20-25
December 2016
Day 1
: Amsterdam – Amman
Try
to escape from cold, for this winter holiday we were going south. As we didn’t
have much time to arrange for visa, so we searched for counry that no need visa
or only need visa on arrival. Jordan is one of the country that give Indonesian
visa on arrival. So, Jordan was the country we spent our holiday.
Our
flight supposed to depart early in the morning at 7.10. But since it was
winter, the plane was covered with ice and needed some times to remove it. So
we stayed in the plane for more than 30 minutes. We are afraid that we will
miss our connecting flight. Luckily, our connecting flight from Vienna was also
delayed. But again, in Vienna, we need to sit in the plane for more than 30
minutes before it took off. We arrived 1.5 hours late in Queen Alia Airport
Amman.
This
was the first time we took a private tour since our arrival. As we wanted to
cover Jordan from north to south and we searched it was not easy to move from
one city to another, we decided to take the tour. We also calculated the price
and time and found that the private tour was worth it. Actually we tried to
find group tour, but it seems it was not common in Jordan, unless for some area
only such as Petra.
At
the airport, the tour representative had already waited for us before the
passport control. He took care of the visa and made sure we meet our driver
after that. Now, we were with our driver who will accompany us in all of our tour.
On our first day in Jordan, the tour just picked us up at the airport and
dropped us at the hotel. We stayed in Ocean Hotel, which location was not
really convenient, except if you want to buy jewellery. We can only find one
Lebanese restaurant near our hotel. So we ended up had our dinner there, at Tanndureen
Restaurant. We ordered some Lebanese food such as Samakeh Harra (spicy fish),
Fattet Dajaj (rice with yogurt and chicken), Warak Inab (graped leave stuffed
with rice – as appetizer) and grill Kebab. They served bread and water for
free. The food cost JD 38.
After
dinner, since it was quiet late and there was nothing to see near the hotel, we
decided to back to the hotel.
Day 2
: Amman – Umm Qais – Ajloun – Jerash 
On
this second day, we went north. Our driver picked us up at 8.30. It was quiet a
long journey, more than two hours, to reach Umm Qais. Umm Qais is the site of
ancient Greco Roman city of Gadara. We can find many ruins that still in a good
shape, such as the colonnades and the theater. Besides lime stones they also
used black basilica stones, so we can see some parts are white and some parts
are black. From this ruin we can see the 3 countries:
Jordan, Syria and Israel. 
From
Umm Qais, we went to Ajloun Castle. Ajloun Castle was built in 11th
century by one of Saladin’s general to repel the Crusader threats to north
Jordan. It was built on top of a hill 1100 meters above sea level. Ajloun
Castle is one of the greatest examples of Islamic military architecture.
The
castle was surrounded by dry moat. Inside the castle, there was a small museum
where we can see some artifacts. From the top of the castle, we can see panoramic
views of the Jordan Valley.
It was
almost 2 pm when we finished the tour at Ajloun. We had our lunch at local
restaurant. We ordered chicken Shawarma, they served it with French fries and
salad. We must eat very quickly because we still have one place to visit and
since it was winter time, the closing time was earlier.
Our
last destination for today was Jerash. Jerash ruins are said to be the best preserved
Roman ruins outside of Italy. Inside the site, we can see many amazing ruins.
Hadrian’s Arch that was built in 2nd century, was one of them. Next
to Hadrian’s Arch, there was Hippodrome, a Roman era stadium. Continued
walking, we arrived at another amazing ruins, the Oval Plaza. It consists of
160 Ionic columns. There were also some temples, such as Temple of Artemis and
Temple of Zeus, but we did not have time to visit, since the officer told all
the visitors that it was closing time and we need to leave the site. 
Day 3
: Madaba – Mt Nebo – Bethany – Dead Sea
Today,
we leaved the hotel at around 9 am, and going south. After two hours, we
arrived at Madaba, known as the city of mosaic. In Madaba, there was St. George
Churh, home to the famous 6th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem and
the Holy Land. Two millions pieces stones, covers the floor of the church.
Not
far from St. George church, only 20 minutes driving, there was Mount Nebo,
another historical site. Mount Nebo is the mountain from which Moses saw the
Promised Land before he died. It is also the the presumed site of his death and
burial place. In this site, there was a Byzantine Basilica which is now have
been incorporated into the structure of modern church building, known as the
Memorial Church of Moses. Inside, we can see the magnificent Byzantine mosaics.
Outside the church, we can see the sculpture of Serpentine Cross, a symbolic of
the bronze serpent taken by Moses into the desert, and the cross upon which
Jesus was crucified.
