The days leading up to my departure date to Jordan were filled with a perpetual sore throat, sneezing, and frantic trips to the pharmacy to request ‘literally anything you have that will make me not sick.’ The pharmacists tried, and I thank them for their valiant efforts, but my body’s determination to succumb to a nasty cold was stronger than any medication.
Cue me squirreling away tissues in any nook and cranny I could find. Empty pockets? Not anymore. Tissues. A small section of one backpack compartment wasn’t full? Tissues. Bra needs padding? Tissues. Okay, not really, but that’s a good future idea. Bras are underutilized storage, right ladies?
Despite being sick and slowly morphing into my worst fear (a mouth breather), I was incredibly excited. Jordan had been pinging as a country of interest ever since a coworker told me in October Ryanair began flying to Amman from Bucharest. I couldn’t wait to arrive and explore.
Visa
Jordan requires almost all foreign nationals to obtain a visa in order to visit. A large majority of citizens can buy their visa in the airport, but some nationalities are required to have a visa prior to arriving in the country. For information on country visa requirements, check out this website.
Americans can buy a visa upon arrival to the airport. It is 40 Jordanian Dinars, roughly $56 for a single-entry visa valid for one month. I strongly recommend you purchase a Jordan Pass however. The pass waives the fee of the tourist visa, but only if you plan on staying in Jordan a minimum of three nights/four days. Make sure you print out the Jordan Pass to present it to customs and passport control because they have to scan the QR code on the sheet.
Going through passport control at the Amman airport was interesting. The passport desk consisted of two agents sitting in a booth divided into two sections. The walls of the booth were only about chest high and there was no glass separating the agents and the visitor. I found that unique since 99% of the time passport agents sit in tall, closed off telephone booth style boxes to process passports. I soon learned there was a reason for shorter walls and no glass. Beginning on the right side of the booth, I handed my passport and Jordan Pass over to the agent. He scanned my Pass and handed it back to me and slapped my passport on the wooden divider between him and his partner. He then waved me over to the second agent. I slid into line behind three other people because obviously this step requires more time and creates a queue. The second agent methodically and without looking, grabbed the front passport placed on the divider that magically matched up with the next person in line. Method to the madness. His job was to input the passport information into the computer system, stamp it, and take a photo of the visitor. Once all that was complete, helloooo Jordan!
Driving
I didn’t realize how much I missed driving until I again sat behind the wheel. I rented a car from Sixt because they had the best rates compared to other companies. For a five day rental, unlimited miles, full-to-full gas, automatic transmission medium-sized car I paid $128. Their pick-up counter was conveniently in the international arrivals level of the Queen Alia International Airport (AMM).
This was my very first time renting a car (yes, anywhere!) and I made sure to follow all the instructions and warnings I’d read online. I inspected the exterior of the car before signing the papers, taking photos of scrapes and bumps as well as a slow walk around video of the car. Thank God I did that because when I turned the car in on Saturday the guy tried to say a chipped paint spot on the trunk was new. I whipped my phone out and showed him the picture of the exact spot having been there on Tuesday. He didn’t charge me.
I had originally planned on renting a WiFi hotspot from the car rental company in order to have Internet connection and GPS during my journey. I did not however because you can download Google Maps offline and use that with zero internet connection to navigate. This meant I relied solely on hotel and restaurant WiFi during my time in Jordan. Luckily I didn’t run into any car trouble or else I would have been SOL. Whew.
Crazy Romanian drivers fully prepared me for crazy Jordanian drivers. In fact, Jordanians drive better than Romanians. (Sorry Romanian friends.) There is less veering between lanes and more turn signal usage. I’m a fairly aggressive driver as is and those skills were needed to make U-turns and merge into highway traffic multiple times in Jordan. I did see quite a few drivers texting and driving and gave them the stink eye for doing so.
The windows of my Chevy Cobalt were not tinted in the slightest and I received a lot of stares from pedestrian passers-by and other drivers. My guess is because I was a single female driver. Women are allowed to drive in Jordan no problem, but I wasn’t wearing a hijab and had no one else in the car with me. I kind of stood out.
Most of my driving was spent on Highway 15, or the Desert Highway. This is a relatively new, straight shot four-lane road running down the middle of the country from the Syrian border all the way to Aqaba. It’s not very scenic, but it’s much faster than the King’s Highway that runs alongside the Dead Sea. I’m spoiled by smooth U.S. interstates apparently. The Desert Highway leaving Amman is roughhhh. Scraped asphalt, potholes, dips – anything that could cause a jostle or bump, this road had for about 20 miles. It did eventually smooth out and my butt was thankful.
