Jordan
8 days,
Mar - Apr 2010
INTRO JORDAN
Kind of travel:
me and my girlfriend Elisa in an independent travel
When:
27th Mar- 3rd Apr 2010
Do
I need a visa?
No, for EU citiziens you can get it (for free)at the southermost
border point with Israel near Aquaba (but not in all the others).
How
I moved:
by minibus, taxi (from the border to Aquaba) and a lot of walking
in Petra.
Freezing
or baking?
in the morning and in the evenging a little chilly
with a temperature around 15 C, pleasant though. However in
the afternoon under the sun can get quite warm
Where
I slept:
in a decent guesthouse in the town of Musa, 3 km from Petra
(21€ x double)
What
I liked:
Petra of course! Even if your expectantions are high, you won't
be disappointed: my preferite place in Petra has been the top
of the mountain called the 'High Place of Sacriface' at the
twilight
What I disliked:
the visit Petra by night could be the highlight of your trip,
but the mass of people screws it up
How much
daily:
everything related to Petra is relatively expensive, in particular
only the ticket for 2 days is 40€. Hence for a two days
in Petra expect to pay 60€ each person per day. In the
rest of the country it'll be 35€ day if travelling in couple
THE TRAVEL IN JORDAN
[Egypt]
Entering
Israel from Egypt has been quite straightforward and the 15min
taxi ride to the exit point near Eilat charged 12€. If
you want to save money there is a hourly bus to Eilat (8km)
and from here you can walk the 5 km (on the way back we did)
to the Jordan border crossing. From here there's no other choice
but to get a cab to cover the 10km to Aquaba, where from the
bus station there are frequent minibuses to Petra (3hours).
Most of the cheap accommodations are placed in the town of Musa,
2km from Petra and here we found a guesthouse for 21€.
In the site of Petra, open from dawn till twilight, we
took a two days ticket for 38€, plus 12€ for the night
visit. Needless to say it's a touristy place, so you won't definitely
be the only one there. However the feeling of walking in the
1.2 km canyon (called Siq) as wide as even 3m and then suddenly
opening up showing the rock carved Treasury Temple, is jaw dropping.
Further haed you cannot miss the steep trail reaching the 'High
Place of Sacrifice', one of the highest spot in Petra from where
you can admire the amazing panorama of the site, in particular
at twilight.
At 21.00 we had the night tour to visit the site by candle-light
(12€, 3 times per week). It takes roughly 3h and it's supposed
to be a unique experience, but the hundred people make you feel
more a sheep in the flock.
We dedicated the second day to visit the Royal Tombs, the center
of Petra and then we had the uphill sweaty walk to the majestic
Monastery set in the rocky mountains, from where there's a great
view towards the bordering Israel.
The following day at 7.30
am we took the minibus to Aquaba, pulling in 3h later. From
the bus station we had to take a taxi (15min, 4€ each),
since it seems there no other way to reach the border crossing
point. Entering Israel has been a hassle due to the Somali stamp
in my passport: they interviewed me and kept us at the border
for more than 1h.
Once freed up we walked the 6km to Eilat, from where we took
a taxi (5€, 10 min) to the Egyptian border.
[Egypt]
Alby
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