Scenes from Aqaba and the Red Sea
In Aqaba, the Red Sea divides Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the East; Israel and Egypt in the West. On a clear day we were there, we saw the city of Eliat, in Israel but not a shadow of the other two countries.
Along the shores of Aqaba, beach resorts abound. Our 3-star hotel has an agreement with Kempinski Hotel to allow us go inside and use all their five-star amenities for 20 JD/day. I planned to go after our walk in the city but by the time we finished around 4:30 in the afternoon, it was already chilly. I was crushed. I could have enjoyed their pool overlooking the Red Sea and Eliat nearby.
December weather is warm, perfect for a t-shirt and shorts on, but only for certain times of the day–10:00-4:00 pm.
There aren’t a lot of things to do in Aqaba for a transient tourist who doesn’t know how to swim. That’s me, in case you’re wondering. Lol… The shoreline isn’t only inundated with shops and beach umbrellas but also with glass-bottom, motorized boats that will take you nearby (a minute away from the shore, actually) to see the corals and other marine life. There are also diving centers for those who are adventurous, certified divers.
It was a free day for us, so we spent our time the way we wanted. Aside from walking around downtown and gawking at souks, we had lunch outdoor with homos in their menu! LOL… I didn’t order that. I was craving for rice and grilled chicken.
We went to the base of one of the tallest flagpoles in the world that soars high up into the sky. Contrary to what tourists believe, the pole doesn’t carry a Jordanian flag. It’s the flag of the Great Arab Revolt.
Nearby the Mamluke fort (where the flagpole stands), is the Aqaba Archaeological Museum. If you like that, go inside and be ancient-ified. Behind the museum lies the ruins of an old castle attacked by the men of King Faisal and E.T. Lawrence.
We strolled the beachfront and sat there for 40 minutes. To kill the time, I had sisha for 3JD. Before we left, my friend was told to pay another 3JD for sitting on a plastic chair, under the beach umbrella. We were scammed.
On our way back to the hotel, we dropped by McDonald’s. (I know what you are thinking!) No, we didn’t have a burger for dinner. I just missed my weekly dose of diet coke. 😉
In front of the fastfood chain, there’s this two-year old camel sitting cozily on a pavement where tourists pass by. They were allowed to ride on it or pose with it, in exchanged for 1JD.
For sure, McDonalds isn’t using camel meat for burgers, right?
Organized Tour
If you are into an excellent organized tour that will give you enough time to explore the places you wanna visit, check EXPLORE WORLDWIDE.
Also, check the following links for the places we’ve been to with LAWRENCE’s ARABIA TOUR in Jordan.
2 Comments
I like the last pic. Well-done.