Jordan – Journey through Amman and Beyond I

Monika and I started to get a little freaked out. The road was getting narrower with each turn and there was not another vehicle in site. Our rental car kept climbing steadily through this winding mountain road, but we had no idea whether we were actually on the right track to our destination. Every turn we took we saw nothing but mountains and not the slightest peek of any civilization. Google Maps had worked wonderfully so far, but judging by our current surroundings, we might as well have been on the road to the middle of nowhere. For the first time since arriving in Jordan eight days ago, I worried that we might not have been safe after all.

Just as we were about to go into a total panic mode about being kidnapped by some extremist group and sent off to a cave, a house appeared in the distance. And then another. The town of Iraq-al-Amir, our final destination, slowly revealed itself to us in the foggy air. Google Maps was right after all. The back road, staying true to its name, led us away from traffic and exactly to where we were supposed to arrive. And even though there was not another tourist in sight, or perhaps because of it, we breathed a sigh of relief. This again felt like the Jordan we came to experience.

The trip was sort of an impromptu last minute decision, but once Monika and I settled on the destination, all the signs kept pointing in that direction. The random travel magazine articles I found while waiting for my hair appointment. The Instagram photos on my “suggested for you” page. All of it seemed to speak the same language of “visit Jordan.” So we booked our tickets and our car, planned some excursions in advance and started counting down the days to take off.

We didn’t really know what to expect. We’ve read stories about Petra and Wadi Rum, but it all seemed so distant and foreign. Jordan really hasn’t shown up on the popular map for travelers until relatively recently. For a brief moment prior to departure, we felt a similar trepidation about the trip as we did before leaving for Beirut. But after reading many travel blogs, we set our doubts aside. And soon we were to discover what a gem of a country it really is.

Our itinerary looked something like this:

• Day One: discovering Amman.
• Days Two and Three: On the way to Petra
• Days Four, Five and Six: Wadi Rum and Dead Sea
• Day Seven and Eight: Iraq-al-Amir
• Day Nine: saying good bye to Amman
• Day Ten: Departure

 This was a pretty packed itinerary, but it ended up working out perfectly for us. I cannot wait to share all the stories with you dear readers, but I decided to break them up into chapters based on the locations and the different photographic opportunities each place presented to us. So without further ado, let’s jump into…

Chapter 1: Discovering Amman

We landed in Amman late in the evening and had pre-arranged transportation to the hotel. Recently I’ve realized that whenever I travel to a completely new place, it’s comforting to have someone waiting there for me for a pick up. Monia and I differ on this issue, she is a much more seasoned traveler than I am and she doesn’t mind using Uber or taxis right away, but for me, arranging my transport beforehand gives me a little more peace of mind knowing I won’t have to haggle with taxi drivers or struggle with wi-fi to get an Uber. And this time we really lucked out, because Muneer, our driver whom we met at the airport turned out to be a very friendly gentleman and we ended up hiring him for the following day as well.

Even though it was really late already, Muneer took us to one of the best falafel places in town for a quick bite before bedtime. Need I say that we had falafels almost every day while traveling in Jordan and no, we did not get sick of them one bit. There were falafels for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner and they were the most perfect combination of a crunchy shell and a soft, deliciously seasoned inside and yes, I could have another one just thinking about them. Falafels and hummus became our staple and we could not have asked for anything better.

The following morning we met with Muneer for a tour around the city. Muneer allowed us to make our own itinerary, but also took us to a few very local places, ones I would have probably never found on my own and where I was able to indulge in some street photography endeavors. One of those places was a local market where vendors would scream out prices of various vegetables, any imaginable fruit, spices, and other edible and household items I am not able to name right now. There was chaos and noise everywhere and I loved every minute of it. I wanted to stay as long as possible and to shoot more and if I ever go back to Amman, which I truly hope I do, that will be the first place I will visit again.

The second highlight of the day was visiting the Citadel. The site is sort of like an icon of Amman and quite frankly, rightly so. The ruins sit on a hill overlooking the city and you have an unobstructed 360 degree view wherever you turn. I purposely left this part of the tour until the end. I asked Muneer to take us there just before sunset and this was the best decision I could make. Not only was the light as gorgeous as one would hope, the evening prayer came on just after the sun had disappeared below the horizon, adding a perfect element of mystery to our visit.