Jerash
Our first day trip was to explore the northern region of Jordan. We arrived bright and early, before the ticket window was even opened in Jerash, considered one of the most well-preserved Ancient Roman cities outside of Italy.
Hadrian’s Gate, tall and imposing is also known as Triumphal Arch and is very similar to the one leading into the Forum in Rome, just not as intricately decorated or carved.
Conveniently located right behind the arch is the hippodrome, which drew crowds in the thousands to one of the most popular sporting events of the time, the chariot races. It’s like Nascar in slow motion.
Leaving the hippodrome, it was a good distance to the Southern Gate. Entering through the arches into the city proper, we were quickly taken by surprise at the immense size of the whole city sprawled along the rolling hills.
The limestone plaza is unique in that it’s oval-shaped. Its simplistic elegance stands out once viewed from above, from the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, the highest spot in the city.
We walked along the colonnaded street that stretched all the way to the North Gate of the city. The stones are still original and ruts from heavy chariot usage are easily noticeable. The most interesting feature of the colonnaded street for me was not the intricately decorated columns or fountains, it was the circular stones consistently spaced out in the middle of the street among the rectangular ones. We come to learn that these circular stones are actually manholes. But they’re much smaller in diameter than modern day manholes. I wonder if I can even fit through one. It reaffirms the fact that the average stature of a person back then was shorter and smaller than present-day humans.
The ruin city of Jerash is big and beautiful. I can only imagine what it was like at the height of its golden age. Among the many temples dedicated to the most powerful gods and goddesses such as Zeus and Artemis, Jerash boasts two theatres with state of the art acoustics. In both theatres, the stadium seating is at a very steep angle, pretty precarious, especially after a few drinks, don’t you think?
At the end of our tour, as I stood atop the Temple of Zeus looking down and out at the ruins of the city beneath, I realized the beauty of Jerash is in the space and distance between each complex of ruins. Much of Jerash is still buried beneath the earth, and so each site has a natural border framing it, distinguishing it from the ruins nearby, making it more visually organized and easier to appreciate. In comparison, the Forum in Rome is so amazing in that it was truly a metropolitan jam packed with buildings, arches and temples in such close proximity to each other in every direction possible, to the point where my senses were bombarded and overwhelmed. The layers of stones upon stone were too messy for me to process and truly appreciate the finer details. If I lived in ancient Roman times, I probably would have preferred Jerash over Rome then too.
I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I definitely wasn’t thinking that Jerash would in anyway compete with the actual Forum in Rome. Perhaps it was the bright green hills enlivened even more so by colorful wildflowers popping up throughout the complex. Perhaps it was the flawless blue skies or maybe the fresh smell of spring after a rain shower. Perhaps it was the company and the giddiness of final traveling again. Whatever it was, Jerash felt even more captivating than the Forum in Rome for me.
Ajloun Castle
The next stop on our day trip took us to the northwest region of Jordan to visit a 12th century Muslim castle strategically built atop a hillside overlooking the three main routes into the Jordan valley. Among Ajloun Castle’s many purposes were to control the traffic going from Syria to Egypt and to protect the region from Christian invaders.
We thought it funny that there’s a giant bulletin board promoting the castle sitting right in front of the castle. And in front of the bulletin board is a bench, as if to say, “Sit here. Take a picture of the beautiful picture of the castle instead of the real castle itself. It’s much better this way.”
The castle is very well lit and airy, unlike many European castles we’ve been to. Staircases ascend all the way to the roof for a beautiful panoramic view of the valleys below.
After visiting the castle, we were treated to a scenic drive on windy, mountainous roads to our lunch stop at a wonderful guesthouse. This home cooked meal was the best meal we had in Jordan. There were so many dishes, and each one delicious. The babaganoush was divine, so fresh and yet so smooth. I loved the chicken Musakhan rolls, and the recipe seems so easy, according to Lama. I have yet to try making them though. What a wonderful way to end the trip, on a full tummy and a sleepy ride back to Amman.
Aqaba
The last leg of our Jordan trip would be slower-paced with a lot more driving and some sight seeing. So after a light breakfast, we got back into the van to make our drive to the southern most tip of Jordan, the port city of Aqaba.
We boarded a small yacht for a day cruise on the Gulf of Aqaba. Being the first on the yacht, we found the best, most spacious and comfortably padded corner, plopped ourselves down and didn’t move from that spot for most of the trip. When the boat left the dock, we were informed that as we passed along a certain section of the gulf close to the Israeli border, no pictures were allowed from cameras or cell phones.
As part of the cruise, the yacht would be stopping at two different locations for snorkeling and diving. But as we got closer to the first location, the winds picked up and the water was too choppy so the captain continued on to the second location. We were so content in our warm corner that we decided not to get in the water the first time around. At the second sight, Lama convinced us to give it a go. Lyle, Phong and I went in for a little snorkeling at the shipwreck location. The water was pretty cold and quite choppy. There wasn’t too much to see, so after about 15 minutes, the boys went back onto the yacht. I wanted Sandy to get into the water since she’s never jumped off into the sea from a boat before. You know, we don’t really like to pressure others, but Sandy’s a sucker for peer pressure, and she suffers mildly for the fear of missing out. So with just a little persuasion, Sandy jumped into the sea. We held onto the rope and buoy that was attached to the boat and floated in the water for a short time, enough to count as swimming in the Red Sea. Well, technically, the Gulf of Aqaba, which is an extension of the Red Sea. Lama, always an adventurist, went diving at both sites.
Aqaba was festive that night. Everyone was out in town dressed in their finest outfits celebrating the end of Ramadan. We had a seafood dinner with a perfect spot for people watching. Vice versa, we noticed that many passing by were curiously looking at us. Some even took selfies of themselves with us in the background. We think, unlike in Vietnam, the source of curiosity was those of us with Asian features.