Raghav Bihani’s Travel Blog

This is my first travelogue on this freshly created blog website. In fact its my first attempt at any online content creation. So please bear with me and offer suggestions on how to improve the future articles. This summer when my wife, Devpriya and I decided to take a holiday, we were lost in a maze of destinations. Initially we had planned for Australia and then Greece. That was when the plan was for 12-16 days. But when we had cut short the number of days, we unanimously decided on Jordan as we were very keen on seeing Petra. Most people were surprised and often bewildered at the choice of Jordan as a holiday destination. This was after all a last minute travel plan. What helped us decide on Jordan: 1. Direct and short flight from Bombay (it’s not Mumbai) 2. Jordan can be mostly covered in 7 days 3. Indians can get a visa on arrival.

While planning the trip to Jordan, I found that awareness and information regarding the country was scanty. Hence, I wanted to catalog my trip and the various resources which helped in the planning. Also I wished to share the lovely experiences we had and what better way to do it than a travelogue. The blog at WordPress I was advised is the best means towards this end. I am still coming to terms with the various settings on the blog. But, I have found it to be much easier and simpler than the hassle of forming a website, hosting and all the related troubles.

Jordan Itinerary (Google Maps) details in brief:

Vacationers: Devpriya and Raghav Bihani

Outbound Flight: Royal Jordanian – Bombay-Amman on 27th May at 5:30am, arriving 8:15am.

27th May: Airport – Madaba – Mt. Nebo – Dead Sea – Mujib. Overnight: Holiday Inn Dead Sea

28th May: Dead Sea – Jerash – Ajloun – Amman – Dead Sea. Overnight: Holiday Inn Dead Sea

29th May: Dead Sea – Kerak Castle / Shobak Castle – Petra. Overnight: Moevenpick Petra

30th May: Full Day Petra. Overnight: Moevenpick Petra

31st May: Petra – Little Petra – Wadi Rum – Aqaba. Overnight: Moevenpick Tala Bay, Aqaba

1st June: Petra – Full Day Aqaba. Overnight: Moevenpick Tala Bay, Aqaba

Outbound Flight: Royal Jordanian – Aqaba-Bombay on 2nd June at 6:20pm, arriving next day 4:15am.

Day 1 (Arrival, Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Dead Sea): We departed from Bombay on 27th May early morning for Amman via Royal Jordanian. It has a convenient 0530 hrs departure arriving at 0820 hrs and we get the full day. The flight was decent with good service and food. The entertainment system was average. But it is still the best option for its excellent timings and direct service. Other options are Gulf Air and Emirates but they both are 1 stop with 2 hour layoffs. On arrival it seemed we were the only ones getting out at Immigration as 95% passengers were transiting. Visa on arrival is very quick and costs 10JD (1JD = Rs65). Interestingly you can get a free Visa if you are visiting Aqaba SEZ within the next 48 hrs. You just to get a stamp at Aqaba. We were unfortunately reaching Aqaba only on the fifth day of our trip. I had booked a chauffer driven car for the entire trip with a local travel agency, Nyazi Tours. The driver Yahya was waiting for us and the travel arrangements made by the travel agency were fine.

We left the airport directly for the Dead Sea (1 hr from airport), instead of Amman. There is not much to see in the capital and it is best covered as a day trip. Since we had arrived early and were not tired, we covered 2 destinations which were on the way to Dead Sea. First up was the city of Madaba, known as “The City of Mosaics”. The most famous of the Mosaic works is an Ancient Mosaic Map in the Greek Orthodox Church bang in the city centre. The mosaic around 1500 years old depicts a Map of Jerusalem and the areas surrounding it. Only 25% of the original is preserved but gives us a fair idea of how grand the original was.

Five minutes from the church was a mosaic Arts & Handicrafts centre. The centre had artisans working on mosaic paintings and they explained the art in detail. There was also a lot of variety on display in the shop, but it was priced exorbitantly. It was where all tourists are brought on guided tours and the drivers and operators get huge commissions. All the stuff was available later on in our trip at cheaper rates but not the same variety. The specialities to take home are multi-coloured Sand-filled bottles, hand painted ceramics plates, mosaics and coloured glasses.

Our final visit was to Mt. Nebo, the spot from where it is believed that Moses saw the promised land and where he was buried. Not much to see there for us and but it is a good view point for the Jordan Valley. Stopping there for some time we went straight to our hotel in Dead Sea.

