Toilets - I was pleasantly surprised in Egypt to find regular toilets. I had been expecting squats! Not that the toilets were always great, but a bad loo is almost always better than a squat. The loo's in Jordan were usually of a very good standard. Only substandard in a couple of places.
Food
. Ah food. One of my favourite things. Loved the felafel in Egypt. They are made from fava beans rather than chickpeas and are yummy! The Kushari was great.
Very good food in Jordan - hummus, tahini, and the stuffed felafel were really good (felafel stuffed with caramelised sumac onion). Both countries love their bread and carbs.
The people in both countries were so welcoming. Very friendly and genuinely pleased to have foreign visitors. We even had people wind down their windows and say "welcome, nice people"! Crikey, you just don't get that in Australia. You'd get some insult hurled at you instead. People are kind. We also had bread shared with us on the ferry ride between Egypt and Jordan. So many offers of assistance for Mike too, with his neck and arm.
Loads of rubbish in Egypt. Awful. If education is encouraged there, I'm sure this will gradually change but at the moment it's pretty bad. All the little waterways are choked up. People just chuck stuff wherever they are
. They don't see anything wrong with it.
Jordan is much different. There is virtually no rubbish in Aqaba or Amman. There's a little in some of the less populated areas, but it's not uncommon to see people pick it up and bin it.
Religious tolerance. Wow. Can we learn a few things about this! Mosques sit next to churches. Despite Christians being the minority they are treated with absolute respect.
Amman is called the white city as almost all buildings are covered with limestone. This is required by law for about twenty years so there is the odd building that might differ. Occasionally businesses can get an exemption, but generally all are whitish.
SMOKING - OMG did we choose the wrong countries to visit after just giving up the cigarettes! This is non-smokers hell! Smoking in cabs, in shops, in restaurants. Many hotel rooms smelled of smoke and had ashtrays in them
. Smoking allowed everywhere! People smoke shisha in coffee shops to relax. Very few people drink so I guess this is their way of socialising. Mostly men though. Very few women smoke in public. Occasionally you will see a woman smoke shisha but rarely cigarettes. Apparently not huge rates of lung cancer in Egypt....but don't get too excited! People die a lot younger, usually cardiac or stroke related before the cancer gets them!
Very few social services in Egypt. No pensions or assistance to those in need. Families look after their own. Occasionally old folk will ask for money. Education is compulsory but I don't think it's policed.
Jordan has much higher standard of living and looks after it's people very well. Literacy is almost 100%. Education is very highly valued.
There doesn't seem to be any issues with water accessibility in Egypt. I guess the Nile is viewed as an infinite resource. Inland looks so dry but there is underground water I think
.
Water is precious in Jordan. There has been a pipeline constructed to provide water inland, and there is lots of water under the desert apparently.
King Abdullah II of Jordan is pretty popular. There is a great clip of him on YouTube giving a speech about what it means to be a muslim. It's only two minutes long but definitely worth a look. If you have no idea about Islam except the scaremongering fed to you by Western media, take a look and open your eyes. (Search YouTube - what it means to be a muslim)
Many, many hills in Jordan. Amman was built on seven hills but has spread much further now. Cycling is not very popular. When I say hills I mean San Francisco type hills. It's all up and down. The legs have had a good workout and I'm sure the butt will be a bit perkier, lol!
Not to mention the hike up Mt Sinai....
Most cars in Cairo are quite battered. The driving is crazy
. They make four lanes across a double lane! No one sticks to their own lane. And people walk along the sides. I'm sure that's where the phrase "walk like an Egyptian" comes from.
Most of all the people were so welcoming, warm and genuine. I would not hesitate to recommend a visit to these countries. We felt safe at all times. I'm sure there would be a bit of culture shock if you haven't been outside of Western culture, but there is probably less culture shock here than in some parts of Asia.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend G Adventures for small group travel either. It makes it so easy. We had two great CEO's In Mayer and Zuhair.
Overall it has been as fantastic as we hoped. We've seen some AMAZING things and visited some AMAZING and iconic places.
I hope you've enjoyed sharing our trip.
Bits and Pieces - Egypt and Jordan
Sunday, April 05, 2015
Amman, Jordan
Other Entries
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1Brace Yourself!
Mar 1719 days priorMelbourne Airport, Australiaphoto_camera1videocam 0comment 0 -
2Walk Like An Egyptian
Mar 1818 days priorCairo, Egyptphoto_camera4videocam 0comment 1 -
3"Men fear time, time fears the Pyramids"
Mar 2115 days priorAsyut, Egyptphoto_camera3videocam 0comment 0 -
4I Sphynx You're Amazing!
Mar 2214 days priorPhilae, Egyptphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 0 -
5De Nile ain't just a river in Egypt
Mar 2214 days priorAbu Simbel, Egyptphoto_camera8videocam 0comment 2 -
6Abu Simbel. Wow!
Mar 2214 days priorAbu Simbel, Egyptphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 2 -
7You say Felucca, I say Felocca
Mar 2412 days priorLuxor, Egyptphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 1 -
8From Aswan to Luxor
Mar 2412 days priorLuxor, Egyptphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 1 -
9Donkeys, Kids and Kings
Mar 2511 days priorLuxor, Egyptphoto_camera22videocam 0comment 1 -
10Islamic Cairo
Mar 2610 days priorAd Doqi, Egyptphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 0 -
11The Red Sea and Miracles on the Mount
Mar 288 days priorQesm Dahab, Egyptphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 0 -
12Leaving Egypt /Arriving Jordan
Mar 297 days priorQesm Dahab, Egyptphoto_camera4videocam 0comment 0 -
13Aqaba and the Wadi Rum
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14Petra
Apr 023 days priorMa'an Governorate, Jordanphoto_camera43videocam 0comment 0 -
15The Dead Sea - The Only Way Is Up!
Apr 023 days priorMadaba, Jordanphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 1 -
16Amman /Jerash
Apr 041 day priorAmman, Jordanphoto_camera32videocam 0comment 1 -
17Bits and Pieces - Egypt and Jordan
Apr 05Amman, Jordanphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 0 -
18Ignorance is Bliss...
Apr 083 days laterBallarat, Australiaphoto_camera27videocam 0comment 0
2025-02-09