussion and debate about the politics of water in the Middle East, and how that is actually one of the root causes of instability throughout the region).

Speaking of people and politics. I was quite surprised (and honestly shouldn't have been were it not for the preceding week) at how 'middle class' Jordan felt - everyone we came across, from drivers, waiters, and random strangers were quite well educated, literate, and surprisingly pragmatic. It was a refreshing change from our immediate prior GCC country experiences where you had an upper elite of locals  and/or royals, and basically foreign workers forming the majority of the people you see.

I felt sorry that the Jordanian economy was suffering due to the instability in Syria driving away tourists, as well as harming critical export routes into Europe for its agriculture. There were murmurs about regional politics and how not enough aid was coming to deal with the refugee crisis from Iraq and Syria as well.  While it is not completely risk free, it is a pretty safe destination to visit.

The food was quite good - nothing too unfamiliar or novel given how widespread middle eastern cuisine is, however the earth oven was really quite special - basically a hole dug in the ground with hot coals, with the food slowly roasted over a day.

Wadi Rum / وادي رم

The Dead Sea / البحر الميت