The travel-picture.ru team goes on another journey, in this article we will tell and show the mysterious country, most of which is desert - this is Jordan.
We will tell you about holidays in Jordan, prices, excursions and much more that a tourist traveling to Jordan needs. Of course, let's talk about the cuisine of this amazing country, but this will be in a separate article.
Let's be honest, before visiting the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, there was only the Jordan River in our luggage of knowledge, we didn't know anything else about this amazing eastern country, but buying a tour to Jordan from Moscow after talking with a manager in one of the travel agencies finally convinced us to look at Jordan with our own eyes, we were not disappointed!
A little about the country in numbers:
The capital of Jordan is Amman. The population of Jordan is 5 million. 154 thousand people. Life expectancy in this country for men is 75 years, for women 80 years.
The largest cities in Jordan are Amman, Aqaba, Kerak, Irbid... Jordan is famous for its Mediterranean climate and the average temperature here is +30 degrees in summer and +20 degrees in winter, so you can safely fly to Jordan at any time of the year.
The national currency of Jordan is called “Dinar” (1 dinar = 1000phils).
The population of Jordan is 97% of Arabs (Jordanians and Palestinians), the rest of the population is Armenians and Circassians. The entire population of Jordan speaks the state Arabic language, but a large percentage of the population also prefers to speak English, there are even those who speak Russian, but there are very few such people here.
The country has a very well developed road traffic and a car rental service is developed for tourists visiting Jordan. By renting a car, you can go around the whole country on your own, without depending on travel agencies, saving a lot of money on this.
The Russians are lucky in this regard, a driver's license issued in Russia is considered valid here if your driving experience is at least a year. Traffic here is right-hand and road signs are installed in both English and Arabic.
Prices for car rental in Jordan are varied, starting at $ 30 per day, plus insurance and petrol. You can rent a car at the airport, special bureaus and Jordan hotel. Car rental is provided by well-known world bureaus such as Dallah, Euro, Europcar, Hertz and others.
All tourists and travelers who go on vacation to the country of Jordan must visit such amazing sights as the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the lunar desert of Wadi Rum and the mystical city of Petra.
All these amazing sights of Jordan that you can see with your own eyes are just a few hours' drive from the city of Amman. We will talk about all the sights of Jordan separately in the next article.
Flight tickets to Amman
A selection of the best hotels in Jordan
How to get to Amman on your own?
You can get to Amman from the airport by bus or order a taxi, the bus fare is 2 dinars or about 3 dollars. The journey time to the place is approximately 2 hours.
First of all, upon arrival in Amman, you will be shocked by the large number of portraits of King Abdul II of Jordan, the entire population of Jordan treats their king with great respect.
A special place in the heart of every Jordanian was deserved by the father of Abdula II, whose name was Hussein, he loved the people so much that in the evenings he went to the city under the guise of a taxi driver in order to communicate with the people of Jordan and learn about the problems and how they live.
Today, King Abdul II of Jordan and his queen can walk without protection anywhere in the country, they can be found in a regular market or souvenir shop, you can talk to them and learn about all the news in the state. Here is such a king who is so close to the common people in Jordan.
In the center of Amman, the best way to get around is by minibus, travel around the city costs 1 or 2 dinars, as agreed. By the way, ordinary cars are used by minibuses in Jordan and you can find them in specially designated parking lots.
Such minibuses run, like ordinary buses, along a certain route and also stop at stops, like we do in Russia, minibuses can transport you between cities and neighboring countries. We do not know why, but women in such minibuses are strictly forbidden to sit in the front seat and are considered not a decent act (debauchery).
The capital of Jordan - Amman, has been around for about 5 thousand years, this city is one of the most ancient cities on the planet and has not changed anything since its inception.
All the traditions and customs of the peoples of Jordan from ancient times have remained surprisingly unchanged, for example, bread is still baked here according to thousand-year-old recipes, which already deserves praise.
Even calls from the minaret (the tower from which the call to pray goes) to Muslims about prayer have been heard here for many centuries and are observed every day.
The city of Amman is a dull monotonous landscape with the same gray buildings, continuous narrow alleys leading to dead ends, it does not have the gloss and sophistication of European cities.
From the city of Amman, you will get the impression that you are in a world with labyrinthine alleys from which you will never get out. But still, the city of Amman has its own charm, this city is the eastern and bustling city on Earth, which you can love if you immerse yourself in the traditions of the culture of Jordan.
Walking the streets of Amman, you can notice the absence of women, but if you meet a woman somewhere, he will not look you in the eye. Jordan is a secular state, women here have the right to go without a hijab, but many women still wear headscarves to hide their eyes and head, but this is their personal choice.
Hijab in Amman sells very well, especially among tourists who are ready to try themselves as a woman in this exotic country. The material is so dense that it is difficult to breathe, and it is simply not possible to see through such a fabric.
Many women have noticed that the hijab is good to wear to hide all their flaws in the figure. On your wallet in Amman, you can pick up any hijab, with handmade drawings or even diamonds. The cheap option will cost you about 60 dinars ($ 85).
You may ask - how do you get to know such a woman if you don't see her? Any Man in the country of Jordan appreciates simplicity in a woman first of all, and it is the hijab that emphasizes it. To get to know a woman, according to religion, the first thing a man goes to her parents to ask for her hand and heart, and after a short amount of time, they immediately get married.
Prices in Jordan
Prices in the country of Jordan do not bite. Shops are open as usual from morning to evening, most shops are closed on Friday, but small shops are always open.
If you decide to buy yourself something more as a keepsake than a magnet, we recommend that you definitely look into antique stores. Usually tourists take out magnets, hookahs, but you can make a variety of things by buying art or historical antiques.
In any store you can bargain and reduce prices well, friendly sellers with a smile on their face will definitely give you a discount, if you are a woman, they will also give you a gift.
If you are tired of walking around the city of Amman and decide to eat, then go straight to the cafe. Cafes in Amman are very simple, without the sophistication and charm of European cafes, but the entire population of Jordan dines in such an institution, even the king himself sometimes eats in such cafes.If you are a tourist with a big wallet, then Reem Albawadi restaurant is for you, which is one of the 20 best restaurants in the east.
In this restaurant you will be met personally by the assistant of the owner of this establishment. The interior is made in a historical style and is very cozy, a variety of dishes are prepared here very tasty, especially one of them - "Mansaf".
The Mansaf dish is lamb boiled in sour cream. Traditionally, you will be served with this dish a few more secondary dishes, so always order one dish from the menu, otherwise you will burst.
Most of the dishes in the country of Jordan are traditionally eaten by hand; forks and spoons are rarely found anywhere. They forgot to mention that women, by tradition, cannot eat with a man in one place, this is the height of indecency.
In restaurants for women, there are special designated areas. Now I would like to summarize the price after you dined in the establishments. A good lunch (several courses) in a cafe will cost you 5 dinars, and lunch in a cozy restaurant, for example Reem albawadi it will cost you 40 dinars, food prices are very reasonable here.
While resting, you should definitely go to the Dead Sea. The famous Dead Sea from Amman is only 2 hours away on good roads, on the coast of the Dead Sea in Jordan there are all the expensive hotels that can be found in this country.
As we already told in our trip to Israel, the Dead Sea is the lowest point in the world, and there is 10% more oxygen in the atmosphere above the Dead Sea than over any other sea on Earth.
How to get to Amman and what to eat in Jordan you learned, in the next article we will tell you about the traditions and culture in the country of Jordan, what not to do when visiting this country and how to get baptized in the Jordan River, where John baptized Jesus, subscribe and follow our travels on travel-picture.ru.
