Aqaba, Jordan

Aqaba, Jordan

I don't know why, but I was really surprised to find the Red Sea so crystal clear, clean, and the water slightly cool. After eating dust at the desert for a couple of days it was such a great feeling bathing in this ocean. It helped that we got there on Monday, with plenty of hotel choices. Hunter and Tamara decided to stay in town as they planned to cross the border to Israel the next day, while I head out 10 miles away towards Saudi Arabia, to a diving and snorkeling site. In the evening, as I was sitting at the beach after dinner, I could see lights from Saudi Arabia, only 7 miles away on the left, Egypt right in front (the Sinai peninsula) and Jerusalem on the right. That is right, Aqaba is on the tip, most Southern spot in Jordan, with three countries on its borders.

Ahhhh, it is so nice to be at the sea – too bad I stayed in Aqaba only for a night as I decided to head back to Wadi Rum. But it was all good. I think I will still have another chance to bathe at the Red Sea on the Egyptian side, although I've heard the coral reefs there have been damaged due to unrestrained and careless tourism. I will give you the report if I get there.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Wadi Rum II, Jordan

There are two Wadi Rums for me. The first was the two-day camp Hunter, Tamara and I did along with a hand full of French tourists. We left Petra at 6:30 am and arrived at the Visitor Center at 8 am. Madala, the fake Bedouin who met us there, took us to his “city house” for tea while we waited for the rest of the group, the French tourists. Then we were taken to the trail head of a “spring” which consisted of drops of water coming out of a large rock. It was an hour hike to get there and back while our disgruntled guide shopped for dinner.

Unbeknownst to any of us, we started on a four hour tour of the desert which consisted mainly of visiting touristy sites of where Lawrence of Arabia lived, a rock where he wrote about where to find water, a rock bridge, and an interesting narrow siq with rock inscriptions which would have been much more enjoyable if there were less people around. All of the sites were crawling with tourists, and the impromptu tour was more of a turn off than the hour we spent waiting for a rescue vehicle as one of the wheels of our Jeep came out on a bumpy sand dune.

Wadi Rum consists of about 500 square miles and it is home of several Bedouin tribes. Their lifestyle resemble the indigenous people of many lands. It reminded me specially of the First Nations in Canada, the American Indians near New Mexico (because of the similar landscape) and the Aboriginal people of Australia. Some of the Bedouins now earn most of their living from tourism, live simple lives in simple villages.

All of the French people in our group left the next morning after breakfast, still not sure when their camel ride would happen. Hunter, Tamara and I stayed at the camp alone as our guide drove off the Jeep to deliver the French folks back to the visitor center, fetch new tourists and supplies for dinner.

While Hunter went away to sand dunes and rock formations with his sketch book, Tamara and I chased the shadows during the day as the sun moved around. We read and slept all day as the increasing heat made us wimpish. Around 4 pm a new group started arriving for the night. By 6 pm the camp was flooded with 35 new tourists. It was quite a site to see all seats in our eating tent occupied with people from several nationalities – many from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. By the time we left camp the next day and head to Aqaba, I felt like a sheep that was herded around by a careless Shepard.

While in Aqaba, I could not help stop thinking what a real Wadi Rum experience would have been like, so when I met some locals at the beach by the Red Sea willing to show me the real thing, I jumped at the opportunity.

It ended up being just me, Ahmed, a Jordanian from Aqaba who lives in Berlin, and a real Bedouin this time. Ahmed picked me up by taxi at my hotel, we stopped at the fish market in Aqaba, got a cooler with ice, water and drinks, and head out to the entrance of the desert, bypassing the visitor center and the J$5 (about US$7) entrance fee.

The taxi driver left us in front of the Bedouin truck filled with mattresses and blankets. He was Ahmed's friend and took us shopping in the village for lime, cucumbers, tomatoes and more water. We head out to the desert in time for the sunset to look for a good place to camp. The Bedouin brought tea and a tea pot and it was no problem finding dry sticks to make a fire and prepare a delicious tea for us before and after our barbecued fish and again when we got up in the morning.