The hotel, Holiday Inn, is a new one opened recently in the hotels area. We stayed here for 2 nights as our first choice Moevenpick was not available. Other good hotels in the area are the Kempinski Ishtar and Marriott. We were upgraded to a pool view room upon request and the trend followed in all our hotels. The hotel had fabulous views of the Dead Sea, 3 pools with a pool bar. One additional Swimming pool and Jacuzzi was located by the beach. A good hotel which did not make me regret that others were not available.

After a good buffet lunch, we dozed off till 5 pm in the process missing out on a trip to Wadi Mujib (20 mins away) which was planned for the afternoon. Instead we went straight to the Dead Sea Beach. Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth 410m below sea level. Also its water is 10 times more salty than normal sea water due to high mineral content. This makes the sea dense and you cannot drown in the water. You simply float without effort. In fact you can read a book or sip tea while floating. Also, no life exists in the water due to high salt content and the name Dead Sea is because of this. The beach at the hotel was very good and equipped with many showers and lifeguards. One needs to be very careful in the water as even a few drops in eye cause burning sensation and needs immediate washing. Also the soft black mud on the sea floor is very good for the skin. The hotel has arranged for the mud to be collected and we had a good mud wrap on all days. In fact the lifeguard filled many bottles for us to carry back. The Dead Sea experience is not to be missed. After the mud wrap and Dead Sea, we headed off for the pool and dinner.

Day 2 (Dead Sea, Jerash, Amman): We had to leave for a long day trip to Jerash and Amman and would return only by 7pm. Since the beach closes at sunset, we decided to do our floating and mud pack early morning before breakfast. We also made an attempt at reading while floating in the sea. Breakfast was a very lavish spread, the speciality being Arabic bread with a variety of chesses, Hummous and other dips. After spending a week in Jordan, I still cannot recall the price of a soft drink. Thats because the hotels in Jordan offer guests a complimentary (yes its FREE) mini-bar consisting of 2 juices and 4 soft drinks and chips. This is not one time and replenished everyday during stay. After stocking up the minibar we started our day.

Jerash, 90 mins from Dead Sea, is the site of an ancient Roman city. It was part of Decapolis or ten great cities of Roman Empire. The ruins excavated are admirable by themselves. Considering that more than 90% is yet to be discovered, one can well imagine what a splendid city it must have been. Entry to the site is JD8. There are not many signs and boards explaining the ruins and what they depict. This makes a tour with private guide a must to really appreciate the site. This tour is for about 90 minutes and costs JD20. One must stock up on water and drinks as there are none available once you start your tour. Impressive amongst the ruins are cobbled streets with potholes and proper drainage, 2 Roman-style theaters, Temples of Zeus and other Greek Gods. The streets were lined with shops and intersect at a huge centre. The centre has decorated pillars along the periphery with had shops along them. In the middle was a grand fountain and this a meeting place for the people of Jerash. Definitely a must see in Jordan. We left Jerash at around 2pm for Amman. We had planned to visit the castle at Ajloun nearby but did not have enough time (We were visiting Kerak, the best of the castles later on anyways).

Amman, though the capital of Jordan, is not a tourist city as such. We reached Amman at 3 and went straight for lunch to Al-Hashim. This was a road side joint but the food was excellent. Huge amounts of Pita bread, Falafel and Hummous along with Bedouin tea for just JD1 was unbelievable. Another recommended place to eat is Fakr-el-Din which is more upmarket.

After lunch, we headed to Souk Jara, a marketplace to meet Devpriya’s friend from MBA, Manar and his wife. Souk Jara is a series of stalls which assembles in this pedestrian street on Friday selling all kinds of small souvenirs and local products. It was very nice meeting up with Manar, who being a Jordanian also gave us a good insight about the country, sights and culture. He also treated us to watermelon smoothies from a stall called Batatee5.

Manar suggested that we must see the Citadel and Roman Theater in Amman on our short visit. Since both places close at 6, we needed to leave. The Roman Theater is a bigger version of the one at Jerash. Upon arriving at the Citadel in time at 5:20, we found that it closes at 5 itself on Fridays. This was disappointing and we decided just to glance inside and leave. A guard, after checking our nationality, quietly let us slip through for sometime. After roaming around at the Citadel, which gives views all over Amman including the Roman Theater, we headed back to our hotel.

Day 3 (Kerak, Petra): Our wish for one last float in the Dead Sea made this an early day. Also we had to collect our bottles of Dead Sea Mud. The plan for the day was to head for Petra via Kerak Castle. Kerak was a 90mins drive from the Dead Sea. On most of these drives what strikes one is the dramatic landscape. On either side is land parched for water. All you see are multiple shades of brown and small hillocks lining the highway. Seeing green seems like a miracle on these roads.

