Jordan travel blog
G’day all and welcome to the Midlife Crisis Odyssey Podcast, where not all who wander are lost, but some of us definitely are. A chance meeting in Wadi Rum lead to an amazing experience amongst the ancient landscape of this fascinating part of Jordan. If you would like to see the post for this podcast, you can find it here If you liked this podcast, you may also like Podcast Episode 4. Driving In Tunisia , Podcast Episode 6. The…
I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Jordan before I arrived. My sister, who has spent a lot of time in the Middle East, including Jordan, told me that I must visit the Kingdom. I can tell you I am very glad I did, as this tiny nation is an amazing place. Dana Biosphere Reserve: Wadi Ghuweir; camping in Wadi Dana One thing that was very apparent, even before I reached Jordan, is how genuinely friendly Jordanians…
CRUISING WITH THE KING IN AMMAN King Hussein bin Talal ruled Jordan from 1952, when he was not yet 17 years old, until his passing in 1999 at age 63. The King had a love of cars, motorcycles and motorsport, and not being short of a few dinars built a staggering collection of vehicles during his reign. The Royal Automobile Museum in Amman, Jordan, displays King Hussein’s impressive collection, and being a bit partial to cars and bikes myself I…
I remember as a kid hearing about the Dead Sea, and how you could lie back in it and read a newspaper as your body is so buoyant in the super-salty water. Those who have been along on my odyssey for a while may remember I had a swim in Siwa Lake, Egypt, where the water is so salty the newspaper trick would definitely have worked. Now in Jordan, I had the opportunity for a float in the Dead Sea,…
JORDAN To show due respect to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, I decided to spend three days exploring ancient Petra. And I’m here to tell you, they were three fascinating days. The presence of Covid-19, and the consequent absence of crowds at tourist destinations, have been constants during my odyssey. My visit to Petra was no exception, with the place near deserted. Entry to the ancient city is via the Siq, a 1200 metre long chasm…
GUEST OF THE BEDOUIN I pulled up behind the battered white Hilux. It had certainly done some miles, and it looked like none of them had been easy. I got out and walked around to the front, where a young bloke, dressed in a grey-brown galabaya, was topping up the radiator. ‘Hello mate. You ok?’ ‘Hello. I have..this one…’ and he pointed to the fanbelt, still wrapped hopefully around the pulleys, but flailed into ribbons. ‘Can you help me?’ ‘Yeah…
‘The car has Jordan plates on it, and by law as a visitor you are only supposed to drive a vehicle with tourist plates. So if the police stop you, tell them you work for the Australian Embassy.’ It was really a matter of ‘when’ the police stop you in Jordan rather than ‘if’, so after this advice from the manager of the hire car joint I left with some trepidation. I was out of luck trying to hire a…