A Portrait of Jordan

Jordan, like everywhere else, has stereotypes. It’s often lumped together as part of an indistinguishable Arabic or non-Israeli Middle East, drifting through a media cloud of words like oil, camels, terrorism, sand and veiled women. Yet Jordan has a particular misfortune that sets it apart – sharing a name with one of Britain’s most notorious and definitely not-veiled glamour models.

Apologies, therefore, if you arrived here expecting to see Katie Price aka Jordan frolicking around without many clothes on. What you’ll get instead is an introduction to my first impressions of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – plus a collection of resources if you want to find out more. This is a work in progress so as I find useful things about Jordan, I’ll add them to the list below.

Women in Jordan

My First Trip to Jordan

I boarded the plane to Amman in Madrid, feeling slightly self-conscious. Aside from a young man in a leather jacket in first class, where sadly, I was not, everyone else wore white. Was over 50. And began boisterously praying as the aeroplane began took off.

I’d made an effort to dress conservatively but tugged at the edges of my sleeves, willing them to grow longer. I checked for a gap between sock and trouser and became aware of something I usually never notice: my free flowing hair. I’d brought a scarf to cover up, just in case, but had made the mistake of leaving that in my suitcase. So, I slumped into my chair, focused on becoming invisible and watched the minutes crawl by.

In Amman, only the man in the leather jacket waited by the luggage carousel, and forty minutes after that I met up with two women, Reine and Halla. They burst out laughing.
Reine and Halla, I should probably mention, were dressed in skintight clothes, with full make-up, free glossy hair and they looked absolutely wonderful. I, by this stage, was red-faced from keeping my fleece on, with hair in disarray and not so much as a dash of lipstick in sight.

It reminded me of two, oh go on make that three, important things.
1) Breaking stereotypes by actually travelling is always a good thing
2) It never hurts to try not to offend your hosts
3) It’s not a good idea to ask for the same application card as everyone else on the plane – when it turns out that’s entry permission to Mecca for the Haj because you’re on a chartered pilgrimage flight.

Boy with donkey in Jordan Jordan has sand, yes. It also has plenty of camels. It’s been at the centre of the world’s three main religions since each of them began and has played both hero and villain depending upon your point of view. For all the weight of history, however, Jordan, currently has good ties with Israel. It remains an Islamic nation and its newspapers use the term “occupied Jerusalem.” Yet those who feared my visit because of the sound of my name really needn’t have worried.

While violent revolts and bloody reprisals have swept through many of its neighbours this year, Jordan itself has stayed peaceful and stable. The population has pressed for reforms and King Abdullah has responded, with varying degrees of success. A different person asked, a different answer received.

Highlights of Jordan

Yet, away from the politics, Jordan remains a country of extraordinary beauty. Global highlights such as Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea may hog the headlines (or even in these days, the tweets) but in the brief week I was there I found other things that brought me joy.

Standing on the ruins of Amman’s citadel while birds flew by and the sun slowly set. Blasting myself beneath a waterfall while canyoning in Wadi Mujib. Learning how to make knafeh and having a good chat and a great laugh with the women of Beit Sitti about what it’s really like to live in Jordan.

Was everything perfect? Obviously not. We had problems with our guide and the stretch of the Red Sea we saw in Aqaba didn’t set my heart on fire.

Overall, though, Jordan did. Incredibly so. And for that, I’ll make no apology.

That’s why I’m working with Visit Jordan to describe Jordan as a featured destination for the month ahead. As usual, as ever, as always editorial control remains mine all mine. This promotion forms part of the iambassador programme designed by Velvet Escape.

If you’re interested in Jordan, follow #GoJordan on twitter and join in for a twitter chat on Friday 16th December at 6pm European Time. Submit any questions you want to ask about Jordan over here.

Here’s what I’ve written so far on Jordan – there’s more to come:

The Power of A Path Into Darkness – Petra At Night

A Surreal Situation: The Desert At Night

A Beautiful Moment & Breaking the Rules – Amman

Canyoning – A Second Splash At The Adventure Sport – video

Faces of Jordan, Photos of Jordan

A Night With the Bedouin

Balloon Flights in Jordan – video

Jordanian Food: Sumac, Spice & Slice - Cooking lessons in Beit Sitti

The Horses of Petra – Petra By Day

A Portrait of Jordan

My First Trip to Jordan

Highlights of Jordan

Here’s what I’ve written so far on Jordan – there’s more to come:

Other Useful Links & Sites About Jordan

Other Bloggers Taking Part in #GoJordan – Head to Their Sites for More Stories About Jordan

Recommended Posts About Jordan