Day Ten--Going to Jordan--January 2, 2011

border crossing on Israeli side

I had made an arrangement for a taxi to pick me up at 10:00 a.m. on the Jordanian side of the border.  I decided that if I left the hotel in Israel by 9:15 a.m. I would get across in time.  


I got a taxi to the border, who totally ripped me off (the hotel person said it should cost 30 sheckles and it ended up being 45) then I paid the 101 sheckle fee to cross the border.  I then took my passport to another line and walked across the dead space between the two countries.  I’m not sure if there is a name for this space between the two borders and/or if this is the only place in the world where it exists. 

I know that other borders I’ve crossed you just go through the border check and you’re on the other side.  Here they have what I'm calling “no man’s walkway".

the great divide

I arrived on the other side, put my bags through security and gave my passport to passport control.  

I saw a stack of passports, which I found might be an interesting photo so I took a shot.  Then I was told by an official looking person that I shouldn’t do that.  Oh so sorry.  I knew it was risky but did it anyway.

oops not suppose to photograph

After passing through the Jordanian check point I continued walking to the other side of the fence.  There was a group of taxi drivers standing around.  They asked if I wanted a taxi and I told them I had arranged for one.  The one man had my name on a piece of paper.  Then there was much discussion as to who was going to take me.  Really? 




Finally, Omar, agreed to take me for 35 JD.  I had to ask him to stop in Aquba at an ATM so I could get JD (Jordanian Dinar).  The man from the camp at the Wadi Rum told me I needed local currency to pay for the night.  The Jordanian dinar was stronger than the US dollar. Pretty sad.  What could I do? I'm certainly not in charge of the global money rates.  So I asked Omar to stop and he did.

This is where I had to have belief in humanity that this taxi driver was actually going to take me to where I was going.  I tried to make conversation, mostly to calm my nerves more than anything.  I was in the middle of the desert so who knew what could happen.  I took a photo of him and his identity card, just in case.    Anyway, he wanted to know if I wanted to buy hashish or a ride to Petra the next day. 
He said, “oh I can take you to Petra for the good price of 50 Jordanian Dinar”.  


Funny Yahida from Wadi Rum already told me 35 JD.  This driver Omar was a scammer and a bit on the slimy side.  He spoke fairly good English, but there were times I thought by his answers he didn’t really understand what I was asking.  

So, having the faith that I do, about an hour and a half later, I was delivered to Beit Ali Camp in Wadi Rum.  Now here’s where Omar really came out in his scam suit.  


When I went to pay him and took out 35 JD he then said, "don’t I get a tip?"

I looked at Yahia, who said nothing, so I took out $2.00 USD but he didn’t want that and so I acquiesced into giving him another 5JD.  So I got taken for 40 JD.  But, I was alive and well.

Beit Ali Camp

Now, it was Yahia’s turn.  From the e-mails I'd had with him I was prepared to pay 50 JD for a “chalet” with a toilet and shower.  First he showed me a room with no toilet for 35JD and then a room with three beds that had a toilet, shower and heat for 70JD.  It started at 48 JD but there was a single supplement.  Next, was the “chalet” for 50JD.  “As you like”, he kept saying.  

My Chalet

I was a bit confused as to what I thought was already arranged.  
So I took the “chalet” with two beds, toilet and shower for 50JD, which included dinner and breakfast.  I noticed there was a stack of blankets on each bed and didn’t realize at the time, but there wasn’t any heat in the room.  Later it became very important as it got extremely cold. I didn’t have the best nights sleep due to this cold.

While I was checking in, Yahia told me that he would put me together with another woman traveling by herself from Italy for a Jeep tour at 2:00 p.m.  “This way it is a better price for you”.  

O.K. I thought.

So I was sitting outside of the reception typing on my laptop when the Italian woman came to sit down.  Enrica, from Genoa ordered something to eat because she told me she was very hungry after hiking.  Out came hummos and pita bread.  I decided I was hungry as well.  We started to talk and realized we were each other’s “jeep” partner.  

Then, a bedouin dressed man came over to our table.  He asked if we wanted a “jeep ride".  We both looked at each other because only a few minutes before we had been told my Yahia that someone would come to take us to the visitor’s center and we would get a guide from there.

Enrica asked how much and where he would take us.  She had a much better idea of what to see and where to go because she had already been to the visitor’s center and found out some information.  

I’m not sure what happened with the negotiation other than we were discussing whether the tour would be 2 hour or 3 hours.  I thought we were having the 2 hour tour but it turned into the 3 hour and cost 28 JD each.  High Arabian finances.  


I don’t know why but I was feeling like I was in Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.  There was just something about the people I’d met so far, an underlying current of, I’m not sure I completely trust you.  I didn’t think so in a safety manner but in a financial way, always being “taken”.

I did know that we agreed upon 2:00 p.m. for our departure time.  It was about 1:00 p.m. so I had something to eat, grabbed my camera and off we went into the wild red desert.  


Our driver (I forget his name) put us into a hugh new Toyota double door truck.  So much for the jeep.  I thought maybe he was taking us to the visitor’s center, where we would change into a jeep, but no, off we went just with him in this not "open air" jeep.  As it turned out I was ok with it since I wasn’t getting the fine grain of sand all over me and my camera.

The first stop was "Lawrence’s Stop".  This is where Lawrence of Arabia actually came during the 1st World War and I think it’s where the movie was made.  There was a tent where other bedouins were making and selling tea.  As well they also sold lots of different things.

We went from tea to tea, stopping at different places throughout the wadi.  There were scads of jeeps filled with people roaming around the desert, “just like us” touring around.  The desert was amazing, all red sand just like Sedona.  

There were a few hieroglyphs on the rock.  I was amazed at the vastness of the desert and have always been in awe of the Bedouins for knowing where to go in the sea of sand.  Our driver, just drove us from place to place in the middle of the sand.  There weren't any roads, signs or directions of any kind.  They just know it.

the hierglyphs

This area of Wadi Rum is now a protected area of the desert, so it’s just for tourists.  There is a fee to go through the area, which I’m sure helps the locals a tad.  We did drive through Wadi City where the Bedouins are building cement block style houses.  Shabby as can be.

The small bridge

The best part of the day was at the end.  Our driver made two stops.  The first to one of his friends to get a carton of cigarettes and then he went to the store to buy milk.  Then he told us that he has two families, one in this town and another in another town.  He has two wives and 4 children.    

My new friends

the tea man

It’s 2011, really, you are still living this way?  See Ali Baba.  Sorry to be so narrow minded.  I will also say that I didn’t see many women at all anywhere.  

I was glad to be sharing the tour but Enrica didn’t talk much.  I wasn’t sure if it was because of her little English or that she was just a quiet person.

my name in arabic

She did tell me about the bus to Petra for 5JD which was a far cry from the 35 (or 50 that Omar wanted) I thought I was going to pay.  When we returned from our jeep tour we talked with Yehia about reserving the bus for the next day.  He took care of it right away.

Did I mention that the Beit Ali Camp had wireless internet, that I had even in my "chalet"!

Dinner was o.k. I met an American couple from New York who I shared a table with.  I talked with them about their journey through Syria then Israel before coming to Jordan.  They told me the husband had been detained a bit when they came into Israel but they expected they might be just because they had been in Syria.  What's with this world we live in?