Jordan was amazing! The trip started out a little rocky when we arrived in the country only to find out nobody in Amman (the capitol) knew where our hotel was and after 2 hours wondering the city with our backpacks on foot, we got stopped by the police who also tried to located the hotel through their dispatch. That failed! But 10 mins after they left us, they came racing back because they'd found the hotel. Bill and I climbed into the back of the police car (sitting on their bullet proof vests and shot gun) and they delivered us to the door of our hotel. Very exciting, very frustrating! The next morning we rented a car and headed South for Petra. We saw "Petra by Night" which is Petra after dark lit by 1500 candles, it was a lovely experience but nothing like seeing it the next day during daylight which is incredible. Petra is an entire city carved into the multi-coloured sandstone. The Bedouin people still live in the caves within Petra and make all kinds of things to sell to tourists. The next day we headed off to Wadi Rum, a nature reserve, the colours, textures and sheer size in this desert are awesome. From there we made our way up to Al Karak for a night and then a visit to the Crusader Castle there. An early morning visit to the castle followed by a scenic drive along the Dead Sea back up to Amman. We stayed at a great hotel and spa there, and I spoiled myself with a Dead Sea mud facial (no, Bill didn't get what the draw was either!). We went up North towards the Syrian boarder and saw the ruins of the Roman City Jerash. Their temples and theatres are so different from everything else we've seen so far on this trip. For our last day in Amman we decided to see the city itself, so we explored the Citadel, went to the museum there and saw the Dead Sea Scrolls. From there we wandered till we found the Roman Theatre and then went to the bazaar the locals shop at, where we spent a little money and savoured the smells from the spice shops, the colours of the fruit and veggie vendors and the noise of the people doing business. I was kind of sad to go. The mini shake down at the Cairo airport after our flight in from Jordan changed my mind. After our checked baggage was collected and we had to go through security again so we could deal with our transit papers, the very young security guy stopped our luggage and pulled out my zip lock bag of liquids (from checked not carried on luggage) and claimed it wasn't allowed but for a small fee he'd let it pass. At this point I'm trying not to slap him! Bill and I spent down to the last penny our Jordanian money, Bill packed the Egyptian money somewhere but couldn't remember where, and all I have to my name is $5 us. So I gritted my teeth and shook his hand handing over the last of our money. Once we got to the hotel we found the Egyptian money at the bottom of Bill's backpack, which was good. Other than that the trip home was rather uneventful. Bill and I are slowly re-adjusting back to our clock here but I still find I'm asleep by 8.30pm, which even for me is a little early! Bill and I have already decided we'll do this trip again in the next two years! I can't wait!
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