Jordan!

School just started back up - I was at KAUST about 5 weeks (2 weeks preparing, 3 weeks teaching) and then we had a holiday. Eid al-Adha is muslim holiday that moves around in the calendar - this is the holiday during which pilgrims come to Saudi Arabia (more specifically, Mecca) to do their hajj. My muslim coworkers said they mostly spend this holiday with their families, eating, and shopping. Some travel around the country, some stick around home, some travel to Mecca or Medina.

Since I'm not celebrating this holiday, it was a great chance to travel a bit. I paired up with a new friend, Caitlin, and we headed to Jordan. Amman is a 2 hour plane ride away from Jeddah and I loved the history and energy that surrounded us at all times there.



In Amman, we checked out the citadel and took a cooking class at Beit Sitti. I cannot recommend that enough - it was some of the best food I've had and I felt very proud of myself for "making it".... they gave great directions! We made ouzi surar, yogurt and cucumber salad, moutabbal, pita bread, and osmalieh - all from scratch! We worked hard with a pair of women who told us what to do and it seriously paid off. My mouth is watering just thinking about the delicious food we made. If you want some recipes, let me know 😋


The Citadel houses the Temple of Hercules - named because of the giant sculpture pieces they found nearby the temple ruins. 




the fruits of our labor



Next up we drove (a rented 2018 manual Toyota Yaris) from Amman down to Petra, stopping in Madaba and Karak. Great little stops to see different facets of Jordanian history and culture! We landed at a little bedouin airbnb just in time for dinner and went to bed early to prepare for Petra.

snapped a pic in the car... (we were stopped at a light and I wasn't driving)


driving into Amman from the airport was an experience, to say the least 😂😂😂



Petra was incredible - we met the author of "Married To A Bedouin" between some of the sites. I'd seen this book in my brief pre-trip google research and was interested but didn't get it together and buy the book before arriving. Good thing because I was able to buy it from her! We asked her some questions, bought some jewelry from her (also on the website - I'm obsessed with my hand-made earrings inspired by the designs of Petra!) and she signed our books. I devoured the book in about 3 days, as it was so interesting and well-written. You should read it!

         The Siq


The Treasury


We of course stopped on our way out of the park to have a drink at the cave bar and then made our way to our next airbnb up in the mountains. We stayed at Petra Bed and Breakfast, hosted by a great couple who also are horse riders and guides. A little 3 hour horse ride through the mountains above Petra provided fantastic views and a very different experience than climbing the hills in our Yaris ;)

After a quick stop for (THE MOST AMAZING) shawarma, we drove down to Wadi Rum to stay overnight in a bedouin camp. I had no expectations going into Wadi Rum and it was other worldly - just such a overwhelming and unique setting. We touched ancient carvings, almost got knocked over by a heard of thirsty goats (it's kind of our fault for standing between them and the water!), went sand-boarding (like snow boarding), ate a bedouin dinner, and stayed in little tents out in the desert. Everything was fantastic and we were there for the shortest tour before settling in for the night - there was definitely more to do there!

 The Yaris at the entrance to Wadi Rum


 Our man, Omar, with the goats who were drinking from Lawrence's Spring (named because Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here)

 ancient carvings you can walk right up and touch


In a different season, this would be filled with water!




Since we'd been firing on all cylinders thus far, we took it down a notch and checked into the Kempinsky resort on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea was surprising! I am not much of a swimmer (especially in non-pools) but the Dead Sea was where it's at - you just float because of the salt content of the water. No floaties, no special directions... I went in maybe knee deep and crouched down and my legs popped up from underneath me. The mud from the floor of the dead sea is very nutrient rich, so we rubbed it all over ourselves, waited for it to soak in a bit, and then rinsed it off in the sea - pretty cheap and very effective natural spa! Other than that, it was normal resort life - drinks by the pool, me forgetting to re-apply sunscreen and hating myself on the second day, delicious breakfasts, and reading with fantastic views in the background. Such a nice little wrap-up of our vacation in Jordan.






 Seriously - you gotta go to Jordan!

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