Roll Jordan Roll

We spent four days in Jordan over Easter weekend. It's a popular trip from Dubai--Sheikh Mo's second wife is from Jordan--with a three-hour flight and an hour's gain on arrival due to the time difference. We headed straight to the Dead Sea, with a driver picking us up at the airport. I am glad we chose not to rent a car. Unlike Dubai, there are very few signs in English, and our comprehension of Arabic road signs is nonexistent.

Our driver was a Palestinian named Ibrahim. He quickly offered to pick up any other drives we might need, and helped us map out an itinerary for our visit. We were staying at the Dead Sea Kempinski for one night, then heading south to Petra for two nights, then back north to the Kempinski for our final night. He would drive us to Petra the next day along the Desert Highway, and then pick us up there two days hence with several stops planned along the King's Highway on our way back to the Dead Sea. We would not be able to spend any time in Amman or to make it as far south as Wadi Rum or Aqaba on the Red Sea.

The first thing I noticed as we drove from the airport was litter everywhere. Mostly it looked like paper and plastic bags, white and black, but it was all over the place, along the roads, in the fields, in the bushes and trees. Coming from Dubai, which puts a real premium on cleanliness and appearances, it was a sharp contrast. Ibrahim didn't say anything about it, and I didn't want to mention it. The next thing I noticed was that Jordan looks nothing like Dubai in terms of modern development. The houses, shops and towns look old and worn-down. There's little to be seen in terms of local industry and no sign of US chains which seem ubiquitous everywhere else. We passed a big cement factory, chemicals factory and salt factory, but mostly we saw a lot of shops and small produce stands. Apparently Jordan does not have oil like the Gulf States and relies mainly on tourism to support its economy. Which makes for tough times given that tourism is down due to the Arab Spring and the continuing unrest in Jordan's neighborhood, especially Syria, Iraq, and the occupied territories including the West Bank. We discovered after our arrival that Jordanian warplanes destroyed a number of cars thought to be affiliated with Al Qaeda along the northern border with Syria. It occurred to me, belatedly, that Easter might not be the best time to visit Jordan.

Arriving at the Kempinski, we passed through heavy security with armed guards. Everyone is checked going in and out of the hotel--reservations definitely required. The police presence in Jordan is very obvious and somewhat reassuring. Despite it being the high season, we had no trouble booking a room a few days ahead. (Petra, however, was a different story and we had to settle for less than ideal accommodations there on late notice.) After being greeted at the front desk of the Kempinski with portraits of the late King Hussein, the current King Abdullah II and his son Hussein, the crown prince, now 19 but looking about 12 in his portrait, it was like we left Jordan behind as we entered the fancy resort.

View of Dead Sea from Kempinski.

We enjoyed tremendous views of the Dead Sea and the West Bank across the way. The Sea looks invitingly blue while the hillside beyond is a golden brown. But then you notice that there are no signs of life on the water or across the way--no boats, no houses, no people. There are places roped off along the shoreline where hotel guests can venture into the sea for a float and mud bath, but that's where all activity ends. After that, there's nothing. Since the Dead Sea is the border between Jordan and the West Bank, which was taken from Jordan by Israel in the Six Day War, it is under constant guard and anyone attempting to cross would be immediately stopped and suffer dire consequences.

Going down to the beach, we passed a sign that told us we were at the lowest place on earth, 420 meters below sea level. It is considered healthful due to higher oxygen levels, ultraviolet-filtered light, and the concentration of vital minerals. Of course, we went for the obligatory float, which was very comfortable provided you only attempted to go backwards, as going forward was much more difficult. Reaching down you could grab a chunky of salt crystals, but you definitely wanted to keep your head above water and avoid getting anything in your eyes. We applied plenty of Dead Sea mud as instructed, using the handy mirrors to ensure full coverage and removal. Some people even applied mud to their hair and heads, which seemed disastrous to me--my hair would never survive the salt. Not to mention the smell of the mud, which I found moderately repulsive. What amazed me most about about the water, in addition to its well-known salinity, was its oiliness. The water, which looked so refreshing and blue from afar, was rather murky and oil-streaked close up--not terribly inviting--but pleasant enough once afloat. But it didn't take long before I had had enough of the Dead Sea. I was glad we were heading to Petra the next day.

Dead Sea beach at the Kempinski Hotel. Note people in black waiting for mud to dry.

