Jordan Feb 1-17 2016
Amman & Central Jordan
North Jordan
South Jordan
TRAVEL TIPS
1. Jordan Pass. Introduced on September 1, 2015, the Jordan Pass is a sightseeing package for visitors to Jordan. It covers prepaid entry to over 40 attractions in Jordan (anything covered under the antiquities department), free downloadable digital brochures covering all of Jordan’s tourist attractions, and waiving of tourist entry visa fees (40 JD) if you purchase the Jordan Pass before arrival to Jordan and stay a minimum of three nights. It also includes the entry fee to Petra – there are three categories of Jordan Pass determined by how many days you want to visit Petra: 1 day at Petra = 70 JD, 2 days = 75 JD and 3 days = 80 JD. The normal Petra costs are 1 day – 50 JD, 2 days 55 JD and 3 days 60 JD. So if you only use the visa and Petra part of the pass, you are already saving 20 JD. Go to www.jordanpass.jo to purchase online. Print it out or transfer it to your mobile.
I did not know about this pass before arriving so paid for my visa. But I am traveling a great deal throughout the country and it is still a good deal and I bought a pass after arrival.
2. Taxis. Of all the countries I have ever traveled in, I believe Jordan taxi drivers are the most malicious. They overcharge aggressively and always refuse to use meters. The meter cost is displayed in fils, but they have no problem if you pay in dinars. A Chinese man staying at my hotel used a taxi to go to the bus station to buy a ticket. He had not paid the driver, was told to leave his luggage in the taxi, and the driver told him he would wait – and then he left with all the guys luggage never to be found again.
As a result, find out fares before you take a taxi if possible, get them to use a meter, bargain hard and always record the license plate and company of the taxi before you get in. A taxi to almost anywhere in Amman should rarely be more than 3 JD.
3. Transportation. From the airport, a taxi is 18 JD, but the shuttle is 3 JD, then a taxi from 7th circle is 3 JD or take the shuttle to the north bus station and a service taxi (on the north side of the station) to Shapsogh downtown. From downtown, go to Shapsogh Station for a service taxi to the north or south bus stations for .4JD (taxi 3JD).
4. Hotels and Restaurants
Amman: there are many hotels with dorm rooms that are not listed on any of the typical booking sites (all prices without breakfast): Boutique Hotel (6JD), Sydney Hotel (5JD), Arab Tower (6JD) or Jordan Tower. Booking.com seems to be the only site with them listed but dorm rooms, if listed, are twice the actual price. All these hotels are downtown and close to the few tourist sites in Amman. Eat at Hashem Restaurant, arguably the best fast food in Jordan and then go just down the street to Habiba Sweets for dessert.
Wadi Musa (Petra): Stay at Saba’a Hotel (dorms including breakfast 8JD) with a lovely English woman owner. Just north of Shaheed circle. Eat at Restaurant – a Syrian-run fast food place up the hill east of Shaheed Circle just past the pharmacy. Better than Hashem.
5. Safety. Jordan is very safe despite the neighbourhood. There have been no terrorist attacks here. Avoid refugee camps and traveling next to the Iraq border.
Jordanis offer a open-armed welcome every day. It’s this, and a sense of stability amid a problematic neighbourhood, that makes travel in Jordan such a delight. With heavyweight neighbours pulling big historical punches, Jordan easily holds its own. Amman, Jerash and Umm Qais were cities of the Roman Decapolis, while biblical sites include Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, and Mt Nebo, where Moses reputedly surveyed the Promised Land. Grandest of all is the sublime Nabataean capital of Petra, carved from vertical cliffs.
But Jordan is not just about antiquities – it also offers the great outdoors. Whether diving in Aqaba, trekking in the camel-prints of Lawrence of Arabia or hiking through stunning canyons, Jordan’s eco-savvy nature reserves offer the best of adventures in the Middle East.
Official name. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Capital. Amman
Population. 6.5 million
Language. Arabic (English widely spoken)
MONEY.
The currency is the Jordanian dinar (JD) also called the jay-dee among young locals. It is made up of 1000 fils. The coins 50,100, 250 and 500 fils have no numbers on them and it can be confusing at first. On January 30 2016 1US$ = .71 JD and 1JD = 1.41 US$.
Often when the price is quoted, the ending is often omitted, so if you are quoted 25, you need to work out whether it’s 25 dinars, or fils. But most Jordanians, except for taxi drivers, wouldn’t dream of ripping off a foreigner.
ATMs are everywhere except in the smallest towns. Arab Bank and Jordan Gulf Bank accept both Visa and MC. The Housing Bank for Trade & Finance, Cairo-Amman Bank and Jordan Islamic Bank accept only Visa. If an ATM swallows your card, call 06-5669123 (Amman).
Credit Cards are accepted in midrange and top-end hotels and restaurants, and a few top-end shops. A commission of up to 5% is often added.
Moneychangers. Present in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid and only deal in cash. Most hard currencies are accepted. Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Israeli and Iraqi currency can all be changed in Amman, usually at favorable rates but you may need to shop around. Egyptian and Israeli currency is also easily changed in Aqaba.
Tipping. Tips of 10% are generally expected in better restaurants. A service charge of 10% is automatically added at most midrange and top-end restaurants.
