Jordan DIY + Aqaba Diving

Aqaba – Amman

At 7 in the morning Mahmud, our taxi driver (if in Aqaba you're without a car and want to move around often, like going from the centre to South Beach or vice versa (for divers the transfer is always done by the dive centres, but if you want to come back earlier you have to call the taxi), you'd do well to arrange things with a taxi driver, negotiate a good rate, and in exchange you'll always call him), was as always punctually in front of the hotel waiting for us. It takes us about 40 minutes to the airport; as per procedure we arrive almost 2 hours early, but the checks for these domestic flights are really quick and so in 15 minutes we were already at the gate; we could have slept an hour more.... The plane leaves on time and in 40 minutes we're in Amman; ticket cost 29 euros each.

Once we arrive at our destination we notice the first capital-city rip-off: the taxi to Amman costs 22 JD, non-negotiable, and there are no other means. We arrive at the Rozana Suites Hotel (54 euros a night; don't let the name impress you, it's one of the cheapest hotels in Amman and its location is interesting since it's on the road to the airport, thus far from the city-centre traffic). At the hotel we ask if it's possible to have a taxi for the next morning to go back to the airport; they tell us there's no problem, the cost is 25JD. I, tired of capital-city rip-offs (no offence to the inhabitants of the capital...), tell them I'll manage on my own. We leave the hotel, reach the main road, and flag down a taxi to go to the citadel; the taxi driver, friendly and honest, turns on the meter and off we go, about 25 minutes, 3JD.

In front of the citadel you'll find minibuses offering transfers to all the most important areas for the whole day for 8JD; in my opinion it's not worth it, it's better to walk around and take taxis for the few trips. The citadel is nice, and from there you can see the largest flag in the world. If you happen to be there during prayer time, it's really special to hear the sermons coming from all parts of the city from up there. From the citadel you can continue to the Roman theatre and do the walking route from the Lonely Planet. Careful: if you can, avoid Amman on a Friday, it's better, because many important places and mosques are closed or open for only a few hours (for Muslims the weekend includes Friday and Saturday). If I'm telling you this it's clearly because we ended up there on a Friday.

Precisely for this reason, after a few hours we had seen everything and were a bit tired of wandering around, also because shops and stalls soon become monotonous. And it was precisely while we were sitting on a little step wondering what to do at 3 in the afternoon that we have a very important encounter: Maher, a man of about 38 who works as a freelance guide and speaks English very well; he lived for several years in Europe but returned to Jordan for family reasons. He tells us that on the other side of the city there are new shopping centres open on Fridays too, and that the locals are all there. If we wanted, for 3JD he would take us. We can't stand shopping centres all that much, but we had no other options. We accept and go; we take the opportunity to make a bit of friendship and so he tells us about his work.

Once we arrive I offer him a drink because he's truly a stand-up person, different from his countrymen — he doesn't honk constantly, he doesn't speed in the car, and he's modern-minded; as a hobby he obviously plays on a football team. Maher offers to take us back to the hotel for free, but I decline because we wanted to take our time and stay for dinner in that area; he then offers to take us to the airport the next day for only 10JD (independent taxis ask for 18, 20 JD). I accept, and he tells us how all his former colleagues (he worked for several years at hotel receptions in Amman) see us only as people to be fleeced! I've written all this about him because it's not easy to find such an honest person, perhaps too honest to live in that city. Anyway, if you go to Amman you can contact him by email, also to organise trips to the surrounding areas (Madaba, Jerash, Dead Sea, etc...)

Before leaving.....

There are four weeks to go until the holidays and we still haven't decided where to go; the trip planned for California has been postponed to next year, and here we are thinking about a new destination. I then think that my aunt lived for a few years in Jordan and I could ask her whether it's the right time to tour it. No sooner said than done! Her answer was: "if the 40-odd degrees in the shade, which then drop by about ten in the evening, don't worry you, then it's a beautiful country to visit!"

I read up a bit on Jordan and plan the trip. The aim is to spend one week touring the interior and the second week diving at the sea.

So I book the flight with Royal Jordanian, Munich - Amman round trip, €485.00 each. There's also the possibility of doing the outbound trip to Amman and the return from Aqaba, but it costs much more.

From Italy I also book: hotel for the first night in Madaba, hotel on the Dead Sea, hotel in Petra, hotel in Aqaba. I also make contact, without paying in advance, with the car rental, the Wadi Rum Bedouins, and the hotel in Amman.

