I don’t have any spectacular travel stories to tell besides some general impressions, because I’ve visited this country as part of an organised group tour and did not have to arrange anything by myself. I can tell you about things that I noticed and things that made an impression on me. Isn’t it exciting still, though? Jordan is an alien culture for me, although it is not the first time I’ve visited the Middle East. I quickly got used to the 5 ‘o clock call to prayer and getting used to the delicious food was no trouble at all. Speaking of food, on the streets of Amman I ate an afternoon snack named kunafa made of melted cheese and caramelised dough and it was delicious.

Speaking of Amman, that is not a city where I would want to live. Four million people living in copy-paste concrete flats with a serious lack of parks and a very chaotic downtown. Escape the city as soon as you can when arriving in Jordan. The northern parts of the country around Amman have a Mediterranean climate and spectacular Roman ruins – some of the largest in the world. This is also ancient Biblical country, the site of ancient Moab and you can find some 6th century Byzantine churches here too with impressive mosaics. 

The Dead Sea? Of course I floated in the Dead Sea. But I’ll tell you that you only need to do it once and then the novelty wears off. The Dead Sea coast is incredibly hot and humid, coming from the cooler uplands of Amman, hitting you like a brick when you step out of the car. The Dead Sea itself feels really strange. The water feels oily because of the salt crystals, like water with dissolved washing soda, and sticks to your skin like a film. Swimming is impossible because your legs don’t sink far enough, so when you turn on your belly to swim, you end up spinning around like an idiot.

The archeological site of Petra was my main reason for visiting the country. I’ll tell you, the site is so much larger than you would probably expect. Most people only think about the canyon with the carved-out temple that was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but there is an entire city to explore there, spread out multiple square miles with more than a dozen similar temples and miles of hiking trails. To only see the highlights on foot would take you at least six hours walking over sandy and rocky terrain, with hard climbing and spectacular drops. There is a first-aide centre close to the site because many tourists get injured every day. Local bedouins offer you a donkey to take you up the trails that are especially strenuous, but the donkeys sometimes push other walkers off the stairs or sometimes slip off themselves with riders on their backs. Let’s not even mention the danger of sunstroke and exhaustion on these hikes. For myself, I twisted my ankle badly on a particularly sandy and rocky stretch. Luckily I was already on my way back but still had to walk an hour to get back to the hotel. A week later my ankle is still swollen. Petra is immensely impressive though. I’ve visited other so-called wonders in my life, such as the Pyramids, Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat, and Petra can hold its own in comparison. The reason is the spectacular landscape that is part of the site. Even if there had been no carved-out temples, the site would still be a wonder that can measure itself to the best national parks in Utah.

For most visitors, though, Wadi Rum turns out to be the highlight. I’m not sure it tops Petra for me but it comes close. It is one of the most spectacular desert landscapes on the planet, and a location where many movies have been shot, such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, Prometheus and Dune. Covering 720 sq km (280 sq mi), dramatic sandstone mountains stretch into the distance between desert flats of various colors. Include ancient rock art, natural arches and bedouin camps to spend the nights. It is a landscape that you can spend hours looking at. I joined a jeep safari that drove us to all the highlights, but the landscape is especially impressive at dusk and dawn. Night too, if you want some amazing views of the Milky Way. I was happy to be driven around with my swollen ankle and felt no need to sit on a camel.

We flew out on the same day Hamas attacked Israel. Glad to be out of the region for now.