Damascus - Amman - Wadi Rum - Petra - Amman

  Amman, Jordan
Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Itinerary : Damascus - Amman - Wadi Rum - Petra - Amman - Dead sea - Amman.
Dates : 30th November to 4th of December 2007.
Mileage in Jordan : 1000 km.
Mileage so far : 18480 km.


After a nice stop at Damascus, we where on our way to Jordan!
Tom and Georges were on their way to Jordan as well so we all took off at the same time from the hotel in Damascus. Tom was trying to convince me to follow him to South Africa, then send my bike from Cape town to Buenos Aires and ride all the way up to Alaska! I have to admit that I hesitated but I was very uncomfortable continuing the trip without having organized and prepared it myself. I had all the spares to go up to South Africa but I didn't like the fact that I didn't know all the details of where I was going to set foot. So I wisely turned down the offer. After all, if I do the whole world in one go, I would have nothing left to do! And I want to leave some countries unvisited so that I can have something to look forward to in the future and eventually do it "two up" on the bike with preferably someone less hairy than Kevin...

I thought I was loaded but Tom is overloaded!

When on our way to Jordan, I had no idea what to expect until we arrived at the immigration and was pleasantly surprised by how it was much more organized than their Syrian counterparts! Then when we arrived in Amman, the first impression we got about Jordan was confirmed when we saw that MacDonalds, starbucks, Burger kings and other big corporations were present in Jordan. Much more develpped than I would have thought and our bikes are less of an attraction here.

It was a short ride from the border to Amman where Hazim and Celine where waiting for us. Hazim and Celine are old friends that are based in Jordan and that kindly proposed us to stay with them during our Jordan stopover. Not only did they allow us to stay in their house but they took care of us as well! Indeed, the moment we arrived in their house we were consulted about going to this birthday party in one of the best nightclubs in Amman! I could see a spark in Kevin's eyes (probably me too) and we accepted the offer without hesitation...It was our first nightclub since Bangkok! Sorry guys, the rest of the evening is censored...

After the first drink with Celine...happy...

after the second drink...sleepy...

With Hazim and an irish guy...

With the jordan mafia!

Jordan knows how to party!

Nice to see women shape again!

This comfortable stay in Hazim and Celine's place was a much needed break and we had our own room (with normal size beds) and I wasn't obliged to endure Kev's smelly feet for once...

The next morning I took advantage of my hangover to finally fit my spare tyre and do an oil change. Delighted to get rid of the problematic rear tyre that kept on losing air! I realized that I have been carrying this problem since India and that I rode trough 6 countries with a deflating tyre! Now that I had no more spare tyres to carry, I had to solve the bike balancing problem because I can't ride with only one side pannier...So for the second time during this trip, I disposed of a side pannier in the nature and I was left with none! Didn't feel so bad as the pannier was bent and I almost couldn't close it anymore. Moreover the underneath was grinded open in one of the nasty falls I had in eastern Turkey on the snow...Hopefully now, I have just one oil and filter change left before I reach France...

In the afternoon, we headed for the extreme south of Jordan to stay in Wadi Rum which is a desert known for its beautiful sceneries. It was funny because we arrived late in Wadi Rum and it was dark so we had no idea what to expect the next day. The only thing we could see when we reached the area was the 5 "mud-straw" walls of our room in the desert camp where there was absolutely nothing but 2 beds. We had the option to stay in one of the numerous tents on the sand outside but after staying in Hazim and Celine's place, we got use to comfort...We woke up the next day delighted by where we ended up...The scenery was fantastic!

the room with blancket or the tent? the room...

Tents in the desert camp...

We started the day by a little camel ride before doing some desert riding on sand, very soft sand...It was a terribly difficult experience! Kept dropping the bike and getting stuck! Although I had left all my stuff in Amman and ridden the bike with no load on it, the GS was still too heavy, especially the front. Once the front would go, there's no way you could catch it back up by putting your leg down! It was probably ridiculous of us to ride those bikes on the soft sand but we had to at least try...That day turned out to be the most tiring day of the trip... After having dropped the bike maybe 8 times halfway in the desert, I couldn't imagine making my way back as I had no more energy!

Took my helmet just in case...

safe to take off the helmet...

a little bit stuck...

forced stop to enjoy the scenery...

Burnout on sand! without wasting tyre rubber...

Kevin was unsuccessful with my GS as well...

Incredible desert labyrinth...

fall number 7 of 8...starting to get tired!