I've been wanting to go to Petra ever since reading "Married to a Bedouin," the fascinating story of a young Kiwi nurse named Marguerite van Geldermalsen who goes backpacking in Petra in 1978 with a friend. Petra is the ancient city of caves, tombs and monuments built into walls of rose-red rock, made famous by Indiana Jones, and now considered one of the must-see wonders of the ancient world. Marguerite and her friend stayed too long and missed the last tourist bus out, so a Bedouin named Mohammed put them up for the night in his cave. The friend leaves but Marguerite decides to stay, eventually marrying Mohammed and learning to live the Bedouin life in his cave, where she had two of their three children. After he passes away, years later, she returned to New Zealand, thinking she was leaving Jordan for good. But then she wrote her memoir and decided to go back. She lives near Petra to this day, as does her son, who runs a tour company. She has a jewelry stall in Petra past the theatre, where she sells autographed copies of her book. Sadly, I didn't find this out until afterwards so I didn't know to look for her there when we visited. Families like hers who used to live in caves in Petra were moved to a nearby town in the mid 1980's to protect the site and improve their quality of life; many of them open souvenir stands and return to the site on a daily basis.

This might be Marguerite's jewelry stall on the left. There's a poster outside with a picture of her book. New bathrooms are on the right.

Petra was definitely the highlight of our trip, even more impressive and expansive than I imagined. We were told to start early and got there by 7:30 am, with a line for tickets already forming. The big new tourist center was not open, so there was only one ticket booth. The tickets are expensive--50 Jordanian dinar, or $80. Two- and three-day tickets seemed like bargains at 55 and 60 dinar, but we were going to see as much as we could in just one day. We opted to hire a guide for another 20 Jordanian dinar, well worth it since we were mostly uninformed about the site and it seemed massive. Mahmood took the two of us straight away so we didn't have to wait for a larger group. It's a long walk from the main entry gate, where there are stables and horses, and even horse-drawn carriages for visitors who can't walk. The rocky gorge leading to the city was spectacular and reminded me of Utah (Moab, Arches and Canyonlands). But the city to follow was even more amazing.

We were offered many chances to ride a donkey but they seemed dangerous, especially on the steps. Camels, horses, and horse-drawn carriages are also available for hire.

The most famous site is the Treasury, which you can't see until the last minute when the gorge opens into a large expanse. This is also where souvenir stands, donkeys and camels first make their appearance. The city is so spread out and huge that it never seems crowded, although this space by the Treasury is probably as crowded as it gets. Mahmood told us that the people selling souvenirs are still mostly the former residents of Petra who live nearby but are allowed to run the stalls. Many of them ride donkeys to work each day and leave them parked by their stall. I noticed that most of the locals wear scarves wound tightly around their faces, for good reason as the wind picked up like in a tunnel and we could feel the sand whipping around.

First view of the Treasury.

My husband and I found the donkey handlers and souvenir sellers annoying, as they were pretty aggressive, trying to get you to stop and buy something, but there was never any pursuit, except for a few small boys and girls pushing postcards under your face. It got more irritating as we lumbered up the 900 steps to the Monastery at the top of a big hill. Around every turn we encountered yet another stand, and the donkeys seem crazed charging up and down the rocky steps with passengers in various states of upset aboard. But learning of the history and tradition behind the practice, and the fact that Jordan's economy needs every dinar it can get from the tourist trade, we found we could ignore the minor annoyance and wish these hard-working people the best. I found it absolutely necessary to stop and rest with refreshment a couple of times along the way. Prices seemed high--2 dinar, or $3.20 for a coke--but worth it, considering. By the time we got to the very top--picking one of three possible places which claimed to offer the "Best View"--I found that my feet were too small for my Nike Free shoes and each step involved considerable pain. I did see a few people who seemed even worse off, including one man who needed medical attention and had to be helped onto a donkey "ambulance" to get down the hill. Even after a good rest at the top, I grimaced the entire way down, which was probably disconcerting to those still heading up, some of whom I could not help but notice were wearing even more inappropriate footwear (flip flops! heels! wedges!). When I was finally able to take my shoes and socks off, I found that they were filled with red sand. We celebrated our climb with a barefoot buffet lunch at the very busy Basin Restaurant right where the steps start for the Monastery trail.

One of the best views of the Monastery, from a Bedouin tea stand at the top of the hill.

