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).