Marcus in Arabia

May 19th-24th -- Marcus comes to visit!

Two weeks ago, Marcus (boyfriend or in less understanding parts of Jordan, my husband) arrived in Amman bright-eyed and bushy tailed. He had been here before but he was around 7 years old. Things have changed in Amman in 20 years surely, but the rest of Jordan, save for the rapid death of the Dead Sea, is an ossified version of its past.

Marcus outside St George's Church in Madaba

Our first day we went to Madaba after a leisurely brunch at Crumz in Abdoun. The area surrounding Crumz never ceases to disorientate me. It feels like I'm right back in a plaza in Florida! Abdoun's finest show up in their Juicy Couture "I gave up on life" sweatpants and their Filipino maids in tow. Strangely, it's also a haven for Amman's motorcycle enthusiasts.

Now back to Madaba. It is home to one of Jordan's largest Christian populations, with 1/3rd of the town being followers of Abraham's other son. It is best known for its mosaic at St. George's Church which is the oldest existing map of Palestine and parts of Egypt and Jordan. What was most memorable, however, was the restaurant Haradet Jdoudna. Marcus and I stumbled across is as we were looking for souvenirs. Lucky mistake because apparently (and according to the Rough Guide, I later acquired) it is "one of the best restaurants in Jordan." The labneh there was of perfect thickness, and the mixed grill, though not plentiful, was of star quality.

At Haradet Jdoudna - nothing like a mezze pick-me-up to restore those synapses

That night we went to Jafra, an old hippy hang-out in Amman, and home to Amman's most depressing oud player.

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The next day, we joined Marcus's Mum's friends for a personal tour of the Eastern Desert site of Umm al-Jimal, and a day at the Zumot winery near the Syrian border.

The basalt ruins of Umm-al Jimal (mother of the camel in Arabic)

Umm al-Jimal is the site of an ancient village, occupied primarily by the Romans, constructed out of the black basalt common in the Eastern reaches of Jordan. It is a hodgepodge of housing and old bunkers, and indeed one has to really use their imagination to place themselves in the time period, however, it is impressive in its size. The row black basalt buildings obtrusively assert themselves against the sky and the stretch of desert, and to enter buildings with arches intact and doors still opening, despite the rumbling fault line below, is worth the visit alone. In one room, a wine storage rack still stood, -- oh the Romans, lushes they were!

Omar's Winery - I belive this section were the Syrah grapes

After that, we went to the Zumot winery. It is an all organic vineyard, fertilised by the excrement of fishes that sit in a pond by the castello (I'm just incorporating some Tuscan vocabulary). It was inspiring to see Omar, the owner of the winery, talk about his wine like a proud father. The afternoon of wine drinking (not tasting really -- we were crunk), was topped off with a mixed grill (!) BBQ and a swim in the outdoor pool.

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So if mistakes are generally born out of good intentions, I think I should define my intentions before continuing any further. Marcus and I were to check in at Feinan Lodge which sits on Dana Nature Reserve. We were supposed to have a very romantic star-gazing session (did you hear they replaced lights from electric sources with that of a thousand candles?) and to, you know, not feel like the backpackers we are for just one night. OPERATIVE WORD BEING SUPPOSED TO...

On the edge of Karak (Castle)

Well, as Lonely Planet suggested, we took the King's Highway. It certainly is the most beautiful route down south but it is long. Very long. road sign markings in this country are few and far between as well, so I asked an officer in one town the direction to Karak. Coincidentally, he was from Karak and needed a ride. So in the car he went. I exhausted all my Arabic in a period of 30 minutes but I managed to find out this 26 year old police officer had 8 children. After dropping him off, we stopped off at Karak Castle, enough to learn about the dark history of the Crusades and to catch a view from Karak all the way to the Dead Sea.

We then drove off to Dana. Hours later, when we reached the Stone Village, I called Feinan. They didn't have my reservation. Also, we were supposed to take the Dead Sea Highway and because we didn't, we were an 1 1/2 hours away. I was confused. Feinan (or so I thought) called me to confirm just days before. Whilst I was melting down on the phone, Marcus consulted, through hand motions, a local Bedouin boy who told him there were plenty of hotels in the Village. We stopped by Dana Guest House Hotel, a part of the RSCN, until we backed out because of its high prices. We then settled on a strange place called Dana Tower Hotel. It is a kitschy mock set-up of the ancient stone village, with bedouin decor. Yes, it was a bit weird. However, for 30JD a night for two, you have a great rooftop view and friendly service from a "Welcome to Jordan" happy bedu and his Filipino staff. I guess the weirdness, cheapness and out-of-this-worldliness is more of Marcus and my style anyway. After a short hike, I received a call from Dana Guest House, the first place in the village we visited. They asked me why I had not arrived yet. What? Ooooh, I booked the wrong hotel after all! For some reason, I mixed up Feinan with Dana Guest House. Well, consider it serendipity.

Our happy mistake at our cooky hostel

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We decided, on a whim to go down to Wadi Rum the next day. It was a good decision. We hired a driver for two-hours and he took us around the main sites. Ok, so he dropped us off at the main sites. He wasn't the most talkative chap. The highlight was the sand dunes with piles of the deserts distinctive red-tinted sand. I will never cease to be fascinated by expansiveness. I shrink in size each time.

Sand doomed in Wadi Rum - no, we didn't plan on matching that day