VISAS
Are required by all foreigners entering Jordan (40JD). Single-entry visas valid for a month from date of entry are issued at land borders and airports on arrival. Multiple entry visas are obtainable from Jordanian embassies or consulates. Come with cash as the ATM next to immigration charges 5JD to withdraw money.
Exceptions.
King Hussein Bridge (Allenby Bridge). This is the only border where visas are not issued and you must obtain them from Jordanian embassies or consulates outside the country (usually takes 24 hours). If you want to re-enter Jordan here, it is not necessary to reapply for a Jordanian visa providing you return the same way within the validity of your Jordanian visa or extension.
Aqaba. Arriving at this southern city by air or ferry entitles you to a free visa as part of the free-trade agreement with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Area. If you stay in Jordan for more than 15 days, you must register with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. As of January 1, 2016, arrival by air or ferry is the only way to get a visa on arrival to Jordan in Aqaba – it is impossible to get a visa on arrival crossing overland from Eilat to Aqaba (to cross overland, you must have obtained your visa at home or through a Jordanian embassy on the road). But you can cross this border as part of an Israeli tour group visiting Petra on a day trip. The total cost of this trip is US$330 which includes the 90JD (US$135) Jordanian visa. That trip must be booked at least 48 hours prior to entry as the group must enter and exit as a group to ensure a smooth border crossing. Also included, of course, is the 50JD entry fee to Petra, transportation between Eilat and Petra (which is complicated if attempting on your own as there is little public transport), food and a tour guide in Petra. You only get about 3 1/2 hours in Petra and I am not sure if you could get to the Monastery in that time.
Connections. Jordan is easily visited overland from neighbouring countries, with visas available on arrival at border crossings and Aqaba port. Arrival in Jordan is by boat (from Egypt), bus or service taxi; you can bring your own car or motorcycle (but not hire car). Leaving Jordan by land requires more planning: Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are not possible (it is virtually impossible to get a tourist visa to Saudi Arabia). Onward travel in the region can also be problematic after visiting Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Exit Fees: 10JD if crossing by land (only possible in 2016 with Israel). Included in the ferry and air prices.
When To Go.
Mar–May The weather is perfect, with warm days, cool nights and spectacular wildflowers.
Sep–Nov A good time to go hiking, with fewer visitors and relief after intense summer heat.
Dec–Feb The Red and Dead Seas offer balmy dips, while upland Jordan shivers with winter chills.
Resources
»Bible Places (www.bibleplaces.com) Biblical sites
»Jordan Tourism Board (www.visitjordan.com)
»Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (www.rscn.org.jo) Nature reserves
»Ruth’s Jordan Jubilee (www.jordanjubilee.com) Petra information.
Observations about Jordan
1. Breakfast. One meal that is easy to prepare for is breakfast: cereal, walnuts, banana and milk. I also always carry instant coffee; no matter how much you might dislike Nescafe, it is the only way to satisfy your coffee addiction.
2. Bad furniture. Near the hotel was a furniture store, with living room sets so ugly, I had to go in and look around. Imagine huge sofas and chairs with gaudy fabric and wild carved wood/plastic embellishments. The salesman took me upstairs to see the “normal “ stuff and there was some that looked ok. The over-the-top furniture reminded me of Middle East jewelry – very gaudy, full of filigree and many little stones.
3. Women and hajib. Most Jordanian women wear hajib and some full abuelah with veils. Long heavy coats and spike heels are common. These don’t do much for their appearance, but Muslim women are very distant at best with no eye contact. Makeup is unbelievably heavy: large dark eyebrows, huge mascara, big eyelashes, heavy foundation and bright lipstick – not very cute. Take off the headscarf and makeup, I think most would be real “babes”. If approached for directions, most don’t even acknowledge your existence.
4. Smoking. It is a rare Jordanian man who doesn’t smoke. Here you can smoke anywhere including restaurants, taxis and buses. Most hotels don’t let you smoke in the lobbies.
5. Refugees in Jordan. An Iraqi man is doing the housecleaning/maid service. He is 35, has a wife and two children living here and is a registered refugee from Iraq. He is a trained teacher. He has been in Jordan for a year and will never return to Iraq. Democracy is not functional and he believes will never work there. He is not allowed to have a legal job in Jordan. The UN puts them in a refuge camp, unable to work, and they wait however long it takes to immigrate to another country – 2, 5, 7 10 years. He has no use for the UN.
This job is illegal. He cleans at this hotel and another one owned by the same guy under the table. He still feels like he is very lucky. He makes enough money to get by and support his family. Rent is 170JD, electricity 5JD, internet 20JD. I didn’t ask how much he makes. Iraq under Saddam Hussein was a good country to live in. Iraq needed a strong dictator to control the country with its Sunni and Shiite populations. BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera on TV are not good in Iraq – it was much better when there was one government controlled TV station and propaganda was controlled. Jordan is a poor country with few resources with most of the economy based on tourism. The future doesn’t hold many positives.
6. Relations with Moslem women. I took a taxi back from the Israel Embassy. The driver was from Kuwait and well spoken. He expressed his frustrations with dating Muslim women. They were very sexual any everything but vaginal intercourse was possible – it is essential that you be a virgin in Islam to get a husband. He thought he would start to date Filipino women.