galmc2Report

When we did RTW1 (side note, I don’t think either of us at the time thought there would be an RTW2), visiting Jordan was very high up our list. I think that was specifically due to Petra, to which for me I can point to the third Indiana Jones movie as planting the seed. We ended up not coming as we had tried coming to Jordan with a visit to Egypt, and Egypt was in the midst of the Arab Spring in 2011 so we gave the whole area a reluctant pass.

Fast forward to planning for this trip. As soon as we realized that we would head west after SE Asia it was now a question of where we would stop before getting to Morocco mid-March for our guided tour. We thought about Nepal (a personal favourite), as well as possibly the Maldives. Then we realized, just as with Vietnam, that we had an opportunity to see something that we missed last time. And just like that visiting Jordan became a rock in our travel plan.

We’ve ended up being here for 16 days. I think that wasn’t a conscious choice, it was just picking some dates and then realizing how many days that would be. After we had locked in our inbound/outbound flights we started to see from blogs that many thought +/- 10 days was an optimal time for here. So we definitely had some extra time potential. We debated whether to try and do a few days in Israel or Egypt, but came back to one of our guiding principles for the trip of taking the time to see a place properly without cramming too much in.

In hindsight it was a wise choice. We maybe had 2 superfluous/filler nights here, but otherwise the timing has been perfect. and as I type I realize one of the filler nights allowed me to have a walk and meet a bunch of local kids in the countryside who were surprised to see someone from Canada. That encounter is a definite highlight for me.

I think when I reflect on our time here I will certainly be grateful for the opportunity to see the “Big 3” of Jordan, Petra, the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum. I mocked up a list of top travel experiences I have had (boy have I been fortunate) and those 3 are for sure on any short list.

The other aspect of being here is to experience what it is like to be in an area where so many other countries are in such close visual proximity. Going up north we could view the Sea of Galilee in Israel and the Golen Heights (Syrian territory occupied by Israel). We saw highway exit signs for Iraq. Being here in Aqaba we can easily see where the Jordanian shoreline morphs into Israeli and then further on down the Red Sea shore we can see Egypt. We know that the Saudi Arabia border is also just a few kilometres down the highway. Maybe it’s the bias of the media I am exposed to, but to be here now is something I find to be very impactful. So much history, and sadly so much conflict for a space that is so beautiful.

I’d be a bit remiss if I also didn’t reflect and write about what I have seen culturally, specifically with what I see about the constraints that I see woman dealing with. I can’t comprehend how woman need to be hidden in what they wear here. There is so much I don’t know, but I just keep coming back to gender equity and freedom. And a belief that, especially as the father of a wonderful young woman, that no society or culture should advocate that it’s female population be hidden. I just don’t think that’s right.

And one last thing on a lighter note, I probably didn’t need to panic buy my problematic pants. The cold forecast that we saw before we got here never came to be! I’ll have to remember that for when we hit Scotland!

T