Author: Adrian's Got the Moose

Modern Jeresh.

Something I enjoyed about my three night stay in Jeresh was the complete absence of tourists outside of the archological park. Because Jordan is such a small country, many tourists stay in the capital and take day trips, which makes logistical sense, but in my opinion no good for actually experiencing the country.

Tour buses would park just outside of the archeological site, and vomit out tourists. The tourists would be herded around for a few hours, perhaps get lunch at one of the on site restaurants, then be consumed by the tour buses and sent back to safety in Amman.

My hostel was a good kilometre and a half from the site, and because I refuse to pay for a taxi when I can walk it without feeling too exhausted by the time I get there, I spent a lot of time over the two days around the windy, hilly streets. This is how I ended up eating at restaurants where I was the only non-resident, getting a haircut conducted with no English ( and at a price that I suspect indicates the sheer audacity of me walking in there), and getting on first name basis with the owners and patrons of a coffee shop, where I was not allowed to pay for my first coffee. It was in this coffee house I learned that many Arabs as much as practicable pretend that Israel doesn’t exist, and all that land west of the Dead Sea is simply Palestine.

Every where I went I was asked where I was from, and welcomed.

The hostel I stayed at had only been open for a month, and each night I had a six bed dorm room to myself. The afternoon staff member noticed me writing and typing up my blog entries, and commented that as a writer, I must love the authenticity of the city. I loved my stay in the hostel, lonely as it was, but I doubt it will still be there in a year, unless there is some dramatic shift in the way people travel through this amazing country.

Ancient Jeresh- 17/11/2019

Jeresh is a modern city built around, and on top of an ancient city, which is, of course, the reason I stayed for three nights.

It was a settlement as far back as 7500 BCE, flourished during the Greco-Roman era until various earthquakes destroyed much of the city. The Crusaders made use of it briefly, then it lay abandoned until the Ottomans made use of it in the 16th century.

Today Jeresh is one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities outside of Italy. Excavations began in 1925, and still continue today.

The main entrance of the ancient city of Jeresh is the incredible Hadrian’s Arch, built by the Roman Emperor of the same name.

The Oval Plaza was the main square and focus point of everyday life in the city, and was a crossroads between the two major roads. It was built with impressive Ionic columns, paved with stone slabs, and featured its own drainage system.

The Cordo leads on from the Plaza, linking many state buildings, and would have been lined with hundreds of stalls.

My favourite building was the Nymphaeum. a two-storey fountain, to supply water to the masses in excessive style. The pink granite basin was likely added by the Byzantines.

A number of temples line the Cordo, the most spectacular in my opinion being the Temple of Artemis.

Which included a number of gates and entrances.

The city featured at least two theatres, both amazingly restored. The Southern Theatre featured some beautifully anachronistic live music when I visited.

I think the thing I liked the most about Jeresh is that It was not just a collection of distant buildings, you could see how everything was interconnected. Various gods rose to dominance and faded as the people changed. all the while business and wars were conducted, and empires rose and fell, but for thousands of years the city endured.

The Dead Sea- 15/11/2019

I took an Uber to the Dead Sea Spa Resort. After paying for a day pass I made my way through the resort to the beach, which turned out to be a bit disappointing .

I knew the sea has been receding at a rapid rate, and it’s hard to impress an Australian with any beach, But I still felt it was hardly worth the effort and expense.

Nonetheless , I was there. I dodged Europeans, having suddenly been rendered invisible , stripped off my shirt, left my flip flops on the beach and slowly made my way into the water.

The first thing I noticed was sharp stings from various cuts, abrasions and rashes I had picked up in my travels. Luckily these subsided swiftly. Once the water was up to my nipples I lifted my legs from the mud. It felt very odd, I had to force my legs to stay submerged as they fought their way back up, being excessively buoyant compared to the rest of me in the supersaturated salt water. This became a problem as a man almost ran into me, and I instinctively tried to breaststroke out of the way, and I struggled to right myself- apparently trying to float on your front is how many people manage to drown in the Dead Sea.

