Made famous by Indiana Jones and in recent times the Transformers as an adventure location, Jordan has always been a place high on the list to visit. The appeal of ancient Petra, the alien landscape of the Wadi Rum desert and the surreal experience of floating on the Dead Sea, I will always have fond memories of this beautiful country.
In Petra, across from the Monastery, there are still some of the caves people would have lived in thousands of years ago when it was a bustling city full of traders. Today the ruins are still a magnificent wonder of the scale and engineering marvel it is. Petra at Night is a ceremony that runs Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. If you have walked down the Siq in the day, the experience of walking back down again in the night to a trail of candles leads to a haunting vision of the Treasury warmly lit. A full moon was overhead the night that I shot this photo.
The town of Jerash is about 50km north of the capital Amman, Jordan. Amazing Greek ruins have been preserved from the glory days of the Greek empire. The Cardo Maximus is the main cobbled avenue from the Forum to many of the amazing buildings and arches that many tourists are drawn to.
The South Theatre of Jerash is the larger of 2 amphitheatres in Jerash which is dedicated to Zeus. If you are lucky, you might even get a performance while here.
Sunrise over the rooftops of Amman. My first experience of Amman was driving in from the airport shortly after sunrise. My taxi driver pulled over in the middle of nowhere and asked me if I would like a coffee. And thus began my addiction of adding cardamon to my coffee!
Wadi Rum desert is the place that Lawrence of Arabia was filmed and also known as the Valley of the Moon. This might have to do with the amazing rock formations and sand dunes that seem to go forever. A unique experience of staying at the Captain’s Camp in Wadi Rum is to ride the camels into the desert. Not exactly the most comfortable mode of transport, but at least camels are a bit more predictable that donkeys! Another first for me was a hot air balloon ride over Wadi Rum. To drift quietly over the desert landscape in the early morning provides some unique photographic opportunities.
The Feynan ecolodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve is a brilliant example of world-class accommodation that is environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and profitable. The surrounding area is awesome for hiking and exploring.
The Feynan ecolodge also has some of its food prepared by the local nomadic Bedouins for exchange for money and goods. We were fortunate to be allowed into a Bedouin tent to see bread being prepared.
The Bedouins are a proud and beautiful culture. To listen to their stories and folklore is a lesson in humanity. This young man had charcoal as eyeliner as it acts as a natural sun protection for his eyes.
This photo is of the Dead Sea as the moon is setting over Jerusalem. At this time of morning the sea is peaceful and you can admire the strange shoreline which has been encrusted by the heavy salt content of the water.