After I left Guatemala, I headed back to Houston, TX for an overnight stay before my flight out across the pond to the Middle East. I scored a great deal on a business class Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul using my miles some months prior, figuring I could use it as a good base for flights across the Middle East, depending on where I decided to travel to next.
I had flown business class on Turkish Airlines a few years back and loved it; however, I was not prepared for the level of comfort and service they provided during my second experience. First off, I was again able to use the United Polaris lounge prior to my flight, which is always a delightful bonus. But, when I actually boarded the plane I even more blown away – each seat row took up 4 windows! Typically business class has no more than 2 windows per row, so the room to stretch out and walk around was insane – it felt much more like first than business class. They also give out top notch noise cancelling headphones, a personalized amenities kit (one for a man and one for a woman) and the airline stewards come to each passenger to make their seat up into a bed. Then, the chef greets you and asks for your food order from a huge lovely menu of the finest drinks and food to choose from, including prawns and a filet for dinner! Even the bathrooms are double the size of other airplane facilities. Needless to say, I tried to order everything and truly enjoyed my 12 hour flight.
From Istanbul, I decided that Jordan would be my next destination. I had booked a flight to Jordan only 2 days prior as I was keeping an eye on the political situation in Israel in case I needed to change my plans. The Jordanian government assured travelers that the country was safe and so I just went for it and booked my ticket. From Istanbul I only had to wait 3 hours at the airport for my flight into Jordan and took advantage of my Priority Pass lounge membership to hang out in their awesome facilities at the airport.
My plane ride into Jordan was less than 2 hours long on Royal Jordanian Airlines (yes, economy class was a rude awakening), which went smoothly with no hassles and I arrived in Amman, Jordan just after midnight. In true bougie backpacker style, I booked a room at the Four Seasons Amman hotel using my Amex Platinum Card annual benefit for a few nights of luxury. The Four Seasons is always my luxury hotel of choice and the location in Amman was absolutely on par – the hotel itself is gorgeous, new and pristine and oh the service and amenities!
After a delightful night of rest and the most sumptuous breakfast (included in my room rate) at the hotel, I set off to walk around the city. The famous Rainbow Street was only a few miles from my hotel, about a 30 minute walk. I arrived early Friday morning and did not realize that Fridays and Saturdays are the weekend holidays in Jordan and the city was very quiet with few cars on the roads, which made for a peaceful walk.
My first impressions of the city were a bit disappointing, to be honest. I heard Amman was a lovely city and while I found it clean and organized, it seemed to lack definitive character and beauty. Rainbow street proved to be a bit of a let down as well, with not much to see outside of the ubiquitous street of hanging lanterns, some restaurants, shops and bars. After Rainbow street, I made my way to the city ruins, local bazaar, as well as a few mosques and then headed back to the hotel to plan my visit to the Dead Sea for the next day.
My taxi driver from the airport to the hotel had passed along his details in case I needed any driver or tour assistance in Jordan and after some research and pricing online through Tripadvisor, Uber and Getyourguide, I found his quote to be on par/slightly less than other tour companies and contacted him to arrange for a trip to the Dead Sea.
After another night’s rest and breakfast I met my driver and off we went for the 1 hour drive to the Dead Sea. Once we were outside of the capital, I had the opportunity to observe what life looks like in the countryside and it was such a delight! Camels walking across the highways, people riding donkeys, and vast stretches of desert as far as the eye could see. I asked to stop and take a photo of the camels crossing and my driver insisted I take a quick ride on one. I protested, not wanting to get taken for an exorbitant tourist fare, but he was adamant, saying it was his treat, and I relented. So, I hopped on a camel and went for a ride down the highway – I felt like a silly tourist but it was actually really fun!