Madaba

We arrive in Munich (Germany), a fixed stop to drink a good beer before departing, and off we go, we're flying to Jordan... On arrival we should meet Moh'd from Reliable Rent car at the airport (they gave us the best price) to pick up the car and start the trip. We arrive in Amman 40 minutes late. After collecting the luggage we change some money and go through passport control, where they also give us the tourist visa for 2 weeks, all very quick. At the exit the search for Moh'd begins. Everyone notices we're looking for someone and offers to help us. Nobody, however, knows who this person is. I check my phone to see if he's called me, but nothing; one thing and another, it's now 9:30 pm. I think: after years, sooner or later the first rip-off had to come; luckily I hadn't paid! OK, we start looking for another agency.

There are two at the airport; I negotiated with both and in the end I chose Europcar (6 days with drop-off in Aqaba, 240 JD). We pick up the car outside Amman and set off for Madaba in search of a petrol station, because they give you the car with a full tank. We arrive in Madaba at about 11 pm; we stop to ask several people for information but it seems that nobody (including the police officers) knows the Hotel Mariam. When, exhausted from the day and after having wasted quite a bit of time, I stop at a taxi driver and ask him to lead the way, he asks me for 5JD, and in the chaos of honking cars (you'll understand what that means) I agree without negotiating. Two minutes and we're at the hotel; just time to drop off the luggage and go have a bite to eat right in front.

Only at that moment do we think about the nice rip-off by the taxi driver, and that if the car's interior light had worked, all we had to do was look at the map in the Lonely Planet!!!, and that 5JD is almost 5 euros!!! Everything's easy in hindsight... Gosh, I really didn't recognise myself....

Madaba – Death Sea

We get up early and go for breakfast, pay for the room 30JD and start visiting Madaba. First the archaeological park (2JD), where you can view important mosaics, and then the church of St. George (1JD) (on Sundays you can visit after 10:30 when mass ends). The church is very beautiful especially for the mosaic of the Promised Land. On the way out we decide to leave directly for Mount Nebo since Madaba didn't particularly impress us. Once at the top we enjoy the beautiful view, pay 1JD for entry and begin the visit. At this time the Basilica has been completely demolished so it can be rebuilt, and this makes the site a bit of a construction site. Once the tour is over we head down toward the Dead Sea: the road is evocative and the landscape enchanting. I don't recommend driving it in the dark as it is very steep with hairpin turns and no guardrails.

We arrive about an hour later, immediately find the Movenpik hotel (101 euros B&B), it's a bit expensive but for one night it's really worth it. The hotel, they say, is the most luxurious in Jordan and I really think that's true. Have your suitcases taken up to your room right away otherwise you might wait hours for them… (in the end I carried mine up myself). We're curious to get into the water so we rush down to the beach, a 10' walk from the room, that's how big the hotel is (to reach the beach, once you get to the pools, you can use a funicular). The heat is noticeable, it even reaches 60° with high humidity, but I don't know why you tolerate it very well.

We enter the water slowly so as not to make splashes, the floating sensation is immediate and you realize how many unsuspected scratches you have on your body!! Once out of the water we cover our bodies with mud and then back in the water to rinse off. By now it's almost evening and the beach starts to look like a theater; everyone waiting for the famous sunset over the Dead Sea. In the evening we dine at the hotel because there's nothing outside and, between one belly dance show and another, we watch Italy lose on penalties, amid the happy chants of all the non-Italian tourists.

Death sea – Karak

The morning begins with an endless buffet, then swims in the sea and mud until noon and we set off for Karak. Along the way we stop at the beginning of the Wadi Mujib nature reserve in a beautiful canyon; too bad we can't stay another day to see it, but in summer it's not advisable: it's too hot. We continue on toward Karak, you have to pass 3 or 4 army checkpoints; at first they try to act serious but it doesn't last long, and soon everyone starts laughing and joking about the state of mind of us Italians the day after Spain. We arrive at our destination after about 2 hours. Before visiting the castle we go looking for a place to eat. The town is very beautiful and we finally get a taste of the real Jordan. There are lots of people around and no one bothers us to sell us something; on the contrary, everyone seems to welcome you.

