With the entry into Jordan we experienced the biggest culture shock of our trip so far. When filling out the entry form, we laughed about the fact that David had to state how many wives he was traveling with. The next morning we realized how serious this question is in Jordan. More about this later…

At the border post, the friendly chief of police took us aside and asked if we knew what was happening in Jordan right now? We were told to be careful and not to move after dark. We later found out that protests had escalated that weekend over high fuel prices. Truck drivers went on strike, roadblocks were set up, tires were set on fire, and several policemen were killed. We were warned, but assumed that the protests would not affect our travel plans.
As we rode through the endless, poor villages of the Jordan Valley, our impressions quickly changed. At one point, we were diverted to the oncoming lane because a mass fight was occurring in our lane. A man pointed a gunsign at us from his car, many pretended to throw stones at us or to pull the handlebars around. All were just gestures and no actions, but for the first time we had the feeling of not being welcome in a place at all. We were so queasy that we didn’t want to spend the night outside in a tent anywhere. From Turkey we were used to the fact that travelers are always allowed to stay overnight at mosques. So we stopped at a mosque before nightfall and asked if we could spend the night. Our question went over a few people to the Imam. He explained that the mosque was not open to us, but that we could camp in front of his house. We gladly accepted the invitation to stay overnight and eat (without politely refusing).

During the delicious dinner we were given a crash course on how to eat correctly by hand from the general bowls. After the meal, we discussed with the Imam and his family our choice of route through Jordan. They said that the roads to Amman were closed due to “construction”. We suspected that protests had heated up in these regions, but he would not tell us. Later in the tent we made plans how to get through the country the fastest. In order to stay on the (safe) tourist paths as much as possible and avoid poor villages / suburbs / cities, we wanted to ride (without a detour to Amman) along the Dead Sea to Petra and into Wadi Rum.
After a quiet night we were a bit more relaxed about our onward journey. Moreover, the conversation at breakfast brought us to other thoughts… The Imam explained (in the presence of his wife) that he would take another wife to have more children (he has only 6…).😮

The Dead Sea was buzzing with military personnel stationed in their armored vehicles every 2km along the road. There was no sign of the heated atmosphere at all, only the remains of many burnt out tires testified to it.

South of the Dead Sea we left the busy road and turned towards the mountains. With every meter of altitude gained, we felt more comfortable. Soon we were reconciled with the country and enjoyed the wonderful landscape, the delicious sweets and the excellent Turkish coffee with cardamom. After the first day, the encounters with adults were consistently very positive and friendly. Due to lack of perspectives and because begging is more profitable than going to school, many children practiced with us their only two words of English: “hellohello, moneymoney”…

Every trip to Jordan (including ours) must include a visit to Petra. Here lived 2500 years ago the Nabateans, who became rich thanks to the trade of frankincense and myrrh. They built impressive temple(facades) for their tombs, which today are the scene of numerous movies and attract thousands of tourists every day. As (perhaps) in earlier times, donkeys and camels serve as means of transportation in the extensive grounds. The countless souvenir stands are probably a phenomenon of more recent times…😉
Through cold and fog we reached the next tourist magnet, Wadi Rum. The desert landscape with the red sand and black rocks is in reality much less romantic and lonely than in the brochure or on Instagram.

An “original” Bedouin camp has been built on every corner. The camps now underbid each other with accommodation prices including half board, but “offer” quasi-obligatory jeep or camel tours. Thanks to extensive research we found a camp where we could camp next to the camels and pay for the delicious food. The reason for this was that because of possible protests on the Arab weekend, the Internet was blocked😊. The onward journey towards Saudi Arabia we started only after we had sat out the roughest rain (!) in the cozy camp.