When we reached Kerak a traffic jam delayed us by nearly 30mins. Kerak Castle is reputed to be best of the many castles built by the crusaders in the 12th century. The castle itself sits atop a hill making it all the more impressive and gives you commanding views over the landscape. The biggest problem here is the lack of a tour guide. There is a map of the castle at the entrance but thats about all the help. We were lost for directions many times going round in circles on a few occasions. However, the castle in itself is very interesting with underground tunnels, hidden routes etc. Jordan has been late in realising the potential of its heritage and needs to develop a lot of tourist infrastructure. As much as Devpriya wanted to see the castle in full detail finding all the escape routes, we had depart at 2pm so that we reach on time to see some part Petra.

We arrived at Petra at around 3:30 and headed straight for the site after freshening up. Here we were staying at the Moevenpick Petra, whose biggest advantage is the location: bang in front of the gates to Petra. However, the hotel was outdated mostly and in tatters in some areas. This hotel one should only choose for location. I would suggest staying further away, where the hotels are much better – Marriott, Nabatean Castle and Taybet Zaman all are grouped together some 15 minutes away from Petra.

Petra is an ancient city which was carved out red rock by the Nabateans over 2000 years ago. It is on the Unesco World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Petra is a mixture of dramatic man-made and natural landscapes. The Nabateans carved out a full city out mountains and rock which included Temples, a Roman Theatre, Shop lined streets, Tombs for Royal (Treasury being the most famous of them), a Monastery (800 steps hike) and many more. We bought a 3 day ticket for JD43 (1 day is for JD33) and this was really very expensive.

On the first day we planned on doing a trek at Petra to the High Places of Worship. At the beginning of the site there are horses available to take you to the entrance of the Siq, 1km. The horse drops you at the Siq, a 1.5 km narrow passage between two cliffs formed naturally by movements of the earth’s surface. At end of the Siq, you chance upon the brilliantly carved Treasury (actually a Tomb). The way it suddenly appears out of nowhere adds to the beuaty of the site. We proceed further as we had to finish our trek by sunset and soon started our hike towards the High Places of Worship.

This is an area on top of a mountain consisting of a temple, altar for sacrifice and tombs. The walk towards the top is a long and steep one, which we started at 5pm. Most of the way, steps are broken or simply not there. There is nothing to hold onto while climbing. On the way up we met a boy, Khalid, with 2 donkeys also going to the top. He was a local Bedouin who apparently lived higher up in the mountain. He offered to take us back to the entrance on the donkeys for JD20 and promised us a 30 min ride back. The trek was well worth the effort because the views from the top were breathtaking. You can see the entire area with its various hues of red. In fact it is only from the top that you can truly appreciate the expanse of Petra and the efforts taken by the Nabateans to make it inhabitable.

The donkey ride back was the icing on the cake. The path taken was through a remote area and not visited often by tourists. Sunset over the Petra was something not worth missing. The ride was going on very well till we realised that half hour was finished and the entrance was no where in sight. Khalid kept reassuring us that it was only 10 minutes away. The place was entirely deserted and we were a little worried. Now it was an hour and we were back on donkeys but entrance was not visible. We were now seriously doubting our decision when suddenly we could see the gates to Petra. However, now that Khalid was tried and tested, we asked him to give us a trek the next day on donkey as well. After the hectic day, we headed straight for dinner. Red Cave was a decent restaurant near our hotel and service was quick and efficient. End of a fruitful day!

Day 4 (Petra): This day started with us encountering a tourist scam run in Petra by officials. A guided tour as I pointed out earlier was a compulsory part of the entrance ticket. We were told that the tour will start only if there are enough people, or a private guide could start immediately for JD50. We declined and decided to wait. At the end only because we were able to form a resolute group of 10, the officials were forced to provide us with a guide.

Now for the tour of Petra. First up is a block of houses which were believed to be the house of Djinns (Genie). This was followed by a few tombs and a triclinium, which was a chamber for sacred feasts in honour of the dead. This lead us to the beginning of the Siq. The 1.5km Siq was a result of both nature and human efforts – cliffs upto 25 storey high, colourful facades, and bizzare shaped rocks. Nabateans cut out an innovative water channel to feed the city, dams and various carvings.

Just as we approach the end of the Siq, we can see glimpses of the Al-Khaznek or The Treasury which unlike its name is actually a royal tomb for an important Nabatean king. This splendid monument is the pride of Petra. When we went further along the tour, we came to a number of Tombs. Street of Facades were tombs made for the rich and the Royal Tombs which were perched higher up in the mountains. Opposite the Royal Tombs was a Roman Theater, entirely carved out of rock and able to seat upto 7000 persons. Ahead was a beautiful colonnaded street flanked on either side by shops and temples. At the end on the street is the main temple of Petra, Qasr Al-Bint where the guided tour ends.

