Our trip to the desert ended after a very tranquil sunrise and breakfast, then a ride out to Wadi Rum village and a taxi to Aqaba, at the far south of Jordan, about an hour away. I sadly parted company with my travel companions there, as they were heading separately to Egypt. I had no intention of staying in Aqaba but had to go there to get a bus back to Amman, but I had a couple of hours to fill in so went for a quick paddle in the Red Sea.
The bus to Amman took about 4 hours, cost about NZ$5, and was comfortable. They stopped for a break on the side of the road half way there and I think everyone except me had a smoke. There's a lot of smoking goes on in Jordan. It was mid-afternoon when I got to Amman and I got a taxi to another bus station and got the last seat on a local bus to Jerash, in the north of the country, about an hour way. This was very cheap, about 70c but hot and I was down the back with the boys. In Jerash I was lucky to get a very nice, large room at Hadrian Gate Hotel, right opposite the Roman ruins I had come to see.
Breakfast was on the terrace and it's a typical Jordanian breakfast - Arabic bread, a boiled egg, processed cheese triangles, jam, coffee and juice. It does the job. It's a quiet time of year as it's a bit hot, but not as bad as Dubai. Importantly the room even had Sky so I got to see the women's Wimbledon final. Jerash was a nice enough smallish town, and the ruins are spectacular. I'm a bit of a fan of white marble Roman ruins.
Hadrian's Gate is above and the unusual oval forum and cardo maximus (colonnaded street) that stretches for 800m and was built in the 1st century AD, below. It's still paved with the original flagstones and the ruts worn by thousands of chariots are still clear.
The site has important biblical connections. My favourite spot was the Courtyard of the Fountain where Jesus was reported by his disciples to have turned water into wine. I was there all alone for ages, soaking up the sun, listening to the crickets, and letting my imagination take over.
There are two very well preserved theatres, a very large south one and this smaller but lovely, south theatre.
There's also a hippodrome where they re-enact chariot races, which I heard when I was daydreaming in the Courtyard, but didn't have enough energy to hike back to. It's not as huge and iconic as Petra here, but nevertheless I liked it very much.
I found another very good buffet (Middle Eastern food has some great vegetarian options) and revived, then later got a taxi 25km into the countryside to Ajloun Castle an Islamic military construction built in the 12th century, sitting on a steep hill with 360 degree views.
The countryside in the north of Jordan is a lot greener (in fact it has lots of pine trees) than in the south, which is desert.
The bus to Amman took about 4 hours, cost about NZ$5, and was comfortable. They stopped for a break on the side of the road half way there and I think everyone except me had a smoke. There's a lot of smoking goes on in Jordan. It was mid-afternoon when I got to Amman and I got a taxi to another bus station and got the last seat on a local bus to Jerash, in the north of the country, about an hour way. This was very cheap, about 70c but hot and I was down the back with the boys. In Jerash I was lucky to get a very nice, large room at Hadrian Gate Hotel, right opposite the Roman ruins I had come to see.
Breakfast was on the terrace and it's a typical Jordanian breakfast - Arabic bread, a boiled egg, processed cheese triangles, jam, coffee and juice. It does the job. It's a quiet time of year as it's a bit hot, but not as bad as Dubai. Importantly the room even had Sky so I got to see the women's Wimbledon final. Jerash was a nice enough smallish town, and the ruins are spectacular. I'm a bit of a fan of white marble Roman ruins.
Hadrian's Gate is above and the unusual oval forum and cardo maximus (colonnaded street) that stretches for 800m and was built in the 1st century AD, below. It's still paved with the original flagstones and the ruts worn by thousands of chariots are still clear.
The site has important biblical connections. My favourite spot was the Courtyard of the Fountain where Jesus was reported by his disciples to have turned water into wine. I was there all alone for ages, soaking up the sun, listening to the crickets, and letting my imagination take over.
There are two very well preserved theatres, a very large south one and this smaller but lovely, south theatre.
There's also a hippodrome where they re-enact chariot races, which I heard when I was daydreaming in the Courtyard, but didn't have enough energy to hike back to. It's not as huge and iconic as Petra here, but nevertheless I liked it very much.
I found another very good buffet (Middle Eastern food has some great vegetarian options) and revived, then later got a taxi 25km into the countryside to Ajloun Castle an Islamic military construction built in the 12th century, sitting on a steep hill with 360 degree views.
The countryside in the north of Jordan is a lot greener (in fact it has lots of pine trees) than in the south, which is desert.
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