MARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST - DIP NAG

T R A V E L O G U E

MARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

An out of the world experience on his last Easter vacation. Dip Nag writes

‘Where next?’ - It was another typical chilly Munich winter evening, while sipping a cup of coffee, Urmi asked me this question.

We were still hungover from our almost-two-month trip to India, partly because of our craving for Kolkata food and weather and mostly because of our tryst with Covid back home. Feeling a desperate need to plan a vacation (Easter holidays were the next in line), we called up one of our friends, a regular companion in our trips. It so happened that he already had itineraries ready for a few countries among his bucket list, and Jordan happened to be the common thread linking all our wishes. What started as a casual discussion culminated into a full-fledged vacation in the next two days, and we were all set to embark upon our much-anticipated trip to Jordan.

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Although we travel with our son from when he was one month old, yet there were quite some challenges and apprehensions for this one –ranging from security concerns, to concerns regarding driving on Jordanian highways (and deserts) to travelling by our own with a 3 year old without a so-called guide with us. At the end, we decided to take a leap of faith and planned our travel all by ourselves.

Come the day, we landed from Munich to Amman, the capital city of Jordan. The chaos at the immigration counter, the sound of traffic outside the airport and most importantly the gushing warm wind on our face- reminded us of our very own city. For the next day, our base was Amman, and we travelled around the city, exploring its citadel, walking down the Rainbow Street and eating at some of the best local eateries around the city at astonishingly cheap prices. Our visit to Amman was culminated by a dinner at Hashem Restaurant, which, according to most travelers, serve the best falafel and humus in the world (Urmi may disagree to this ‘myth’). However, what we all unanimously agree is that Jordan has the best Baklava and Konefe in the world, and any food lover should not miss it!

The next day, we picked up our car from the airport and started our journey to Wadi Rum, which is famously called as ‘Mars on Earth’ for its unique red soil and topography. In spite of all our apprehensions, we found out that highways in Jordan are quite well-constructed and barring a few exceptions, Jordanians are not crazy drivers (Yes, I have driven in South Italy too)! The journey was 4 hours long, and I still remember the first view of the Wadi Rum Village from the hilly highways, which was breathtaking to say the least. We arrived at the house of the Desert Camp Owner and were greeted by Tea and local sweets. We parked our car there and went on a 4x4 deep into the desert to stay in a ‘Martian Dome- something which has gained into prominence after the movie ‘Martian’ was shot in this protected area. We went around the vicinity of our camp, watching one of the most beautiful sunsets across the red desert soil of the Wadi Rum. We spent the next day doing desert tours, climbing high bridges, making bon-fires in the

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desert, and then feasting on local food called Zarb in the evening. An exhausting but an outright enchanting day thus came to an end.

Our next stop was Petra, approximately 3.5 hours drive from the Wadi Rum Village. However, we decided to take a short detour and visit the coastal city of Aqaba. On reaching Aqaba, we went on a tour of the Red Sea in a glass-bottom boat. It was nice to get a quick glimpse of the underwater marine life in such a short while. The border between Israel and Jordan passes almost through the middle of the Gulf of Aqaba and we could only go that far, to see the landscape of Israel in front of us.

As we reached Petra and retired for the evening, we were eagerly looking for the next day to unfold, as it was the day planned for Petra. With my son on my back in the carrier, we had never planned to cover the entire valley, but to see some of the most important sights like the treasury and the Monastery. However, destiny had something else in mind for us!

We happened to meet a local guide, who lured us with the promise of walking down the slope (usually from the main entrance following the Siq Trail, one goes uphill) through a separate entrance and trail than the most popular one. The lazy but greedy traveler in us woke up and we started Petra trail from the usual end point. I can vouch for the fact that those 17 km of trek, with my son on my back, was the toughest trek I have ever done in my life. Although it drenched us of all our energy, we were rewarded with magnificent views of the Monastery, the Tombs, and the Treasury. Also, it gave me the confidence that if I can successfully complete this trail and still be alive, I can complete perhaps any trek in the world. However, back to this day, when I reminisce the journey, I have forgotten all the pain and struggle, but I could never forget what we saw and experienced. One more wonder of the ancient world ticked off!

After a small hiccup with the Airbnb accommodation, we finally managed to successfully round off our trip with a visit to the Dead Sea. Finally, a phenomenon about which we had read in Geography textbooks in our childhood, was in front of our eyes. Floating in the Dead Sea- one more off the bucket list!

Barring the few usual tourist-place nuisances, throughout our trip we realized how beautiful the country is, how welcoming its people are and how much one can gain in terms of lifetime experiences from it. So much so that even my 3.5-year-old son remembers almost every place we visited throughout our trip. But I guess that’s what all travels are like-each one comes with its own unique flavor and stays with us for a lifetime. Until next time – Auf Wiedersehen!

Dip is a cyber security professional on weekdays, traveler on weekends and vacations, and a full-time father all around the year. He loves to capture travel experiences through his lens and into his travel blogs at www.dipintotravel.com

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