The moon was full and the desert lit as day as we walked bare foot on the dunes. The soft warm breeze got increasingly cooler by morning and the silence, sky, moon and stars were our only companions this time.

Petra, Jordan

Petra, Jordan

It took some imagination to feel I was part of a 1000-camel caravan as we walked the one mile long siq, the natural gorge formed from the natural cleft mountains. The scenery helped. Water channels (now dry) were carved on the left side of the rock, and above, the impressive winding cliffs soaring up over 200 feet lead us to Petra's first monument – the Treasure, also called Al-Khazneh. The elaborately carved facade of this 120 feet high structure, was built in the 1st century BC as a tomb of an important king. The main inspiration was from the Alexandrian Hellenistic era.

Petra was built by the Nabateans starting in the 3rd century BC. They controlled the spice, silk, frankincense and slave caravans that passed through from Damascus to Arabia, providing water and safety to traders, and in exchange, charged taxes. They did so well that they eventually controlled a large area that spanned to a great part of Arabia, from Damascus, parts of the Sinai and the Negev deserts. They were exposed to different cultures as they often interacted with foreign caravans and therefore displayed an eclectic style in their architecture, which includes Graeco-Roman, Egyptian, Hellenistic and Mesopotanian influences.

The Nabateans made great advances in iron production, copper refining, sculpture, stone carving and hydraulic engineering. In fact, they developed an extensive system to bring water from springs at Wadi Musa, the town right next to Petra, by carving the stones of the natural gorge. I noticed a similarity to the system the Incas created at Macchu Picchu. It must have been quite a site to see water flowing though these canals.

The Nabateans survived the Greek Empire, fought vicious wars and resorted to diplomacy to preserve their independence, but were not able to resist the powerful Roman Empire, loosing their independence in 106 AD.

Despite the large number of tourists, this fairly well preserved city carved from colorful sandstone cliffs was fun to visit. Hunter, Tamara and I, an American couple I met on the bus from Amman to Petra, spent two exhausting days walking to carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables.

We were awe struck by the scale of some monuments, specially the Monastery, also called Ad-Deir, and the precision of the carvings, done without any modern tools. It was fascinating to see how some of these giant facades had so little room inside. The space inside the Monastery for example, was a small room, meant to house only the priest. The participants of the ceremonies were supposed to sit outside, in the courtyard, facing the monastery.

We spent a relaxing time at a cafe in front of the Monastery at sunset, noticing the changing light and color palette reflected on the stone. As the sun faded, the colors turned into a dimmed orange. While Tamara and I sipped our tea and Hunter sketched, all tourists slowly cleared out of the site. It was at least a 2-hour walk to the main entrance, starting with a 800 stairs descend through carved rocks.

By the time we walked back through the ruins, it was dark and the sites completely tourist-free. The candles that were placed at the last stretch, along the mile long siq for the night performance at the Treasure, showed us the way out into Wadi Musa. It was superb to walk under majestic cliffs on a quiet dark night. Our way was lit up by candles on both sides, reflecting a soft light from inside thin paper bags.

When we got to our hotel, I didn't even have energy to eat dinner. We were in Petra for 12 straight hours during our first day and there was still day two.

Baptism Site, Jordan

Baptism Site, Jordan

Bethany-Beyond-The-Jordan, known as the Baptism Site, is claimed by Christians to be the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, where the first five apostles met and where the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven in a chariot. The site a spit from Jericho on the West Bank and only 20 minutes by car from Al-Jawaresh, where I am staying. The Jordan river looked very narrow to me. Maybe 2000 years ago it was a much larger river. The water looked muddy and there were lots of Christians getting baptized and collecting its water.

Life in Jordan

Life in Jordan

I was surprised soup operas were so ubiquitous in the Arab world. In Jordan, the Turkish shows are on all day and although I don't understand anything, the pictures show me the same story as the soap operas in Latin America: melodramas of the high classes; everyone seem beautiful and rich, fighting over love, power, money, or all three.

