ZED67

I first time visited Amman in 1992 - and now it was 2016. Twenty-four years passed, and the city expanded enormously in size. But the historic centre remained as beautiful as I remembered. It was also great to see a good friend, Kelvin, whom I knew from Hungary and then met again in Sinai.

Originally posted on October 16, 2016 Wadi Rum... very similar to Sinai in many ways, yet different. The desert is stunningly beautiful, the people are welcoming and friendly. Tourism operations are run very professionally, but at first look it all seems much more touristy - despite the lack of tourists. In the Sinai it's rough and tough, the way an authentic Bedouin trip is ought to be; in Jordan, it's a smooth operation. You can, I'm sure, venture off the main tourist path and find an authentic Bedouin experience, walking for days with camels, camping in the desert, maybe even a libbat nar... you need to take your time to see it. Either case, doing it fast, doing it slow, Wadi Rum is a place one has to see. Unfortunately Jordan experiences the same problems as Sinai and Egypt: there are very few foreign tourists. Tourism in the region has been hit hard, despite the fact these countries are still peaceful, welcoming and safe for tourists. One day, god willing, peace ...

I left Sinai with a slow ferry, arriving in Aqaba, from where I went to Petra, Amman, the Dead Sea and Jerash. Only a few low quality pictures exist from Petra, which I wanted to see very much. It did not disappoint, it's an amazing site, I could spend weeks there. The people were very friendly, and we got invited to a Bedouin wedding.