Random Travel Info

Craig and Michelle’s thoughts:

As we wait for the bus to take us to a snorkelling site, we thought we might enter interesting tidbits for ourselves.

We wish we could take pictures of the people because they tell the story of this country. But out of respect, we must ask permission and we are reluctant to ask because we don’t want to impose or make a spectacle of them.

Our accommodations have been a variety; from staying on a boat to a Bedouin tent in the desert to a suite in a luxury hotel. Something different all the time.

In Jordan:

When walking around the cities/towns/villages, a taxi is always honking their horn, asking if you need their transport. You just have to tune them out, but when you do need them, get ready to bargain. Of all the taxis we’ve used, only two have used the meter. With the assistance of the guide book and the people in the hotel, we can get a rough estimate of the cost to get somewhere. For us, the price of a taxi is always better than joining a tour group or hiring a driver from the hotel.

When travelling between cities, we use the minibuses. You can’t be in a hurry to get somewhere because the minibuses don’t leave until it’s full. At one point we waited 45minutes before the minibus left from Amman to Petra. Also, we had to ask around at the bus station because the signs on the buses are all in Arabic. For extra money, we are taking a larger bus to get from Aqaba to Amman. They have a schedule and they assign us our seats. It costs $14 Can each for this 5 hour drive.

When travelling we get excited when we see signs showing the direction of the borders of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel. We were at the border of the West Bank at one point. When on the highway, there are random road side security checks. We have to bring our passports with us all the time. It's pretty intimidating to see the huge machine guns mounted on trucks - these are rare.

We are fortunate that the heat is bearable. We wouldn’t want to be here when the temperatures are at the 40s. Egypt, here we come!

Love,
Craig and Michelle