Life here seems very similar to any part of the world. Although people seem more caring and kind than in the west in general, they are the same as anywhere in the world. What I mean is, the costumes they wear, the pieces of cloth some men wear on their heads, or the cloth covering up some woman's head or even their whole body and face, doesn't seem to represent anything else but a custom, a different culture. Just like some women in the west like to wear ridiculously high heels, mini skirts or tight jeans that seem utterly uncomfortable to me or the woman in India who wear their beautiful colorful sarees. They are nothing but costumes and here in Jordan, unlike some of the Arab world, I believe there is a lot more flexibility for women who prefer not to cover themselves up.

The loud speakers at the mosques remind devotees to pray five times a day. I don't understand the words, but I believe it is the Koran they recite and it sounds very calming, very beautiful. I have seen my host and her friends take their prayer mat and do their oblations facing Mecca at least once a day. It is a similar feeling of being in Hindu India with their daily poojas. It appears that people in general have a religious approach to life, like in India, of doing no harm to others. I feel very safe here, like I do in India, but of course I always take precautions no matter where I am.

Like in other places in the world, there are rich and poor. Maybe there is less equality in the distribution of wealth here than in some places– it is not Canada or the Scandinavian countries for example, but leaning more towards South America where there is more concentration of wealth, the minimum wage and wages in general are low. I have heard from a local that if you want to make a decent living you need to have your own business or a high powered job, usually international. So, labor is exploited it seems, probably due to a fairly high unemployment rate of approximately 13%, educational gap, and a life structure that encourages families to live together, lowering their cost of living. The ingrained hierarchical system starting with the royal family, a system of favoritism, general disregard for the needs of the poor and lack of social schemes plays some part in the large gap between rich and poor.

The country has nice paved roads and the areas beyond downtown, circles 2, 3, 4 and beyond are very modern with name brand stores, malls, cool cafes, restaurants, and traffic jams just like any big city in the world. Many drive Mercedes, BMWs, Volvos, Honda's, Fords, and all varieties of car brands we see in the west – most seem new. Gasoline cost US 0.70 per liter.

The bus system is not that great. I still have not been able to take an intercity bus. Every time I ask someone how to take a bus somewhere they point me to a taxi. I don't think this is only because I am a foreigner. I have heard the buses routes are confusing and it doesn't always take one to the final destination. I met a high middle class woman at the Turkish bath - Al-Pashan Hamman, and we chatted while we enjoyed the plush jacuzzi and waited for our massage. She said she has to pick up her maid at a certain point because the 45-minutes ride she takes from her house in the periphery of Amman does not take her all the way to where she works. Usually the poor who cannot afford taxis end up walking a lot to their final destination. However, the minibuses and inter city buses are fairly good, very inexpensive and convenient if they take you where you need to go, which is never a guarantee. I pay about US$ 1.20 for the 45-minutes ride from Amman to Al-Jawaresh for example.

Needless to say, I am not so happy about the car orientation as a mode of transportation and often being stuck in traffic in the city as a result. I feel there is a class system here similar to Brazil where the middle class and the rich are worlds apart from the poor and there is a certain class (“us and them”) mentality to go along with it.

Bread is the staple food here, the well known pita bread. I have heard that the wheat is mostly imported from the USA as the places where they used to be cultivated around here now have houses in them. I love when the bus driver stops on the way from Amman to Al-Jawaresh at a bakery, and half the bus, including the driver gets a bag full of bread. There is absolutely no meal without bread, but I must say I am not dazzled by the food. There is lots of hummus, felafel, shwarmas (usually meat or felafel wrapped in pita bread), tabbouleh, fuul (fava-bean paste), kebabs, mensaf (a Bedouin dish of lamb with yogurt.) At home we eat a lot of chicken with rice and of course, bread and the equivalent of the Indian raita, which is cucumbers and tomatoes in yogurt.

Middle Eastern food is ubiquitous in North America and the food here does not seem very different from the one I get at the University District in Seattle for example. There are a few dishes I did not know of like the fuul and mensaf for example, although I had eaten versions of it, but in general, I am not impressed by the food. In fact, my face recently broke out in pimples last week, maybe because I am not used to so much terrine, or the fried food, or maybe it was the clay facial at the Dead Sea as the pimples happened right afterwords. Sage tea is helping, as well as the “skin plus” in my toiletry. I am loving the fresh figs, dates, olives and the yogurt though. There are so many kinds of them!

