Wadi Rum

I randomly came across the "behind the scenes" clips of the upcoming Disney movie "Aladdin" the other day and saw shots of a very familiar looking desert. It took me only a second to figure out that it was none other than Wadi Rum in Jordan. It is instantly recognisable because there is no other like it. 

Wadi Rum means "valley of the moon". It is a vast expanse of desert in the southern part of Jordan that has red coloured sand and some unique rock structures.

It is located in Aqaba District and is about an hour's drive from Petra. So if one is planning a trip to Petra, it is not a bad idea to include a visit to Wadi Rum as well. Tour of the desert is quite cheap compared to Petra.  Another option is to reach Aqaba from Amman and then take a taxi to Wadi Rum which is about half an hour’s drive from there. All three locations are situated in the south of Amman in the following order: Petra and then Wadi Rum and Aqaba. 

Wadi Rum is a desert, with no roads, buildings or any other kind of basic infrastructure facility, so no bus or any other kind of mass transit system reaches it. One has to take a taxi from either Aqaba or Petra to get to it. Taxi from Petra to Wadi Rums costs around 40 JODs and can seat 4 passengers. Taxi from Aqaba costs around 25 JODs. Foreigners and non-Jordanians are also required to pay a 5 JOD per person entrance fee before entering the Wadi Rum Protected area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

As far as I can recall it is not possible to visit the desert on your own (though I may be wrong about this). One has to book a tour with one of the local tour company/ camping site to be able to access it.

Queen of  the Bedouins 

Our four hours desert tour, along with dinner and overnight stay plus breakfast cost us about 40 JODs per person but the price can go up or down depending upon the campsite/ touring company chosen and the duration of the desert tour.  One has the option to go for the entire package, or just opt for 2, 4 or 6 hours tour of the desert minus the overnight stay. There are several companies that offer these tours and can even arrange for pick and drop from Petra or Aqaba (at an extra charge).

But why go at all?

Because it is one of the most amazingly mesmerising places on earth. 

Due to its unique red coloured sand, Wadi Rum has been depicted as the surface of the planet Mars in the movie, " The Martian".  Apart from "The Martian", the natural settings of Wadi Rum have served as the set of several other films including shooting of scenes from, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Prometheus, Rogue One: a star Wars story and lately Aladdin, to name a few.

Perhaps the movie that made Wadi Rum famous was David Lean's 1962 film, "Lawrence of Arabia".  There is a particular area called Lawrence's Spring here which got its name because the lead character, Peter O Tool, who played the part of "Lawrence of Arabia", used to come to this place with his crew members to collect water. The spring is located up on a hill. It is a 20 or so minutes climb to the spring but since water is scarce in the desert, the climb is worth it.

Ancient inscriptions on the rocks near the spring told ancient travellers about the presence and location of water. I guess it was a kind of primordial sign board.

The local Bedouins use water sparingly, it being a precious commodity. Apart from the natural springs, another source of water is the rain water reserves which fill up during the rains and can be used by the locals for several months afterwards.

There are many beautiful rock formations in the desert and several canyons, arches and sand dunes that can be climbed. The climb is neither easy nor for the faint hearted but the view at the top makes the whole effort worthwhile. Not to mention that the climb itself gives one a sense of achievement.

A four hour or more tour of Wadi Rum is gruelling and strongly tests your stamina and endurance.  It can be demanding but exhilarating.  Local Bedouins act as guides.  Fortunately, you are allowed to rest in the middle and offered free Bedouin hospitality tea, as much as you want to drink, to freshen you up. It is always a good idea to make sure that the guide being allocated to you speaks reasonable enough English. His being talkative and gregarious can be a bonus because then he is likely to offer more information about the desert as compared to a silent, brooding one. There is one Bedouin village inside the Wadi Rum Protected area and many Bedouin families have now taken up residence there but from time to time many go back to the desert and live there for months following their centuries old way of life surviving only on what nature provides them with. They are nomads at heart and setting up roots in one place does not appeal to them. 

Wadi Rum is known for its magnificent view of a star filled sky especially on moonless nights but I think it is the vast expanse of open space that that makes the desert truly amazing . The openness of the vast rust coloured stretch of land gives one a sense of freedom and liberty. Stretching for miles in all directions, the desert appears limitless as if existing in a timeless capsule of its own, away from the mad hustle and bustle of the modern world.

Definitely a place worth adding to one’s bucket list.

