Back in January (I know, I've slacked on blogging once again...), I had the opportunity to go to Jordan with Escape Travels. Escape Travels plans amazing trips for expats living in the UAE that are all inclusive (food, tours, transportation, etc.) so it is a great way to see the world without the stress of planning a trip! We had a long weekend in January so I decided to book the trip to Jordan, which went to Amman, Petra, and the Dead Sea. It was amazing! We saw so much in three days and it was laid back and all planned.
Amman
I flew into Amman from Abu Dhabi, where we were all picked up to begin our weekend. We drove into Amman and went straight to see the Roman ruins. There were two areas in the city with Roman ruins. We also went in a little museum to learn about some of the ancient artifacts that were found in Amman. Below are a few pictures from the ruins.
Next, we went to lunch at a famous little outdoor restaurant that the King of Jordan likes to visit with his family. There was a variety of traditional Arabic food and it was a great opportunity to get to know everyone on the trip! I forgot to mention the weather - it was about 40 degrees with misty rain so it was not what I was expecting coming from 70-degree Abu Dhabi!
Petra
The next day, we hopped on our bus early in the morning to make the 4-hour drive to Petra. On our drive, we went through some areas with crazy fog - I couldn't even see the road out my window! I was a little worried that the fog would be at Petra too but it cleared up just in time. Upon arrival to Petra, we began our nice, long walk down to the famous parts of Petra. It was so neat to think about how a whole civilization used to live in the caves and that the path we were walking down was their main road. It was more unbelievable than I could have possibly imagined.
The Dead Sea
On our last day in Jordan, we drove down to the Jordan River that separates Jordan and Israel. The river is about 20 feet wide so we could see many people in Israel getting baptized in the Jordan River. It was amazing to see! Because of the tensions, there were armed guards on both sides and small border patrol boats in the river to make sure no one crossed to either side. Below are some pictures!
The last stop of the trip was a resort on the Dead Sea. We had a nice buffet lunch then had the option to get spa services or go swim in the Dead Sea. I chose to go down to the Dead Sea! They had mud massages before you got in the water with Dead Sea mud. It is supposed to be great for your skin because of all the minerals in the mud. After letting my full-body mud sink in, I went for a float in the Dead Sea. Seriously... a float. It is impossible to not float in the Dead Sea because of the high salt concentration! It also hurts really bad if you get the water in your eyes, trust me. We ended the day by the pool watching an amazing sunset over Israel across the Dead Sea.
If you ever get the chance to go to Jordan - GO! It truly is an amazing place and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to visit!
Love,
RLD
