The allure of our neighbours - Jordan & Lebanon

binduchandana
Apr 15, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Mar 2, 2023

'What we find exotic abroad may be what we hunger for in vain at home'. Alain De Botton. For me it was always what I saw at home that I hungered for abroad. Wanted to see and be a part of something similar but not the same as it has both the new and the familiar. One leg in and one leg out. You get my point.

Travelled with a good bunch of friends, people you are yourself with, rare and true. Eight days, 24/7 and a year later, we still love talking to each other.

Places Visited - Amman, Byblos, Wadi Rum, Petra, Dead sea, Red sea, Jerash, and Beirut. Will talk about some, not all.

'As we get close, clarity is arrived at and the exotic becomes clearly'. Alain De Botton.

1. Nabateans & Petra

Did not know anything about the Nabateans until I stepped into the country of Jordan and started reading about it. Arabic nomads, who made a truck load of money in trading. It is one thing to see what they had left behind and it is another to understand how they lived and functioned. From the way the water was collected and stored, to the graves (all withstood the test of time), to the rubble that was their dwelling (death is permanent not life as we know it), to the treasury, and so much more.

The walk through the place they called home is nothing but time travel. The narrowing canyons (which protected them from the elements and all else), the jaw dropping Treasury (watch the first Indiana Jones, for now), the insanely elaborate and large graves (the more important you were the larger the grave), the expanse of the space. They didn't just make do with what they had, they lived large and left permanent imprints.

AWE.

A short movie was a must but unable to upload here unless I put it up on a social media platform. Drat. Pictures for now.

We closed the afternoon with food that was a variant of dal and rice. Yum. Like I said, start with the familiar and proceed slowly, this way, what stays with me stays forever.

2. Red Sea, Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea

Boated in the Red Sea and floated in the Dead Sea and drank by the Mediterranean sea.

Red sea was clear blue waters with coral reefs all the way up to the beach. We could see Israel and Egypt on the other side. For a child whose introduction to Christianity started in a convent school at the age of five, I realised (aha!) that I was on a pilgrimage. Mind blown.

Zero waves. Buoyancy was completely felt and understood. NO life survived as the salt content is ten times more than regular sea water. Hence, Dead Sea. Being in a country where what you wore could be scrutinised, a bright yellow bathing suit might have been a tad much, but I was ignored. Once the squirming stopped I walked to the waters (a long walk from where we changed to the Dead sea), the beach was nothing but pokey salt deposits. Really never thought about the Dead sea so didn't have a picture to compare to.

Floating (the only time in my life) was beyond lovely, till the voice (read anxiety) in my head became so loud I flipped, drank the water and got it in my eyes. I did what I was told not to do.

Scrubbed the world famous Dead sea mud on my body, massive deposits of those too. Imaginary tingling everywhere, ran to the showers and washed it off. Waited as the ladies were convincing some other ladies to take their muddied pictures and send to them. We hadn't carried our phones.

All in all, glad I did it. Will know what not to do next time.

The city of Beirut by the waters. Old and new juxtaposed, each holding their ground while our guide shared the devastating tale of the land. It was an emotion filled rendition as she was part of some of its recent history. No land has been spared the callousness of human.

3. The Jordon River and other religious insignia

Where Christ was baptised, where Moses lead his people, where the artefacts of the age lies for everyone to visualise. The vast lands and the impossible terrain and Egypt around the corner just makes for a viewing no cinema can match. Your imagination is enough to picture the story of following a leader to the promised land. Many leaders still see the value in the promised land strategy.

4. Byblos

One of the rare places (I have seen and I haven't seen many) where you can see the timeline in what was left behind. The people that came over the thousands of years built either on top of their predecessors artefacts or next to it but not so much instead of it. Was nice to see many of the ages and cultures reflected in what was left behind.

And of course procured (got it as a gift) a fossil hundreds of millions old from when Byblos was under the sea.

Must see - for the city is suspended in time and the views from the fort cannot be regaled by any and all.

5. A hot day in Jerash

My first visit to anything Greco-Roman. Soaked in the Road to Rome, the Coliseum, the Pillars that moved (unnerving for sure!) and all that was dedicated to Zeus, Aphrodite and many other Greek mythology favourites. It wasn't at all different than what I had imagined or seen in many pictures over the years. Spent a lot of time trying to be there than trying to figure out where I had seen this before and who had talked about the majesty of it. I understand that knowledge has to go somewhere but I have made myself a promise that will allow others experience to be unique and not entangle mine with theirs. Unless they reaaally want to know. There should be no voices in my head, including my own.

6. Wadi Rum

My learning - stay away from the Lawrence of Arabia connect or the Martian (the movie) connect, breathe the air and marvel at the desert. Oh yes, do pick a campsite that hides in between the tall granite rocks.