"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #88 Al' Aqabah, Jordan March 28, 2017 Tuesday Sunny & 86 degrees Part #1 Of 2 86 Pictures

Aqabah is Jordan's only sea access, and was built around 610 AD as a trading post between India and the Mediterranean. Originally called Ayla, earthquakes and Crusader attacks turned Aqaba into a fishing village.

During WWI, TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and local forces took the area back from the Ottomans. Today it is a popular vacation spot for Jordanians, especially from the capital of Amman. Major activities here include diving and snorkeling in the Red Sea among the coral and shipwrecks.

Around 7am, the Amsterdam joined the Pacific Princess at the container dock of Aqabah. We woke up with the local tug right outside our window, as a matter of fact. By 8am, we were secured alongside the pier, and the ship was cleared by the local authorities.

Breakfast was at 7:30am as usual, but there were few customers, since there were several tours leaving early from here. Of course, the number one destination was the red-rose city of Petra. Located 2 hours from Aqabah, Petra was carved out of the pink-colored cliffs around 312 BC by the Nabataeans. It was the center of the caravan trade between Egypt and Persia (modern day Iran). It was unknown to the western world in 1812, and eventually became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We totally agree….it is a most impressive sight, and that is why we made at least four visits there. For those who would like a little more detail, there is a horse-drawn carriage that can be rented for a round trip ride from the top of Petra to the Treasury. It is a one mile ride for two people of medium weight for $30. There is an expected $15 to $20 tip at the end of the ride. Since there are few carriages, it could take up to 1 ½ hours to wait for the ride. Or you can walk the mile, like we have always done.

Other tours today were to Wadi Rum in the Valley of the Moon. About an hour lout of town, this site is a desert landscape of dramatic rock formations, which has an active Bedouin camp. It was made famous when the film, Lawrence of Arabia, was filmed here. It was the rally point for the Great Arab Revolt back in 1917.

One 7 day, 6 night tour ended in Aqabah today. It left from Muscat, and took in every major sight, including the city of Amman, the capital. It was expensive at $4800. per person. There were three different overnight tours from here today, which included Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, and Amman. They ran from $650 to $700 (double occupancy).

Shorter tours were to see Shoubak Castle ruins, a sunset cruise with dinner, and Aqabah highlights. These cost from $70 to $150.

We went to the lower promenade deck to find that the razor wire was being removed. Always glad to see that gone. There was a free shuttle taking guests from the ship to Municipality Square in the center of town. It was a good thing for us that we could get to town, because the crew were doing some kind of very noisy hammering near our room. We know that maintenance has to be done, but if we had been staying onboard today, it would have been torture.

Right before we left, we went to the front desk and requested the personalized stationery we did not get in the beginning of the cruise. It was no problem asking for it, and when we returned in the afternoon, it was already placed in our room. We have a feeling that this will be the last of the grand voyage stationery.

We caught the shuttle at 10am, and the ride only took 15 minutes. They have a good information trailer in this square, as well as a few places to book tours independently. Taxi drivers were numerous, although backed off when we said no thanks. With a few booklets and maps of the city, we walked it from one end to the other.

Going uphill from this square, we walked the streets full of shops, cafes, and hotels. Somehow, we remembered our way to the local food market, where butchers were selling whole goats, produce, and spices. These spices could include saffron, allspice, cardamom, ginger, cumin, and peppers. They are also big sellers of almonds and pistachios.

We wandered past numerous clothing shops, as well as a few jewelry stores that were selling 21 carat gold jewelry. This would be the last chance to purchase this type of gold for a good price, since our next ports will be in Europe.

There is also a bazaar-type of building at the top, where you can buy lots of clothing and footwear. Not sure they take dollars, but maybe tomorrow we will ask. From here, we made our way back down to the water. We headed for the Great Arab Revolt Plaza and the world's tallest free-standing flagpole. Sitting on top is the flag of Jordan flying in the breeze. This flag measures 65.6 feet x 131.2 feet. It's massive.

In this square is also the Noor Foundation, a handicraft shop where items used to be sold from the village ladies. It seems to be closed down now. Remains of the Aqabah Castle are there, along with the Sharif Hussein Bin Ali House, where the great-great grandfather of the current King lived for 6 months after the Arab Revolt. It is also abandoned. Further up the coast, we made our way down to the only stretch of public beach in town. Many local families were here, either sitting under umbrellas, or swimming in the gulf waters. No one wears typical swimsuits here, especially not the women and girls. If they go in the water, they are dressed in t-shirts and shorts, or similar clothing. We saw mostly young boys in the water, and no foreign tourists there at all.

On the opposite side of the walkway, local people were tending gardens, using water pumped from a well. It looked mostly like salad greens and some herbs. In the water, there were small boats for rent, as well as glass bottom boat rides or speedboat trips.

We headed back up to the main road, and made our way to the Royal Yacht Club. It is the nicest place for lunch, although the entrance was a little hard to find. The main driveway that leads you to this club was closed, because they are building a new shopping complex next to this club. What is good about that, is that few people from the ship will find it. Better for us, because it was not crowded yet, even at noontime.

We were seated near the window, although we could have sat out on the patio. Since it was so warm, we chose to stay inside. Of course, we ordered the margarita pizza, which we remembered had been excellent. So were the draft beers, Amstel, although they were expensive, it was a treat. So was the dessert of an apple/walnut torte with a scoop of pistachio ice cream.

Since we will have another day here tomorrow, we decided to go back to the ship. There were three shuttles…….one for the Princess ship, one for us, and the other for the smaller cruise ship. The ride back was quick, getting us there by 2pm, where we worked for a few hours on photos.

By 5pm, we went out to watch the sunset. The mountains behind the city were starting to look golden with the sun dipping behind the Sinai Peninsula right before 6pm. That was when the prayer call began also. It is so eerie to hear, knowing that this same tradition is being repeated throughout the Arab world.

A ship happened to be loading grain or wheat, creating massive clouds of dust in the air. At times, it was so bad, we could smell it. So we did not hang around too long.

While we were getting ready for dinner, we noticed that the Pacific Princess was leaving the port. Wonder if we will cross paths again, since she is also on a world cruise.

At dinner, there were only six of us. Martha went overland, and Scoop was MIA. For a change, it was nice, because we got served quicker. All of us were tired from a full day either in Petra, or here in town.

There was a surprise letter waiting for us when we got back to the room. Our cruise director, Gene, had to disembark the ship today on an unforeseen medical leave. Must be serious, as he will be replaced by Erin Duffey, who will join us in Piraeus (Athens), Greece. However, Jody, Gene's wife, will remain onboard until the end of this voyage, keeping her obligations to the fitness program. We wish him well, and we are certain he will be missed.

Bill & Mary Ann

Ferry Beach Kayaker: OMG, so sorry to hear of your extended illness. It is no surprise to us that this bug is a bad one. Thanks for sharing your experience, and get well soon.

Our window garden