Road to Damascus

Hello again. Today I'm writing from the capitol of Jordan, the hilly city of Amman. It's home to half (2.2 million) of Jordan's entire population and is pretty darn urban as you might guess. Actually I quite like it and I've found a cheap hostel to stay at for just $7 per night, but that comes with breakfast, free Internet access, and it a lot less loud and crowded than my last place in Wadi Musa where I shard a room with 9 other people and had a single toilet/shower. Compounding the problems, some of the backpackers were very obnoxious and would do their cooking in the bedroom, make an unholy mess, and talk loudly while everyone else was sleeping. I'm talking about some Israeli guys... they're famed as being the worst nationality with which to share a room. Of course if you run into a solo Israeli they'll prove to be fun and respectful. Shalom.

After the full on assault on my wallet that is Petra, it was time to move on to greener pastures. Min decided to go his ow way and I got a private taxi with Patrick and a rare Indian traveler named Pusan. First stop was Shobak Castle, built by the crusaders in the 12th century and eventually sacked by Saladin, famed Muslim warrior king. It was pretty ruined despite its very long history of use by Muslim forces. The most interesting feature was an escape tunnel that snaked very far down through the earth to emerge at the bast of the hill that the castle was built upon. I don't have any pictures of it, but it was dangerously steep and slippery going down and thankfully 2 of the 3 of us had headlamps.

The next stop was Karak Castle, built around the same time by the crusader king Baldwin I and famed for having one very cruel Frenchmen running it. He would not just throw his enemies off the fortifications to roll down the stony hill but would also have their heads protected by a wooden box so that they could not be knocked out before feeling every bump on the way down. Saladin was famed for showing mercy to his captured enemy leaders, but this guy was deservedly put to death. The castle itself was built on top the foundations of an ancient citadel that successfuly defended itself from the biblical armies of Israel. After that siege the Israelis went north where King David sacked Amman and had many of the residents burned alive in brick ovens. Anyways, the castle today is in decent shape to get an idea of what it would have looked like. The three of us made friends with some kids that should have probably been in school that day and took some pictures.

It was pretty cold in the morning at the higher elevations of Wadi Musa, but it was getting quite hot when we approached the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea. It's very salty as you probably know and supports no wildlife at all. It's fed by the river Jordan but that water is under increasing demand so maybe the sea will eventually dry up when it's totally cut of from its water supply. People go there because the minerals in the water are supposedly good for your skin, but also because it's so much fun to swim in. Your body is super buoyant in the salty water and you float higher than normal in it. It feels like magic laying back and having you hands, feet, and shoulders all above water without any effort. A lot of older people in the water floundered for their balance in a comical manner as you don't really sit in the water as much as on top of it. After that we showered and got back on the road.

We stopped in the town of Madaba, famed for its mosaics, but I wasn't very impressed by their size of quality so we quickly moved on to drop us off at our hostel(s) in Amman. The hostel that I checked into (the Mansour) is mostly populated by Japanese backpackers it seems and has a very extensive manga library that I'm sure not to look at. I spent the night and the next day, today Tuesday the 23rd, I'm just wandering around town relaxing, checking out the Roman amphitheater, blogging, and having some quiet time away from other travelers. I'm also looking into ordering a netbook that my sister could bring me in May as there is free wifi everywhere and I'd like to do more blogging in a convenient manner. Also, a lot of people do what's called couch surfing and it's much easier if you have a laptop to frequently access email from. Couchsurfing.org is a website where you can meet people around the world that offer to let you crash on their couch for several days for free. It's a great thing because it gets you closer access to the real culture of that country unlike staying at a hostel filled with foreigners and also you can save a few bucks. One of my friends, David, stayed at a Bedouin's home in Wadi Musa and found that the owner lets half a dozen people stay at his house at a time for entertainment. Maybe I should offer up my couch when I come home?

Anyways, this town is great. It's got loads of shops, the cheapest internet cafes I've seen yet ($1 /hour) and the fastest computes, and my hostel is right next to a very nice fallafel restaurant that I enjoyed lunch at for $1.50. It was great too, and I'll try to get some pics later as I'm sure to come back.