Jordan Travel Experiences by JonEarle.com

TRAVEL EXPERIENCES routelog # 12, 14

beet-route.com

JORDAN / SYRIA

JORDAN CONTENTS ‘THE KINGS HIGHWAY AND THE LOWEST POINT ON EARTH’

‘Jordan is loud. Whether in the streets, people shouting at each other from a distance, or saying hello to us using their own voices, or by using their car horn...’ Continued on Page 2

ISRAEL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES ROUTELOG #13 SEE ISRAEL & PT

‘ALL ROADS LEAD TO DAMASCUS’

“Jon has had his first barber experience in Damascus and he says he has never been so smooth, and would like this ‘man-beautification’ weekly.”

Ethiopian chasing kids

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Aukje’s father Rien, in Wadi Rum

Bedouin

AQABA - AMMAN!

A (20 qaba /01 /09

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) ( Amma n 29/ 01/ 09)

‘THE KINGS HIGHWAY AND THE LOWEST POINT ON EARTH’ (a third beetroute team member joined us for this section in the form of Aukje’s father: Rien) Kilometre's cycled: Approximately 375 kilometres + 40 kms on a truck. Punctures: 1 (on the rental bike) Repairs: no repairs Road conditions:

Pushing up the the Kings Highway

Aqaba- Al Risha: Good wide road, with hard shoulder, though headwinds Terrain: Slow gradual climb to 200 metres. Al Risha- Wadi Musa: Single lane road, not often used apart from military training and a few locals, a little rougher in places. It widens at the top before joining the main Aqaba Petra road, which is good. Terrain: Most definitely the steepest climb we have done. Very, very steep, and in fact too steep for us to cycle with load. We pushed and were looking to push much further, however we found a truck and were taken to the main Petra highway,

Aukje’s father Rien, in Wadi Rum

‘Jordan is loud. Whether in the streets, people shouting at each other from a distance, or saying hello to us using their own voices, or by using their car horn...’

Desert silhouettes

AQABA - AMMAN!

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Campfire

1000m. Wadi Musa- Dana: Good roads, and again headwinds in places. Very cold at this time of the year. Road rises to over 1700 metres. Terrain: a steep climb out of Wadi Musa, and then a series of hills. A very steep downhill to Dana. Dana- Namata- Feifa- Safi: We took a road from Highway 35 to Highway 65 that isn’t on our map, from local guidance. It was in good condition.

Highway 65 was needing a new seal and was narrow in places, leaving only a very narrow cycling lane, lots of ‘hold your breath and hope’ as trucks passed. Terrain: steep in places and all down hill to - 400 metres. Safi- Suweyma: Good condition past the salt evaporation plants and along the Dead Sea. Terrain: many hills at this low level, along the shore. Suweyma- Amman: A good wide shoulder so safe cycling, though 70%+ of the traffic were trucks with an

excess of diesel fumes. Terrain: all uphill! -300 metres to +900 metres before Amman... Weather: Constant headwinds to start with from Aqaba, then warm/ hot temperatures in the more sheltered mountains as we climbed. At elevation it was very cold with harsh wind. We cycled in the cloud one day, giving misty and cold conditions. Very warm in the Dead Sea basin, and then cooler again in Amman Liters of water consumed/ day/person: 3 L Litres of water in plastic bottles consumed: 1 L of water a day for beet 3, 2 L total for this period for beet 1 and 2. Flavour-some Food: We have enjoyed falafel, hummus and flat bread by the tonne, gallons of tea at every stop, pasta and tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes (yes it is tomato season in the Dead Sea Valley). The breakfasts at Dana were very nice with a range of local flavours. The nuts have been awesome, flavoured pistachios, cashews, peanuts and almonds... very spoiling

Physical Well-being: Aukje’s hands have improved immensely since we added an extra foam layer to her handlebars. We have had no illness (touch wood) since starting beetroute again in the new year... yay! There have been minor cuts and scratches from wood around the evening campfire, and plenty of aching legs after long uphills, however great satisfaction! Team Dynamics: We have enjoyed the additional member this last 2 weeks, as Aukje’s father, Rien, joined us for this leg. The two weeks went very well and there will be a gap next week when he departs. People: For the most part we have been in the ‘tourism-world’, which generally on a global level offers the same kind of service. English is spoken widely. We have come across some great hospitality, for example on one occasion, we were very cold cycling towards Dana, and we spotted some trees to shelter us from the harsh wind, for a lunch break.

