After a decent breakfast at the Olive Hotel, where I am staying, I took the route to the Dead Sea, which is about an hour's drive from Amman. The Dead Sea is a landlocked salt lake between Israel and Jordan in southwestern Asia. Its eastern shore belongs to Jordan, and the southern half of its western shore belongs to Israel. The northern half of the western shore lies within the Palestinian West Bank and has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Jordan River, from which the Dead Sea receives nearly all its water, flows from the north into the lake.
The Dead Sea is famous for being the lowest point on Earth at over 400 meters below sea level. It’s extremely high salinity, about ten times saltier than the ocean, prevents most life from living in it, hence its name. The region is a popular tourist destination because of its mineral-rich waters and mud, which are believed to have health benefits, and for its unique floating sensation. It is approximately 50 kilometers long and 15 kilometer wide at its widest point.
The warm, mineral-rich water and mud are popular for therapeutic mud baths. The Dead Sea area has a higher atmospheric oxygen concentration than many other places on Earth. Visitors can cover themselves in the mineral-rich, black mud for therapeutic benefits. The nearby area is home to historical sites like the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and the baptism site of Jesus.
The area is studded by prized properties belonging to international chains such as Crowne Plaza, Movenpick, Ramada, etc. For the budget friendly too there are a few 'free' bathing locations. I went to one of them, not with the idea of bathing, but to 'experience' the Dead Sea. The descent from the main road was tricky and the return was exhausting. I met a few interesting boys from Saudi Arabia who tried their best to coax me to get into the water. They covered themselves in the clayey mud and waited for it to dry on them. After more than 30 minutes of vicarious 'excursions' into the Dead Sea and rubbing in the therapeutic mud I walked back to complete the rest of the day's itinerary.
I drove back to Amman and stopped at one of the leftover attractions. An example of contemporary Islamic architecture, the King Abdullah Mosque, aka Blue Mosque, commemorates the founder of the dynasty that rules Jordan to this day. The cavernous blue dome, 35 meters in diameter, is decorated with Quranic inscriptions. The prayer hall can accommodate 3,000 worshipers and the complex can hold over 10,000 people at once. Publicly this is known as the only mosque in Amman that openly welcomes non-Muslim visitors. However, I had visited the Grand Husseini Mosque downtown, too.
On the opposite side of the road from the Blue Mosque is the Coptic Church. The person I met at the gate told me that it was closed and suggested that I go to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation a few hundred meters down the road. I was disappointed to see that that church was closed too. The person cleaning the compound told me to come back the next day. However, a priest came out from the office and asked the person to let me in for prayer. A miracle, indeed. The ornate interior was an additional bonus. When I was asked to leave the church after a few minutes in worship the person who let me in gave me two candles to take back as remembrance of the visit!
The time had come to return the car and that signaled the end of the Jordan experience. The AutoNation car rental had been most supportive, and the return process was completed smoothly. Most documents to file the insurance claim with Discover Cars were given to me including an invoice, payment receipt and the damage depiction diagram. From the car rental I took an Uber to downtown to buy some dates and dry fruits, which I did without too much fuse. I walked to the hotel I stayed in on my arrival in Amman and wished the staff and thanked them for their support during my acclimatization period in the country.
While waiting for the uber ride back to Olive Hotel I picked up a shawarma from Shawarma Amman, the best I have rates to date. Uber drivers kept refusing the ride and I was getting late. I requested a traffic policeman to hail me a taxi, which he did. I told him my destination hotel. The policeman told me to pay only by the meter.
On the way I noticed that the driver was not on the correct route to the hotel. After a while I stopped him and showed him the route to the hotel. The driver then told me that the policeman had told him to drop me in Olive Tree hotel near the airport. I told him to follow google map on my phone and reroute the ride. A ride that should have cost me less than 2 JD finally cost me 7 by the meter! The lesson I learnt was never to trust the taxi and depend on Uber, whatever the delay.
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