As most of you already know, I have recently visited the beautiful country of  Jordan. To be honest, When I first received this invitation it took me a while to decide where to join or not. As you know Jordan’s neighboring countries were in a very precarious security situation and I wasa bit worried of my own safety. After a discussing with Jo, he strongly recommended that I should just go ahead because I will never get a chance to visit Jordan if I didn’t.

I’m so thankful for this opportunity from Jordan Tourism Board, they gave me the chance to experience such a beautiful country and culture, which I have never encountered so far.

Jordan is beyond beautiful and it’s so magical, there were times that I forgot I was in a Islamic country! I thought I was in Europe.

A few people asked me the same question when they found out that I was going to Jordan, “Safe ah?”

YES!

On my first day in Jordan, I have already texted Jo telling him that Jordan is so clean and the locals are so nice. They are so polite and helpful, I know instantly that I will definitely enjoy the rest of my stays in Jordan.

Planning to visit?

I personally think that if you’re planning a trip to Jordan, it will be better if you engage a local tour! I have done a bit of research on Jordan local tours, and you can actually find a lot of tours that will fit your requirements (Google Jordan local tour). They have 4 days,7 day or 9 days tours, including transport, meals and a tour guide, so all you need to do is to book hotels and a flight from KL to Jordan. I find it quite hard to travel around in Jordan (between tourist attractions) because their public transport is not as convenient as some other countries. You might only be able to take a taxi and you have to keep in mind that it’s going to cost you a fortune because of our poor currency.

RM5.95 = 1 Jordanian Dinar T_____T

Engaging a local tour  is way better so that you get to enjoy your days in Jordan without have to worry about transportation, getting lost or the language barrier.

Sim card or Pocket wifi?

This was my first trip that I went on without bringing or renting a pocket wifi because I had a hard time finding one in Malaysia that covered Jordan, so I gave up and decided to just go with the flow.

I did a bit of research on their local sim card, they have a few mobile carriers in Jordan and you can find them easily in the airport at the arrival hall. If u’re planning to get one please get them in the airport because I missed the chance to buy in the airport and tried asking at the local markets and their price was crazy! They were asking 24 JD for a 1 GB sim card T_____T so I decided to just go without Internet for the rest of my stays in Jordan.

I didnt turn on my data roaming because DIGI charged RM 59/ day, I dont think it’s worth paying so much la.

Anyway you can check out this page for more info on their mobile packages, here

Food?

They hardly serve spicy or soupy food so if you cant live without chili , I advice you to bring your own haha! Their food is pretty healthy and of a balanced diet, they eat a lot of salads which I was quite surprised at. Their lamb and beef are so damn good omg and of course everything is halal in Jordan =) Their price range for a meal is around 8 JD – 15JD per person, depending on what you order.

Weather?

Jordan is a  country with 4 seasons, so during my visit the weather was perfect! It was around 25-28 Celsius during day but the sun was super strong (which I dont mind a all). I strongly recommend those who are visiting, plan your trip between September-March because most of their tourist attractions have limited shade so it’s better to have some cool air!

Flight?

I took Royal Jordanian Airlines, their flight time is perfect, it’s a direct flight so you get to save a lot of time. I flew from KLIA at 10pm on the 20th of September, then 1 hour layover in Bkk (you will be staying in the aircraft) and reached Amman, Jordan at 6am (local time) on the 21st, September! Jordan is 5 hours behind M’sia time zone.

Our itinerary is a 7 days trip, but I personally think that it’s a bit too rushed because I didn’t really get to fully explore in a few places like Wadi Rum and also Petra. So I will recommend 8- 9 days instead.

Shall we begin?

My first and second day in Jordan, we visited Jerash and Mount Nebo!

Jerash is a city of Jordan which has been inhabited since the Bronze Age, and it’s known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa just outside the modern city. That’s where you can see the well preserved city of the Roman Empire. It’s around 45-50 min away from Landmark Amman Hotel where we stayed. Ticket info click here

The weather in Jordan was pretty good, very sunny (zero clouds) but the temperature was around 25- 28 Celsius. I really enjoyed the weather, cooling air but sunny at the same time so it’s perfect for outdoor activities!

I love how the buildings and houses in Jordan are all in similar shade of brown. It’s something that we don’t get to see back in Malaysia.

I was very amazed at every corner and every structure that I saw or passed by. I wondered how they were built thousands of years ago! The stones columns and pillars are so tall and huge. How do they do it without any machines?

We spent around 2 hours walking around the site. My little tip for you, make sure you carry a small bottle of drinking water with you when you’re visiting the site because once you’re inside the site, there is no where for you to buy water.

We had lunch at Green Valley Restaurant.

My first ever taste of Jordanian local cuisine! I was quite surprised that their food is quite healthy because they serve a few varieties of salads in one meal. These are how their appetizers/side dishes look like, and they usually serve these before the main course so I don’t have to starve while waiting for them to prepare the main course. I love how they only cook and prepare the main course after you order it, so it’s hot and yummy!

 super love their barbecued lamb and beef T__T It was so damn good! Everything is perfectly cooked even their barbecued chicken! Most dishes use lean meat so it’s perfect for me la hahhaha.

Flat bread that is bigger than my face.

I also got a chance to make my own in their kitchen lol. It was very fun but I cant stand the heat near the stone oven.

After lunch, we visited the Cave of The Seven Sleepers. The story of the cave is pretty interesting, according to our tour guide back in 250AD a group of youths hid inside the cave outside the city of Ephesus to escape religious persecution and they only emerged 200 years later.

Our first day in Jordan ended after visiting the cave with a really good dinner.

Day 2, we visited Mount Nebo which is an hour away from our hotel in Amman.

If you’re a Christian you might be familiar with Mount Nebo because it’s where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land which God had said he would not enter and would die there.

Plaque showing the distance from Mount Nebo to various locations.

After waiting patiently for almost 20 mins I managed to get a perfect picture without the crowd.

I wished we could spend a little more time at Mount Nebo because the view was amazing!

We had lunch at Restaurant Terrace Souk, which was located nearby the entrance of Mount Nebo.

More hummus, flat bread and bbq for lunch, but I’m not complaining because I really really like their BBQ lamb and beef!

After lunch off we departed for Petra! It took us around 3 hours and 40 mins from Mount Nebo to Petra so by the time we reached there it was already time for dinner.

We stayed in Movenpick Petra which I strongly recommend you to stay because it’s located right in front of the entrance of Al-Khazneh.

I was super in love with the interior of the hotel, it makes me feel like I was in a movie set!

I had my first ever Maqluba in Al Qantarah restaurant. Maqluba is a traditional Arab dish from the Levant, popular in the Arab world especially in Jordan, Palestine, and Syria.  The dish includes meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot, which is then flipped upside down when served, hence the name Maqluba, which translates literally as “upside-down”.

I will leave my Petra experience to my next post so stay tuned…