Breakfast, like dinner, is included in the hotel fare so I went down for a very meager meal. The standard breakfast in this part of the world seems to be fake sausages, hard-boiled eggs, pastries/breads, cheese and meat slices, and then the same kind of salads that you might see on the dinner buffet. Still, I cannot complain too much as coffee was available - unlike when I went to Egypt and was dying of caffeine withdrawal. Also, I wasn't left for want of something to fill my stomach in the end.
The tour began at 9:15 with Yammen(?) the driver for the trip picking me up first. I met the guide for the next four days, Mohammed - if you can't remember someone's name here, you have a high chance of success with guessing Mohammed - who offered an interesting element to the overall experience. As suspected, the tour was to be in Spanish and we headed to the Regency Hotel to pick up the Olaverri family of four.
Our first stop was Mt. Nebo, where Moses stood overlooking the promise land for the Israelites. It is also said that he died nearby this area. The view was hazed-over, but a map directed our eyes to Jerusalem across the river and other famous areas.
From there, we made a requisite tourist stop at a handicraft center where handicapped men were working on mosaics, which were nice, but nothing worth buying to bring home.
The first day was a short one and so the Olaverri family requested that we make a trip to the Dead Sea even though it was scheduled for our return trip from the south later in the tour. It was fine by me and so we spent the afternoon at the Amman Beach, had a float in the Dead Sea and then a refreshing swim in the pool.
After a couple of hours, we made our way down to Petra where we would stay the night. Along the way, we stopped to check out the salt build-up on the shore and passed through the hot springs area, which seemed to be a stomping ground for the men to get together and be men.
Also, as an extra to our tour since it was along the way, we stopped at Karak to see the castle ruins there. It was a location of battles between the Christian Crusaders and the Islamic armies as well as the capital of the Moabites. It was good fun to climb up and down the ruins and in some ways reminded me of visiting Japanese castles and looking through the arrow slits to ward off unwanted visitors. Also, the importance will become clearer later, but Mohammed made sure to mention to me that he was separated from his family at some random point in my exploration of the ruins. I left it alone without interest nor concern.
Finally, we made it to Petra. As we descended, the lights of the city made me feel like I was truly entering a historical area. My hotel was King's Way Hotel or Tulip Inn according to the bathroom amenities. The dinner on offer was much better than the Dana Plaza, though eating alone is an interesting experience. I had decided to wear a ring on my left-hand during the trip whenever I was alone to avoid any unwanted proposals, etc. However, when you eat alone in a hotel restaurant full of tourists, some people offer looks of pity, interest (why is a young woman eating all alone in a foreign country?), and confusion. The staff still offered me extra attention, but I do believe it was less than if I were perceived as single....
Thus, ended my first full day in Jordan.
More to come...
-T
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