Jordan and Prague

I was looking for an interesting place to visit in the early spring, after a busy work schedule during February and March. I had always wanted to visit Jordan and Petra in particular and so I booked this Explore trip, which seemed to offer a significant walking component in addition to touring all the main sites. But how to get to Amman? The flights with BA and Royal Jordanian seemed very very expensive. Then I spotted that a very well known budget airline flew to Amman – but not from the UK. However, they flew from Prague, amongst other places, and of course another very well known budget airline would get me there. I flew from Luton as this suited my personal plans at the time. I had to spend one night in Prague on the way out and I decided to spend three nights there on the way back as I had never visited the city before.

Costs. Flights £186. UK trains £11. Explore tour £809 (including single room supplement). Prague hotel 1 €26. Prague hotel 2 (B&B) €39.30 per night. Total cost of trip £1430.

Places I stayed and was happy with. Hostel Modrá, Prague (Day 1, Read my review); Hotel Peko, Prague (Days 9–11, Read my review).

Day 1: Travel to Prague. Left my parents’ apartment at 2 pm and got to Coventry station at about 2.20 pm. Arrived Milton Keynes Central at 3.40 pm – but no 4 pm bus to the airport! So shared taxi to Luton airport with three ladies from Ireland, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, arriving 5.30 pm. Boarded plane at 6.45 pm and airborne at about 7.25 pm. Landed at 10.10 pm (local time) and was quickly out of the airport. Caught bus to my nearby airport hostel (pre-booked) at about 10.50 pm and was efficiently checked in.

Day 2: Travel to Amman. Woke at 5.30 am and left hostel at 6 am, catching bus back to airport terminal. Boarding was slow to complete and we finally took off at 7.45 am. Landed in Amman at 1.30 pm (local time). A driver appeared and took me to hotel in about 30 min, arriving about 2.25 pm. Snoozed until 6.50 pm when I went back to reception for a meeting with the tour guide and the first batch of the tour group. Left hotel at about 7.30 pm and found a nearby bar to eat and drink. Got back to hotel about 8.45 pm.

Day 3: Travel to Wadi Rum via Dead Sea. Meeting with rest of tour group at 8.35 am. Left hotel on bus at 9.10 am in pouring rain – the streets of Amman were flooded. Arrived Dead Sea resort at 10.40 am and swam. Lunch at about 12 noon. Departed on bus at 1 pm. Got to Wadi Rum at about 6 pm and transferred to three 4WD vehicles. Arrived at windy and cold camp about 6.30 pm. Dinner at about 7.30 pm. Bed at 9 pm.

Day 4: Walk around Wadi Rum. Slept really well under the circumstances. Started walking around Wadi Rum at 9.05 am. Back at camp at 2.45 pm. Long, rather dull afternoon! Dinner at 7 pm. Bed at about 8.45 pm.

Day 5: Travel to Petra. Departed on foot but with some of the tour group on camels at 8.05 am. Reached bus at about 9.10 am. Reached Petra at about 11.45 am and had lunch in restaurant in the town. Entered Petra at 1 pm. Walked down busy (concrete?) Siq and viewed the famous “Treasury” through the crowds. At 3 pm most of the tour group headed back for an optional Turkish bath but two of us walked with a local guide through a deserted part of Petra to find our new campsite near Little Petra. Arrived at 4.45 pm and had tea. The others got back from the baths at 7.30 pm and we had dinner. Bed at 9.30 pm.

Day 6: Walk around Petra. Started walking at 8 am. Reached spectacular “Monastery” at 10.15 am and left at about 11.10 am. Got down to central cafe at 1 pm. Ate lunch and looked at the Royal Tombs. Left at 3 pm and returned to camp on foot at about 5.10 pm. Dinner at 6.40 pm. Afterwards we drove to Petra (the town), arriving about 8.05 pm, and I drank some wine and used the iPad while some of the others went to an apparently disappointing son-et-lumière inside Petra itself. Back at camp at about 10.50 pm.

Day 7: Travel to Madaba via Little Petra and Karak. A very strange night with, amongst other odd occurrences, an emergency drainage trench being dug through the middle of our tent in the early hours. Departed on foot for the road at about 7.55 am and a short hop in the bus to Little Petra. Departed there at 9.25 am. Drove to Karak, had lunch at 1 pm, and then visited the rather disappointing castle. Departed Karak at about 4 pm and arrived Madaba at about 5.45 pm. Visited St George church and its famous mosaic map of the Mediterranean world. Got to hotel at 6.15 pm and showered!!! And shaved!!! Dinner at 7.30 pm.

Day 8: Travel to Amman via Jerash. Departed Madaba at 9.05 am and visited nearby Mount Nebo until 11 am. This turned out to be a surprisingly attractive and interesting place – it is where Moses is supposedly buried in the Jewish and Christian (but not Muslim) traditions. Then we drove towards the Roman city of Jerash, stopping in Amman for a sandwich lunch. Arrived at stunning Jerash at 2 pm and stayed until 5 pm. Dinner at 6.30 pm. Arrived hotel in Amman at 9.15 pm.

Day 9: Travel to Prague. Stayed in hotel until 1 pm. Airport transfer came at 1.30 pm. Reached airport about 2.15 pm. Plane pushed back at 6.20 pm and landed in Prague at 9.15 pm (local lime). I summoned an Uber, which arrived at 9.50 pm, and I was at my hotel (pre-booked) in the Prague suburbs at 10.20 pm.

Day 10: Explore Prague on foot. Left hotel at 10.50 am and walked... and walked... Visited the Operation Anthropoid museum at the church and its crypt. Unmissable! Then walked over Charles Bridge and arrived at the Franz Kafka museum (and the nearby distinctive male statues) at 1.50 pm. Toured museum and then went for a late lunch. Walked through the castle and then took the Metro line A back to “near” my hotel and walked... and walked, arriving back at my hotel at about 5 pm. Went out to nearby, very unpolished local bar for dinner at 7.50 pm, but food (goulash) and beer seemed good for £5.

Day 11: Explore Prague on foot. Left hotel at 11 am and caught tram no. 11 to near centre. Walked to Old Town Square and then over the Charles Bridge again. Sit-down lunch at about 2.30 pm. Crossed river again and caught tram no. 14. Back at my hotel at about 5.15 pm.

Day 12: Travel home. Left hotel at 10 am and caught tram no. 11 to centre. Sat in coffee shop until about 11.45 am then caught Metro and bus to airport, arriving about 12.30 pm. Boarded flight at 4.10 pm. Landed slightly late in Luton at 5.33 pm (local time). Bus finally left at about 6.35 pm and I arrived at Milton Keynes Central at 7.35 pm. Caught 8.13 pm train as planned to Coventry. Back at my parents’ apartment at 9.05 pm.

Reflections. Petra, Little Petra and Jerash were stunning, as expected. The walking content of the trip was much lower than advertised, which was disappointing. The desert camping for four nights in a row seemed rather pointless, especially as, in Petra, the town and its hotels were nearby. Jordan, as a whole, was an interesting country but not one that I found easy to like; I felt as though I was viewed just as a cash-cow to be milked every day. The stop in Prague on the way back was an interesting diversion. It is a beautiful city, of course, but rather overcrowded with tourists and people trying to make money out of tourists.

© 2020 The Untravelled World