Jordan – February 2022
Having traveled to Aqaba and Petra from Amman by bus, a car seems to be a much better option for visiting Umm Qais and the Jordan Valley. I found a car rental company online that is located just outside the city center, directly on the highway that will take me to Irbid. So I take an Uber and am dropped off on the shopping street. I find the small shop between a chai store and a telephone provider. I fill out a few forms, pay in cash and am then led into the backyard where a few cars are parked.
A silver Kia will accompany me for the next two days. The tank is almost empty, so I should just fill up at the gas station around the corner. It would last until tomorrow evening. Interesting strategy… No photos of the car are taken. After handing over the keys, the salesman says he’ll be waiting for me in the store tomorrow around 5 p.m. and disappears through the back entrance to the store. So my adventure can begin. With GoogleMaps as my navigation device, I head off to my first stop: the petrol station.
The last of the fuel is actually enough for the short drive. While the employee fills up the tank, I take another look at my route. Today I want to cover a good 200 kilometers. First on the highway to Irbid. From there via country roads to Umm Qais, where I hope to have a delicious lunch, and finally through the Jordan Valley down to the Dead Sea. The first part to Irbid is relatively unspectacular. I soon leave the city behind me and the traffic quickly eases off.
At the side of the road there are always huge trucks with tons of watermelons and crates of all kinds of vegetables. The route is a lot more winding and hilly than I expected. However, the road surface is in relatively good condition and I make good progress. In Irbid I leave the highway as planned. Last week I met a Romanian woman in Amman who is currently living here because she works in a refugee camp nearby. From what she told me, I somehow had a different impression of the city.
I continue north along the main road, passing boutiques and coffee shops that you would see in the more rural areas of the United Arab Emirates. The city center is particularly noticeable due to the heavy traffic. The houses along the tree-lined street are no more than two storeys high and are angular with flat roofs. At a junction, I have to wait for the traffic lights to change to green.
Older women knock on the window selling snacks to the stationary cars and men offer their window cleaning services. Then the horn honks in front of and behind me and the convoy slowly moves forward. Just like in Dubai, you have to fight for your place in the lane. I am successful, complete the last stretch in the turmoil and then turn off onto the road that takes me to the border region with Syria and Israel. Narrow country roads lead me through green fields and small villages.
I encounter almost no other vehicles and Google Maps makes me doubt at times whether I’ve really taken the right turn. Each time, however, I am surprised by even more beautiful scenery and so I keep driving up and down green hills until I finally arrive in Gadara. This is where the archaeological site around Umm Qais is located and, almost more importantly for me at that moment, the Umm Qais Rest House, which is run by the Romero Group.
I have already been to their restaurant in Amman with Liana and Alina and the food is incredibly delicious in both places. So I sit down at the table with a view of the valley behind which lies Syria and the Sea of Galilee. The atmosphere with the light jazz music is wonderful and I enjoy the spring-like temperatures. After eating and paying for the small feast, I set off to explore the Roman ruins. The amphitheater and some of the columns are well preserved, but for me nothing comes close to the view of the green hills dotted with olive trees.
But now I have to move on. I book my hotel room at the Dead Sea and head west out of Gadara. My next stopover is the Jordan Valley. A winding mountain road leads there, where I am tempted several times to stop and enjoy the view. To my surprise, local people (mostly older couples) are already sitting down for lunch at an open barbecue they have brought with them. As I’ve already eaten, I content myself with a photo and continue on my way.
I return to civilization in North Shuna. The road along the Jordan and thus along the border to the occupied Palestinian territories leads in a straight line down to the Dead Sea. So I use my cell phone as a radio and do without Google Maps for the next two hours. This also gives me much more time to take in the surroundings. Small markets and individual stores selling all kinds of food and everyday items can be found at regular intervals along the roadsides.
The traffic moves at a leisurely pace and I am repeatedly overtaken by hurried motorcyclists. From time to time, good-natured truck drivers pull over onto the hard shoulder so that we cars can pass. Just like larger towns, there are hardly any traffic lights. I only stop once to buy a few things for dinner at a mini-market. Then suddenly I see a sign indicating a turn-off to the right. I remember from the map that the road makes a slight detour near Jericho and that I should then turn left.
So I go ahead with the planned maneuver, but quickly discover to my horror that I’m heading straight for the (naturally closed) border with Palestine. The sun is slowly setting and luckily there are only a few vehicles on the road. So I quickly turn around and drive back a little until I can turn right at a side road. Now I have the best view of the sunset and drive (slightly over the speed limit) without stopping through the agricultural zone to the sea.
The long row of luxury hotels begins at Swemeh. As I drive along the Corniche, I suddenly see a large number of stationary cars on the right. So I drive down the sandy hill to the unofficial parking lot and hope that my Kia will make it back up the hill. Then I enjoy the sunset and add to my mixed feelings about all the impressions of the day the donkeys and horses that are offered here as an attraction for riding.
Then it’s time for the final spurt to the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa. Yes, I know, not an accommodation that usually features in my stories. But after the exertions of the last few months and the low price, I simply had to treat myself to this. So I park my car and check into my room with a sea view. Then I quickly head to the heated pool (also with a sea view, of course) before it closes. I eat the dinner I brought with me in my hotel room while watching Netflix. Not bad at all – just like breakfast on the terrace the next morning.
Before I return to Amman, I want to travel the entire length of Jordan’s saltiest body of water in the world. With several stops at scenic locations, the time flies by. At a viewpoint near Wadi Mujib, I read a few chapters in the book I received in Aqaba. After checking the fuel level, I spontaneously decide to tackle the way back through the mountains. So I drive up the winding, well-maintained road. On the way, I only come across a few goats and a few cars.
The view is wonderful, but the climb is longer and steeper than I expected. The fuel gauge is dropping rapidly and I decide to return to the capital via the flatter Jordan Valley Highway and the highway. This also means that I can enjoy the view of the incredibly blue water and the high-contrast desert landscape a little longer. I make one last photo stop at a small palm grove where some goats are hanging around. Then it’s down to -430 meters. Now it’s only a good hour’s drive to the car dealer.
I try to drive as fuel-efficiently as possible. As I get closer to the city center, I thread my way through the gridlocked traffic and actually manage to park the car behind the store in time and with a small amount of petrol left. On the main road, I come to the sobering realization that the sales clerk is not there as agreed. As I have no internet connection, I ask the telephone provider next door via Google Translate if he could call the man. He helps me without hesitation and then offers me a strong Jordanian coffee to tide me over while I wait. A short time later, the car dealer turns up, I return my keys and order a cab to take me back to the hostel in downtown Amman.
thattravelstory 