After this leg and foot-busting climb to see the Monastery, I had zero interest in making a similar climb to see the High Place of Sacrifice, as I was sure to be it. There was plenty more to see down below, so we visited the Royal Tombs and other parts of the city. I was beat up enough from all the hiking (we covered at least 12 miles, according to my husband's pedometer) to gladly accept a horseback ride back to the visitor center, the price of which was included in our entrance ticket. I enjoyed talking to the horse guide, a young man named Saddam, who had worked in Dubai for two years before returning to Jordan to finish university in Amman, working three days a week in Petra. He offered me the chance to have a candlelit Bedouin dinner in a cave in nearby Little Petra, transportation included, which sounded great to me, but my husband was not interested, having been put off by the pushiness of the souvenir sellers. The people in Jordan are nothing if not resourceful in trying to get the most out of the tourist dollar. So instead of going to Little Petra to have dinner in a cave with a stranger named Saddam--which does sound a bit ominous--we stopped off in the nearby Mövenpick Hotel for refreshments in their high class bar before heading off to dinner and our much less nice hotel up an unfortunately located hill.

We tried to go to dinner that evening at the Petra Kitchen, which was recommended, but they were having cooking classes so we went elsewhere. Later I discovered that cooking classes are what they always do at the Petra Kitchen--that's their thing, with dinner to follow. My husband probably wouldn't have been up for that anyway. We lucked upon a place that served beer and wine, which cheered him up, as well as free wifi, which was great for me since I have no service otherwise. Free wifi seemed to be offered in most hotels and restaurants, and also at the airport. It even worked sometimes--service at the Kempinski was especially good.

Ibrahim showed up as expected the next morning to take us on our tour of sights along the King's Highway, which is the more traditional south-north route between the Dead Sea Highway and the Desert Highway. We saw both Shobak and Karak Castles, from the time of the Crusades. We saw the Wadi Mujib, like the Grand Canyon of Jordan. We saw the famous ancient mosaic map of Palestine in St George's Church in Madaba, happy to find ourselves in a Christian church on Easter Sunday. Madaba is famous for its mosaics to this day, and we also stopped by the Mosaic Center where we got a chance to see how they were made and make a purchase.

Karak Castle, along the King's Highway.

By the time we got to Mount Nebo, clouds and rain from earlier in the day had lifted a bit. But it was still very hazy and hard to see much of what Moses was said to have seen and called the Promised Land. On a clear day you can probably see considerably more green, the Dead Sea and perhaps even Jericho and Jerusalem. The church on site built as a memorial for Moses was not yet open but should open later this year with another famous mosaic being restored in situ. A large group of Spanish tourists all wearing orange vests celebrated Easter mass in a room next to the museum.

Looking out towards the Promised Land from Mount Nebo.

Ibrahim rushed us along so we could get to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan before it closed, the site of Jesus's baptism by John. Since it's on the Jordan River, which forms the border with the occupied territory of the West Bank, security is very tight. The site can only be accessed by shuttle bus with a guide, for a 45 minute tour. Our guide was there to meet Pope John Paul II when he sanctified the site in 2000, as well as Pope Benedict and Hillary Clinton, with Pope Francis scheduled to visit in May. The Baptism Site was located based on archaeological finds of the earliest Christian churches built near the spot. The Jordan River, however, is just a shadow of its former self and no longer reaches that spot, so a small channel was dug to connect them. There's another spot where you can go down to the Jordan River, with a large baptismal font for ceremonies, near a new gold-domed Greek Orthodox Church. Directly across the river on the other side is another church (or perhaps a synagogue? our guide didn't know the name) with three flags, including the flag of Israel, marking the occupied territory. Although the distance is quite small, less than fifty feet, it is quite clear that no one is crossing this river. It must be strange to have prayers and services with guards watching from both sides to make sure no one tries to go across. Sad to see what the mighty River Jordan has now become, a fitting metaphor for the plight of the Palestinians. Like Moses, they can't go to the Promised Land.

River Jordan with Greek Orthodox Church in background near Baptism Site.

Ibrahim drove us back to the airport the next day, where I saw the first signs of US chains in Jordan (Starbucks, a welcome sight, and McDonalds, not so welcome). He'd asked for the day off but his boss refused. He said he'll probably work more or less nonstop until the end of tourist season. In the summer things get really slow with mostly only tourists from the Gulf States, who are used to the heat. I was interested in hearing his story and asked him about it, but he didn't seem to want to say much. He was ten years old living with his family in the West Bank at the time of the Six Day War in 1967. Now that he's in Jordan he can never go back. He and his fellows feel like second-class citizens in Jordan, where Jordanians come first. He didn't have to say any more. Just being able to put his weary face to the Palestinian dilemma said it all.

Done Fishin'

There's a new outdoor fish market very close to where we live, right off the beach. It's called Souq Al Bahar, which is confusing because there's a fancy shopping area with the same name next to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa. Since "al bahar" means "the sea" in Arabic, I'd say the fish market has the more authentic claim to the name.

