Postcard from Jordan
We journeyed to Jordan and for my wife Katherine, an encounter with the Petra Desert Marathon.
Kiwis do currently need a visa to visit Jordan which can be obtained on arrival or you can obtain an e-visa which I would recommend as it saves time on arrival. The process does have a couple of tricky bits but we can help you navigate these.
We were met on arrival by the marathon organisers and were soon making our way to our first destination, the Dead Sea. The journey to the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort takes around an hour.
The resort is vast, a 15 to 20 minute walk from reception to the coastline and the coastline was our first destination in our two night stay. It is of course obligatory to have a float in the Dead Sea and discover all those small cuts you have accrued on your travels. Fortunately Movenpick staff were on hand to enhance our visit, mixing Dead Sea salt with Dead Sea mud to smear all over our bodies in the hope of benefitting from its ancient medicinal properties … all very messy but enormously good fun.
Having completed the obligatory pilgrimage we set about enjoying the resort. We spent our second day here by the pool delighted by nice touches like chilled watermelon being handed out at various times.
After two nights we then took the Desert Highway to Petra. There are two routes south with the desert highway being the fastest. If you were here to explore in greater detail you would take the infinitely more scenic King’s Highway.
Descending through Wadi Musa we arrived at the Movenpick near the entrance to Petra. The hotel immediately impresses with a magnificent atrium ascending skyward, the rooms are nice enough but a bit bland in comparison.
There was a marathon briefing in the afternoon then a buffet dinner at the Movenpick. The hotel was abuzz and I felt this was a little bit unusual for the hotel staff in the current environment.
All focus centred on Kath the following morning as we had a 0430 breakfast before making our way to join the other 207 competitors at the startling. I was officially designated as a spectator which allowed me to join the competitors at the start and essentially have Petra to myself for a few hours before the public were allowed in.
Having watched Kath take off just before the famous Siq I then wandered down one of the most famous path ways on the planet to the fabled Treasury. Nothing quite prepares you for this, the walls of the Siq soar into the sky while the height of the sun determines the colours of the ever-changing red rocks. Arrival at the Treasury is as good as it looks in all the movies, better if you have time to watch the sun make its mark, take a seat, grab a coffee and marvel.
I had a three day entry ticket here so determined not to overdo it on day one settling for one uphill stroll to the High Place for an overview of the area, thoroughly recommend this, it is a beautiful, if sometimes challenging hike but the view at the top is stupendous. Returning to the main path I visited some of the Royal Tombs and made time to marvel at the Amphitheatre.
Thankfully Kath completed the marathon and we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a cold beer at the Movenpick and dinner at Out Mother’s Kitchen Restaurant, an incredibly charismatic restaurant with great food. Our short walk to the restaurant brought home the abject state of tourism in Jordan. We passed half a dozen restaurants at what would normally be near peak season and not a soul … all were empty.
On day two of our visit we joined a guided tour for the runners which emphasised just how much more you can get out of such excursions. Things I had walked past the day before were all of a sudden given context. The tour covered many of the areas I had visited the day before and prepared Kath and myself for the other major hike that needs to be completed on any visit, the 800 steps to the Monastery. The ascent is made more bearable by the astonishing scenery with an excellent finale in the Monastery itself, arguably the finest sight in Petra. There are several welcome cafes at the summit and several viewpoints to take in the Monastery.
Our stay at Petra concluded with a meal and entertainment in a carefully selected area on the outskirts of Petra, all good fun. The following morning a very early start for our transfer back to the Amman airport.
The Monastery, Petra Movenpick Hotel, Petra
Marathon day The Treasury, Petra
The Monastery, Petra The Dead Sea