Middle East - Anthony Ham [327]
Annie Caulfield’s Kingdom of the Film Stars: Journey into Jordan is an entertaining, personal account of the author’s relationship with a Bedouin man in Jordan.
Petra: Lost City of the Ancient World, by Christian Augé and Jean-Marie Dentzer, is an excellent and very portable background introduction to Petra.
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PRACTICALITIES
There are several English-language papers available, including the daily Jordan Times (200 fils; www.jordantimes.com) and weekly Star (500 fils; www.star.com.jo). Imported newspapers include The Times (JD4), Guardian Weekly (JD2), Le Monde and Le Figaro (JD2.250). The International Herald Tribune (JD1.250) has a regional section from Lebanon’s Daily Star.
Magazines include Time (JD2.700) and Newsweek (JD2.900).
Check out Radio Jordan (96.3 FM) or the BBC World Service (1323AM). Try 99.6 FM for pop music.
Channel 2 of Jordan TV broadcasts programs in French and English. Satellite stations such as the BBC CNN, MTV and Al-Jazeera can be found in most midrange hotels.
Jordan’s electricity supply is 220V, 50 AC. Sockets are mostly of a local two-pronged variety, although some places use European two-pronged and British three-pronged sockets.
Jordan uses the metric system.
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For an idea of life with the Bedouin at Petra, Marguerite van Geldermalsen’s Married to a Bedouin is a modern classic.
Tony Howard and Di Taylor’s books Walking in Jordan and Walks & Scrambles in Rum describe dozens of hikes in Jordan, from wadi walks to climbing routes up Jebel Rum.
BUSINESS HOURS
Government offices are open from 8am to 3pm Saturday to Thursday. Banks are open from 8.30am to 3pm Sunday to Thursday. Private businesses keep similar hours but are more flexible. Everything closes Friday lunchtime for weekly prayers. In Ramadan, business hours are reduced.
CHILDREN
Children are instant ice breakers in Jordan and you’ll find people go out of their way to make families feel welcome.
Avoid a summer visit because the extreme heat is hard for children to tolerate. Stick to bottled mineral water, and if travelling with infants, bear in mind that disposable nappies are not readily available outside Amman and Aqaba.
For more comprehensive advice, see Lonely Planet’s Travel with Children by Cathy Lanigan.
COURSES
If you fancy learning how to make your own mezze when you get home, try an evening course at Petra Kitchen (Click here).
Jordan isn’t a bad place to study Arabic, though living costs are a little higher than in Egypt or Syria.
British Council ( 06-4636147; www.britishcouncil.org/jordan.htm) Can put individuals in touch with a private tutor.
University of Jordan Language Center ( 06-5355000, ext 2370; www.ju.edu.jo; University of Jordan) Offers tailor-made courses with private instruction for individuals and small groups, geared to students’ special interests. Rates are US$50 per hour per group, for groups of one to six students.
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
Drugs and weapons are strictly prohibited. You can import 200 cigarettes and up to 1L of wine or spirits into Jordan duty free. There are no restrictions on the import and export of Jordanian or foreign currencies.
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Jordan is very safe to visit and travel around, remarkably so considering the political turmoil surrounding it. There is very little crime or anti-Western sentiment. The police keep a sharp eye on security, so carry your passport with you at all times and expect to show it at checkpoints near the border with Israel and the Palestinian Territories and roads that approach the Dead Sea.
During taxi rides, note that the fare quoted on the meter is in fils, not dinars. Perhaps understandably, it is rare for a taxi driver to point this out if you mistake the currency.
Click here for advice for women travellers.
DISCOUNT CARDS
Student discounts are only occasionally available at tourist sites on production of an International