Jaresh, Jordan

This is the temple of Artemis at the superbly preserved Roman City of Jaresh in Jordan. What's so impressive is the that the pillars are morticed and tenonned not cemented at the joints deliberately so they won't fall down in earthquakes.

I was amazed walking around here at their ingenuity and the fact that their theatres are stil used for concerts today. Amazing how we underestimate the ancients and regard them as inferior in so many ways.

Have nice day now whevever you are.

Bedouin in Wadi Araba, Jordan

I have always been a bit upset over the way the people in the Middle East often treat their animals. That aside the reason why I took this picture was that this Bedouin in Wadi Araba, Jordan is only wearing one shoe! I don't know why but there you go. Enjoy your day now.

Wadi Araba

We had walked across the flat Wadi Araba, a parched plain that rises gently into the Jordanian mountains. Whilst we had had lunch under this lone acacia tree that offered us shelter from the dry heat our guide gathered firewood to make the sweet tea Jordanians are so fond of.  Three bee-eaters flew over us, their green and yellow plumage seemed to shine like jewels in the sunlight, followed a few minutes later by a huge griffon vulture drifting slowly only feet above as it searched for carrion.

Have a great day wherever you are.

Petra, Jordan

For most people Jordan means the ancient city Petra and if you are going to visit the country you should really go there, as it is an incredible experience, why on earth it isn’t one of the Seven Wonders of the World is totally beyond me. A city of palaces, theatres and tombs that has been carved from the solid rock, to see it at night is truly amazing.

There are many relatively cheap and comfortable hotels, as well as some expensive ones, right next door in the town of Wadi Musa. You can then walk down into Petra through the Siq after you’ve bought your ticket at Petra Gate. Take a bit of advice here and don’t take the horses as the men who operate the trips often ask for a personal tip as well as the traditional tip and can get quite shirty. The walk into the city is about half an hour down the road laid by the Romans, I took my sandals off for a bit to try and get closer to the legionaries who laid them, whilst the huge walls of the canyon towered above me.

The site of The Treasury as you enter the city is one that will stay with you forever but you will need to bring some water with you as the size of the city is huge and you can explore paths that take you high up into the hills to see other tombs and monuments. Do make an effort to climb up to the Monastery (above), the biggest tomb where there’s also a small café, the bushes outside inhabited by Palestine Sunbirds, tiny birds of a vivid iridescent green with a curved bill almost as big as they are.

It is the incredible patterns of the vast range of shades of reds, yellows and oranges found in the rocks here that stick in your mind. There are only two toilets in Petra but they’re worth looking at for the amazing patterns on the roof of the cave. It was rather bizarre holding the gent’s door open so a group of Swiss ladies could photograph the roof in there! There are two cafeterias/restaurants in the city where you can get traditional Jordanian and western food and some small stalls serving snacks however I combined the two by buying food in Wadi Musa before hand where it’s a lot cheaper!

Have a great day now.

The Dead Sea, Jordan

Sunset from the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. We had just walked down a gorge for some 6 hours, swimming, wading and climbing down waterfalls, clambering under and on top of boulders. It was a great experience! Have a good day now.

Blister stop in the Desert

This is a blister stop in the middle of the Jordanian desert. I'm off to Birmingham today for The Cruise Show and won't be back until Sunday so my next post will be on Monday morning. for the thousands of you who follow this blog please accept my apologies!