We had another early start this day – there would be a lot of driving! We were set to see some desert castles and then head to the Dead Sea in the afternoon. We hadn’t really looked up too much about the castles ahead of time, but we were sure they were going to be pretty cool.
The first stop was in the middle of nowhere. It was one of the only structures in the area. They believe the structure was to have been built in 718 AD – and what it was used for was up for debate. But you could see that there was a central courtyard and there used to be balconies facing the interior. The thought was it could have been a stopping point for the camel caravans.
From there, we made our way to a bathhouse that is a UNSECO world heritage site (Quseir Amra). When we pulled up, it felt like something that inspired Star Wars with its rounded roof. Inside, there were beautiful murals all around. It also served as a hunting pavilion – you would see the connection in some of the murals.
The last castle we visited was one of Lawrence of Arabia’s strongholds. This one had been in pretty bad shape and had been restored. It was made of black stone – and you could tell it had been put back together. Things felt a little, well shaky? And some of the areas had holes in the roof so if you didn’t watch your step you could fall through!
Our favorite part was the doors to the main entrance is composed of a single massive hinged slab of granite weighing roughly 3 tons, was hinged with palm oil, it was created in a way that was hard to enter, which slowed down would be attackers, so they could pour hot oil from above. The doors would basically close after you entered, quite a cool aspect of this castle considering they still worked. We had fun trying to open them because it took a lot of effort!
We haven’t seen Lawrence of Arabia, but we did leave feeling inspired to watch it now knowing it was based on a true story!
After this last castle we boarded the bus to make our way to the Dead Sea – we were about 2+ hours away now. Our tour group paid for day passes at one of the Dead Sea resorts. It was a beautiful resort! We wish we could have stayed there for a night. (And would highly recommend that area if you are making your way to Jordan!)
Once we got there, we had lunch before changing up to head down to the water. As soon as we got down there I made a bee line for the water. It wasn’t super warm, but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Others from our group were already in the water and they said to just sit back and then you’d float.
And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened! I just leaned back and my feet popped up from underneath me. What an extraordinary experience! Andy stayed on the shore to take a few pictures and videos before joining me.
We climbed out of the water to do a mud bath. The resort we were at offered the mud for free – but knowing I didn’t want to get water in my eyes or mouth I only did half of my face. Also, wasn’t too sure if it would stain my swimsuit so tried to only put on my skin that wasn’t near that.
If you’re heading to the Dead Sea, some words of wisdom. Do not, and I repeat do not get the water in your eyes or your mouth! We heard a few people say how vile it tasted – and I can only imagine how badly it burns. The Dead Sea is 9.6% saltier than the ocean. And what we wished we would have known is that the salt can stain your swimmies – so bring something you don’t care if it gets stained. We rinsed ours off 2-3x and ours were fine!
We were at the Dead Sea for lunch and floating for about 2-3 hours before we made our way back to Amman. We did make one more stop at a place that gave us a “special” discount for 50% off – but coincidentally we heard them tell 2-3 other groups the same thing. We figured we could likely get something at the airport for cheaper so we skipped.
This was the last day we would see our tour guide and bus driver – we tipped them and then went back to the room. We freshened up at the hotel and packed up as this was our last night in Jordan.
We didn’t want to do the banquet again, so we walked over to our new favorite spot – the Amman International Hotel. Our server from the previous two nights had the night off, so we had a new server. He was great too! Stefan and Nicky joined us – and we had a great final dinner together.
They were off to Petra again at 7 the next morning. And we were getting picked up at 7:30 to head to the airport.
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The next morning, we transferred to the airport with our Canadian friends. They were moving on to Egypt – and we were so excited for them! But once we got to the airport we quickly went separate ways due to flying different airlines. However, the Amman airport was super easy to navigate and we took advantage of the Royal Jordanian lounge access before getting on our plane.
This was a REALLY cool lounge – they had a little coffee shop. A buffet. Two totally different seating areas. It looks like later in the day a dessert place would open AND a pizza place! Definitely a highlight.
Our return flight connected in Chicago vs. JFK. THANK GOD! We didn’t want to deal with that again. There actually was a long line even for Global Entry, but it moved pretty quickly.
There weren’t any lounges – and it was St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago. So the Irish-themed restaurant was busy so we just found another restaurant and sat for a while.
We weren’t thrilled to learn that the tour company booked us with American Airlines, who I had vowed never to fly again (for the second time) in January. Thankfully, we made it home on time and didn’t have any issues at all. I still will avoid them at all costs in the future. Fool me once…
Up Next:
⁃ Spain/Portugal/Morocco cruise (August/September 2024)
Scribbles and Snapshots 