Places use the same name all over Dubai. People do not seem as intent on branding or as concerned with finding and protecting unique business names as they would be in the United States. It's also the result of having old and new versions. There's the original, old Gold Souq in the old part of Dubai, and then there's several other versions of Gold Souq in the malls and as stand-alone shopping areas. There are two Crowne Plaza hotels (I found this out the hard way). There are three Address hotels. So tourists need to be armed with good information about where they are going to avoid confusion. If you were looking for the Dubai Marina, for example, you would find many confusing possibilities, including several actual marinas as well as that new part of town past the Palm Jumeirah.

The new fish market is right next to a marina (which some probably confusingly call the Dubai marina) and a sailing club (unfortunately, fully booked for sailing lessons). We bought what we thought was hammour the other day and got it cleaned and deboned before taking it home--very economical compared to what we would pay in a restaurant. It was delicious cooked on the barbecue grill on our balcony. We use real charcoal here and the food seems to taste better grilled that way than with the propane grill we use in Pittsburgh. Hammour is now mostly off menus in Dubai due to overfishing, so it's very possible what we bought was something different. Fish don't come with labels. The lobster, which I think were local, were downright scary looking.

For something new and fun, we booked a deep sea fishing trip for a recent Saturday. Dubai has its own fisherman's wharf of sorts, not far from the fish market. There's a special service entrance and lodging area for fisherman, and a guarded entry gate for boaters and tourists. It wasn't very busy when we arrived. All fishing trips had been cancelled the day before due to a bad storm, which caused a huge pleasure yacht to crash at the Palm Jumeirah, not a good sign.

As we headed out into the Gulf, the after effects of the storm were more obvious. It was like riding a very rough roller coaster as we climbed up and crashed down each wave, getting splattered with spray. We couldn't stand up or stay dry. The captain stopped the boat before either of us got too seasick, and we got the rods out and tried to do some bottom fishing. The fish were not biting, and the boat was getting tossed about, so we didn't last long in that spot. The captain suggested heading back closer to shore where the water was calmer, and we readily agreed. But the catch was not so great. The views of Dubai made up for it. The only two fish of any real size were not caught by us. We got them cleaned at the fish market and cooked them up that night--not bad at all. I had a hard time eating, though, perhaps due to having seen them alive or maybe I was still a bit seasick.

Now I can put deep sea fishing on my list of supposedly fun things I'll never do again in Dubai. I'm very happy to find the fish market, which will do just fine for our fresh fish from now on.

They Paved Paradise

I was looking forward to some nice, long walks on the beach when I returned to Dubai in late March, so I was more than a little dismayed to discover a big paving project underway. Someone decided to pave a road right on the beach. A staging center for heavy equipment is now located in front of our building. The beep-beep-beep of the machines backing up and the low rumble of the ground are constant background noise. I also hear a weird marble rolling around sound, which seems to be located somewhere in our apartment.

This is not just a small road or bicycle/foot path. It's black asphalt, over a foot thick and two lanes wide. Why it's needed or wanted is anybody's guess. Only the police and other official vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach, and they seem to do okay without it.

Dubai just can't seem to stop building and leave well enough alone. Plus when you have all these migrant workers over here already, and money is no object, I guess you might as well keep them busy. I'm starting to understand how the natives must feel in seeing the beautiful parts of their landscape get built over and covered up. 

I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not allowed to ride my bike on it when it's finished. There's a bike path along the main beach road, two blocks away, but most other areas, including parks and shopping areas, are not bike friendly.  But I'm guessing with such a big road, they must be planning to allow cars. If so, they better put up a parking lot.

Doha, Pearl of a City

I got a chance to visit Doha, Qatar, last weekend for the first time. It's not far from Dubai--a distance comparable to that from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia--but getting there requires going by plane with all the complications of international travel, including early check-in and obtaining a visa, not cheap at about $25 per person.

Travel by road from the UAE is not possible since Qatar occupies a peninsula bordered by Saudi Arabia, which does not permit through travel by foreigners. A new airport is opening soon; the old one we landed at seems undersized for the traffic and lacking in amenities. Travel from the airport to town would be quick given the short distance except for the traffic, which seemed heavy along the main roads.

We stayed in an older part of town, the Souk Waqif area, which is not that old, just in comparison to much of the city, which looks brand new. From the souk there's an excellent view of the spiral shaped Fanar Tower, the Islamic cultural center, and the fabulous Museum of Islamic Art, the I.M. Pei- designed masterpiece of a building, known as MIA locally. The corniche, a lovely waterfront walk, connects the MIA in a big loop to the modern downtown area, which rises like Oz across the water. Rustic dhows offering boat rides line the waterway, while across the corniche road there is plenty of green with parks open to pedestrians. The feeling of openness, walkability and green space was a striking difference from Dubai.