AQABA - AMMAN! We got closer and found that we had entered a sheep farm. The guard of this farm welcomed us into his gate-house, which was warmed by kerosene stove. We had tea in our hands within minutes, smiles on our faces and food in our bellies before too long, and left having made new friends. We have had a few kids chasing the bikes and a few more rocks and stones. All in all, very friendly people. Animals: Lots of donkeys again, a few camels and horses for the tourists. Dogs, dogs, dogs guarding the Bedouin herds, and cats’ cats’ cats eating scraps everywhere we went. Memorable Quote: A homemade poster, in a shopfront window near Petra, read “Dogs and Israelis will not be served”. Aowch! Typical: Jordan is loud. Whether in the streets, people shouting at each other from a distance, or saying hello to us using their own voices, or by using their car horn (every 10th car). Always as usual in the towns, villages and cities the Islamic ‘call-to-prayer’. It all adds up to make for a noisy environment.

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that also is one of only 5 nature reserves in Jordan. Suleiman at the Dana Hotel made us feel right at home. www.danavillage.piczo.com Hints For Traveling This Section: Be well trained/fit because it is steep, especially if you are carrying loads. Our map was out-dated (we have found that “International Travel Maps” the brand, frequently have mistakes and are inaccurate, and much prefer “Nelles” when we can find them). And make sure you are Aukje overlooking the Dana Valley prepared for both heat and the cold.

The kerosene burner

Unexpected Disappointment: We have had some very close calls with traffic. Drivers in the area, especially the tomato trucks, have been a real hazard as they display very dangerous driving. Watch out during tomato season! Secret Spot: Dana has been a hidden treasure that we have all enjoyed. A peaceful, deep valley,

It was cold up high with intense winds

‘Dana has been a hidden treasure that we have all enjoyed. A peaceful, deep valley, that also is one of only 5 nature reserves in Jordan.’

AMMAN - DAMASCUS!

Am (9/ man 02/ 09)

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Dam (13 ascus /02 /09 )

"ALL ROADS LEAD TO DAMASCUS.’" Kilometre's cycled: Approximately 200 kilometres Punctures: 1 Repairs: tent holes repaired. Road conditions: Amman- border Jordan/Syria It was dangerous and difficult to get out of the city. The roads were good although the drivers much less than that. On ramps, off ramps made for very scary crossings, and too many close calls in such a short time. We were very glad to be out of the city limits. Terrain: Amman is a hilly place, but once out of the city it flattened out. Border- Damascus Flat roads, in good condition all the way to Damascus. Wide hard shoulder the whole way. Weather: Leaving Amman was warm and even hot. Newspapers stated that the temperatures that day were some 10-12 degrees Celsius above the average for this time of the year. A storm was forecast.

Amman

The only photo with us both cycling

“Camping wasn’t an option as we had yet to repair holes in our tent from Africa, and so we kept going even after dark...”

Leaving Amman - scary road!

AMMAN - DAMASCUS!

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“We have had the pleasure to be introduced to the Jordanian hospitality on our last night in Jordan. “ We ran into the worst storm we have had by far on Feb 10. After having spent the night with a lovely Jordanian family, only 10 kilometres from the border with Syria, we set out the next day after enjoying breakfast. We passed the border controls by 11.30 am, after which it was still 110 kms to Damascus. It was already windy, and soon it started to rain. Heavy and cold rain, hard northwestern winds and a gradual climb made the road to Damascus hard going. At times it was hard to stay even on the road, with intense cross-winds, trucks throwing spray and when they pass they block the wind momentarily until the cross wind catches you again, threatening to blow you into the gutter. Camping wasn’t an option as we had yet to repair holes in our tent from Africa, and so we kept going even after dark. Riding into Damascus in heavy traffic, ongoing rain and unable to see the potholes in the road due to flooded streets, wasn’t a very pleasant experience. Certainly not for Aukje after a drunken bystander slapped her hard on the back. Eventually we reached a hotel, stripped our wet gear

off and were very thankful for the warm shower. Liters of water consumed/ day/person: 2 L (many in the form of tea). Litres of water in plastic bottles consumed: 0 L Flavour-some Food: We were treated to traditional Arabic dishes and flavours during our night close to the border. Home grown and pickled olives and oil were awesome. In Damascus we ate some great marinated meat, with flat bread, hummus, and mixed salad. mmmmmmm Physical Well-being: Aukje has had some neck-and back pains and we were both a little sore after the long road to Damascus. Fully recovered again after some rest. Team Dynamics: Good. People: We have had the pleasure to be introduced to the Jordanian hospitality on our last night in Jordan. After cycling north from Amman, we came close to the border with Syria around 4pm and decided to find a place to camp. While