As I had a pleasant experience using my airport taxi driver for the Dead Sea visit, I decided to book him again for my transfer to Petra. There was a bus from Amman to Petra, but the timing wasn’t ideal, so I chose to pay more for a private ride. The drive was just over 3.5 hours of the Jordan countryside, vast landscapes and desert. I arrived in Petra (the city proper, not the national park) just after 4pm and checked into my hotel that I scored for a steal at $35 USD/night (it was actually high season, but due to low tourism in Jordan everything in Petra was discounted). My hotel, the Town Seasons, was quirky, to say the least. I would rate it as an average 3.5 star hotel, with adequate facilities and cleanliness, and small but functional rooms. It was a mix of modern and old with features like electronic room keys and a proper bellboy dressed up in formal (think old school India, a.k.a. The Grand Budapest Hotel) attire who greeted me, carried my bags and showed me all the ‘extras’ of my little room (how to turn the lights on/off and the ‘mini bar’ with 2 sodas and a water).
After checking in I headed out to do a quick exploration of the town. Petra itself is very small, but I found it a welcome change from Amman, with a bit more character and a distinctively local feel. It is situated within the mountains that surround Petra park, which also makes for picturesque evening and sunrise views. I had already purchased a ticket to Petra with my Jordan Pass and didn’t have to worry about visiting the ticket office, so after some walking I grabbed dinner and headed to bed as the next morning would start early at 6 am with my visit to the park.
The hotel provided a shuttle and informed me that I should leave the hotel at 6:45am in order to get into the park before the crowds and to allow enough time to explore and walk the routes. After a lovely buffet breakfast (included in my room rate), I hopped on the shuttle (which was really a pickup truck) and rode the 5 minutes to the park. Once I got to the park immediately a taxi driver approached me, saying that it was closed and that he could drive me to Little Petra (located about a 15 minute drive away from the main entrance). I had been forewarned that while Jordan in general was very safe and the people were trustworthy, to be careful of the locals in Petra park, so I dismissed him and continued walking towards the entrance. At the entrance there were policemen and I asked them if the park was closed; however, they gave me a pretty indecisive look and a half shrug, so I continued on to the ticket booth to inquire about the actual opening status.
The man at the ticket booth told me that indeed the main entrance was closed and the free shuttle to Little Petra was also closed, but due to open ‘in a few hours’ and if I wanted to enter via Little Petra I could hire a taxi to take me to the entrance. After getting up at 6am and knowing full well what ‘a few hours’ can actually mean, I decided to take the taxi driver’s offer and headed to the entrance at Little Petra. At Little Petra, the gate was also closed but the guard informed me that it would open in 15 minutes, and there were about 5 other people there waiting, so I decided to wait. Fifteen minutes later, they opened the gate, stamped my ticket and I headed off for the 2 hour hike to the Monastery, which is considered the back entrance of Petra park.
Despite there being a handful of other people at the gate, I was soon well on my own hiking through the mountains of Petra, which was absolutely stunning and peaceful. The only things I encountered along the way were a few stray cats napping and some random signage that gave vague-ish directions. Although I had my Google Maps on, it provided little direction and at one point my cell service said, “Welcome to Israel,” so there were certainly a few moments when I considered the fact that I may/not be on the right route. However, about 2 hours later, right on schedule, I walked into the entrance of the Monastery, which, to say the least, was STUNNING. Imagine this amazingly beautifully preserved (and HUGE) carving just sitting there, tucked into the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. Added to the fact that I was literally the only person there outside of 2-3 locals manning a small café and some stray dogs, it made for an incredibly magical experience.
After about 20 minutes enjoying the scenery and taking pictures, one other tourist arrived, a gentleman from the Philippines. He approached me, albeit a bit sweaty and out of breath and asked which way I was planning on hiking back. I answered that I had not yet determined if I was going to hike back the way I came in and take the shuttle to the entrance or continue to hike through the park. After a few minutes of debate and a word of advice from the locals at the café we both decided to continue hiking through the park as the locals said it was much easier and more scenic. Plus, by that time, we figured surely the rest of the park would be open. The gentleman asked if we could walk together and I agreed, as he seemed quite harmless and likely much more nervous about the hike than I was. Now, as promised, there is a bit of a good story coming folks, so be sure to read on in Part 2!