Eventually, I managed to find a spot I could float unmolested, which was pleasant enough for half an hour, but then I got bored and headed back to the shore to shower in the open air. the Dead Sea water tends to leave your skin feeling very oily.

I had lunch and a cocktail overlooking one of the resort’s swimming pools, before doing a few laps in the pool before laying down on a deck chair to read for a few hours.

But it was clear I was a pilgrim in an unholy land. I had more in common with the Philippine staff than any of the guests, and apart from mild flirty looks from one older Spanish woman, I was entirely ignored. So I departed and left the obscene excess for those who are more comfortable with it.

Madaba- 14\1\2019

Madaba contains a historic old city quarter, complete with Roman ruins, churches and an alarming number of souvenir shops.

It was supposed to be my gateway to the Dead Sea, Bethany on the Jordan, and Karak. Due to the fact that almost no one stays in the town, and public transport being almost non-existant, I ended up skipping most of it.

I spent a morning visiting Mount Nebo, which is believed to be where Moses first viewed the Holy Land. According to Christian tradition, Moses was also buried there. It made for an interesting if not exciting diversion, trying to take photos while dodging large groups of the devout.

The church itself had some excellent mozaics, which this area is famous for.

I returned to the city in an empty bus, and a completed a self-guided walking tour.

The first step was Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Church, featuring a 5th century mosaic floor of the Middle East, which is famous, and the bread and butter of many of the souvenir shops.

Next was the Burnt Palace, an expansive private residence. The site also includes a church, which also has a mosaic floor.

A nearby site is the Madaba Archaeological Park, featuring a church, the remains of a Roman road, and the crypt of Saint Elianus.

A decent hike way is the Church of the Apostles, which features, shockingly, floor mosaics.

The last stop, and up a tough hill, was thhe Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist. For me it’s true drawcard was underground- the Acropolis Museum .

I also climbed to the top of the bell tower, which had some incredible views.

Petra Part 3- 11/11/2019

The next day I took on the Ad-Deir Monastery Trail, listed as “hard” by the handy booklet I picked up at my hostel. But I am nothing if not a little foolish, so why not? The trail marks a departure from the tour group infested main trail.

It took me a solid hour and a half to reach the monastery, through canyons and over rough-hewn steps, exhausting but rewarding.

The Monastery is very similar to the Treasury but is less in contrast with to the surrounds, which lessens the visual impact. But I think it makes for some interesting photos.

There are number of high peaks a short walk from the Monastery , complete with Bedouins ready to sell you tea to enjoy while you absorb the incredible views.

The wind from there on the day was a thing to behold, and kept me from getting too close to the edges.

To sum up, I loved Petra. The awe-inspiring structures are an amazing testimony to the abilities of the long-dead society that built them. My only complaint was the constant dramas of the drivers of the donkeys, horses and camels who plied their trade. If I never see or smell another donkey, I won’t mind at all.

Petra Part 2

As soon as I realised that the incredible facade from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade  actually existed, I have wanted to see it for myself. The next twenty years have done nothing to change that.

Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9000 BCE and was established as the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom in the 4th century BCE. The Nabateans were nomadic Arabs, who grew steadily wealthy on the spice and incense trade. The city was absorbed into the Roman Empire, suffered from numerous earthquakes and then declined as sea routes overtook the overland trade. It disappeared into obscurity, known only to the Bedouin who camped there. Petra was rediscovered by a Swiss traveller in 1812.

You access the site by a 1.2 KM gorge, complete with water channels , carvings and water fountains for ritual ablutions. At some points the gorge is only three metres wide, making it a tight squeeze for caravans, but perfect for defense.

Before you exit the Siq, you get a tease of Al-Khazna, AKA The Treasury

Its as incredible as it looks in the movie. it’s in fact a temple, the treasury monikor results from a legend that a bandit gang hid their loot in a stone urn on the facade, an urn that is now known to be solid sandstone, now complete with bullet holes from treasure seekers.

