I was so happy that I got to go to Jordan for work; the timing was fortunate, because we had a weekend so that we could do some tourism there. My mother-in-law and I both bought the Jordan pass, which includes the visa entry fee and entrance to several tourist attractions. I did some research prior to arrival on tips when travelling with children, and the most common advice was not to go during the summer! My work trip was scheduled for July, so we had no choice. We got lucky with the weather though, and it wasn't much hotter than it was in Geneva.
Upon arrival in Amman, we could see that people dressed much more conservatively than in Lebanon. We stayed at the Shams Al-Webdeh suites, which I would highly recommend. The location is great, close to many cafes and restaurants. As with most of my posts these days, I waited way too long to write and forgot the names of most of the places, but I do remember one restaurant that was really excellent--Jordan Heritage Restaurant. It also doubles as an art gallery. I didn't know that Jordanian food is so different from Lebanese food. This restaurant specializes in Jordanian dishes. It is more similar to Indian food, I found, because they have very rich stew-like dishes. The rice itself was fragrant, and each dish we ordered was phenomenal. We ended up going there twice during our short stay.
The highlight of our Jordan trip was, of course, our trip to Petra. A friend of mind had recommended doing Petra by night, which I can see as being a wonderful, night time hike if done with a friend or romantic partner. The treasury is lit with colored lights, and there are a thousand candles lighting the trail. I wish that my husband would have been able to come, and made a mental note to go again with my husband. This time however, I went with a very cranky one year old. My son screamed the entire mile hike, and continued to scream even as we were at the treasury. When I look back, I realize I should have just given up. We had had a long trip to Petra from Amman, about three hours by car. It was a nice view, but an incredibly difficult walk for both my MIL and me. We stayed at a hotel about five minutes from the visitor center of Petra. The rooms were nice, and the food was acceptable. The convenient location though was worth it!
The next day, we woke up at 6:00 am to try to beat the heat and the crowd. I had a really good baby carrier, and had my son carried in front of me. As we left, the air was a cool, 70 degrees F, and there was almost no one else on the trail. I think we only saw a handful of people on our way to the treasury. The early morning sun was a pale white, and the rock formations a light pink. As the sun rose higher, the color of the rocks became deeper. When we arrived at the treasury, one of the bedouins came to say hi to us. I mentioned that we went to Petra by night yesterday, and he said, "oh, was he the baby that was screaming the whole time?" I felt a little bit bad, because I guess we must have ruined the ambiance for some people.
We ended up taking mules to go to the entrance of the monastery, and hiked up. That was not easy (especially while carrying a 20 pound child), but it was wonderful! My son loved the monastery, and played happily in the sand. There were beautiful views from the mountain.
On our way back, we stopped to take some photos of some older buildings, but I can't remember now what they were.
We also saw Wadi Rum and the dead sea. Wadi rum was cool because of the never-ending sand dunes, but the dead sea was just okay. I guess that might be because we didn't go in, since I thought the salt would be too harsh for my son. On our way back, we stopped by little Petra, and also saw some fortresses.
Upon arrival in Amman, we could see that people dressed much more conservatively than in Lebanon. We stayed at the Shams Al-Webdeh suites, which I would highly recommend. The location is great, close to many cafes and restaurants. As with most of my posts these days, I waited way too long to write and forgot the names of most of the places, but I do remember one restaurant that was really excellent--Jordan Heritage Restaurant. It also doubles as an art gallery. I didn't know that Jordanian food is so different from Lebanese food. This restaurant specializes in Jordanian dishes. It is more similar to Indian food, I found, because they have very rich stew-like dishes. The rice itself was fragrant, and each dish we ordered was phenomenal. We ended up going there twice during our short stay.
The highlight of our Jordan trip was, of course, our trip to Petra. A friend of mind had recommended doing Petra by night, which I can see as being a wonderful, night time hike if done with a friend or romantic partner. The treasury is lit with colored lights, and there are a thousand candles lighting the trail. I wish that my husband would have been able to come, and made a mental note to go again with my husband. This time however, I went with a very cranky one year old. My son screamed the entire mile hike, and continued to scream even as we were at the treasury. When I look back, I realize I should have just given up. We had had a long trip to Petra from Amman, about three hours by car. It was a nice view, but an incredibly difficult walk for both my MIL and me. We stayed at a hotel about five minutes from the visitor center of Petra. The rooms were nice, and the food was acceptable. The convenient location though was worth it!
The next day, we woke up at 6:00 am to try to beat the heat and the crowd. I had a really good baby carrier, and had my son carried in front of me. As we left, the air was a cool, 70 degrees F, and there was almost no one else on the trail. I think we only saw a handful of people on our way to the treasury. The early morning sun was a pale white, and the rock formations a light pink. As the sun rose higher, the color of the rocks became deeper. When we arrived at the treasury, one of the bedouins came to say hi to us. I mentioned that we went to Petra by night yesterday, and he said, "oh, was he the baby that was screaming the whole time?" I felt a little bit bad, because I guess we must have ruined the ambiance for some people.
We ended up taking mules to go to the entrance of the monastery, and hiked up. That was not easy (especially while carrying a 20 pound child), but it was wonderful! My son loved the monastery, and played happily in the sand. There were beautiful views from the mountain.
On our way back, we stopped to take some photos of some older buildings, but I can't remember now what they were.
We also saw Wadi Rum and the dead sea. Wadi rum was cool because of the never-ending sand dunes, but the dead sea was just okay. I guess that might be because we didn't go in, since I thought the salt would be too harsh for my son. On our way back, we stopped by little Petra, and also saw some fortresses.
