10 Days in Jordan

Hubby and and I went to Jordan last month. It was a fabulous cultural experience. We learned that the people of Jordan (at least those we encountered along the way) are very hospitable and generous with their time. Here is the day-by-day recap of the trip with links to places we stayed, ate and visited.

Getting to Jordan on June 11. United Airlines Los Angeles to Washington Dulles then to London. British Midland (BMI) London to Amman, Jordan with 6 hour layover in Heathrow -> were able to freshen up, rest and have decent food - thanks to the new BMI Lounge.

Obeid's Family

Arrive in Amman on the same day in the evening. Checked into Intercontinental Amman, between the 2nd and 3rd Circles. Very close to the hotel, right by the 2nd Circle, spotted a shoebox-sized food stall with a lot of people lining up in front of it. It turned out to be the Reem Cafetaria, a popular shwarma joint in Amman. It was already late and we were very tired after an almost 32 hour journey so we went straight to bed. 

Waking up in Amman, had breakfast in the hotel then off we went to Petra. On the way to Petra, we had local cuisine for lunch at a restaurant in the middle of desert highway; generous platter of hummus, baba ghanoush, mutabbel (spicier version of baba ghanoush) plus grilled chicken with yellow rice. That was the tastiest yellow rice we had in Jordan. Later, after we checked into the Moevenpick Petra, we headed to Petra Visitor Center which is literally about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. The ancient city of Petra is simply awesome and breathtaking. Spectacular view of the Treasury (Al Khazna) in the afternoon welcomed us at the end of the Siq. From there we continued our way to the Monastery (Al Deir) which involved a steep hike of about 800 steps. Right before sunset we slowly went back to the Treasury, enjoyed the beauty of the treasury after sunset before heading back to hotel. Too tired to explore restaurants outside hotel, we dined inthe hotel's restaurant Al-Saraya - which was nothing to rave about.

The Monastery (Al Deir)

Petra & Wadi Rum ~ After breakfast in the hotel, we went back to Petra to enjoy the Treasury in the morning then climbed up the steep steps behind the Royal tombs to view the Treasury from the cliffs above. Chatted with Raina, a smart Bedouin girl who helped her mom sell stuff inside Petra. Had a very delicious lunch of Bedouin specialities at Red Cave Restaurant then cooled down with Moevenpick ice cream at the hotel's indoor courtyard while waiting for our ride to Wadi Rum. Drove along King's Hwy to Wadi Rum and arrived at Obeid's Bedouin camp in the protected area at Wadi Rum about 90 minutes later. We spent the whole afternoon on the ledge of one of the rocks enjoying the sweet Bedouin tea and chatting away with Obeid's family while watching life and camels go by until sunset. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Dinner was great; chicken prepared by Obeid's son Salim -that had been cooked in the Bedouin way under the sand- yellow rice, vegetables, potatoes and fresh pita bread. Hubby commented that was the best pita bread he ever tried. We opted not to use our camp at night and slept under the stars in the middle of the Wadi Rum desert. 

Wadi Rum ~ Waking up in the dessert! Had breakfast in Obeid's camp; pita bread, hummus, za'atar - I loved za'atar so much that had it for breakfast almost every morning after that day. Took a jeep ride to experience the wonders of the Wadi Rum desert before heading back to Amman. Had late lunch at the hotel then hung around the rest of afternoon. Obeid took us for a taste of mansaf, the national dish of Jordan, for dinner at Al-Quds Restaurant. Mansaf is a Bedouin dish of lamb cooked in yogurt and served on a bed of rice. Delicious!

Mansaf

Back in Amman. Had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant - glad to find za'atar was available :-).   Felt really ill so decided to stay in hotel room the whole day. Lunch and dinner from Room Service.

Amman ~ Felt a little bit better. Breakfast and lunch in the hotel, then decided to try shwarma from Reem Cafeteria for snack in the afternoon. Getting bored with hotel food, we ordered some take out from Romero Restaurant located a stone's throw from the hotel. Food was superb and I experienced a real Jordanian hospitality when finding it impossible to cross the street to pick up the food; a passing taxi driver stopped his car, got off and walked me across the street, then back to his taxi and drove away.

Exploring Amman. Right after breakfast took a taxi to King Abdullah Mosque, the blue-domed mosque and spent most of the morning inside the mosque. Had lunch in the hotel at its Mexican Cinco de Mayo Restaurant. Then grabbed a taxi to visit Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a) and to enjoy a spectacular view of the entire city. Had dinner at the hotel's Lebanese Restaurant, Bourj Al Hamam instead of Fakhr El-Din as originally planned. The food was excellent; Hindbeh (sauteed dandelion leaves), Dolma, Yalanji (similar to Dolma but with vine leaves), Fatayer (Spinach turnovers), Kofta Kebab to name a few. Summer evening was so beautiful in Amman so seating outside on the restaurant terrace was a great choice.

Dead Sea. With a rented a car, we went to the Dead Sea via Madaba and Mt. Nebo. Got lost in Madaba but a taxi driver with his family in the car noticed our confusion. He stopped his car and waved for us to follow him. A kilometer's worth of turns later, he pointed us to the right road and we were back on track. Made a stop at the Dead Sea Panorama Complex that has a splendid view of the Dead Sea for lunch and a quick visit to a Dead Sea Museum. Great architecture. Lunch again was delicious; dolma, fatayer; shanklish (local cheese), lamb chops, chicken wings, hummus, walnut dip and pita bread. Checked into Jordan Valley Marriott Resort, floated on the sea after sunset -it was unbearably hot during the day- then had dinner at Ill Terrazzo. Walked around the hotel watching the lights from the towns on the West Bank (Israel) across the sea before hitting the hay.

Dead Sea and Jerash. Went back to the sea before sunrise to enjoy it before the crowds got in. After breakfast got pampered with a mud spa before heading north up to Ajlun Castle, the highest spot in Northern Jordan that has a sweeping view of the Jordan Valley. From there went onto Jerash, the biggest Roman Ruins outside Rome then returned to Amman. Checked in back to the Intercontinental Hotel then had dinner at Bourj Al Hamam again to taste the delicious Lebanese feast for the last time.

11 days later, long flight home. Obeid took us to the airport in the morning. BMI Amman to London, United Airlines London to San Francisco, United Airlines San Francisco to home by evening just enough time to get a quick shower and go to bed. Had a grilled fillet mignon dinner on the plane which was very tasty.

Floating on the Dead Sea

More pictures of Bedouin Specialities - very yummy ...

And amazing sites