Madaba and around, Jordan 12-14 May 08

We were only in Amman one night – got there very late and what a hoohah going through the border! Everyone off the bus, ALL bags off the bus, ALL bags looked into (except ours – we obviously don’t look dodgy yet but some of the looks the locals gave us were!) and then a lot more faffing before everyone loads their own bags back into the bus hold then on the bus. All takes hours. Then there is the duty free stop where the prices were so so cheap – we nearly bought bottles and bottles. Get this. 1lt Absolute Vodka for GBP£7, 1lt of Bombay Sapphire Gin GBP£6 and a carton of Marlborough for GBP£6. Needless to say, booze and fags were loaded onto the bus in vast quantities by others but I’m pleased to say we walked empty handed. Sigh.

We took a bus to Madaba (we’re over big dusty cities at the moment) the next morning and another nightmare trying to find the bus station which had moved again! Argh! We got on a local bus, were directed by a big tall Arab man who 1st shook Euans hand, then mine, then wouldn’t let mine go all the time rattling a never ending stream of Arabic at me until I managed to free my hand. Euan said “he was just telling you he liked your smile” – yeah, whatever!! There isn’t much in Madaba except a famous 6th century mosaic but there is plenty of things to see nearby. We negotiated with a local service taxi to take us to the Dead Sea and around for the day. It seems that you can only swim in the Dead Sea in certain places and the beaches are man-made and maintained. The other challenge with Jordan is that public transport is minimal and limited to the main cities which makes it really difficult to get to sites off the main highway. Apparently the Dead Sea has got 20x more bromine, 15x more magnesium and 10x more iodine compared to normal sea water and reading it described as an “oily broth” is very apt. It is a very very cool sensation to be suspended vertically in the water or bob around on the surface like a cork but if you’ve got any grazes or scratches, no matter how minute, jeez they’ll sting like anything.

Amman Beach, Dead Sea


Along the Dead Sea highway were the best signs we’ve ever seen. Check this out. How cool is this sign?!


OK, there are a few pics here (huge novelty factor for me). Euan had already had enough of bobbing (you can’t do much else!) and had already got out to take pics. I’d managed to spash myself in the eye so was already squinting and stinging but didn’t want to get out.

Oh, yes. The mud pack was great but the not-so-helpful man behind me spread it on my face too


OK. This is my biggest tip ever. If you’re in the Dead Sea, whatever you do, DO NOT put your head under. I didn’t mean to, honest. I was a bit excited about it all but being so careful not to get any in my mouth (got none) or eyes (got quite a lot) as just dipping your finger in and licking it is enough to induce your saliva glands to go into overdrive. I’d managed to be pretty careful for most of the time we were in there and my eyes were stinging anyhow so I was just sitting there playing round in the water with my knees up at my chest like a ball (a stupid stupid idea) when the weight of my legs must have shifted a bit too high and I rolled backwards so quickly I didn’t have time to fix the roll. I went right under in a backwards roll, got completely dunked and while I managed to close my eyes and mouth, the stuff went right up my nose. This, we now know, brings on the symptoms of having a massive cold. My nose ran (and is still running 10 hours later) trying to get rid of the stuff, I got a massive headache and inside my ears hurt. It was (and still is) quite funny but seriously, we didn’t see anyone else coming out with wet hair. What a complete idiot!!!

Pre-roll (there is no post-roll fortunately) with my eyes already stinging


Stopped off at Mt Nebo which is where Moses first saw the promised land. It was pretty hazy when we were there but we could make out Jericho and the Jordan/Israel border. It didn’t look like much if I’m being honest.

The promised land….? Hmm…..


The rock used to close the church door was much more fun


Being a Kiwi in Jordan is quite good. At all the police checkpoints today, Euans passport got hidden under my Kiwi one, the driver just said in Arabic that he had a New Zealander on board and we got waved on through. These guys had these massive Hummers painted a sand colour with machine guns mounted on the roof. Really cool and a bit annoyed I didn’t get a photo. We were quite close to the Israeli border so police presence was high. Our driver was asking if we were married (and unfortunately the easy answer is yes otherwise propositions go on all over the place) and the he wanted to know how much Euan had paid for me. I was getting ready to thump him (Euan) in case he said “not much” but he was surprisingly complimentary. Then the driver asked how much would a Kiwi wife cost…. I really think he believed Euan had bought me. Disbelief. Its hot hot hot down by the Dead Sea – a really baking heat but because the sea is like an oil and you can’t splash around much, swiming isn't actually that refreshing. A very cool experience nonetheless and a highlight for me thus far. Euan has been here before so was a bit less enthusiastic and excited than I about the whole thing. Another day in Madaba then we think we’re off to Wadi Musa to visit Petra and have organised two nights in the desert in Wadi Rum. Taken in by 4WD then going the rest of the way by camel.