The government is not entirely democratic, although there is a veneer of democracy. Usually people vote for the king's party and there is no real opposition to counter balance power. There has been some efforts to include more women in government and extend their rights but progress is still slow.

The prime minister Samir Rifai recently announced the amendment of the Personal Status Law (PSL) approved by the government as a “modern” law. According to the Chief Islamic Justice, Ahamad Hilayel, this law would help ensure the stability and solidarity of the Jordanian family. Feminist activist Reem Abu Hassan disagrees. According to her, although the new PSL contains many positive changes such as explicitly stipulating woman's inheritance rights and the divorce process, (it includes psychological violence in addition to physical in the “burden of proof/cause”) it falls short in many counts. For example, the law does not guarantee financial and property rights or compensation for women when they are divorced. The other area of disagreement is around the marriage age. Officially, the minimum age for both men and women is 18 but courts allow the marriage of girls as young as 15 when they deem appropriate. In addition, Abu Hassan mentioned that women were never involved in any stage of the preparation of the new law.

I am sure life is different in smaller rural areas where Bedouin lifestyle prevails. I have heard their hospitality is even warmer than in the big city. I am looking forward experiencing the beauty of Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba and hopefully encountering Bedouin hospitality and better food.
Stay tuned as I will be touring this area this week.

Dead Sea Splurge

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Nothing, but the most microscopic of life forms can survive in it, because of the high level of salinity, 31%, about nine times higher than the oceans. Thus the name – dead sea and over-buoyant tourists.

Although it was not visible to me from the plush Kempiski Hotel beach, I have read that the water levels of the Dead Sea have dropped significantly due to population growth and economic development. In 1900, the Jordan River discharged 4.0 billion gallons of water a year into the Dea Sea but today it is barely 10% of the natural water flow. The Jordanian and Israeli potash industries exacerbate the water loss by accelerating evaporation in their production processes. On the Israeli side, I read, “the ground literally opens up – with people, farming equipment, even trucks falling in.” The result is the 80 feet drop in the sea's water level and retreating beach in some areas.

Several solutions are being considered to bring the water back to the Dead Sea. One of them is to build a pipeline from the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba, producing electricity as well as a desalination plant that would provide water to Amman.


Thanks to Tayel's invitation, who works at the Kempiski Hotel and told me he would get me an employee discount, I spent an incredible 30-hours being pampered at this five star hotel with its private beach, beautiful infinity pool overlooking the Dead Sea and plush accommodations. He got me one of the most expensive rooms, with its own living room, porch, 50 feet from the beach and pools. All I had to do is show up and an attendant would bring me a towel, a bottle of water, an ice cold towel for my face, a piece of fresh cucumber, move the sunshade the way I wanted, and even take photos for me. Of course there was wifi throughout the hotel so I saw Peter's handsome face on skype for the first time since I left, talked with my sister Jeanne, and slept a lot. The clay therapy (smudging clay all over the body) and the dip in the sea was quite exhausting – I am not being facetious. The high mineralization content of the water may act on the skin and the internal organs making the body tired afterwords. At least this is what I felt.

It was great being at the Kempiski for a day but in a way I am glad to be back at my simple accommodations at Fayroz. For one, I felt very guilty using more water than my share. Jordan has just 140 cubic meters of water per capita compared to the UK's 1500 and probably more in Brazil and Canada. By 2025 this figure is expected to fall to 90 cubic meters, and in 20 years, by some estimates, there will be no more water in Jordan. Can you imagine a country with more than 6 million people importing water by ship and pipelines? Well, it is upon us if better water management techniques are not applied fast. The water situation here is an eye opener even for some of us who live where there is an abundant supply. Lack of planning, conservation and efficient water management will one day get all of us to the same place where Jordan is today.

Although I can't complain about my day stay at the Kempiski Hotel, it is nice to be back “home” - life here in the village feels more real with my new friends' regular visits and a lifestyle that represents more the average Jordanian.

Dead Sea, Jordan

Jarash, Jordan

I was awe struck when I arrived at the Roman ruins of Jarash. I had no idea it was so big and from what I've read, excavations have been going on for 85 years but 90% is still unexcavated.

