Northern Jordan
Trip Start
Apr 28, 2005
1
6
15
Trip End
May 08, 2005
Pella, Umm Qais, Jerash,
Jordan
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Next morning we had an early start with a terrible hangover. We meet are taxi driver (who spoke really good English) and he drove us North, first stop Pella. I managed to get a little sleep in the back of the taxi, but needed fluid by the time we got to Pella. The site is limited, but this is expected since the first inhabitants here we over 7000 years ago. There are a small number of columns in the centre, but the best thing is the views. We also got among a group of goats and took pictures. We then took an interesting drive through check points in the north near the Israeli border and up to Umm Qais. Again not a massive site, but views over the Sea of Gallee and The Golan Heights in Syria. This has references in the bible and is a Roman city from 100AD. We meet a group of locals in a small roman theatre and joined in the songs. At this point I felt increasingly worst
Cardiomaximus
. Are driver took us to Irbid to get some food, Cleggy seemed to like it but it made me want to throw up. This was a busy little town and again we were the only westerners here. We then drove up to Qala'at ar-Rabad castle in Aijlun a castle from 1200AD with stood through the crusades and was destroyed by the Mongols. We were pleased the driver took us here; the castle is very well preserved and has beautiful walkways inside through large arches. By this time my hangover was dying away. We ended our day trip in Jerash once populated by 15,000 Romans and built around the time of Alexander the Great in 333BC. There are loads to see here; two theatres, a large Oval Plaza with a fountain in the middle, huge Hadrain's Arch as you enter, Colonnaded Street, Nymphaeum fountain and Temple of Artemis. We spent at least two hours here and watched local school children dancing to music which sounded like bag pipes. That night we tried to go out for Chinese food, but had an argument with taxi driver who took us in completely the wrong directions. In the end we went for food in a kebab house and ended the night eating traditional desert in a gathering organised by Mr Fayez in the hostel. 
