Honeymoon in northern Jordan

This was the very tail end of our month long trip. Having begun in Aqaba in the southern tip, we were now in the northern section with our base in the capitol of Amman.

Amman was a disappointment really, mostly because we didn't know where to go, or what to do. We took taxis and walked around quite a lot, but did so in a blind confusion. I'm sure there is SO much more to see and experience in this huge metropolis. We did catch a movie, Shakespeare in Love, which we enjoyed in English while other patrons read the Arabic subtitles.

I loved exploring the countryside and tiny villages north of Amman the most. Beautiful rolling hills, valleys and biblical scenes of shepherds tending their flock by day were evident everywhere we looked.

Staying overnight off the beaten path in Ajlun is also a special memory. We were the only guests in the hotel on that eerie night, and it was weirdly wonderful to be there. Jordan is a small country. Take advantage of venturing outside of Amman and stay elsewhere overnight to get a full picture of this friendly and handsome country.

Quick Tips:

Keep in mind that Friday and Saturdays are Muslim holy days, and most of the city shuts down... shops, businesses, and tourist offices. We found ourselves quite bored in Amman wandering deserted streets on those days. It's a good time to tour the desert castles however. We scheduled a tour in advance, but unfortunately had to cancel due to heat and sickness.

Beware that some tour companies will provide a driver/guide when really the hired is little more than a driver. Our "guide" didn't accompany us inside any of the sites and couldn't answer our questions when we came back to the car.

Take time to prepare your itinerary in detail. We could've easily seen more sites on a given day, yet our guide did not give us the opportunity to deviate from our itinerary or visit sites en route to other places. We missed seeing Noah's tomb in Kerak and Herod's fortress, Makawir, (en route to Madaba) where John the Baptist was beheaded... saw signs driving past, but our driver ignored my interest in stopping.

Don't eat at the Government Rest House Restaurants. Ignore your driver and rely on guidebooks for restaurant selections.

Best Way To Get Around:

Tourists enter Jordan one of three ways - flying into Amman, driving across the shaky Israeli border, or crossing the Red Sea by ferry into Aqaba from Egypt.

The Queen International Airport, located 35 km south of Amman, has 24 hours buses for JD1 that will connect you to Abdali Bus Station in a middle class neighborhood northwest of the city center. (The Mirage Hotel located across the street from the bus station is where we stayed..) Taxis cost JD10-15 for the 40 minute drive to the same destination.

Amman has intercity buses and white service taxis that both share the same routes and even leave from the same bus stations. Buses from Abdali Station in central Amman will take you north to Jerash, Ajlun, Irbid and Salt for under JD1, while buses from Wahdat Station in southern Amman will transport you south along the Desert Highway to Petra (3.5 hours for JD6) or Aqaba (4 hours for JD4). Service taxis cost double the bus fare and carry 5 passengers.

It is possible to rent a car in Amman with a valid driver's license. Rates for an economy car with unlimited miles average JD20 daily.

What an eerie night! We were the only guests staying in this dark hotel at the base of Ajlun Castle. We had expected to be gone a full day touring Amman, Jerash and Ajlun castle but were done by 2pm! Our driver/guide dropped us off here then disappeared until the next morning.

When we entered, a man wearing a traditional galibayyah was sitting in the otherwise deserted lobby watching TV. He whistled and a young man came out of the shadows to check us in. Since we were the only guests, he led us to our room "This one special"- a corner room on the 3rd floor with a sideways view of the castle from the balcony or behind our bed. He opened the red curtains over our bed to reveal a view of Ajlun Castle 500 meters away up the steep hill.

The clean spacious room included a double bed, television, small desk, tiled bathroom with shower, and a balcony. Very comfortable. But very secluded. Situated halfway to the steep hill from the castle, there was nothing else around. No shops, restaurants, theatres, booktores, nothing. It was too hot to go walking in that hilly terrain, so we spent the day reading and writing in our journals.

I felt like Rapunzel locked up in the castle looking out at life below...young children chasing a chicken, someone patching a cement wall, scattered people sitting on steps of vacant shops along empty streets. I clicked on and off the television as stations broadcasted unfamiliar voices on Arabian news, soaps and documentary channels. Strong winds blew through the open windows in fitful wrath, noisily slapping curtains against the walls. I had nothing more to read. Or do.

We wandered down to eat a delicious supper, and were the only guests in the dining room that evening. It was a memorable experience, funny in a giddy kind of weird way, and my favorite meal in all of Jordan.

After supper, we naturally headed back to our room as there was no where else to go. Miraculously, an English speaking channel surfaced, and we caught the tail end of an old Batman movie.