We started the walk from MIA to downtown but got waylaid in our search for a restroom and something to drink, finding the first but not the second. It was Friday and nothing would be open until later that afternoon. The Museum finally opened at 3 p.m. (free admission!) and we spent two hours there, emerging in time for sunset. There was a pleasant chill in the air, a bit cooler than Dubai, with many people wearing coats or jackets. It was spring festival time at the souk, with friendly crowds and family entertainment. Household goods, fabrics, jewelry, spices, antiques, and native handicrafts were on display, with many coffee shops and restaurants. There was also an amazing bird market, with all kinds of birds and other animals, including a few cats and dogs, turtles, and squirrels. Locals took part in live auctions for the choicest items.

Not far from Souk Waqif is the Falcon Souq, with many small shops and thousands of falcons on display. Doha must be a falconry center. Beyond that we found some beautiful horse stables. We had dinner at one of the boutique hotels in the souk, the highlight being the best mint tea I have every had. No alcohol is served in any of the establishments in the souk. Restaurants in the larger hotels downtown have bars, but none were visited during our stay. Unlike Dubai, alcohol is not available for purchase at the airport duty-free, so visitors looking for drink may be out of luck. What Doha does offer is a welcome view of more traditional Arabic culture, with less westerners in the way.

There was lots of building going on, just as there is in Dubai, so it will be interesting to see how these two cities compare in another 10-20 years.

UAE Drivers, Pedestrians, Cyclists Beware

Road safety is a huge issue in the UAE. There was an alarming rise in traffic accidents in Dubai with 148 deaths last year. The police catch many offenses, especially speeding, using their system of closed circuit cameras, but they are not often seen on patrol. The penalties that currently exist, including fines, black points, license suspension and vehicle seizure, do not seem to be deterring unsafe drivers.

The main problems include excessive speeding, not wearing seat belts, not using child restraints, running red lights, using mobile phones, tailgating, drunk driving, not giving way to pedestrians and cyclists, and driver inattention to conditions. Usage of seat belts and child restraints are not mandatory, nor are there any restrictions on cell phone use. It seems obvious that those safety precautions should be enacted, but even if they were there would still be a big problem with enforcement.

While vehicles can be impounded for driving in excess of 200 kph (124 mph), speeding below that level results in fines that can be paid with no limit on the number of tickets.  Getting speeding tickets does not appear to affect insurance rates. For many drivers, that's a good thing, because the cameras, which now seem to be everywhere, make it incredibly easy to get tickets, sometimes more than one, before the driver is even aware that the camera has been activated. The system of black points, which provides for a driver's license to be seized at 24 points, is only triggered at the highest speeds or for certain offenses, like running red lights. The National reports that more than a half million drivers received black points last year, but only 2,500 had their licenses suspended upon reaching the limit of 24 points.

Various campaigns have been instituted to address the problem. One such campaign, called "Kulluna Shurta" or "We Are All Police,"  encourages people to report traffic offenses immediately using a dedicated free number, 8004353.  Private motorists are also encouraged to send photos and video of offenses. This week a new campaign started to bring attention to the danger of sudden swerving,
where drivers change lanes unexpectedly without proper signaling. News reports said that 41 deaths in Dubai last year have been attributed to that cause alone.

What makes enforcement more difficult is that speeding seems engrained in the regional culture. Other cultural differences compound the problem. Safe driving practices that are well-accepted in western cultures, such as signaling and checking the rear view before changing lanes and yielding way to a merging driver, are foreign to many drivers here. Such drivers may be used to smaller roads and slower traffic jams, but the high speed highways of the UAE leave little room for error.

Some seem to believe that the solution is more driver education, rather than more penalties.  More education is always a good idea, but it seems obvious that there also need to be more penalties and license suspensions. In the U.S. it only takes a few speeding tickets before the license is suspended and insurance rates go up dramatically. Even well-educated people will not learn their lesson and drive more carefully until it affects them in the form of an accident or cost. Increased police patrols in high problem areas would also have a deterrent effect. Putting cameras in cars is another idea. Beefing up the penalties seems the best place to start.

Sadly, another sudden swerve death happened just this week, as a driver changed lanes suddenly causing another car to overturn and its driver to be killed. On the same day three pedestrians were mowed down on a side street near Emirates Towers. Reading such reports makes me fearful to take the road in our car. Biking along the Jumeirah Beach Road bike path seems more dangerous to me now as well. How many have to suffer death or injury before more effective measures are taken?