From
Mount Nebo, actually we supposed to go to Karak. But after the tourist attack
four days before, the tour organizer decided to cancel and change it to Bethany
(we need to pay the different of the ticket fee). Bethany Beyond Jordan is the
site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The driver dropped us off at
the ticket office. After we bought the ticket, we waited for minibus that will
take us to the site.
The minibus stopped at the parking area, and from there we
walked to the site. The guide led us and gave us some explanation. Our first
stop was the Elijah's Hill. The small hill has the ruins of three churches,
three caves and three baptism pools. Then we walked to the spot where Jesus was
baptized. After that we continued to part of Jordan River where we can dip our
feet in it. If you bring a bottle, you can fill it from the river (no need to
buy at the souvenir shop J).The river is also a border between Jordan and
Israel. It is so close that we can see people visiting the site from Israeli
site. As we went to the river, we passed a modern Orthodox church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Our last stop
was souvenir shop. Then, we rode the same minibus backed to the ticket office
area.
After
visited many historical places since morning, now it’s time to relax and swim
in Dead Sea. Our tour included swimming and lunch in Dead Sea Spa Hotel. It was
a good thing to access the dead sea from private beach hotel, since after
swimming we need hotel facility to clean our sticky body J.
We had our lunch first. It was a buffet and the food was good, especially the
dessert. After that, we headed to the beach. Though the name is Dead Sea,
actually it was a lake. Due its high level of salinity (33% salt), it would kill most forms of life, that’s what make its
name. But water in Dead Sea is mineral rich water, and the oxygen level is also
high in this area, make it a healing place, even since Cleopatra time.
We left Dead Sea at sunset time. We drove straight to
Petra and arrive at night time. We stayed at La Maison Hotel.
Day 4
: Petra – Little Petra
Today,
we visited one of wonders of the world, Petra. According to the brochure, it is
not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the
capital of Nabataean Empire. Petra was founded along the ancient trade routes between
Arabia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. The earthquake and changes in trade
route, made the downfall of Petra. It was abandoned.and became a lost city
until in 1812, Johannes Burckhardt, a Swiss explorer with the local guide found
it.
After
breakfast, we went directly to Petra Archeological Site. Our hotel was within
walking distance to the site, only 5 minutes walking. As our driver told us, we
need to buy the ticket by ourselves (he gave us the money to buy the tickets,
JD 50 per person) because if the ticket officers know we are in a group tour,
they will insist that we must to take a guide (another JD 50). At the entrance
of the site, there was the Petra Visitor Center. Here, we bought our tickets. Also,
there were information center, toilet and souvenir shops.
After
we bought the tickets, some guys were offering us to take the horse to the
entry gate. First, we were doubt to take it since we didn’t sure it was
included in the ticket price. But after checked the ticket and also the guys
said they only wish for the tip, we agreed to take the horse. Though from the
visitor center to entry gate was not far, but it was a good experience riding a
horse surrounded by giant rocks. Made us feel like Indiana Jones J.
The
entry gate was the final stop for the horses. They can not go in to the site
(unless the horse cart). We gave JD 2/person as the tip. From the entry gate, we
enter the gorge. We walked between huge rocks. It was only one path, so we just
need to follow the path… until we arrived at The Treasury (Al Khazna), the most
magnificent façade in Petra, the icon of Petra. We can see how amazingly they
built the façade, carved directly into sandstone cliff faces. According to the
legend, it’s the place that conceals a pharaoh’s treasure. 
From
The Treasury, we continued walk in the path (though we can also take a camel ride
– in front of The Treasury, there were many guys offering camel ride). We
passed The Theatre, the only theatre in the world carved into the rock. We can
not enter the theater, just see from outside.
Not
far from The Theatre, we can visit the Royal Tombs. There were four tombs in
this location, the Urn Tomb, the Silk Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Palace
Tomb.
From
the Royal Tombs, we hike a bit to The Church. We can only see the ruins and the
mosaics floor. Along the way since the Royal Tombs we were followed by a young
boy who was very persistent, asking us to take donkey ride to the Monastery.
Since we need to climb stairs with 900 steps to reach the Monastery, we decided
to take the donkey ride. We negosiated and got the price for JD 5 / donkey.
On
the way to the Monastery, we passed the Colonnaded Street. It would have been
one of the principal shopping streets in Petra. The way to the Monastery was
not easy. We need to hold on tight and balance our body. The donkey seemed to
know the way. It didn’t need man to lead them (we held the donkey rope by
ourselves, the man only walked behind us). The donkey stopped at one point, and
from that point we need to continue by foot. It took around 10 minutes walking
(and climbing) until finally we reached the Monastery (Ad Deir). As for its
name, it used for religious purposes.
Just
across the Monastery, there was a small café. This café had a perfect location.