Then I had the brilliant idea to let more air out of the tyres until there was just enough air for the tyres not to go off the rims. There was so little air left in the tyres that I couldn't turn the bike once on the tarmac! This simple change in the tyre pressure made an incredible difference. It completely changed my desert riding experience. Realized that riding with almost flat tyres on desert sand was the key! Managed to go all the way back to the desert camp without dropping the bike! So ended up to be a fun experience after all! This GS is not made for this type of riding and Kevin was flying with his 650! Moreover, his tank is under the seat as well so it made it even more easy for him. He made fun of me the whole day to let out his frustration of having to ride a girl's bike around the world! I'll get him back...

Admire the style! haha...

Practicing for the Paris-Dakar...

Wild camels that popped out of nowhere!

trying to find our way back to the camp...

Pumping up the tyres with the help of this 4x4...

funny girl at the camp...

After this fun but exciting day, we still had some energy left to make our way to Petra.
Petra is about 70 km north of Wadi Rum and is one of the "must visit" sights you have to go to if you come to Jordan. Petra is a beautiful city carved in the rocks that was inhabited by the nabataens and romans. Surprisingly it was kept secret for a long time by the local Bedouins until a Swiss researcher was informed about it and the sight was rediscovered in 1912. Since 6 months ago, this site is part of the 7 wonders of the new world. Nicest site I've visited so far in this trip. Absolutely amazing site in a beautiful desert landscape.

in the "siq" going to the city center of petra...

The treasury...Not me, behind me!

The treasury guardian....

Incredible treasury sight carved in the rock...

The amphitheater...

In a tomb...Not creeped out at all as you can see!

This Petra sight is huge as well, so took a horse to enter the site and downgraded to a donkey to get back to the gate! I apparently had the strongest donkey of Petra and the stupid donkey kept on running! He wouldn't let the other donkeys overtake him so it was a more bumpy ride than the Kashmir road!

me and my stallion going into petra...

proud of my donkey!

I'm bigger than the donkey! poor thing...

Same ears, same hair!

Our guide ahmad...Happy...He must have overcharged

After this incredible day, we were on our way back to Amman where Celine and Hazim were waiting for us for a last night out. Weird to go out on a Monday night but apparently Monday night is the mid-week outing here! Not surprising when I later learned that the week-end starts on Friday and Sunday is the first day of the week...
Unfortunately, it was not to be Kevin's lucky day as his chain was back to haunt him again when it broke on the highway 30 km prior to reaching Amman. It turned up to be a minor problem as a van stopped almost straight away and helped us toe the bike to a workshop in Amman. Kevin, in his habitual pessimism, was already booking his airplane ticket back to Ireland...Nevertheless we managed to get back in Amman in no time and a long night was waiting for us...

not making fun of me in the desert anymore...

Kevin in the van...Feeling low...

So we started by the usual beer appetizer before we discovered the "doudou" shots. Terrifying drink! It's Vodka in which they add Tabasco (a lot) and an olive. Everyone was sick the next day...Even the owner of the bar that was joyfully promoting this original shooter mix was sick the next day...

Stung by the doudou shooter!

hmmm...Kevin didn't like the doudou shooter...

Doudou shooter inventor...

Doudou after effect...happy!

Woke up the next day with a very heavy head but it was not so bad as it was going to be an easy day at the dead sea. I will finally get to see if you really float! The dead sea is about 60 km south of Amman and it's the lowest point on earth. It's about 400 meters below sea level.

Arriving at the dead sea with my safe scarf....

minus 400 meters at the dead sea!

Was a funny and relaxing day until I decided to do the floating test...Indeed, the first thing I did was to taste the water and it stung my thong really bad...Then I put my head in the water and it was a nightmare when my eyes were painfully stinging...Incredible...I never imagined that it would be that salty that you can't put you head in! Because of its high salinity, there's actually no life at all in this sea. The only positive thing about this dead sea (apart from the buoyancy) is that people that have skin problem can come here for cure programs. So I decided to do a little bit of skin rejuvenation myself when I noticed a bucket of mud in front of the beach and decided to cover myself up. I can say that this day happened to be the dirtiest day of my life! Oh and yes you float like a cork in the dead sea...Funny feeling...

Sorry maman but I always wanted to play with mud!

super picture with the wardrobe guy behind...

Ready to go to war!

Ouch my eyes! not funny and painful moment...

positive bouyancy! Even with doudous in my belly!

In the Evening, we all went to have a fabulous Lebanese dinner in town to thank Hazim and Celine for their hospitality. A bit sad that the Jordan adventure came to an end but I will definitely come back. Of all the countries I've visited, Jordan is probably the only one where I would be keen to come back for a week or two to really take advantage of the numerous activities (apart from the doudou shooters).

Thanks again to Hazim and Celine for this Jordan stay.

Tomorrow, back to Syria!

I'm ending this entry by a series of camel pictures...Absolutely great animal!

Huh?

My first nap with a camel...

Did you see my spectacles?

Obsessed with camels!