Petra: Land of the Nabateans

The city of Petra is located in Wadi Musa at about 4 hours’ drive from Amman in the southern direction and the best and the most economical way to get to it is through JETT bus service. One-way ticket to Petra costs around 11 JOD (Jordanian Dinar) and a return one costs 18 (though the price may have gone up in the last six months since I was there but I doubt it, and even if it did, it could not have increased more than one or two dinars).
The daily Jett bus to Petra leaves fairly early in the morning. It has three stops within the city of Amman. First stop: Abdali at 6:30 am, Second Stop: in front of Intercontinental Hotel at the second Circle at 6:45 am, then last and final stop is at the Jett bus station itself near the 7th Circle at 7:00 am. From 7th Circle the bus leaves for Petra sometime between 7:15 - 7:30 am. If one misses catching the bus at either of the two earlier stops, one can always take a cab to the next station and hop on (provided one has a ticket) but once the bus leaves from the 7th circle, it is gone for good and does not stop, except for a midway break between Amman and Petra. The Jett bus station at Petra is right next to the entrance of Petra visitors' center which is the gate to the ancient historic site. Arrival time here is sometime after 11:00 am. For those who plan a day trip, the same bus returns to Amman at 5:00 pm (summer time) on the same day but one has to be at the station by 4:45 pm at least (preferably 4:30 pm). Reason being that a lot of non-ticket holders also hover around the station near departure time and if the regular ticket holders are missing, the seats are sold to the ones in the waiting line. The age old saying that time and tide wait for no one can be modified a little to say that the Jett bus also waits for no one. It departs at 5:00 pm sharp even if there is no waiting line and it has to go back with empty seats.
A five-hour duration between 11:30 in the morning till 4:30 in the afternoon can be enough time for the excursion of the ancient city of Petra but only if the main trail is followed. A more detailed exploration requires more time. I personally think that a master piece of ancient civilization like Petra deserves more than a hurried tour.
An overnight stay at one of the local hotels gives an extra day plus the opportunity to start early the next day. Also the entry ticket to Petra is quite on the expensive side, about 50 JOD per person per day but an extra 5 JOD gets one a two-day access to the site. (It is possible to buy a Jett bus return ticket which takes one back to Amman on the next day instead of the same one but that has to specified at the time of purchase as the travelling dates are mentioned on the tickets).

The "Siq"

If one does plan on staying overnight, then while picking hotels, it is essential to pick one near the Visitors’ center as the town of Petra is situated on a hilly terrain that has different elevation levels. Walking long distance on the up and down roads can take its toll on one. Some hotels located further away also provide free shuttle service to the site for their guests so they can be a good option as well.  Hiring a taxi is not advisable. Only to be considered if no other option is available. Taxis cost about three times more in Petra than they do in Amman plus sometimes it feels like that the sole purpose of taxi drivers’ in Jordan is to rip you off. They invent the most unethical and scary tactics to do that. These tactics include not just quoting exorbitant amounts for brief journeys but also stopping taxis in the middle of nowhere, demanding to be paid more than the initially agreed about amount. If you happen to find a driver who agrees to go by meter than there is more than a distinct possibility that he will try to take you by the longest and most outlandish route to increase his fare. Under the circumstances it is safest and wisest to stick to Uber which is readily available in Amman. Whether Uber service is available in Petra, I do not know.  Since our hotel was right in front of the visitors’ center, we didn’t need one.
Nick named the Rose city because of the rose coloured stones, Petra was most probably the capital city of the Nabatean Kingdom, a nation of trading Arabs who constructed buildings by digging into and carving the surrounding stone structures.

To get to the main structures of Petra one has to pass through the "Siq": A Narrow passage way that leads to the Treasury. Not only is first sight of the Treasury, as you come out of the narrow passage, incomparable but the 20 or so minutes’ walk through this narrow gorge to reach the Treasure is also truly amazing. 