After climbing the stairs, sure ones will need some rest and drinks. And it was
perfect, to rest while admiring the magnificent façade of the Monastery. Plus the
café also had wifi J. We enjoyed our lunch (croissant that we bought in
supermarket before) with the cardamom coffe. We rested quiet long there, before
we climbed down. This time we didn’t take donkey ride :)
We
finished exploring Petra at around 2.30 pm. It was raining at that time. Our
driver met us in front the Visitor Center. Though it was raining, we still
continued our tour to Little Petra (Siq al Barid). It was only 15 minutes
driving from Petra. Compare to Petra, this site was very quiet, only us as
visitor at that time. Entering the site, we were welcomed by a beautiful façade
on the right side. From the façade, there was a path between the rocks
formation. Though it was small compared to Petra, still this site was also
worth it to explore.
As
the rain was getting heavier, we decided to back to the hotel. We made a quick
stop at supermarket to buy some snacks and drinks.
Day 5
: Aqaba – Wadi Rum
We
started our tour at around 9 am. We headed to Aqaba, coastal town in Jordan. It
is famous for diving and snorkeling activities. It is also a good base to
explore southern Jordan. We can see The Red Sea with its bordering countries: Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. We did not have any particular places to visit in
Aqaba. We’re just driving, enjoying the view and add some geography knowledge.
At around 1 pm, we met our tour guide for Wadi Rum jeep
tour. We got three hours explore the Sahara Desert by Jeep. We visited Lawrence’s
House (the house where Lawrence of Arabia supposedly lived), Khazali Canyon (where
we can find drawings and writings, which date back thousands of years), The
Mushroom (mushroom shaped rock), Little Bridge (with its magnificent shape) and
of course the beautiful Sand Dunes.
It was
our second experience in desert (the first was in Morocco), but it always gives
us a memorable experience. The vastness of the desert always gives us somekind
of peaceful feeling.
We finished
our tour exactly at 4 pm. We drove back to Amman. The driver took the highway
all the way to Amman. It took precisely 3 hours to arrive at our hotel (the
same Ocean Hotel). Tonight was Christmas Eve and our mass began at 10 pm. We
decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, Diwan Al Sultan Ibrahim
Restaurant, which apparentely was a famous restaurant in Amman. Though we must
wait for a long time but the food was very good. And the best part, they served
a very good dessert for free.
From
hotel to the church we took Uber. It only 15 minutes ride. Jabbal Amman Church had
English mass, and though it was Christmas Eve and we arrived a bit late, we
still have space to sit.
Day 6
: Amman
city tour : Citadel, Roman Theater, Souk
Today
was our last day in Jordan. Our plane schedule was at 3.55 pm. We still had
half day to explore. Though actually our tour did not include Amman city tour,
but the tour organizer was kindly enough to give us the city tour as
complimentary. So, we gladly accepted their offer to pick us up in the morning,
showing the city and drop us at the airport.
Our
first destination was the Amman Citadel (Jabal al-Qal’a). Amman Citadel has
been continuously inhabited since Neolithic period. It was fortified during the
Bronze. It has been known by names like Rabath Amman and Philadelphia.
The
first thing we saw was the Temple of Hercules. The most famous part of this
temple is a hand of Hercules. Then we walked straight and arrived at Jordan
Archeological Museum, where we can see some artifacts from ancient time.
From
Citadel, we went to the Roman Theatre. It was built between 169 and 177 AD. It
was a huge theatre with capacity of six thousand audiences. It is still
functioning until today.
We
still have time, so the driver took us to see the souk. It’s not like souk in
Morocco, where there was a huge space with many shops and stalls, Souk in Amman
was just a shopping street with small shops that sells everything.
Before
he dropped us off at the airport, we made a stop to souvenir shop at King
Abdallah Ben Al Hussein Street. There were many souvenir shops and our driver
stopped at Black Iris Handicrafts. We bought mosaic with tree of life pattern –
the most famous pattern in Jordan. Besides the souvenirs, they also sell Dead
Sea products such as mud and salt.
After
that we went straight to the airport. Our flight was at 15.55, we arrived in Vienna
at 19.00.
Then from
Vienna we departed at 20.05 and arrived in Amsterdam at 22.05
Expenses
Golden
Gate Tour : EUR 1485, including:
- 3
nights hotel in Amman (JD65/night)
- 2
nights hotel in Petra (JD 43/night)
- Lunch
and swim at Dead Sea Spa Hotel (JD 40 adult, JD 20 child)
- 3
hours Jeep Tour at Wadi Rum
- All
entrances
- Visa
USD (JD 40 / USD 56)
-
Airport transfer
Flight
(Austrian Airlines) : EUR 1299.25
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