Scotland meets Jordan - an unexpected musical extravaganza.

As we were leaving the theatre in Jerash, Gilleasbuig said he could hear the bagpipes, so we went back to investigate. At first I though there must have been something in the onions at breakfast, but sure enough, there in the amphitheatre, bashing out Scotland the Brave for all he was worth was a bagpiper in Jordanian national dress, accompanied by a side drummer and a snare drummer. I went and had a chat to them. They had learned the instruments in the army, and had even played at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The pipes only had one drone, and the chanter was somewhat out of key, but the enthusiasm with which they belted out Bonnie Dundee, The Black Bear, Amazing Grace, and several tunes which I had never heard (or was it just their arrangement?) made this an occasion never to forget. I tipped them generously, as a former busker myself, and they rewarded me with a salute and another stirring rendition of Scotland the Brave. It was enough to bring a tear to a glass eye. Pass the shortbread please.

Our first big encounter with the Roman Empire - Jerash.

The children first became interested in the Roman Empire courtesy of Asterix and Obelix. One of the ironies of the decline of the Roman empire is that most of the best preserved Roman cities are not in Italy but in Turkey, Syria and Jordan. We saw Roman ruins in Egypt but the first major Roman city we saw close up was Jerash, which is a short bus ride from Amman. The ruins contain one of the best preserved hippodromes from Roman times, and there is a show put on by local actors which demonstrates among other things, Roman military tactics, gladiator fights and chariot racing. Needless to say, the chlidren loved it, especially the fake killing of a gladiator with theatre blood everywhere, and the chariot race.

R&R in Amman

On a trip like this, you need down-time to recharge and balance the long journeys and sightseeing. Amman was perfect for this. We were not sure what to expect in Amman, but it certainly was the ideal place to kick back and recharge. It is a very hilly city with various Roman ruins. However you wouldn't come here for sightseeing. Rather it has wonderful food, and is very quiet and ideal for walking, especially in comparison to somewhere like Cairo. It also has a number of English language bookshops which allowed the children to restock their reading material. We spent three days here, walking and stopping at various cafes for some wonderful food. Our favourite was Cafe Hashem where we had breakfast every morning. The menu was the same every day, but the food was divine - hummous, foul (made from fava beans), baba ganoosh, falaffel, spicy chilly sauce, fresh bread, a salad of tomatoes and onions and sweet mint tea. Any city where raw onions are a part of a nutritious breakfast gets my vote.

Crusader Castles

En route to Amman from Petra we stopped at Karak Castle, an old Crusader castle. It is perched on a dramatic ridge overlooking the valley which contains the Dead Sea. The children were able to run around at will and explore all the nooks, crannies, tunnels and dark rooms. Our guide was very dismissive (and very insightful) of the Crusaders. "Just in it for the money, like everyone else. Their castle were built at the crossroads of trade routes to maximise taxes". We will be seeing more Crusader castles later in the trip, so this gave the children a great taste of things to come.

Syria and the internet

Syria is a fabulous country but for some reason they block access to blogs. Clearly our trip notes represent a major threat to Syrian security. Hence for the last week or so we have been unable to post any updates. But we will now make up for it by telling you all about the rest of our time in Jordan, and our experiences in Syria.

Petra - wow!

We have had wonderful experiences on this trip. Great experiences come in different forms and are frequently unexpected. One such example was looking out from our hotel on the backstreets of Luxor, listening to the sounds of evening life, taking in the myriad of smells which are so evocative, and seeing life go on as it does without tourists and has done for years.

The pyramids too were an amazing experience, but by contrast to Luxor they were a heartstopping "wow". They are classic examples of imperial architecture, reminding anyone who was in any doubt, just who was the boss, and how insignificant individuals are in comparison.

Petra has been another "wow". Petra is a 2 hour drive north from Wadi Rum along the so called Kings Highway, an ancient route which follows a long mountain ridge and linked the kingdoms of Edom, Moab and Ammon (at this point you may need to reach for a copy of the Old Testament). The highway linked the silk route in the north to the spice route in the south and hence was a very important trade artery. Petra was ideally situated to exploit this trade route as it has abundant water and was also located in a gap in the mountains which afforded easy east-west access. The city was literally carved out of rock.

Access today is only through a narrow fissure in the mountains. You walk three km through this fissure, at some points less than 3 metres wide, and then suddenly, KAPOW! In front of you, 30 metres high and carved out of the sandstone rock is the Treasury. It truly stops you in your tracks and you have to go back to check what you have just seen. From there, the city opens out and more and more rock houses and buildings are revealed. Not even the presence of hundreds of other tourists can detract from the impact. It is truly stunning.

Desperate Deserts

What's a camel's favourite castle?
Camelot!! Boom! Boom!

After a great night's sleep in a Bedouin tent, we had what seems to be the standard hotel/camp breakfast in Jordan: omelette, labneh (yoghurt cheese) with olive oil on flat bread, butter, jam and Bedouin tea (very sweet!!).

We were on the edge of Wadi Rum, a protected area of stunning desert in the south of Jordan, just north of Aqaba. This is Lawrence of Arabia country, and added another to the list of "must watch" movies we have to see when back in Scotland. Wadi in Arabic means valley, while jebel, as in Jebel Rum, means mountain or hill. Giant granite, basalt and sandstone cliffs rise up to 800m sheer from the desert floor and many people come to hike and do technical climbing. However, we had just come to get a taste of the desert and ride camels!
First we had a tour of the desert in a jeep, stopping at various spots where the children climbed and clambered over and up rocks, cliffs and small gorges. The colours were amazing, and to our surprise the desert from a distance seemed quite green. Our guide explained it had rained a little in the winter, and now in spring the result was a growth of plants which you don't normally see.

Once we had finally convinced our guide we were quite happy to retire to camp early (as the children had now started the familiar refrain "are we there yet?") we were dropped off at a small Bedouin camp at the bottom of a cliff. At this point the children were as happy as sand boys, as they spent the next 2 hrs getting totally filthy in the sand behind camp. This was then compounded by trying to light a fire (with the help of some of the "bigger boys" in camp). To add to the excitement of sand and fire, there was a sudden commotion at our tent. We all rushed to see what was causing our guides so much excitement. The answer soon became clear, as a large snake was driven out of the tent. The snake didn't last long as the Bedouins set about it with sticks. All they would say was "Big snake, no problem. Little snake is problem". Very reassuring, especially given the way they set about the "harmless" big snake! Andy and I didn't sleep well that night, but the children weren't worried in the slightest.

The next morning was the BIG morning. We were going to ride camels back to base, about 10km away. Much excitement and hilarity was evident for the 1st 10 minutes, then Gilleasbuig wanted to know how much further, and then said he was never going to ride a camel ever again! The next 2 hours were a variation on this theme, with pleas to Dad not to go to fast as this made the camels bouncier and bottoms sorer! To pass the time the children tried to outdo themselves with camel jokes.
What do you call a camel?
Humphrey!
What to you call a camel with 3 humps?
Humpfree!
What do camels like to drink?
Camelmile tea!
What's a camel's favourite pasta?
Cameloni!

Eventually we reached the village of Wadi Rum, and our "Desperate Desert" (one of the books we brought for the childen to learn about the desert) adventure had come to an end! Next stop Petra.