Postcard from Jordan

[Richard W]

Well, OK, it's from me not Katie Price. Sorry to disappoint you. But I am in Amman at the moment. I had a couple of weeks in Lebanon, mostly lazing about at my brother's flat, but saw the ruins at Byblos, the huge Roman temples at Baalbek (and almost bought a Hezbollah t-shirt as a souvenir), and the incredible grotto at Jeita.

Then I went to Damascus, which is an excellent city but full, so headed off to Palmyra which is the sort of place I can't believe I'd never heard of before looking at a guidebook to Syria. An entire ruined Roman city stuck in a desert next to a date palmery and a valley full of tower tombs, overlooked by an Arab castle on a volcano.

I'll be back to Syria in a week or so to look at the north and Krak de Chevaliers and so on, before heading into Turkey, but at the moment I'm in Jordan. Just saw the famous mozaic map of Jerusalem and the Middle East at Madaba, and then spent the afternoon floating about in the Dead Sea covered in black mud. Lying on your back in the Dead Sea is the most comfortable thing ever, as long as you don't get any of it in your eyes or mouth. Oh, and saw the site where Jesus is supposed to have been baptised, and looked across the Jordan to the West Bank where there's a prominently displayed Israeli flag. (Hence the post icon. There isn't a Jordanian flag available.)

To compensate for the general lack of beer (although not a complete lack), I've taken up smoking nargileh, which is a lot worse for you but has the advantage of being unavailable in Ipswich, so I can't continue the habit at home.

Unfortunately my camera broke in Beirut and I'm reduced to using my cell phone, which doesn't save you from having to look at loads of photos later, but does mean that most of the photos you'll be forced to look at will be rubbish. I've not uploaded any yet so won't include one here.

Hope you are all well,

Love

Richard

[Jay Tea]

The places you reference are some of my Father's favourite places in the world, for various reasons, but stark beauty being principle amongst them. I've been to one or two myself, and always said i'd go back, and my Dad wants pictures of Lebanese sunsets. Your camera situation is thusly lamentable Richard, did it just 'break' or did you have something to do with it?

[Richard W]

No, I didn't drop it or anything... (although I must admit I've dropped it loads in the past, and it's a bit battered). I think the shutter control broke and is stuck on maximum; between pictures, and although the display looks fine, the photos themselves suddenly started being almost completely white-saturated. The last usable picture I took was a distance shot of the Holiday Inn in Beirut; maybe the trauma was too much. It was five years old though, which probably isn't a bad lifespan for a digital. I very nearly bought a new camera for the trip anyway, and am sort of wishing I had now...

I didn't want to buy a proper camera in Damascus as it would be more expensive and probably worse spec than in the UK, and there wasn't nearly the selection anyway to justify spending much money. I would get a disposable but I'm not convinced it would be any better than my phone - it's the lack of zoom and lack of ability to see the whole image to compose it that's annoying me, and neither of those would be improved by a disposable, and at least my phone will store hundreds of images, and let me look at them and delete them straight away if they're rubbish. The other annoyance is that it's quite low-res, so the pictures might be rather small. I'm getting the hang of knowing where the edges of the photo will be even though I can't see them.

I'm off to Petra in a couple of days' time. That's another place that should be a real highlight, along with Cappadocia in a while.

[Jay Tea]

Well, i'm envious, and saddened 'cos I always enjoy the images of your travels. I always travel weighed down with camera equipment, and DSLRs are wonderful because you don't have to proof them against the elements as much as their mechanical brethren, I took some shots recently head on into sand and spray on a wild beach and it didn't even scuff my filter, let alone violate the internals - digital compacts are also universally good these days - no chance of just picking up a cheap Sony or something?

Just to split the envy - the Ale i'm gulping right now is top drawer, it really is, from your part of the world as well

[AQB, Max's DHB]

I'm sure I'm speaking for other Snopesters when I say I'd a whole lot rather have a postcard from you, Richard, than from Katie Price.

