Jordan, a Hidden Gem ?

I had the pleasure to discover Jordan and do some geocaching there. As a bonus, I discovered a 'virgin' geocache, or in Geocaching Speak, a FTF (First to Find).  There are several things to do and places to visit, and here is what I would call 'not to be missed' :  


First there is Petra, the wonderful city carved in the mountainside and featuring some incredible buildings like the Treasury, which is emblematic of the site. You arrive at the site after walking half an hour through a narrow gorge called the Siq. Then you see this :

When you arrive at the site you are stunned by the sheer size of this building, carved in the rock of the mountain by the Nabateans in 100 BC. The exact purpose of the building has still not been discovered so far. But I was surprised to see that there are so many other buildings in the area. This was actually not an isolated temple, but a city with an open-air theater, houses, temples, tombs and even a church (although this was a more recent addition). Just to give an idea of the sheer size of the site, here is a view of the southern part of the area. It's one of the most astonishing man-made sites I have seen, and it certainly deserves to be on the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World

Another interesting place to visit is the Dead Sea. You read all sorts of stories about how you can float without having to swim. And yes, you do float effortlessly, but the 31% salt content of the water has several side effects. First it gives a very 'oily' feeling and you have the impression to float in some kind of goo, which not everyone will like. Second, the smell is not exactly what you would expect, and I have to admit that I smelled like a garbage can for a few hours after floating in the Dead Sea. Some say it is due to all the minerals in the water and the mud, but I don't really care - I smelled like I was farting non-stop...
Finally, if you have any cut or skin problem, you will clearly feel the burning effect of the salty water. I discovered a few cuts I did not know I had...

But honestly, it is something you have to try once in your lifetime

Another visit you should not miss - and actually you should spend more than a day to visit this place - is the desert of Wadi Rum. Lawrence of Arabia made the place famous, and the legend (or the true story) tells us that he lived there with his Bedouin friend(s) for many years. The shapes of the granite mountains, the colors of the sands and the vegetation (yes, there are flowers in the desert) are awesome.

It had been raining a few days before our arrival and there were lots of little purple flowers. So the story of the flowering desert is actually true :

There are no roads and all the tracks left by cars or camels are quickly erased by the wind and the ensuing movements of the sand dunes. So you either need a GPS or you need to know all the mountainshapes to find your way around...

Vegetation is not something you expect to find in a desert, but mammals and birds are not something you expect to find either. However, if you are quiet and if you look around, you will see lots of them. The most impressive thing is obviously the camouflage of the little birds. The one below is simply incredible : it really carries the colors of the rocks and the sand in its surroundings

After a day or two in the desert, the Red Sea is a welcome break. Aqaba features more than 10 dive sites which feature a rich sea life, with plenty of corals, hard and soft, and the usual Red Sea neigbours : bannerfish, butterflyfish and the ever-present anemone fish, Captain nemo. The waters are incredibly clear and the visibility is absolutely perfect. Have a look :

All in all, Jordan is clearly a hidden Gem, and there is everything you need for a good holiday : sand (lots of it in the desert), a generous sun, lots of cultural visits and the Red Sea with its warm waters.

A view from Aqaba and the Red Sea to conclude this post


Goodbye Jordan, I'll probably be back

Tenerife, not just for beach lovers

Who said that the Canary Islands are only for beach and sun lovers ? I just came back from a fabulous week in Tenerife and I discovered that this island is much more than a 'sea, sex and sun' destination like most people think. Of course, the weather is almost perfect all year, with lots of sunshine and gentle temperatures from January till December (it was 24°C when I was there during the last week of February). And the beaches of Playa de Las Americas in the southern part of Tenerife have the perfect white sand (imported from the Sahara, in fact) that all beach lovers expect.

But if you leave the coast and head inland, you find incredible landscapes and a truly surprising diversity in the flora. Here are some of the highlights of the trip and some recommendations for those who want to discover the island. By the way, this is only Tenerife. I am told that all other islands in this archipelago are just as beautiful and nature is just as surprising.

For those who like geocaching, there are plenty of geocaches, particularly the earth caches. The canary islands used to be active volcanoes, and the Teide, the highest peak at 3.750 meters, is still blowing fumes at times. In any case, the Teide was snow-capped last week and here is the stunning view it offers from almost anywhere on the island.





If you want to see the hidden beauties of this island, you need to rent a car. Although public transportation is available on the island, the buses are mostly linking the main populated places and do not cover the isolated mountain spots. That's where you want to go, and you get rewarded with stunning views like this one, at the foot of he Pico Viejo, a volcano next to the Teide, which erupted in 1798. The vegetation is starting to come back and offers some unusual views, like this lone tree trying to conquer the barrens landscape around the Pico Viejo...

Renting a car will also allow you to stop wherever you want, like at the Minas the San José, a strange place where the volcanic sand is green (well, yellowish green, but it is not really the kind of sand you want on the beach). It gives a truly eerie feeling

But the greatest reward comes when you put on your walking shoes (preferably strong mountain shoes) and start walking on the perfectly waymarked Senderos or mountain paths that crisscross the interior It is not easy terrain. Paths rise rapidly, and you should expect most walks to get you 1.000 meters up or down on the most interesting stretches. But the rewards are worth the effort. Here is the view from the walk linking Santiago del Teide to Masca, in the Nortwestern part of the island : stunning landscapes with two distinct types of vegetation : the southern slopes are dry, arid, and covered with desert-like vegetation: cactus can be found everywhere

The northern slopes are covered with a lush green vegetation. There is a regular cloud cover all year, and the beautiful Valley of the Orotava seen from the mountains is surprising indeed.

Get a good guidebook for walking, such as the Rother Walking Guide and you will enjoy some of the most rewarding walks nature can offer. Here is the view from the Organ Pipes (Los Organos) which are very aptly named indeed.

Of course, the sea is never far away. And it is a good idea to spend a day on a boat tere There are lots of bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales which stay all year round in the deep waters between Tenerife and La Gomera. They were happy to swim along the boat and give us a display of their jumping skills. See them in action here.

And for those of you who like romantic sunsets, here is a preview of what you can see there on most evenings. It is a true picture (no photoshop here)

So if you want an enchanting holiday, go ahead and book at least a week on Tenerife. Yes, you can spend a day at the beach, but by all means, enjoy the rest. This island has so much more to offer.

Enjoy !