My last post, W1801 – Safe Oceans, was a short one to reassure readers that we were safely through the pirate risk area off the coast of Somalia, and also to praise once again the fabulous and so talented Black Watch Show Company who have entertained us so well throughout this cruise.
After 7 long days at sea, a record not only for this cruise but for any of the cruises I have done, we at last sailed into our next port of call, Aqaba in Jordan. This was a first visit to Jordan for both Carol and myself, and we were both very much looking forward to seeing and experiencing somewhere quite different.
Aqaba is the only port on the very short 26 km of coastline along the Gulf of Aqaba that Jordan has – otherwise it is a land-locked country. Aqaba’s location next to Wadi Rum and Petra place it in Jordan’s golden triangle of tourism, while industrial and commercial activities remain important due to the strategic location of the city as the country’s only seaport.
For most people on their first visit to Aqaba, the tour of choice is to see the historic and iconic site of Petra, with its ancient buildings carved into the rock, and originally this was the tour we booked too. However this is a 9 hour tour, and we had talked to people who had already done the tour on previous cruises, and learned how hot and how exhausting the experience is. We also know that the ship’s videographer goes out on tours like that, and on the set of cruise DVDs that we will buy at the end of the cruise there will be wonderful detailed footage of everything there is to see, which we can watch from the comfort of our armchairs. We therefore decided to change our booking to a shorter tour in the evening, when it will be cooler, and which we thought would also provide an outstanding experience – watching the sun set over the Wadi Rum desert with champagne in hand!
As we would be watching the sun set later in the day, I thought it would be good to watch it rise over the Gulf of Aqaba as we approached the port, so I set my alarm clock and made sure I was up on deck ahead of time. However the weather had other ideas, as there was quite a thick mist over the land, and I could not see the sun at all at dawn, and it was only after it had risen quite a bit that it started to appear through the haze:
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It wasn’t long before we started to approach Aqaba and also Eilat – both cities are at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, Eilat on the western Israeli side of the border, and Aqaba on the eastern Jordanian side of the border. It was quite noticeable the difference between the two cities – Eilat looked much more modern with lots of high-rise buildings regularly spaced out, whereas Aqaba had mostly older buildings in a more hap-hazard arrangement. The most noticeable thing on the seafront in Aqaba is a giant flagpole, which at a height of 130m is the 6th highest free-standing flagpole in the world (the highest at 170m is in Jeddah). Usually by day it flies a giant Jordanian flag, 60m by 30m, and we were both disappointed that it was not already flying as we docked.
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As our tour did not leave until 4:30 in the afternoon, we had plenty of time to explore Aqaba on our own, but we decided it would be best to set off as soon as possible so that we could walk around before the heat of the day really set in. We therefore got prepared and were ready to catch the first shuttle bus into the city once clearance to leave the ship had been announced.
The shuttle bus dropped us at the bus station in the centre of town, and we decided to walk first along the seafront, passing some interesting statues on the way. The seafront was very busy with local people of all ages – as virtually the only white people around we thought we rather stood out, but everyone was very friendly, and several people stopped us to ask where we were from, and young people in particular seemed pleased to try out their English. We did notice quite a variation in their attire depending on their age – while older people were dressed as you might expect very conservatively and traditionally, many of the younger people were dressed in jeans and in sportswear more usually associated with Western cultures. Neither of us are used to seeing ladies covered from head to toe in their burka on a beach, so this very much caught our eyes. While there were plenty of men and children in the sea, we only noticed one lady, who once again was fully covered from head to toe. Also in the water were quite a number of glass-bottomed boats, and predictably a lot of young men asked us if we would like to go out in one, but when we firmly said no they did not hassle us which was a refreshing change.
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We walked close to where the huge flagpole rises out of the ground, but alas the flag was still not flying – we found out much later in the day while we were out on the tour that this was because of the strength of the wind that day. We then struck inland, and walked back along the seafront, this time along the road that the shuttle bus had used earlier. We passed an impressive mosque still under construction, and also an impressive sign for the Royal Yacht Club of Jordan, before I spotted signs for an ‘English Pub’ called the Rovers Return. This was part of a complex of several bars and restaurants, and while I have never watched a single episode of Coronation Street, I do suspect that this Rovers Return bore no resemblance to the one in that television programme, despite the large advertising sign! We also spotted some nice photographs being used to cover up the doorways to unused units in the complex:
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Outside the complex there was a car we thought more than in need of a good wash, a reminder of the huge areas of sandy desert that were close to the city and that we would be visiting later. On our way back to the bus station we passed some tourist shops, and some decorated hoardings – I was surprised to see the very ‘Western’ image on one of the panels. We returned to the bus station just in time to catch a shuttle bus back to our ship, where we rested in the cool until it was time for our tour.
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Before we left on our tour, we went for afternoon tea in the cafe on board, as we knew we would not be returning to the ship until after dinner when the restaurants had finished. As we drove out of the city we passed the mosque on the hillside that we had seen from the ship earlier, and soon we were driving parallel to a narrow gauge railway line. Our guide told us that this line formerly used to transport goods, people and soldiers, is now used for transporting phosphates down to the coast for export.