We stop at a restaurant to savor the famous shawarma; Stefania is the only woman seated but, being accompanied by me, no situation of tension arises. At the restaurant we meet a very young university English lecturer who gives us some tips on Jordan and, as usual, we talk about soccer (it may seem strange, but Jordanians are truly crazy about the Italian national team and soccer in general). We pay only 3JD for two dishes with sides and drinks, and from this you can tell it's not a place where many tourists go. On the way to the castle I buy some CDs of Arabic music to listen to in the car (1 JD each) and, passing in front of a tailor's shop, they motion for us to come in; I can't resist, I have to. They offer us mint tea and we chat for a long time. Before leaving they insist on dressing me as an Arab and taking photos of me.

I don't refuse and we drink yet another incredibly good tea and then we head off. The owner would like us to go to his house the next day for breakfast and, if we weren't continuing on to Petra, we would have gone. (I'd like to point out that, unlike in other places in the world, their hospitality has no ulterior profit motive, they do it just for the company). The castle is incredibly beautiful and large; you have to ask the people working inside to take you down to the very evocative cellars. We find a guide who speaks a little Italian and with him we visit all the floors of the castle. Meanwhile it's gotten late and we have to go to Petra. The trip takes about 3 and a half hours, the road is beautiful, you pass through various very pretty little villages and scenic spots where it's impossible to resist stopping.

Be careful, the road isn't very well signposted, so I also don't recommend driving it in the dark. We arrive in Wadi Musa (the village that sprang up around Petra) around 20:30; it looks like a nativity scene, we like it right away. We find the hotel where we booked (Marriott hotel, 62 euros per night B&B, it enjoys a breathtaking view because it's located in the upper part of town); given the time we dine at the hotel, be careful not to order sparkling mineral water because it costs more than the wine!!

Petra

Wake-up at six in the morning, breakfast at a splendid buffet and we head toward the ancient city. You need to get there early, before all the organized groups, to enjoy the silence of the place. We get the two-day ticket (26JD), buy a map from the Royal Jordanian Geographic Centre for 3JD (they'll ask you for 5 JD but make it clear that the Lonely says 3. The map is very important if you want to take alternative routes) and go in. On the first day we decide to do the classic route up to the Monastery. There are no words to describe Petra, you have to see it! The last stretch from the restaurant to the Monastery is a bit tiring (in summer, because it's rather hot). But it's really worth it. Once at the top, an enchanting sight awaits us. I recommend continuing on for half an hour to reach truly striking panoramic points (you can also meet Bedouins who offer you tea).

After sipping a decent mint tea sitting and contemplating the monastery, we head back. The temptation to accept a ride in a carriage is strong because fatigue is setting in, but there's more satisfaction in making it on your own two legs. We stop for lunch in town at the Sandstone restaurant where, besides a good kebab (not to be confused with the one you find in Italy), we ate an excellent Greek salad. We go to the hotel where we relax a bit in the pool and in a nice Turkish bath (included in the room price). In the evening, dinner in town at Al-arabi: excellent cuisine and it really costs very little. We then take a stroll around town. We recommend stopping at the bakery/pastry shop to buy some of their delicacies. We stock up on water and bananas (useful for energy dips) and then off to bed.

Petra

Today again wake-up at six and down to Petra. Today we'll do an alternative route: once you reach the Bab As-Siq (where on the left the famous canyon leading to the Treasury begins), head to the right, behind the "toilets," toward a tunnel; you'll see a sign saying it's dangerous without a guide, but apart from a couple of spots it isn't demanding. We pass through a narrow, incredibly fascinating canyon that will take us to tombs barely touched by tourists. Among these we also meet two Bedouin women who call out to us from afar to invite us to drink tea with them, and little five-month-old Aurevoir, who out of joy greets Stefania, who was holding him in her arms, by peeing on her trousers — but come on... children's pee, they say, is holy. Along the way we don't meet many people: a French family, a Lebanese man, a group of three young Americans, and a few other couples.

With everyone we exchange a few words... (up to here the route is well marked even in the Lonely Planet) From the tombs, at a certain point we take an uphill path on the left; you recognise it because it starts behind a particularly large tomb that you can even climb on top of (before the Royal Tombs). At the end of this path, particularly tiring if the day is very hot, you get to see the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) from above. Warning: the most beautiful spot to see it is a little clearing with a tree above; it's not particularly difficult to climb down, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone without at least some experience on rocks. We do the route in reverse since it's not possible to go further, and we reach the Royal Tombs, from where we go down and pick up the Siq route toward the exit. We look at the Treasury one last time, walk through the canyon one last time, and leave ancient Petra.

We stop to buy two ice creams and then go relax at the hotel. In the evening we go to eat at the Sandstone — a good lamb — we look for an internet point to check whether the hotel in Amman is confirmed, and then off to sleep.