Aukje was checking out a possible camp location (in a road side ditch, yes, very glamorous), a car approached Jon. A mother and her three children were in the car, and this lady told us the weather was going to be very bad later that evening and we should come to her house to have some tea. After some hesitation on our side, she added: I am a policewoman, don’t worry. We decided to have tea. After another 10 kilometres of cycling, we reached her home and were greeted by a pack of growling dogs (Jon is not good with animals at the best of times, and he took every precaution necessary to avoid an inevitable bite...Aukje wasn’t really worried as she is a lot better with animals. ‘Barking dogs don’t bite’.). Once inside, we were to sit close to the heater and enjoy the tea. The woman was called Hiam, her husband Ahmad, and her three children Islam, Zain and Waheed, and there was also an uncle. A very simple home, full with furniture, ornaments,

AMMAN - DAMASCUS! and a picture with Ahmed meeting King Hussein, which was obviously a great privilege. A table full of food was prepared for us and we were invited to spend the night at their house, relax, and have a shower. We were treated to oranges, biscuits and traditional homemade food and had a very nice evening. The children slept in the living room so we could use their room, and in the morning, we were not to leave until we had eaten our fill at breakfast with them and were given some extra food for on the road. Fabulous, and we are very grateful for the experience! True Jordanian hospitality. Animals: Dogs, dogs and dogs. And growling ones too! And barking ones as well. In Damascus, fat cats, skinny cats, dirty cats and clean cats. No more donkeys, camels or goats in the city streets. Memorable Quote: ‘It would be my most pleasure to have you for tea’- Hiam. ‘Uncle Call Centre’ - Ahmed taking about his brother with 5 phones. Typical: Jordanians like mobile phones. It is very typical to see a man with up to 3 phones each, especially taxi drivers, who seem to juggle calls left right and centre, and the driving part is secondary. Knowing and experiencing this first hand, doesn’t give you any comfort being on the bike with short attention spans. ‘Uncle Call Centre’ we shall call him, is one of these men. He came into the Jordanian home were enjoyed staying at, and proceeded to take 5 new mobile phones out of his pocket, to recharge them at the end of the

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night. Five!!! He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. In most of the Middle Eastern countries we have visited so far, it is very common for men to use a barber for haircuts and shaves. Jon has had his first barber experience in Damascus and he says he has never been so smooth, and would like this ‘manbeautification’ weekly ;) Unexpected Disappointment: Having been told that Syrians in general were lovely natured people, more so than the Jordanians, we were disappointed Syrian border during our first evening when Aukje was slapped on the bike whilst riding. The shock of the hard slap was compounded by exhaustion and pain. There are always silly people around, we were just unfortunate that evening, however our initial impression of Syrians left us a little ‘on-edge’. After a few days in Damascus, that feeling has fortunately left us. Secret Spot: The road from Amman to Damascus has been one of the most dramatic we have ridden yet. In the kms close to the border, it is desert as far as one can see, sand and rock. Across the border the change was almost instant, into very rocky, and then fields in which there were patches of green showing through where grass was trying to grow, road-side weeds and flowers, and then in the distance at the end of the day,

“Jon has had his first barber experience in Damascus and he says he has never been so smooth, and would like this ‘manbeautification’ weekly.”

AMMAN - DAMASCUS! snow covered mountains north of Damascus. Yellow sandy desert to red muddy fields to snow capped mountains in 24 hours, as well as a mighty storm and conditions so intense it was at time very difficult to even keep the bikes on the road. A memorable ride! Damascus’ Old City was delightful. Plenty of charm, character and diversity. We found ourselves in the middle of a procession in where the men were chanting with shirts off, and slapping their bright red chests. Many of these men’s backs were deeply scarred with what looked like self-inflicted whipping, or maybe someone else did it. The women were following often weeping and wailing openly. We have not researched with this was, however we will have some footage in SLOW Journey, hopefully with an explanation.

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Do it! Be careful on the road out of Amman. If you are asked to take tea by a lady and her children... say YES! You can only pay your Syrian Visa fee in US dollars, so make sure you either have USD when you cross the border, or money to change, as there is no ATM.

Ashura

Hints For Traveling This Section:

Man Beautification - Clean shaven in Damascus!

Pistachio icecream