Leaving the city behind we passed through very hilly and barren and mostly empty countryside, although at one point we did pass some goats and a few camels, and later an area which was being cultivated with crops using irrigation.
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After around an hour’s drive we reached a Bedouin encampment, were we transferred into four 4×4 pick-up trucks, with bench seating in the rear. Most of us did manage to clamber up into the rear of the vehicles, but a few like Carol opted to sit inside on the seats behind the drivers.
We then set off on the most exhilarating and wonderful drive through the Wadi Rum desert as the late afternoon sun was slowly sinking in the sky. The rock formations, shaped and formed by the wind and the blown sand over thousands of years were out of this world, and it was a real job to know where to look and photograph next. The sand and the rocks were a rich reddish colour – our local guide had told us that the area had deputised for the planet Mars in feature films.
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After a while our small convey came to rest near a particular outcrop of rocks, nearby where lots of camels and some other 4×4 vehicles. Climbing down from our vehicles, our local guide pointed out carvings on the rocks that day back to 700 years BC – a mind-boggling 2,700 years ago! Rejoining with Carol she told me that the very young driver of our 4×4 spent virtually the whole time using his mobile phone while driving, and at one point started taking photos of Carol who was sat behind him so that he could send them to his mates! We were offered the chance to ride on a camel (for an additional fee), and a couple of fellow passengers that we know decided to take up this offer. Giving them a head start we then set off in the same direction, and after a while we all met up so that they could return to their vehicle.
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We then drove on to the point from which we would watch the sun finally set – here a table had been set up with champagne and crudités for us to enjoy as we watched the spectacle. It would have been even better had the sunset been more red and dramatic in nature, but of course these things are just down to luck, and Carol and I, like everyone else were just blown away by the whole experience.
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Once the sun had gone down, and so had our champagne, we re-boarded our 4x4s for the return drive to our coach. At the encampment there was a huge number of local people sitting around relaxing in and around the Bedouin tents. After a few minutes to experience this we re-boarded our coach for the long drive back to our ship.
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On the way back to our ship we made two stops. The first one was a brief one when we stepped outside to try and see the stars. I had hoped that doing this out in a desert would mean that we would be far from light pollution and therefore have a really spectacular show. However I was amazed that for virtually the whole way back we were in sight of streetlights or other lights, and so in reality we actually only able to see very few stars. We also stopped at a souvenir shop which our guide told us supports the local Bedouin people. Inside the items for sale were lovely, but unfortunately the same could not be said for the prices which were very expensive, so we left empty handed.
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We returned to our ship around 9:20, tired, and in my case hungry, but both of us were absolutely elated after such a fabulous and wonderful experience driving across the desert and watching the sun set over it together. This was definitely one of those tours which will live in our memories for a long time!
Later that evening we set sail for our next port, Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, which will be the subject of my next post.
Postscript 1
Two days before we arrived in Aqaba, they held ‘pirate party’ to celebrate passing though the danger area safely. The Entertainments team and the Show Company were all dressed up as pirates, and they ‘forced’ various members of the crew to ‘walk the plank’ into the swimming pool, while we all watched while drinking complementary rum punches. They had held a similar party last year, and it was interesting to compare the two. Last year they demonstrated one of the water cannons, albeit at low water pressure, and had the mock machine gun that had been down on the crew deck brought up for us to see and have our photographs taken beside it. Also there were many more pirate decorations around the pool area, and even the plank over the swimming pool was much longer. This time everything seemed much more low-key, and it really just became another chance for the crew to go in the pool while on duty!
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Postscript 2
Today they started a new feature – repeating some of the best and most memorable evening shows as a matinee performance in the late afternoon. Kicking off this new feature was the one-man show from the unbelievably talented Wilmar Casa, one of the Entertainment Hosts on board.
As part of his show Wilmar told us how he came to be an Entertainer on board – he started his career with Fred. Olsen as a waiter, and took part in the end of cruise Crew Shows that are such a popular feature on Fred. Olsen cruises. He told us that his then Hotel Manager told him that he was in the wrong job, and arranged for him to be interviewed for a job as a full time Entertainer – and the rest as they say is history.
Wilmar has a lovely voice, and started his show by singing to us. He then showed off his amazing talent for sand art. He told us how he saw someone on the Philippines version of Britain’s Got Talent do sand art, and he thought he could do this too, so build himself a box and taught himself how to do it. For those who have not seen this, it is a perspex tray with a lamp underneath and a camera above, into which sand is scattered and arranged with his hands to draw amazing pictures and even words. He draws pictures to tell a story in time to the music, and the whole effect is mesmerising. Carol and I are left wondering how he can draw with sand simultaneously with both hands far better than we could do with mere pencil and paper!
Next he demonstrated another of his amazing self-taught talents – ventriloquism – which like everything he does he makes it seem so easy and effortless. Finally there was one last example of his sand art to bring to a close an outstanding show by an outstanding all-round entertainer.
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