A full moon shone high over the mysterious castle until thick fast moving clouds engulfed the moon and it's light, obstructing our view of the haunted castle beyond our room. Another missed opportunity-never got a photo of how cool the castle looked on that stormy night. I kept my camera posed on my night stand, waiting for the clouds to clear, but a heavy sleep kept me asleep till morning.

Rooms cost JD32 for a double plus 10% tax. Minibuses from Jerash cost 170 fils for the thirty minute ride, while the 1.5 hour ride from Amman costs 450 fils (under a buck).

At 7:30pm, we emerged hesitantly from our hotel room in Aljun (Al-Rabad Castle Hotel) into the darkened halls and stairwells looking for supper which was included in our room rate. We were quite early, as most Jordanians don't eat till 9 or 10pm. The same lone Arab gentleman sat in the now completely darkened lobby watching television. Before he could whistle for an English speaking employee, a young man came out of the woodwork to assist us.

He led us through the lobby after turning on a dim light, over to ornately carved tables in the dining room, waving us to sit anywhere while he went to go turn on the lights and music. Such beautiful furniture! It had been completely hidden in the dark dining room. Impressive in such an odd place. We chose a table near the window, and listened to the strong winds wail eerily in the darkness. We expected a downpour from the sounds of the weather, but learned that it doesn't rain here. Weird.

Suddenly the dining room was engulfed in bright lights and speakers playing American canned music, Feelings, (not again!) filled the room...all for our benefit. I was in one of those goofy moods where everything struck me funny. The sudden drama of the lights and music, the spiffed up waiter/cook/desk attendant was too much. I could barely stifle my giggles.

The menu was actually quite impressive. But, you know what they say...if a restaurant is deserted, there's probably good reason...so judging from the surrounding empty tables, we were skeptical of the outcome. The menu had plenty of typos or misspelled words which were humorous. Soon, David was laughing too, pointing out entrees "Tune with a thing" and "Foul Mutammas," Laughing to the point of tears, we had a hard time sobering our giddiness before the waiter/cook came out.

I chose mixed grill (lamb, beef and chicken kabobs). On the plate was a flat warm pita with grilled tomatoes and shredded onions, three shish kabobs of meat decorated beautifully with purply-red sumac, parsley and other Arabian spices sprinkled all over the plate. To the side were some thin french fries, black olives and a salad of thick yogurt and cucumbers. Yummy! My favorite meal in Jordan...

I immediately wished that the five hours I had blown in the hotel room would've been spent in this young man's kitchen learning how to cook from him. That would've been a cool and beneficial experience (I'm still trying to recreate those great meals at home, but not even close).

Outstanding flavor and presentation in such an eerie, empty hotel! I was looking forward to breakfast already, noting their choice of scrambled eggs with different cheeses and herbs on the menu. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to eat breakfast the next morning, and probably missed out on the best Arabian breakfast in Jordan.

Our guide brought us to this restaurant complex of Kan Zaman at 10:30am, even though it didn't serve lunch till 1pm. He led kus around the few shops there to kill time, but mysteriously disappeared when I wandered into a shop selling Dead Sea products. I was instantly miffed when I saw the same mud masks here for JD2 versus the JD6 I had paid yesterday at the "cheapest place to buy them" according to our guide, who had likely received a fat commission on our shopping spree of JD96 at the souvenier shop located near the Dead Sea.

The shops are worth visiting here, as the products are reasonably priced, and unique. I bought a beautiful hard back book called Holy Places in Jordan which gave equal representation of the Muslim and Christian significance of each holy site along with vivid pictures. Here I discovered all the places I had missed seeing in this tiny country, such as King Herod's Palace where John the Baptist was beheaded, Lot's grave, and even Noah's memorial. I also purchased boxes of manna (!) which were little white mounds of candy, not the actual food source sent from the heavens for Israelites back in Moses' time. And of course more Dead Sea bath products...at that price, who could blame me? (It did, however, weigh down my already burgeoning backpack, and by the time we got to the states it gave way and burst at the seams.)

Since we still had an hour to kill, we met our guide/driver in the adjacent smoking lounge - not for a ‘drink' as alcohol is prohibited in most of this Muslim country, but for a Sprite while we watched people smoke a water pipe, sharing the fruity flavored hubbly bubbly among friends in their party.