Wadi Rum

Wake-up at 5:30, quick breakfast, and off to Wadi Rum; the road is nice but not well marked. You also have to be careful on the highways when you have to change direction and cross over to the opposite carriageway (the road is marked. After that, make a U-turn as soon as you can and come back until you reach the road you need to take). We arrive at the entrance of the park shortly after nine, and there Ali is waiting for us ( for the desert tour. There are two ways to see Wadi Rum: the first is by camel, very beautiful and relaxing for the pleasure of silence. The other way is by off-road vehicle; it's not as romantic, but you get to see much more. We opted for the latter. We set off in the jeep and the first stop is at the water spring. There are quite a few jeeps parked and not a few groups of people; we leave right away.

The tour through the desert is truly beautiful and fortunately we're alone. Because of the heat we'll stop in a shady spot to eat hummus (chickpea purée), tuna, and a few tomatoes and cucumbers with Arab bread. The silence is indescribable; not even at 3,000 metres on a mountain do you get such a feeling. We continue the off-road tour (I still wonder how that wreck without a licence plate managed to move, the worst I've ever seen) until sunset, which we were able to watch from the top of a rock. We head to the camp where we'll spend the night; we're dirty and sweaty, we rinse off with a little water at the camp, we meet two American girls and a Canadian girl, and amid chit-chat we begin to smell the chicken on the coals.

Once we've finished eating we're all tired and go to sleep, but as soon as the lights are out, what a spectacle — one I could never describe, and it wasn't even possible to photograph it; the lights of the stars as never seen before, incredibly close and bright; even the Milky Way had an intensity that seemed unreal, we were hypnotised. We go to sleep; they said the temperature would drop to 0 degrees at night, but it wasn't like that (it wasn't particularly cold, so much so that we didn't even use the blankets. Still, bring a sweatshirt and a pair of long trousers). At 2:30 in the morning I wake up for physiological needs, and stepping out of the tent a lunar landscape appeared before my eyes; the moon was lighting everything up. Stefania woke up too and I immediately made her come out of the tent to admire the surroundings; it was like being on Mars.

27.06 Wadi Rum – Aqaba

In the morning we get up at seven, breakfast with tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, and eggs, and we head back to the entrance of the park; we pick up the car and set off for Aqaba. There are various groups that organise these excursions; you can find them online too. For just a half-day tour there's no need to book, but if you want to spend the night in the desert I recommend choosing one beforehand and getting in touch with them; you pay at the end anyway. I don't feel like recommending the "Bedouins" I went with, because: first of all the guide was too young and a man of few words (their boss isn't exactly a barrel of laughs either), second, I think that for 50JD each they could have invested a bit more in the quality of the food and the cleanliness.

Anyway, talking with other people I met on the trip, the other organisers weren't much for words either, but at least their jeeps were better and I think the cleanliness of the camp too. The trip to Aqaba is fairly quick, about an hour. We find the hotel without any problems (Hotel Intercontinental, 820 euros for two people for a week, perhaps a bit expensive but in line with all the beachfront hotels; in any case you can't be missing anything there). The room will be ready by 14:00; it's 10:00 and we certainly don't smell like two roses. I ask whether in the meantime there's a chance to have a quick wash, and kindly they let us go to the hotel SPA (which I then happily discover is included in the price) and there I take one of the best showers of my life...

We go to the pool for a bit, go out to eat something (near the hotel there's a McDonald's, the first I've seen in Jordan), and then go back to the hotel to see if the room is ready. Once upstairs, we enter a splendid room with a view of Eilat. The day continues on the beach, where it's rather hot... The Gulf of Aqaba certainly doesn't offer a splendid view; on the contrary, the adjacent port completely ruins the panorama. The beach is sandy and small, but it has everything you need. Around 18:00 we decide to go look for a diving centre, also because the diving area is 12 km south of Aqaba and we still have the car until 22:00, so we won't have to take a taxi. NOTE FOR DIVERS: there are several dive centres in Aqaba and they are mainly divided into those that do boat dives and those that dive from the shore.

As for prices, the former are clearly the most expensive and offer packages of two dives plus lunch for 50JD. From shore they cost about 20JD per dive and they do three a day. I chose Aqaba Adventures Divers, run by Talal, 16JD per dive without equipment because I had everything. The centre certainly isn't the best, the water was often missing, but they're really skilled and friendly; they're finishing setting up the new centre nearby, in a small but comfortable residence. We viewed it under construction (completion this autumn) and it will surely be very functional and nice, at interesting prices. So I can recommend them: info@aqaba-divers.com.