There are two theaters, north (built AD 165) and south built in the first century with the capacity of 5,000 people and it is very similar to the Roman Theater in Amman in size and shape. The Oval Plaza is huge, about 270 feet by 240 feet linking the main north/south axis with the Temple of Zeus built in about AD 162.

The temple of Artemis, the Godless patron of the city is also impressive, halfway along the colonnaded street behind the nymphaeum, the main fountain of the city.

It was almost three hours non-stop walking in this huge complex and being awed at each corner. I was happy to have company – I met Michel the day before in a restaurant, who flew from Colombia to Jordan for a week and asked me if I wanted to visit this site together. I did, as it is much more fun and easier to have a sightseeing buddy. Michel was doing the whole country in a week! I was still recovering from jet-lag during my first week, so I admire his energy. He is probably flying back to Pereira, Colombia by now. That is right, he is from Pereira – I was very close to his city when I went to Cali last year. What a coincidence to meet someone from a place that bears my last name!

Jarash, Jordan

Exploring Amman, Jordan

When I ventured out on my own in Amman, all I heard was Ahlan wa sahian, Welcome to Jordan! It feels very good to be a country where I am welcome everywhere. The extend of the hospitality is beyond anything I would expect from a stranger. For example, when I took the bus back to Al-Jawaresh where I am staying, someone in the bus called my friend Towfa to make sure I was on the right bus, gave me a cup of tea and even offered me a cigarette (although it is against the law, unfortunately people do smoke in buses.) Of course I said no to the cigarette but gladly drank the tea. Towfa sent her son to meet me at the bus stop when I arrived at Al-Jawaresh and later the man called her again to make sure I got home all right.

I have also been escorted several times to my destination, be it an Internet cafe or the local police station where I need to extent my visa. When I try to order something in a restaurant or I am walking on the street looking dazed and lost, I am approached by someone asking if I need any help. Not to mention that every time I take a bus, men have given me their places next to their wives at the front, when there is no free seat - women usually ride on the seats in front of the bus.

Nadia's family has also been really awesome. Hayel drove all the way to the Kempiski Hotel at the Dead Sea to pick me up after my day of luxury. Her family always invite me to visit and have a meal with them and they are all smiling when I am around. It is a beautiful family.

I also feel very safe here and have not felt that vendors, taxi drivers and restaurants are out to rip off tourists. It is generally a very good experience traveling here. By the way, I have been to cafes and restaurants and there are plenty of single women eating there, even smoking the hooka. Most women dress conservatively, usually covering their heads but there are others who don't, including all the foreigners. There is no harassment to women even in tank tops downtown and tourist areas. Maybe things are different in the more conservative neighborhoods.

Amman was originally built on seven hills and now it spreads across nineteen hills. It has been continuously occupied for 3,500 years by Romans and Sassanians (from Persia) to mention a few. In 1900 it was estimated that the population was only 2000, now it is 2.2 million, and 65% of Jordanians are of Palestinian origin. Most of them are refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars with Israel. There are also over 700,000 Iraqi refugees. The total population of Jordan is 6.2 million. The downtown area is not the prettiest and there is not a tourist feel to it as restaurants and cafes are usually on the mezzanine of buildings, and the historic sites are few and far, but the kindness and welcoming of Jordanians make up for it.

The Roman Theater is reminiscent from the Roman Empire days. It was built in the 2nd century AD during the rein of Antonius Pius who ruled the Roman Empire between AD 138 and 161. The theater once served as a Necropolis and it holds 6,000 people.

The Citatel was impressive, including the pillars of the Temple of Hercules constructed during the period of Marcus Aurelius (AD 161 to AD 80) and the Byzantine Cathedral.

Exploring Amman, Jordan

Arriving in Jordan

The flight to Jordan was not so bad. I left Seattle September 23rd at noon and arrived in Chicago at 6 pm; departed to Amman at 9 pm, arriving at 5 pm the next day. The planes were on time and the 16 hours in the air were uneventful save for the usual uncomfortable seats and crowed airplane.