Lunch time...we passed an elaborate buffet of Arabian dishes which smelled wonderful as we followed our waiter to our small table near a stone wall. It was fairly dim in the room, allowing the copper lanterns and copper buffet dishes to shine in contrast. The buffet offered typical Arabian fare such as lamb and spinach stew, chicken with sumac and onions, tahini, humus, pita bread, an assortment of mezzah salads, and rich creamy desserts. Excellent food and worth the wait. Service was quick and attentive, especially since we were eating so "early" at 1pm (3-4 is the typical lunch hour). The buffet reminded us very much of our daily buffets when we stayed at Taybet Zaman near Petra, and for good reason...they are owned by the same people.

Al-Khayyam Restaurant is located across the street from the entrance to Jerash, just 20 meters north along the main road.

EAT HERE instead of the Government Rest House seemingly attached to Jerash, or so it appears as guides automatically usher unknowing tourists to that benign and overpriced lunch spot. Be firm in your request to eat at Al-Khayyam, even if it means upsetting your guide (who'll likely miss out on a freebie lunch). Our guide pouted the entire time which was a big drag. We tried our best to better his mood by offering to pay for his lunch, but he refused to order anything. Instead, he sat at the head of our table and smoked cigarettes nonstop while we ate.

The restaurant has a nice views-- a large picture window covers one wall, while the other walls are open. Only a few local men sat at the little tables dressed in checkered red and white tablecloths. Nobody spoke English here and there were no menus. A waiter promptly came over to us and offered us a choice of kabobs: beef, chicken or mixed.

Within minutes, the waiter returned with cold Cokes and an assortment of mezzah (salads) which included tahini, humus, eggplant dip, spiced vegetables, and meat dips. These six salads were served in little communal bowls, meant to be shared with people at your table. There was more then plenty to eat, certainly enough for sharing with our guide. We insisted that he join us and eat our salads, but he stubbornly refused and continued smoking and pouting. It was awfully awkward eating in front of him, enjoying the food so immensely, while he sat there inches away refusing not only to eat but to join in any conversation.

The meat kabobs were served on freshly baked pita bread, still warm and soft. Colorful purple sumac spiced onions, parsley and tomatoes were sprinkled on the tender pieces of meat. It was so delicious! My husband still claims that this lunch was his favorite meal during the month long honeymoon to Egypt and Jordan. My favorite was Ajlun, but this was clearly my second choice. Tender, succulent meat, interesting mezzahs, and the best bargain around. Our meal of meat kabobs plus six side dishes only cost JD3!

Located an hour's drive north of Ammon, Jerash is Jordan's second leading tourist attraction after Petra. It is the best preserved Roman city in all the Middle East.

A prominent city during the time of Alexander the Great in 332 BC, Jerash flourished from trade routes to Damascus. When Pompey later conquered Jerash, he established it as one of the ten Cities of the Decapolis, and rebuilt it in this distinctive Roman style. By the 13th century, both Muslim and Christian inhabitants had vacated the site. It was forgotten until 1806 when a German traveler rediscovered the ruins.

Entering under a triple triumphal arch, we passed a huge oval (hippodrome) on the left where over 15,000 spectators once watched polo and other sporting events take place. Near the visitor center, another arch at the South Gate marks the true entrance of walled Jerash.

To the left beyond the Temple of Zeus (now a jumbled mess of fallen capitals and columns) stands a Roman Theatre 32 tiers tall. Continuing down the cobblestone street through central Jerash, along the Colonnaded Cardo, was my favorite part of the ancient city.

We could easily image people actually traversing down this splendid street decorated with ornate Ionic pillars and Corinthian columns in ancient days as we walked over grooves worn into the original limestone paving from repeated chariot use. How cool.

We explored several structures directly off this street. A pink limestone fountain in the center of the Cathedral's atrium is where a feast was held to remember Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine. Farther on, a beautiful public water fountain is housed in the two story nymphaeum, constructed of marble and painted plaster, and decorated at one time in mosaics.

Next, we came to the most important building in Jerash, the Temple of Artemis. Flanked by huge Corinthian columns, a grand staircase leads to the temple high on a terrace in the center of the city. Additional flights of stairs climb to the courtyard which was encircled by a double row of 124 columns. Much of it was destroyed when the Byzantines extracted materials to construct churches, houses, and ceramic kilns.

In the remaining part of the complex, we walked through ruins of churches, Roman baths and another theatre. Our total visit took around an hour. Keep in mind that our ‘guide' stayed behind smoking with his buddies in the adjacent Government Rest House while we explored on our own. (Thank God for guidebooks.) Had we followed a true guide, our visit likely would've taken much longer. In fact, we had expected it to last 2-3 hours. Had we known, we could've seen additional sites that day instead of ending up at our hotel at 2 pm, after a "full day tour" of Amman, Jerash and Aljun.

Minibuses and service taxis travel back and forth between Amman and Jerash. Just make sure you leave Jerash by 5 pm, because transportation terminates at that hour daily.