Continuing the main trail takes you through another canyon, which widens,  then includes many royal tombs, a recontructed theatre, and the stairs to the High Place of Sacrifice .

To get to the High Place of Sacrifice takes a solid fifteen minutes of climbing, assuming you don’t stop for breaks, or to pat cats. It’s unknown if human sacrifices were ever conducted here, livestook and grain certainly was. However it was not a place I felt like lingering- bad mojo seemed to be evident, no matter how amazing the views.

N earby were two obelisks, believed to represent the chief male and female  Nabatean deities. They were created by leveling the hill top, leaving only the material that makes up the obelisks.

The main trail continues, with the remains of the Nymphaeum, the Trajen Market, then the Great Temple, which was excavated in the nineties and partially reconstructed.

After passing through the Temenos Gate, you can’t help but stare at Qesr Al-Bint, another temple, one of the best preserved structures in Petra.

a group of churches up a modest hill round off the remainder of the main trail, the best preserved is the so-called Byzantine Church, whih boasts some incredible mozaics.

Petra Part 1- 08/11/2019

Due to the vulgar nature of public transport and the unsocial hour I left Wadi Rum, I had to taxi my way to Petra- complete with a prayer break for my driver, which gave me a chance to buy some drinks and snacks.  After check in at my hostel, I had a beer at the terrace bar with some beautiful European twenty-somethings, which led to a late dinner down the hill.

In theory, the walk  from the gate to Petra and the street leading up to it and my hostel is an easy two hundred metre walk. In practice its all uphill, at a gradient that many cars had trouble with. I soon named this hill The Hill Of Doom. My first time climbing it with those beautiful twenty somethings almost killed me. By the time I left I could manage it only feeling slightly knackered by the time I got to the hostel doors.

The next day I took it very easy. I went for a walk to the less touristy part of town for dinner, helped a local clutch-start his aging Mercedes , before getting a haircut, and accepting the offer of a shave.

It was less scary than I thought, I  managed to be appropriately passive as the moustached barber ran the shavette over my face, and tried not to think about Sweeny Todd. After a ten Diner note and a handshake was exchanged I walked into the night air feeling about ten feet tall. I headed back to the hostel for an early night.

Wadi Rum, 07/11/2019

Made famous through the writings of T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) and the movies based on his writings. Filmmakers often use Wadi Rum as a substitute for Mars in science fiction movies, as well as other Earth desert settings. Scenes from the Star Wars franchise ,as well as the upcoming Dune movie have been filmed there.

I spent two nights at Wadi Rum Nomads Camp. I slept in a small cabin made up to look like a tent, and we took our meals in a similar, larger building, often to the sounds of the owner’s music act.

The landscapes were simply breathtaking. Massive sandstone edifices rising up from the almost impossible flat landscape. Minimal vegetation, except for a handful of trees around springs and within canyons, almost everything was below a metre, but all to my botanical eye perfectly adapted to the harsh environment.

Ancient springs were marked with inscriptions in stone in multiple languages to inform travellers, a courtesy that would have saved many lives.

One canyon had permanent standing water, and inscriptions in multiple languages pictogram forms .

On the second day we took a hike to the top of one mountain, from which you could see the very edge of Saudi Arabia, as well as sea life fossils caught in sedimentary rock.

Before we headed back down, of course we had tea. I think it’s tribal law that whenever two or more Bedouins gather together, tea must be brewed and consumed. Often complete with herbs picked nearby.

It didn’t matter how many times you throught that you had seen it all, taken photos of it all, you would turn around and see another amazing vista.

The nights at the camp were cold, but incredibly quiet, insects being almost entirely absent compared to the Australian bush. There was also no Wifi or phone reception, which was good for a social media detox.

But all good things come to an end, and the next stop in my trip was Petra, an ancient city surrounded by a tourist trap.

Aqaba, Jordan- 4/11/2019

My three night stay in Aqaba was uneventful except for some time hanging out with some excellent backpackers, However I do want to talk about Jordanian hospitality.

