This is the final article in my very extended review of the Viking Pharaohs and Pyramids Nile cruise with the extension to Jordan.
After saying goodbye to our guide and the group that had been on so many adventures over the past couple of weeks, we made our way using Uber to the Hilton Hotel. Ubers are very inexpensive in Jordan – around $4 to $6 for most rides, and, as usual, they are comfortable and safe.
Most people had flights booked for either the early morning following arrival at the Fairmont or the next day. We wanted to fly with United (on a United plane because of the Economy Plus seats) and the one via Dubai seemed the best option to get us back to Texas. However, it only flies on certain days of the week and then the Dubai leg is in the evening, so we needed a hotel for 2 nights. The Hilton turned out to fit the bill very nicely and I can heartily recommend it.
The view from our room over Amman was impressive and we were close to an upmarket mall, but the thing we wanted most was just to relax after the very hectic travels.
We did investigate having a tour of Amman’s historic sites with the company that our guide worked for, but it was pretty expensive at $250 and our hearts weren’t really in it! So, after a leisurely breakfast, we called an Uber to make our way to the Roman Theatre of Amman.
The Uber dropped us off on the road that you can just see at the top of this photo and it was surprising how easy a guide had made our visits. Here we were pretty unsure where to go for tickets and just how to get into this theater, but eventually we managed it! It is another amazing bit of construction, built in the 2nd Century and oriented to the north so that the sun is not in the eyes of the spectators. Altogether it can hold about 6000 people. There is an interesting little museum underneath the seats on the right of this picture and as you can see, it was not very busy in the mid-morning.
The view from the top of the structure is very impressive as it looks across the hilly city of Amman towards the Citadel built on the adjacent hilltop. This was on our agenda as a possible visit, but we were too worn out to actually do it!
Our plan was now to walk from the Theatre to a large mosque close by that we understood you could visit. The streets here are very busy and full of interesting small shops and restaurants. One thing that you can see in these photos is that every building has many insulated water tanks on the roof. Our guide had explained that water is very scarce in Jordan and so every household has a tank and the public water is only turned on to that building on one day a week and you fill your tank. That is all you then have for the rest of the week and so conserving it is very important. Once the tank is empty, you can’t refill it until the following week.
We did find the mosque, but prayers were just ending, and we couldn’t work out whether we were allowed to enter or not. Another plus of having a guide! Although I am sure the streets are safe, and there are quite a few police officers around, we felt, at one stage, that someone was following us and so we decided to turn around to head back to the more open spaces around the Roman Theatre and call an Uber to go back to the hotel. Better safe than sorry as I was carrying a pretty expensive camera for all to see. Maybe not the best plan!
Later that afternoon, we headed out again, on foot, to find the Abdali Mall that is close to the hotel. Not very close as it turned out as you had to cross some pretty busy roads! But we did get there and enjoyed the stroll along the pedestrian areas in this very upmarket mall.
We called an Uber to get back to our hotel, but after about 20 minutes of waiting, he called to say he could not get to our location. We could see lots of emergency vehicles and so we walked along to see what was happening – looked like a pretty big fire in a tower block by the Mall, with firemen scaling down the facade of the building, drones flying with water hoses and large fire-engines making their way along the road.
It eventually turned out to be a drill. The smoke was artificial, and although lots of water was sprayed, there was no fire. Very interesting all the same!
The following day we decided to take an Uber to see the Jordan Museum. This ultra-modern building was fascinating both outside and in as we took in the history of the Levant area. There were some areas aimed more at children giving the stories behind many inventions that have come from this area over the years, and there is an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as one of the earliest human sculptures ever found. Well worth the visit and nicely air conditioned as well!
We finally left the hotel in the early evening to take an Uber to the airport for our return journey home. This trip was longer – about 30 minutes or so, and cost $20 – a great value. The flights were long, with the change in Dubai and then one leg to Newark and US customs. Somewhat surprisingly, it took well over 2 hours to get through that stage and ready for our next flight to Texas, which ended up being pretty tight. Still, we made it in one piece and having completed these articles, we can look back at what was truly a fantastic experience. I hope you have enjoyed visiting it with us. Many of my photographs are available as prints for your wall. Please visit SteveHeap.com to see the full range.