The airport in Amman is fairly organized. I was greeted by a couple a occasional taxi driver or two asking if I needed a ride, rather than the mob of people I feared. I was supposed to see someone with a sign waiting for me but I didn't panic too much when I realized he was not there. The clerk at the information office right across from where I disembarked was happy to make a call for me after I purchased a calling card at a stall nearby. Tayel was apologetic and told me he did not get the information about my arrival date, although he knew I was coming. “I will be there in an hour” he said.

With a sigh of relief I had an apple juice at the modern cafe in front of the information desk and explored the airport. I was happy to find a place where I could buy a SIM card for my phone and within minutes I had a mobile number in Jordan. As it turned out, it has been very convenient, as most people have their mobiles with them 24/7 and I managed to store a collection of names with their numbers within the first days of my arrival. Jordanians are very welcoming – they told me to call anytime I needed something, so the ones who speak English at any level are the most valuable on my list.

The weather in Amman was pleasant when I got out of the airport around 7pm, but when we descended the 1000 feet below sea level en route to the Dead Sea area where I was staying, the temperature went up by at least 20 degrees. I sweated gallons during my first week as the temperature hovered around 100F, but I was told it will cool off as the Winter approaches.

Tayel is Nadia's brother. The latter is the Director of the Permaculture Institute in Jordan, and since I will be taking the Basic Design course at the end of October, a two week course, I asked her to arrange for me to stay with a family for a month. I wanted to be out of the tourist path as much as possible, to get a feel for the Arab way of life and hopefully learn some Arabic.

I spent the first night with Hail's family in Al-Jawfa and the next day he brought me to Al-Jawareh, about 20 minutes by car. This is where the permaculture project is located and where my host for the month, Fayroz is. Her house is located in front of the Al-Jawaresh Association for Women and five minutes walk to the permaculture “farm.” I put this in quotes because the concept of farm here is much different from what most of us are used to. It is about 6,000 sq meters of very dry land with a few trees struggling to live. Coming from Brazil and Canada, it is almost painful to see how much effort is needed to make a desert-like area with expensive water turn anything green. I must say it is a noble task.

Nadia's parents and family live in Al-Jawfa – the house is on the first floor and Tayel, the brother, lives on the second floor with his family. Everybody is very kind to me and I can't remember the last time I was surrounded by so many children, mostly the grandchildren. Nadia's father, the patriarch, has four wives – Nadia's family in Al-Jawfa and the others in Amman. I haven't met him yet.

On my second day here I went to Amman with the family – the mother needed to go to the doctor and was accompanied by her son, daughter, daughter-in law and her two small children. I came along for the ride and loved being included in their errand. The ride to Amman is about 40 minutes by car, and as we drove up the temperature dropped ten to twenty degrees. The roads here are very well maintained and there were several mansions with lush gardens on the way.

Fayroz, my host, is single, takes care of her 90-year old father and runs her own home farm. The house is surrounded by lots of trees, cactus and different types of plants. She has goats, chickens, rabbits and bees. She must also have a role with the neighboring children as they often come by and she has popcorn and flavored shaved ice for them.

During my first week at Fayroz, I was introduced to half a dozen of her women friends who gather here almost everyday for tea, coffee, and a chat. They all wear a black gown over their clothes and a head scarf, and there is a widow, Towfa, who wears a full head cover with an opening for her eyes – she is the only one who speaks English so we are becoming quite close. She only removes the cloth covering her face and keeps everything else even inside the house. All others remove their black gown but keep their head scarf. At Nadia's parents, her sisters don't wear black gowns. It is usually a loose colorful skirt and a head piece they remove as soon as they are inside the house. It is a beautiful family I must say – 8 woman and 3 men, all married except for two young girls, a teenager boy and a widow, but even some of the married ones hang out at the house.

I have been studying Bill Mollison's – Permaculture, a Designer's Manual, a four pound book I carried here from Seattle. This is the course's textbook, so I want to finish reading it before the course starts as I have no plans to carry it back home with me. I also try to study Arabic but my progress is very slow.

My phone number in case any of you would like to call is 00962-776-744-586. I have my phone on at all times, so don't be shy.

Arriving in Jordan