I arrived at my hostel ludicrously early in the morning, something like fourteen hours before my proper check-in. I found all the lights out, and the host, Baha asleep on the couch in reception. He woke up and set to fetching me some tea, and trying to sort out a bed for me, despite my suggestions that a couch somewhere would suit my jetlagged arse just fine. Baha ended up making a bed for me on the floor in a common room while I brushed my teeth and took out my contacts. After I assured Baha that everything was perfect, he left me to it, and I fell into a peaceful sleep.

In the morning after a breakfast of falafel, omelette, and bread washed down with strong Turkish coffee I checked in properly. Baha informed me that he wouldn’t charge me for the extra night, and after arguing for a short while, I realised that further offers of extra payment would cause offense. Due to cultural restrictions, the traditional Australian gift of beer was not a good idea, so I bought Baha some nice Swiss chocolate instead.

When I woke from my first night in Aqaba, the jetlag I held at bay with alarming levels of coffee and adrenaline demanded its dues. I spent most of my first day chilling at my hostel, before a late lunch of chicken and almonds on a bed of hummus. The next day I went to the beach with Sam from Canada and Colin from Newcastle, then dinner with some lads from the hostel that had adopted me for the duration.

The next day I went to Wadi Rum in a shared taxi with three of the same lads. Florian had talked me into joining him for part of the tour and Bedouin camp stay, so off I went on my next adventure

Istanbul- 04\11/2019

I stayed at my hostel long enough to shower, shave and change clothes before inflicting the streets of Istanbul with my wanderlust. I spent a happy hour getting lost in the winding streets of Galata, watching a youth dance act, and attempting to pat some of the famous cats of Istanbul, before starting to make my way to Sultanahmet. This is where things started going awary- The hostel manager inforrmed me that a marathon was on today, and much of the tram network had been shut down. This lead to what should have been a ten minute tram ride into a forty minute walk, much of which was along the marathon route.

Which was more interesting than a tram ride. There seemed to be quite an international contingent , who seemed to take it more seriously than many of the Turks. I good time was being had by all, with bands, people cheering on and encouragement via loudspeaker. It was also interesting to note how many Turkish women ran with full headscarfs, managing to look  quite glamorous.

Once in Sultanahmet I went straight to the Basilica Cistern, the largest of hundreds of underground cisterns that stored water for Constantinople, built in the 6th century CE. The base of two columns feature medusa heads thought to have been reused from late Roman temples.

But my favourite part is the view down rows of columns.

When I visited in 2008, they kept a few feet of water in the cistern, complete with frolicking carp, and a cafe, where a small child stole my sprite. For the movie buffs, scenes from the James Bond movie From Russia with Love were filmed here, amongst others.

Due to the marathon, I spent half an hour trying to travel the few hundred metres to Hagia Sophia. Eventually I retreated to a nearby cafe. While consuming tiny cups of Turkish coffee I discussed life with the cafe owner, as well discussing my favourite Turkish dish, a type of stew cooked in a earthenware jar, and served, still sealed, with a hammer and chisel for your convenience.

By the time I consumed enough coffee to kill a lesser backpacker, the marathon had began to wind up, and machine pistol-wielding police started to let people through, so I made my way to Hagia Sophia with only mildly bruised ribs for refusing to get out of the way for a Chinese matron.

I feel Hagia Sophia is the perfect example of the layered history so common in Turkey. built in the year 360 CE as a Greek Orthodox cathedral, after the Ottoman Empire took control of Constantinople it was converted into a mosque, then turned into a museum. When originally built it was the largest single building known.

A ramp leads to the upper gallery, which was traditionally reserved for the Empress and her court.

Apart the incredible architecture , the old Christian mosaics, with typical Turkish pragmatism, were plastered d over rather than destroyed. Many of them now have been partially uncovered and restored.

This is probably where I should sum up Hagia Sophia, but you don’t get a lot of poetry from me when I am jetlagged, so please accept a few more photos instead.