A Jordan Adventure

by Lesli Heron

The full moon lit our path as we followed our Bedouin guide Mohammed, into the Rum. We weren’t sure where we were going. As we rounded a rocky outcrop we came across a beautiful sight. There on a candlelit sand dune was a feast for the eyes, literally. Our guide Majdi had created a Jordanian feast in the middle of Wadi Rum. As we all sat around on pillows and carpets, eating grilled meat, fatoush, babaganoush, drinking Arak and marvelling at the twinkling stars we reflected on our journey so far. It all started in Amman, a week earlier, 7 women aged 32 to 72 and the lone male, our Jordanian guide Majdi.

The very essence of Jordan has been influenced by the world’s oldest civilizations. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Crusaders and Turks have all left their mark. North of Amman lies the magnificently preserved Roman ruin of Jerash. From the entry through Hadrian’s Arch to the Oval Plaza surrounded by 56 Iconic Columns and along the cobblestone colonnaded street, Jerash is a Roman wonder. During our visit we were regaled by the Jordanian Scottish Pipe Band in the amphitheatre, showing off the still amazing acoustics. Did you know the bag pipe actually originated in the Middle East!

As you can’t pass up an opportunity for a peaceful float in the lowest point on earth we popped into the Dead Sea on the way to the Dana Nature Reserve. This reserve has a special beauty and some breath taking scenery. We camped overnight and did a wonderful hike along red rock escarpments and enjoyed a bit of dare devil rock climbing to reach some of the ancient cave churches.

We continued along the Kings Highway to Petra which is one of the highlights of any visit to Jordan. As I wandered through the Siq with its sheer sided walls and narrow passage ways I began to realize how apt the name, The Rose Red City really is. And then there it was, the first glimpse of the Treasury bathed in the morning light. It was breathtaking! We spent hours exploring this ancient city with its Royal Tombs and colonnaded streets culminating in a hike up an ancient rock cut path of over 800 steps to the spectacular Monastery, golden in the afternoon sun.

We rode our camels into Wadi Rum and after 3 hours and a screaming backside we arrived at our Bedouin Camp, Moon Valley, just as the sun was setting. This was our home for the next couple of nights as we explored this moon like landscape of towering sandstones and rippling sand dunes. We hiked through canyons, scrambled up rock faces to straddle natural rock bridges, we plodded along sand dunes and we marvelled at the colours that played out over the desert. I found my peace in Wadi Rum and was under its spell.

After a quick dip and a snorkel in the Red Sea my journey in Jordan came to an end all too soon. This tiny desert kingdom has managed to straddle the ancient and modern worlds effortlessly and in so doing has made it a fascinating, enjoyable and safe country to explore.

A young man's perspective on solo travel

To give our readers some insight into the draw of solo travel, we interviewed Bruce and Wendy’s son Robert Fougner. Rob has been traveling solo for four years, since he was 20. Having heard numerous stories from independent travelers who had gone abroad and done their own thing, he had always wanted to travel solo. He had the chance to do some solo travel when he went to South Africa with a basketball team, so he took the opportunity to go off on his own at the end of the trip. The World Cup was coming up in South Africa at the time, so Rob traveled around Mozam­bique and Swaziland and then returned to South Africa for the World Cup.

When asked what he like about solo travel, Rob said the great thing is that “everyone can accept a party of one.” Whether you are couch surfing, get­ting invited to someone’s home or catching a ride to your next destination, there is almost always room for one. When you travel solo you are more likely to get invited places than when you travel with a friend or a group. Solo travel also forces you to be social, to get out there and do things that might be out of your comfort zone. When you travel with friends or family, you tend to stay within your own little bubble and don’t need to branch out and con­nect with as many people. When you travel solo, you have to branch out and you end up meeting so many more people. Rob said that after traveling solo for several months he only ate two meals by himself. When traveling solo, “you’re by yourself, but never alone.”

Some of Rob’s favourite solo destinations have been Jordan, Mozambique, Israel, Serbia and Aus­tria. In Jordan, Rob went out to Petra on his own, an experience he de­scribed as “absolute­ly unreal.” He visited Jordan during the political unrest in Egypt, which meant that there were sig­nificantly less tour­ists traveling to the Middle East. Usually thousands of people swarm the treasury every day, but there were way less tour­ists at Petra and Rob was able to cruise around by himself and take everything in. Another high­light in Jordan was having a beer in the oldest bar in the world. In Mozambique Rob met a group of American Peace Corps volunteers who were thrilled to meet a Canadian that they could speak with in English. As he traveled around the country they helped set him up with a number of places to stay for free.

A couple of years ago, Rob had the opportunity to stay in Israel for a week. He described Israel as a really interest­ing place and found that people were very friendly and welcoming. Another favourite of Rob’s was Belgrade, Serbia. He called Belgrade “a cool party city” where “the people are gorgeous and everyone is dressed to the nines.” It’s a great place to let loose and have some fun. One of the places that Rob felt most at home was in Austria. He said that he felt he could live in Innsbruck and would love the opportunity to work there. 

Rob’s biggest tip for first time solo travelers: “go with an open mind and be open to anything that happens”. He said that you should always be willing to change plans be­cause some of the best experiences arise when you change your course. For instance, when Rob was in Istanbul it was pouring rain, he wasn’t enjoy­ing himself and he wanted to leave Turkey and go to Greece. He trav­elled to Bodrum where he planned to take a ferry to Greece when met a friend who was going on a boat cruise around Turkey. He convinced Rob to join him on the cruise, sailed around and had an amazing time. Rob also said to “assume the best in people and go with your gut.” Throughout all his solo adventures, this has only led him astray once. Overall, when solo traveling, Rob said that if you’re open and willing to meet people, most of the time you will enjoy yourself.