This was one of my favorite castles, because it really did look and feel like a castle - complete with a moat and bridge!

Leaving Jerash, we traveled 22 km west through beautiful pine forests and olive groves in the Ajlon Valley. It is a place of biblical significance, as it was here that God helped Joshua defended the Israelites by making the sun and moon stand still for 24 hours until the nation avenged itself against its' enemies, according to Joshua 10.

Ajlun Castle, also known as "Qala‘at ar-Rabad" sits high on a forested, remote hill in the Ajlon Valley. It is the only purely Arab Castle in all of Jordan.

One of Saladin's nephews 'Izz ad-Din Urama bin Munqidh built this small fortress to protect Arabs from Crusader attacks in 1184. Perched on the summit of Jabal Beni ‘Awf, the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading up to the hill could be observed. This strategic location also allowed messages to be transmitted by beacon and pigeon post all the way to Cairo in less than a day.

Four corner towers with narrow arrow slits within the thick walls were surrounded by a 16 meter moat spanned by a moveable bridge. Another tower was erected and a new gate decorated with bird reliefs was added in 1214. This stately Islamic castle successfully withstood Crusader attacks, but was nearly destroyed when Mongols captured it in 1260.

During the Ottoman Period, the Prince of Lebanon sent fifty soldiers to the castle to fight against Ahmad ibn Tarbay. By 1812, when Swiss traveler Burkhardt (who discovered Petra) visited Aljun, forty people inhabited the fortress.

Two earthquakes damaged the castle in 1837 and 1927. However, the Department of Antiquities restored it in 60s and rebuilt the bridge over the moat.

Visiting the castle didn't take very long as it is fairly small. We crossed the wooden bridge over the dry moat to enter the gate leading us inside the stone walls. Stairs, walls and ceilings were in good condition. Passageways were well lit on this sunny day, but imagine could be pretty scary at night or in stormy weather, as tiny little lights were suspended from arched stone ceilings along the long passageways.

One huge room styled with Islamic arched windows and doorways apparently is used now as an art studio, as we saw paintings on the walls and art supplies in the corner. That day, the room was full of Arabian children visiting as a group. Oddly enough, it was the only castle we visited in Jordan that had visitors besides ourselves. Seemed very strange as this castle is the most remote and unvisited in all of Jordan!

The vantage point from the open towers was spectacular - with sweeping views of the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading up to the hill.

Ajlun Castle is open from 8am-7pm (5pm in the winter) and costs JD1 per person.

Miscommunications are easy in a foreign country, even when common languages are shared. (At least this miscommunication didn't leave me stranded for a week like it did in Namibia.)

I had requested a half day tour of Amman for this particular day, and our printed itinerary from the local tour operator verified such. Our guide/driver however had other ideas. Instead of a half day guided tour, we got the one hour self-guided version.

He brought us to the Citadel fortress high on a hill in central Amman, where ancient stone monuments stood unmarked. My guidebook informed us that the three remaining columns were from the Roman Temple of Hercules. It was also the site of ancient "Rabbath-Ammon" the great city of Ammonite people that King David attacked twice...in the second battle, he put his pregnant lover's husband, Uriah, on the front line so David could marry Bathsheba.

Views of Amman from the Citadel are impressive. The seven hills of this bustling metropolis are evident from this vantage point. A sea of concrete buildings merge together with ancient structures such as the Roman Theatre that our guide pointed to in the distance. "You'll see one in Jerash" he said, dismissing any requests to visit Amman's prized site or the two adjacent museums, *****

Our guide told us we could go visit the Citadel's Museum of Archeology if we wanted before we left for Jerash. We paid JD2 to enter while he stayed outside to smoke. What an outstanding city tour of Amman! Frustratingly lame.

The museum itself was pretty impressive even without a guide. Exhibits are arranged chronologically displaying ancient items found throughout Jordan. A somewhat strange mixture of relics included marble Roman statues, 200,000 year old rhinoceri teeth, famous Dead Sea Scrolls and unusual funerary coffins which stored the dead in upright positions. We also saw Neolithic skulls which had been preserved in a layer of plaster so they could be worshiped by their descendants, Nabatean statues, and items from Jericho.

But the Dead Sea Scrolls were perhaps the biggest find in the museum. All of the Old Testament books were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, excavated from a cave near the northern end of the Dead Sea. A fragment of Isaiah is on display in the museum. In addition, there are copper manuscripts displayed which tell of 63 treasure spots in Palestine that have never been found.

The Museum of Archeology is open 9am-5pm daily and costs JD2.