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| Overlooking Jordan's capital city of Amman |
When I told my friends and family I was going to Jordan for a vacation, some of them thought I was crazy.
“Are you sure you want to go there?” asked my father after he looked up Jordan on a map.
Bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to the east, and Israel to the west, Jordan’s geographical location is intimidating.
In the days leading up to my 15-hour flight across the Atlantic, I was nervous about how the civil war in Syria was affecting Jordan.
I pictured hundreds of refugees flocking across Jordan’s border to the capital city of Amman, located in a picturesque hilly area in the northwest. I expected to see police officers with machine guns everywhere making sure mayhem didn’t erupt on the streets. I thought I’d receive some dirty looks from the locals, unhappy to see a Western woman who wasn’t covered from head to toe.
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| The amphitheatre is among the large site of Roman ruins at Jerash |
But I saw none of this. Jordan is the safest country in the Middle East and the locals take great pride in this fact.
I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly Jordanians are towards foreigners. Strangers will approach you on the street to welcome you to their country, and they don’t hesitate to help you without asking for anything in return.
The capital city of Amman has a population of more than two million and is the most western-oriented city in the region. Many women wear pants and long sleeve shirts with a head scarf. English and Arabic is found on nearly all street and business signs.
Much of this is due to King Abdullah II and his ties to the west. During his upbringing, Abdullah attended private boarding schools in England and the U.S., then later embarked on a military career, attending Britain’s Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. In his reign thus far, Abdullah has increased foreign direct investment from the West and negotiated a free trade agreement with the United States — the third free trade agreement for the U.S. and the first with an Arab county.
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| Camel ride at sunset in the desert of Wadi Rum |
At night, the locals gather at cafes to drink delicious Jordanian tea and smoke shesha, flavoured tobacco, from a hookah, also known as a water pipe. Traditional dress is still worn by the older population and those living in smaller communities. Shepherds watching their flocks of sheep and goats are seen in the countryside, along with the odd camel.
During my tour of the country with G Adventures, I floated effortlessly in the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth), toured a desert castle at Karak, explored the ancient Roman ruins at Jerash, camped in the desert at Wadi Rum and rode camels at sunrise. I climbed 10-foot waterfalls in a narrow gorge at Wadi Mujab, and snorkeled some of the best reefs in the world at the Red Sea.
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| The clear warm waters of the Red Sea are fantastic for snorkeling and diving |
The highlight was exploring the crown jewel of Jordan, the lost city of Petra, which was recently named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Oh, and I also visited the site where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.
Despite all the great things Jordan has to offer, the country can get a bad rap due to neighbouring conflicts. This has affected tourism immensely in a country that has no oil and is facing a water shortage in the next 70 years.
According to G Adventures travel guide Zuhair Zuriqat, tourism in Jordan has dropped 60% since the 2003 war in Iraq. Conflicts in Egypt and Syria also haven’t eased traveller’s minds about venturing to Jordan. But the country should not get painted with the same brush as its neighbours.
Zuriqat is among many Jordanians keeping an eye on the conflict in Syria, wondering what it means for the future of tourism in his country. It’s a situation that’s become all too familiar.
“It feels so bad. Sometimes it’s hard,” said Zuriqat, who feels frustrated when travellers cancel their trip due to conflicts in neighbouring countries. “Hopefully more people will come here and they will tell their friends and families it’s very safe.”
About 45% of Jordan’s population is originally from Palestine. They fled their country to the safety of Jordan after the Israeli war. Now, more than 100,000 Syrian refugees are camped at Jordan’s border, waiting to see if peace will return to their homeland.
Fortunately for Jordanians, peace is something they’ve been able to maintain. It’s become the Canada of the Middle East.
“The best thing about Jordan is the Jordanians themselves,” said Zuriqat, who takes great pride in showing foreigners the wonders of his country. “We have many great sites and a nice atmosphere for a vacation, so we have a great combination of everything that can make a holiday an unforgettable experience.”
— Published in the Edmonton Sun, October 2012
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| The lunar like landscape in the desert of Wadi Rum |