Dealing with posted sign distances in kilometers when my Google Maps was giving me miles was another fun aspect of my drive. I kept having to convert km to miles to know when I needed to turn. Mental math kept me awake! Pro Tip: Divide km by 1.6 to get a rough estimate of miles.
Most highways in the U.S. have exit ramps that lead to the nearby towns. Not the Desert Highway in Jordan. Towns were bisected by the road and speed limits rapidly dropped from 110 km/hr to 30. The occasional sign would warn you about upcoming speed bumps, but they were sparse. This forced me to truly pay attention to the road because I could not go faster than 35 km when driving over a speed bump for fear the front bumper would scrape the road. Probably the most effective speed bumps of all time.
Another fantastic method of forcing drivers to slow down is to let animals roam freely. Multiple times I had to either change lanes or stop completely to avoid sheep, donkeys, and camels in the road. Camel crossing signs became prominent in the Wadi Rum desert area. I laughed at first, but ten minutes later I had to drive in the shoulder because a very stubborn camel refused to move despite my honking. Ridiculous.
A funny encounter I had while driving involved a pit stop. I had two hours left until I reached Petra and I had to pee. Realizing I couldn’t hold it that long, I pulled over at a gas station. In Jordan attendants pump your gas for you and one guy was waving me into a fuel pump. I did an awkward hand wave to try and indicate that I didn’t need gas and instead parked alongside the building. Upon getting out of the car, I asked, “Toilet?” and the attendant pointed me in the direction and then said, “Coffee?” I assumed I should probably buy something if I was using the bathroom so I said yes in Arabic. Fast forward and, with a now happy empty bladder, I walked into the store to get my coffee. Which ended up being a packaged cappuccino the attendant and his friend added a TON of sugar – it was surprisingly delicious. The funny part was mime-talking with these two men as they asked me (I think) if I needed a guide and if I was alone. I said no, I didn’t need any help and lied to say I was meeting friends at Petra. Then they asked to take a picture with me. I was hesitant at first, but one pulled out his military ID to show he was a police officer and then waved his left hand to show he was also married. I shrugged and said screw it. Somewhere in Jordan there is a selfie of me with two random dudes in a gas station convenience store. One cheesy smiling picture and one ‘let’s pretend to be serious’ photo.
Madaba
Madaba was my first stop due to its proximity to the airport. A quick 30 minute drive led me to my hotel, Mosaic City Hotel. Madaba is renowned for the 6th century mosaic map covering the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. The archaeological park is another major attraction that depicts mosaics from the Byzantine era.
Other sightseeing ideas in Madaba are:
- Mount Nebo – 6 miles west of Madaba, this area is considered to be the tomb of Moses. If you’re religious, you may want to bookmark this spot! If not, come for the view overlooking the area.
- Madaba Museum – Also known as ‘Al Twal House,’ this museum offers ancient pottery, traditional costumes and jewelry, as well as 6th century mosaics.
- Church of St. John the Baptist
- Church of the Apostles
Petra
Petra blew my mind.
I genuinely cannot explain the magical qualities it exudes. If you’ve seen Indiana Jones, you might think the Treasury is the only part of Petra, but you’d be wrong. Petra is massive. Walking from the entrance through the Siq to the Treasury itself takes half an hour. Dozens of trails are available to hike and all offer stunning scenery.
My first day in Petra I opted to partake in a hike to the High Place of Sacrifice. This hike took about 3 hours and involved steep stairs and some scrambling. Having to stop and blow my nose every 20 minutes was incredibly annoying, but didn’t diminish the elation I felt while hiking. Once I reached the top I decided to take a different path down…and got lost. For two hours. I somehow strayed off the Wadi al Farasa trail into Bedouin territory. [Some locals live in/around Petra in the traditional way, raising goats.] I ran into a couple, also lost, and together we meandered until a kind local pointed us in the right direction.
Visitors are supposed to leave the site by sunset, but I befriended some Bedouin guides and sat and drank tea with them. They informed me that guests can get away with staying in the park longer if you’re with a Bedouin. At the beginning of the day I didn’t trust them because they continually asked you if you wanted a guide or a donkey ride to wherever. After talking to some though I realized that tourism is their main source of income. They rely on offering donkey/camel rides and guiding tourists around Petra to survive.