Keep up the travelogue, please, and we'll look at rubbish photos later.

[Stan The Man]

Originally Posted by Richard W

I'm off to Petra in a couple of days' time. That's another place that should be a real highlight, along with Cappadocia in a while.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more spectacular place than Petra.

In the Siq (the mile long entrance to Petra), notice the trough in the wall that was used to transport water into Petra.

[Richard W]

I've decided to head to Petra a day early, tomorrow, so I'll find out for myself! I'll try to have three nights there at least, I think.

I did buy a disposable camera today but I think it's worse than my phone! Jordan almost certainly is a better place to pick up a cheap digital than Syria, but I don't want to hang around Amman long enough tomorrow to look for one so I'll stick with the phone for now anyway. Oh well...

[MichiganGirl]

I lived in Amman for about 1 1/2 years but never got to go to Petra. Have fun!

MG

[I'mNotDedalus]

Originally Posted by Richard W

To compensate for the general lack of beer (although not a complete lack), I've taken up smoking nargileh, which is a lot worse for you but has the advantage of being unavailable in Ipswich, so I can't continue the habit at home.

Nice! What flavors have you had? ...Shisha isn't available in Ipswich? Really?

Wonderful postcard, Richard! (Although, as an American, I really can only approve of the trip unless you shoot somebody over there.)

[Jay Tea]

Originally Posted by I'mNotDedalus

Nice! What flavors have you had? ...Shisha isn't available in Ipswich? Really?

I'm pretty sure I saw a hookah bar in central Ipswich but they might just have been ornamental, and this was 10 years ago, before the smoking ban...

[jw]

Once again, we're all jealous of the wonderful strange odysseys that Richard W makes.
I look forward to the photos. I hear they make excellent mobile phone, picture cameras, these days.

[Richard W]

Originally Posted by MichiganGirl

I lived in Amman for about 1 1/2 years but never got to go to Petra.

How on earth did you manage not to do that? Wow... I'd better not tell you what you missed, then.

Originally Posted by I'mNotDedalus

Nice! What flavors have you had? ...Shisha isn't available in Ipswich? Really?

I'm pretty sure it's not - maybe there was a place ten years ago as Jay Tea said, but I'd know about it if there was one now. I think I've had apple, watermelon, mint and grape in various combinations - my brother prefers mint and grape and others swore by watermelon and mint, but I prefer the plain apple myself.

I'm in Amman again having been to Petra, had a night in Wadi Rum and a couple of days snorkelling south of Aqaba. Tomorrow I'll be off back to Damascus to see the parts of Syria that I missed the first time through.

I do now know of a nearby place in Amman that sells beer, although it's Amstel not St Peters alas! But I think I might pick up a few bottles for later anyway... I'm sharing a room with a couple of French women I met in Wadi Rum and Aqaba, and they might want some too, so it's not entirely selfish.

[rangerdog]

I'm sharing a room with a couple of French women I met in Wadi Rum and Aqaba, and they might want some too...

Probably shouldn't post any pictures of that, though.

Just your usual beautiful landscapes and buildings....

[Jay Tea]

Originally Posted by Richard W

I'm pretty sure it's not - maybe there was a place ten years ago as Jay Tea said, but I'd know about it if there was one now. I think I've had apple, watermelon, mint and grape in various combinations - my brother prefers mint and grape and others swore by watermelon and mint, but I prefer the plain apple myself.

I like rose

I'm sharing a room with a couple of French women I met in Wadi Rum and Aqaba, and they might want some too, so it's not entirely selfish.

Ooh la la. Well, if they want some, you should definitely give them some.

[MichiganGirl]

MichiganGirl:
I lived in Amman for about 1 1/2 years but never got to go to Petra.

Originally Posted by Richard W

How on earth did you manage not to do that? Wow... I'd better not tell you what you missed, then.

You know what they say about when you live somewhere you never see the sites, only when you visit. I didn't have much money, and was living in Amman with my in-laws, and no transpotation. Would love to see pictures.

MG