Here after a short mini bar break, we searched for Khalid. He offered us a rate of JD5 for our tour. We started our 800 step trek to the Monastery on donkey-back as we had no energy left to climb till there. The donkeys left us 5 minutes before the top at a refreshment stall – Khalid informed us that he cannot take us down, only up. A five minute trek brought us the second important structure at Petra, The Al Deir or Monastery. The design is very similar to that of the Treasury, but if the beauty of the Treasury lies in its intricacy, then that of the Monastery lies in its simplicity. Being 800 steps above in a serene surrounding adds to the achievement.

I will not bother you with the details of the journey back. It will suffice to say that by the end we were purely walking on will-power. However, the Siq looks the most beautiful at this time – we crossed it the first day in the afternoon, and today in the morning and now at sunset, and I can vouch that this is the best time when the Siq is at its quietest and flooded with light of sunset. Most tourists exit Petra by 6pm and afterwards you find the Siq empty and ideal for photography. We were so tired and hungry by the end of it, that we immediately ordered room service pizza and dipped our legs in hot water. That was it for Day 4.

Day 5 (Little Petra, Wadi Rum): Totally famished as we were from the day before, a late start was on the cards. It was only by 11am that we were able to depart for Little Petra, a suburb to Petra in the old days where people would halt en route to the main city. It has a smaller version of a Treasury/Monastery type structure, and can be avoided if time is a concern.

From little Petra we left for our attraction for the day, Wadi Rum, a 90 min drive away, where we had booked a 3 hour drive into the desert on 4WD. Wadi Rum consists of over 700 kms of outstanding desert landscape with high rising hills and cliffs of unique shapes and sizes, changing colour from one area to another in shades of brown, red, yellow and orange. This is also the place where “Lawrence of Arabia” was filmed. It is a complete wilderness with no roads, tracks or signs.

Our first stop was at Khazali Canyon, where a narrow gorge had towering cliffs on both sides, full of inscribing and pictoral depictions from ages ago. We next went over the area consisting of mountains full of inscriptions, a small bridge like structure connecting 2 rocks called Little Bridge, Lawrence Spring and drove over the Sand Dunes.

Our last stop was at Um Frouth Bridge, a larger version of Little Bridge – two huge mountain rocks joined at the top by another flat piece of rock in the form of a bridge. It was possible to climb to the top; Devpriya was enthuiastic enough to do so while I was content to click the snaps. After seeing a few more structures from the jeep we headed back to the visitor center.

From Wadi Rum the ride to Aqaba was another 90 mins in which both of us mostly dozed off. Aqaba is the access Jordan has to the Red Sea and a major port for the country. We were staying in an area called Tala Bay, around 12 km from the main city, at the newly opened Moevenpick Tala Bay, one of the best hotels I have stayed at. We were upgraded again to a Superior Room with a view of all the pools and the Red Sea. The hotel is built as a complete resort with 4 swimming pools and 3 jacuzzis, a lazy river and slides connecting the various pools.

Day 6 (Aqaba): Well there is nothing much to write about the day. The full day was spent in the pools, slides and lazy river, taking breaks only for eating at the pool bar and one spa session. We also went to the beach for a swim – there is coral on the sea surface so one needs to enter from an extended deck and wear protective footwear. From the Red Sea interestingly you can see four countries: Jordan, Israel to your right, Egypt in front of you and Saudi Arabia to the left. In the evening we went to the terrace lounge where there was thumping Arabic music, with hookah and belly dancing.

Day 7 (Red Sea): This day was again mostly a repeat of the previous day with time spent relaxing in the recreation facilities. The only difference was a visit to the water sports center of the hotel – Jet Ski, Surfing, Parasailing, Banana Boat, Kayaking. We took a round of the Red Sea on Jet Skis. Next up was a visit to the Dive Center where we chose the Glass Bottom Boat ride for coral viewing. I have visited the Great Barrier Reef and the corals in the Red Sea are no match, but if viewed independently it was worth it and wonderful for anyone who has not seen the Barrier Reef.

That brings us to the end of the trip. We took the flight back from Aqaba to Mumbai via Amman. The advantage of flying from Aqaba is that you save on travel time and expense needed to go by car to Amman Airport. Finally I would say that we loved Jordan and the hospitality of the local people. The places to visit are true wonders and it is a must visit destination. So thats one country off the bucket list.

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