Caught sight of myself in a store window a few moments ago - have already picked up that slightly scruffy traveller-chic look - you know, a couple of days stubble, hair a little wild, a stain of unknown origin on my jeans and eyes that tell you I've downed perhaps three too many coffees. Jordan had been hard work, long hot days (temperatures in the mid-twenties during the day, but chilly at night), but there had been so much to see, so much history, a terrific country and wonderful people, you should go there. NOW! Also fellas, the (young) ladies are gorgeous - almond-eyed beauties. Girls? If you like swarthy macho types, you'll be happy.
On Saturday we headed up to Jerash, a place I had never heard of until booking that tour. Apparently it is (I'm ashamed to show my ignorance here), widely acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest preserved provincial Roman town in the world. The imposing remains of the city - reflecting the grandeur of Imperial Rome, lie nestled in a green valley an hour north of Amman. Here we were left to wander the empty deserted streets of this ancient place, I strolled around the once bustling marketplace, through the ruined bathhouses and traced with my fingers the ruts left by the thousands of chariot wheels that passes along those cobbled streets. Even for someone with such a limited imagination as me, it wasn't hard to envisage these streets bustling with life, I walked down to the amphitheatre and climbed onto the stage, surrounded by the imaginary roar of the excited crowded - the image was soon shattered when my fellow travellers joined me on stage and we gave a rendition of the Locomotion which had Omar holding his head in his hands. That afternoon the trip reached its low-point, literally. We spent the afternoon splashing around in the Dead Sea. It really is a strange sensation, especially for a landlubber like me. I waded in, and as the water reached waist level, I felt it lifting my toes off the muddy seabed, by the time the waters reached my chest I was floating. For an hour I bobbed around like I was in an invisible armchair - very, very strange. I tried to get the hang of swimming - my uncle Maurice learnt to swim here when doing his National Service - but all I succeeded in doing was splashing a lot of water around and moving in the opposite direction I was trying to go in. Interesting aside; you may know that the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, but did you also know that it is part of the Great Rift Valley that stretches from the Middle East all the way down to East Africa? Don't say you never learnt anything from me.
Yesterday morning I had a lazy breakfast, sipping coffee that would burn its way through lead and nibbling on a couple of what looked and tasted like cinnamon danish pastries, but weren't. My flight left early afternoon, so come 11am I was in the back of a taxi lurching through the quiet and empty streets of Amman to the equally quiet and empty airport. I checked in and sat in a corner reading until boarding the Royal Jordanian 757 to Cairo. From the peace and calm of Jordan, stepping into the maelstrom that it Cairo airport was a complete culture shock. Thankfully there were no shortage of taxis, or buses touting fo my business - about $6 secured a taxi ride to my hotel - an oasis of calm. There I showered and changed and, taking a deep breath, threw myself headlong into the hustle and bustle of this incredible city. I wandered the streets, my senses assaulted on all levels - the endless cacophony of noise with cars tooting, donkeys braying and the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer; the mix of smells like the aroma from cooking pots bubbling with fuul (some fearsome looking local dish), when my feet grew tired, I stopped for a delicious mint tea in a shaded café - watching the endless river of humanity roll past - women haggling in the bazaars, men talking whilst enjoying a traditional shisha pipe, cars vying for space on the crowded roads, camels ambling serenely along and children playing in the back streets. A different world.
Today we had our tour briefing once the group had met up over breakfast - there were fifteen of us in all - mainly Brits, but there were two Australian couples and a couple of American guys who may, or may not be a couple. We then descended en-masse upon the great Pyramids & Sphinx at Giza for a guided tour - I was very excited at the thought of setting eyes on these tombs that were already ancient by the time that Christ was born. To get there we had to weave our way through the manic Cairo traffic, out into the suburbs and then, suddenly, there they are. Huge majestic tombs rising out the desert, towering above the modern city of Cairo and an incredible testament to the immense achievements of the Ancient Egyptians. The Pyramids really do have to be seen to be believed. Built over five thousand years ago they are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that are still standing. We explored the pyramids and the sphinx in the company of an Egyptologist guide - he explained all the mysteries surrounding their creation – were they built by aliens or are they aligned to the stars? (One of the American guys asked if there was any hope of finding the Stargate!) Later we clambered inside one of the Pyramids and saw for ourselves the burial chamber - it was hot, it was dark, it was claustrophobic, but also incredibly humbling just knowing how many thousands of tonnes of stone towered above us.
By now the temperatures were into the high twenties and the smell of the nearby camels (or maybe their owners) was quite strong - whatever, it was a bit of a relief to clamber back on the air-conditioned bus and head north to the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria - a journey of some 3 hours. There's a nice feel to the place, we took a stroll along the wide corniche watching the sunset to the site of the lighthouse of Pharos, another of the 7 Ancient Wonders, we ate a simple but delicious sea food meal in a local back street restaurant and rounded the evening off with an beer - Ice Cold in Alex.