Al Khazneh: The Treasury 

The treasury or “Al Khazneh” is one of the most celebrated structures at Petra. It is one of the wonders of the modern world and has been portrayed in several films including "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade". The area in front of the Treasury is almost never empty. Since it is one of the most photographed sites in the world, there is always a horde of tourist clicking away at its impressive stone façade.
For those who are not much into walking, several different modes of transportation are also available. Horse drawn carriages that take one from the main gate till the Treasury and back, camels along the main path and sturdy mules that can take one up all the way to the Monastery. Like in all other places in Jordan (other than branded shops in malls) bargaining is a must, and nothing short of one third of the price quoted should be settled upon. And no matter what ever amount is settled upon, be prepared for a “tip” request in the end as well.
From the Treasury, the main path takes one through a multitude of ancient historic structures that include the Ancient Nabatean theatre, Royal Tombs and the Roman era ruins among others. There are many side trails leading to less popular sites but unless one is of an adventurous nature and has ample
time, like more than one day, only then these should be explored.
The ascent to the “Monastery” starts where the main trail comes to an end. One can either choose to return form this point or climb the stairs all the way up to the Monastery. The stairs are actually steps cut into stone and t
here are a 960 of them in total. ( I used to think that the 300 something steps to Batu Caves in Malaysia were tough but they are nothing compared to the ones leading to the Monastery at Petra). It takes at least 45 minutes to an hour for a hale and hearty person to go up those steps. For the not so hale and hearty, the option to go atop a mule is available for a price of 10-12 Dinars. At regular intervals throughout the climb, local Bedouins have their makeshift stalls set up that sell trinkets, souvenirs and even cool water to the tourists.

Al Dier: The Monastery 

The Monastery on top of the Mountain, also known as Al Dier in the local language was featured in the 2009 Hollywood movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, so the younger generation would be pretty familiar with it. Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, entry inside all structures at Petra, including the Treasury as well as the Monastery is prohibited, but one can take as many photos outside of it as one likes. The air on top of the mountain is crisp and cool even in the middle of summer. The openness and the stark beauty of the landscape alone makes the climb worth it.

To sum it all up in one sentence, Petra is a place that someone like me can easily fall in love with.
To be honest, I think I am already half way there.

Ajlun: The Castle that was never conquered

For some reason the Middle Eastern region has always been a tumultuous one, be it contemporary times or the Middle Ages. Located at the cross roads of the known world back in ancient times, the Middle Eastern region was not only richer in history and culture as compared to any other part of the world, it also had the best produce and most favorable weather. If this was not enough reason for nations to fight to gain control over it, then the fact that it also happened to be the birth place of the major religions of the world, made it the most sought after piece of land.

For hundreds of years the Church and the Monarchies of Europe joined hands together to send wave after wave of Christian Zealot fighters to free the Holy lands from the clutches of what they called the “infidels” ; or in other words "The Muslims".

But the Muslims of the area did not take this lying down.

Perched on top of a hill, above the valley of Jordan, overlooking the wide horizons, sits the Castle at Ajlun.

Built on the orders of Salahudin, sometime during the 12th century, probably on the site of an old Byzantine monastery, the purpose of construction of the castle at Ajlun was to protect the area from foreign invaders i.e the crusaders. 
Most of the Medieval castles that I have seen are in ruins, little more than piles of stones and half broken walls but Ajlun is pretty intact. While walking through its numerous corridors, rooms and going up and down the stairways, it is not difficult to imagine what the castle must have looked like at its peak, complete with furniture and occupants.
Not at all difficult to visualize where in the center of the room a huge long table may have been placed to serve food. (that is, if the Muslim soldiers used a table to eat back then. It may be possible that using a table for meals was a European custom that might have arrived with the crusaders). Nor is it difficult to envision where the sleeping quarters would have been for the regular guards of the castle and possibly of those soldiers who were passing through the area to go resume their duties in more disturbed regions.
Each chamber, each corridor reveals new images of years gone by and tells new stories of what must have once been. There is enough loose yarn of historic ambiance spread throughout the facility to weave into an imaginary pattern of events and actions that might have taken place there centuries ago. All that is needed is a little over active imagination and a desire to lose oneself in the mysteries that the castle is so willing to reveal.
Back in the days when this land was not divided through borders into multiple nations, the whole area formed one huge region under the Muslim’s rule. The roof of the Castle not only offers an unlimited view for miles and beyond in all directions to what in current day is Lebanon, Syria and Israel, it also provides the coolest breeze ever, even in the middle of the hot summer season. The orchards in the valley below produce the most wondrous variety of olives, figs and grapes. There is also a special tower where pigeons used to be kept. These served as speedy means of communication in times of war as well as in peace time
It was no doubt ideally located given the circumstances of that time and it obviously boasted excellent defensive mechanism as well but I personally believe that being located on high ground as compared to the surrounding area also made it extremely difficult, if not totally impossible to be captured by an invading army. Perhaps that is why unlike most castles and keeps in the area that have come under the rule of the invading crusaders at some point or the other, Ajlun was never subjugated and to this day remains the Castle that was never conquered.