I arranged to meet my new friend the following morning at 8:30 by the horse stables for a hike not printed on the map, but I couldn’t find him. I ended up hiring another guide instead. Cue internal guilt. The new guide wasn’t expecting to work on that day since he was wearing sandals, but that didn’t deter his sure-footedness over a nearly invisible trail. We took what’s called the ‘Indiana Jones Trail’ that leads up the mountain, following goat paths to provide an overlook of the Treasury. It took about an hour to hike and the end result was spectacular. Absolutely worth 30 JD. Pro tip: plan to arrive to this overlook no later than 10:00 am to fully enjoy the morning sun reflecting off the rose rocks below.
I stayed at the Candles Hotel in Wadi Musa. It was an 8 minute walk to the Petra entrance and offered an affordable and comfortable resting spot. Food in Jordan can be expensive, but if you’re looking for a quality meal at a reasonable price, eat at Beit Al-barakah. I got a falafel platter overflowing with food for 4 JD. I was stuffed! Plus free baklava. Yum.
Wadi Rum
I was a little skeptical driving into Wadi Rum. It felt like the middle of nowhere. I stopped at the Visitor’s Center first and had my Jordan Pass scanned and stamped. I also had to give my information, where I was staying and for how long to the local police stationed at the center. My guess this is for safety reasons that way if you get lost in the desert they have a starting place to search.
The day before I called my ‘hotel’ to schedule a check-in time. I drove from the Visitor’s Center into Wadi Rum Village and parked in a very full parking lot. There a guy in a pickup truck met me and took me to check-in. The village itself is tiny. Mostly concrete block structures with haphazard roofs. It was obviously mainly a space for locals to do business and less for living quarters. After checking-in, I was driven to the camp. It took about 15 minutes to get there from the village.
Tucked in the shadow of a mountain were permanent wooden huts wrapped in goat hair tarps. The interior of the hut had a red patterned blanket tacked to the walls and draped up the vaulted ceiling to meet in the middle where a light hung. A gas heater sat in the corner to provide heat. Two little tables crowned the head of the full sized bed and that was the extent of the furnishings. Two separate buildings served as the male and female bathroom/shower facilities that everyone shared. I saw water tanks perched up the mountain which I assume fed the water supply to the bathrooms.
Another separate building was the living/dining room. Plush carpets lined the walls to insulate the structure and a gas fireplace sat in the middle of the room. Dinner was served at 7 pm, but I opted out of dinner since I had eaten lunch at 3 pm. I people watched as others ate and socialized. After dinner, the owner of the camp gave a brief history of the Bedouin people and then he and other staff members had a dance session. Some (un)lucky campers got dragged into the dance circle. I politely hid behind the fireplace to avoid being singled out. Once everyone was danced out, we took a desert walk for about ten minutes. The temperature plummeted after the sun set, making me glad to have brought a pair of thin gloves. They were necessary!
The WiFi at the camp was down which normally I wouldn’t care much about. But since I was traveling solo and driving, I felt guilty for not being able to check in with my parents and boyfriend to reassure them I was alive. Sorry, y’all!
Breakfast the next morning consisted of pita, hummus, olives, cheeses, and hard boiled eggs. I had booked a two hour desert tour and was picked up at 8 am for that. The same driver from the day before loaded my bag into his truck and I hoped into the bed to sit and watch the landscape speed by. We stopped at three different sites. He briefly explained where we were and then let me explore on my own. At our second spot, I climbed a sand dune, realizing a few steps in that it would be way easier barefoot. Kentucky roots coming out! Serendipitously I ran into the trio of people I had met two days prior at Petra as I descended the dune. One guy recognized me and struck up conversation. The couple he was traveling with live in Copenhagen, but the wife is from Iasi and went to the university I teach at! A seriously small world.
I stayed at the Beyond Wadi Rum Camp. One night’s lodging was $41. The desert tour I took was a bit pricey at $60.
Hospitality
Remember me mentioning I had a cold at the very beginning? It didn’t abate at all and seemed to worsen my last two days. Without fail, any time I talked to a Bedouin in Petra or Wadi Rum, I was offered tea. “Have some tea, it will soothe your throat.” There was no expectation that I would buy something from them because I drank their tea. They simply wanted to extend a helping hand. When I told them I was from the U.S., a huge smile crossed their faces. “You are welcome,” they exclaimed. “Welcome to Jordan.”
An Ambivert Abroad 