Jordan, on a magic carpet ride

Amman JordanBest time to visit MarchMayYou need 57 daysI have no more connection with Jordan than a twicestamped passport yet I find aspects of this ancient land frequently glittering in reverie You have only to visit once to see that Jordan with its dramatic deserts alluring seas vibrant foodscape and a heritage that disappears back into the mist of biblical tales has so much diversity packed into so small an area that any journey through here can only be summarised as epicWadi Rum has a maze of monolithic rockscapes that rise up from the desert floor up to a height of 1750 mtThe city of AmmanLanding in the capital city of Amman I get an immediate sense of molten history Remainders of ancient Philadelphia can be seen at the Citadel that sits on Jebel Al Qalaa 850 mt above sea level mdash the highest hill of Amman But the attraction of Amman lies as much in these ancient monuments as in the throb and hum of its population mdash shrugging off the present bursting into the future I park myself in the popular Sufra restaurant on Rainbow Street that evening and end up getting recommendations for the rest of my time in Jordan from a group of ultrachic women in headscarvesFrom Amman its a threeandahalf hour drive to the salmonpink rosered city of Petra mdash the architectural legacy of the ancient Nabateans The Nabateans for those who came in late were an industrious Arab people who settled in Jordan more than 2000 years ago To get under the skin of Petra requires hours of walking But as we pass through the Siq mdash the colossal rift in land leading towards the hidden city of Petra even the most sluggish traveller is pushing forward with excitement Through the milelong gorge we go eyes at the edge of their stalks so as not to miss any part of the rock formations that look as if forged out of the deep subconsciousAlKhazneh or The Treasury at Petra PicsSonia NazarethDreams in rockAtop a candy swirl of rock we watch the dramas of everyday life unfold Playful bargaining is the welcome mat to any interaction in these parts Tea at a Bedouin stall near the rainbowcoloured hollows of the royal tombs is a great place for an exchange of views That evening over a Bedouin meal of Mensaf mdash lamb rice and pine nuts combined with yoghurt and drizzled with oil Hatim our guide speaks warmly of Pope Franciss visit to JordanThe entire region needs more peace and love Much of the fear in the world is caused by insularity rather than by real interaction Saying this he slips his calloused paw into mine If you want to come back one day and set up business here my dearhellip maybe an Indian restaurant Id be happy to helpMount Nebo the hill Moses ascended according to the book of DeuteronomyI learn that the Bedouin some of who are still tending goat and sheep in an unbroken connection with the past understand the meaning of hardship They know what its like to live in extreme weather conditions on goathair beds with the everpresent threat of scorpions And have learned from these interactions the meaning of humility and the importance of human connection in a challenging landscape With such thoughts in mind we set off on the twoandahalfhour drive to Wadi Rum to see whether the reality of the Bedouin matches the expectationExploring Wadi RumHiring a fourwheel drive vehicle to explore Wadi Rum with its maze of monolithic rockscapes that rise up from the desert floor to heights of 1750 mt is the way to go if youre keen to see the vastest terrain in the quickest possible time But at the first chance I get I clamber out to scale a sand dune In timehonoured fashion we stop for tea at a Bedouin tent Some triggerhappy travellers attempt to photograph a group of Bedouin in their keiffiyah red and white headdress held in place by a ropeA Bedouin man is annoyed at being photographed without permission but brushes his annoyance aside to pour me yet another cup of tea and says We may have Syria on one side Israel on the other But we are Jordan I simply dont understand why people are always trying to make sweeping generalisations about the Middle East If wed been located in Europe instead of the Middle East wed have been perceived quite differently Once started a Bedouin man can go effortlessly on But people lack knowledge about things mdash including our reefs which have stayed pristine Have you gone diving in the Red Sea at AqabaSunset at the Dead SeaI have and Id love to linger and share my thoughts with this warm Bedouin on what snorkeling the reefs or sailing on a glassbottomed boat in the Red Sea feels like But as Hatim says The sun is falling and we must be on our wayComing alive at the Dead SeaThe Dead Sea or the Salt Sea as it is known in biblical parlance is another place youll probably know of even if youve only ever been to Jordan by armchair So bluegreen that it looks photoshopped into existence This body of water is not really a sea but a lake With a salt content of 31 per cent the buoyancy makes it perfect for a floatIntricate mosaics at MadabaBobbing about at the alleged lowest point on the earths surface in minerals that have long been exploited since the time of Cleopatra for their spa qualities is the high point of my day Covered in the calciumandmagnesiumrich Dead Sea mud from buckets on the shore provided by the Crowne Plaza or whichever hotel along the strip you choose to stay at I read a book in the water toes happily pointing toward the skySoon my thoughts return to the activities of the past few weeks in which Ive snorkeled in the Red Sea tried Arak local aniseed firewater in Aqaba admired the painstaking work that created the intricate mosaics in Madaba been blown away by the views that Moses saw from atop Mount Nebo And I realise that holidays that focus solely on relaxation may be overhypedThe camaraderie of the locals outside all heritage sites is touchingSometimes an active holiday can shake you out of your comfort zone prompt new ways of seeing and let you take them to your life back home mdash not just a rejuvenated body but also a refreshed mind