In the evening we have dinner at the famous La Floka, and we're certainly not disappointed; the fish is really good. Tired, we go back to the hotel, and finally tomorrow we get to sleep.

From 28.07 to 04.07 In Aqaba

The days in Aqaba were more or less similar: diving, relaxing, and evening strolls. So I'll make a list of tips on the most interesting things, the restaurants where we did well, and some advice for divers.

There are two beachfront hotels: the Intercontinental and the Movenpick; the others are all without a beach. The ones in the centre are a bit inconvenient and certainly not quiet. The beautiful beach is South Beach (12 km south of Aqaba), from where the dives also depart; the one in the centre isn't nice, neither the public one nor the hotel one. At South Beach they're completing a huge complex of hotels and shops; here you certainly have the advantage of a beautiful sea, but the disadvantage of being far from the centre, and as an area it certainly doesn't have the charm of the real Aqaba. If you have a car, though, I strongly recommend this area, and I wouldn't underestimate Talal's new residence, especially for diving enthusiasts or for anyone who wants a pleasant place to stay at a good price.

You'll find the most famous restaurants in all the guidebooks, but be careful because some no longer exist and you risk wasting time looking for them. Apart from the most famous ones, I can recommend the pizzeria/gelateria "Al Corso" if you're tired of spicy food and want to treat yourself to a good pizza (I especially recommend the calzone) spending very little. It's on Al-Nahda street. Another very nice restaurant where they make good fish is on the corner of Al-Aa'Ada street, opposite a gelateria (the ice-cream maker speaks particularly good Italian — he lived in Italy for eight years — and you can turn to him if you need information you can't manage to ask in English). I don't remember the name of the restaurant; you'll recognise it by the elegance of the upstairs floor; in particular the fish is good and it has more advantageous prices than its renowned competitors.

As for the evening, don't miss the lively Aqaba seafront, where all the locals gather to smoke shisha, drink good tea, and swim at night. The seafront starts at the flag (impossible not to see it, since it's the second largest in the world) and goes almost as far as the mosque. There are quite a few tourists, but you don't need to worry; you'll be well received. In particular, at the beginning of the seafront there's a nice pier where you can sit and enjoy the liveliness of the place.

As for changing money, absolutely avoid the hotels; the best thing is the banks, slightly less favourable the Western Union exchanges.

The public beaches are the most beautiful, but you must respect the local people by avoiding bikinis, covering up with a T-shirt or switching to a one-piece swimsuit. The local women swim fully clothed or in special swimsuits for women that respect their customs (you'll see them in the windows of sportswear shops too).

Diving enthusiasts, don't forget an adaptor for those with int. fittings, and try to personally take care of rinsing your equipment after each dive, because they tend to be a bit too careless. The dives are beautiful, though you shouldn't expect the Red Sea of Egypt!, and almost all are shallow. The water temperature in summer is around 25° (in winter it should drop by at most 3°), but a full wetsuit is advisable due to the large amount of coral. A classic dive is the one to the tank; in particular I recommend it at night for the number of small fish hiding inside it. Also beautiful is the wreck of the ship Cedar Pride; the wreck is completely lying on one side and at first you get a strange feeling of disorientation.

There's another wreck whose name I don't remember that lies at a depth of about 40 metres, but they struggle to take you there also because they have to request special permits. Night dives cost more, and one of the reasons is that you first have to go to the barracks to pick up an army soldier who will wait outside the water for the entire duration of the dive. In Jordan they have very strict controls on diving; just think that every dive centre must send a fax to the rangers every morning with the names and nationalities of all the divers entering the water. On the first day of diving the fax didn't arrive, and when we came out of the water there were two soldiers waiting for us.

The End

In the morning we go down to reception and, Swiss-punctual, our friend was there waiting for us. Halfway there he asks if I want to drive, and I accept doing the last few kilometres on Jordanian soil myself. Once we arrive at the airport we say goodbye, and I promise him that his reliability and honesty will be repaid.... Note: at the airport duty free they sell all the Dead Sea products (they're really good; at the Wadi tent Stefania had got an irritation on one hand that persisted for a week; she put on the Dead Sea hand cream out of curiosity and after two days it was completely gone) at the same prices as in the cities.

We fly to Munich; the holiday is over!