After a terrific 10-day trip to Jordan as a guest of the Jordan Tourism Board, I’m back in Bangkok. With two weeks before I fly back to the States for the summer, I’ve got time to process the swirl of memories from these last days and go through the mountain of photos from the trip. I’ve always said that being on a press trip wouldn’t preclude me from talking about negative aspects of the experience; there’s a professional, constructive way to discuss when things aren’t what you expected. But these 10 days were all that I could have wanted and more: camels, piles of delicious food, an insight into Bedouin culture and historical wonders aplenty. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the experience and am seriously considering heading back there for a few months to do more research and writing about spices and foods from Jordan. I’ll be posting about each of those topics (especially the camels and the spices!), but until then here are some highlights of my trip.
Table of Contents
Photos from Jordan
The Food in Jordan:
Bedouin woman making jameed, a fermented yoghurt used in the national Mansaf dish, in Feynan.
Hummus in Jerash, at our (delicious!) lunch break.
Many small plates (mezze) at a delicious lunch with a Druze family in Azraq.
The Scenes:
The Dead Sea from above.
Overlooking the lush Ajloun Forest Reserve.
Me and Shannon (affectionately referred to by our friends in Chiang Mai as “The Shodi Show”) overlooking Amman.
Wadi Rum at daybreak, just after a dawn camel ride.
The Ruins:
One small part of the ruins at Jerash.
Deep colors in the sandstone rocks of Petra, Jordan.
The Camel:
A 10-day old baby camel in Wadi Rum, Jordan.
All told, my trip can be summarized thusly:
Me at The Monastery in Petra, Jordan
Definitely a great time.
More to come shortly from Jordan and wrapping up my time in Chiang Mai!
-Jodi
Great pics. Salivating over the pic of the food. Love middle eastern food – so simple in presentation but each bite is so flavorful.
It’s true! I’ll be doing a whole series on the foods from this region, since I love them so much too. Such simple flavours, combined to perfection.
I love rock formations that look edible. ;)
Architecturally / archaeologically, that looks a place I could happily live. (Dry landscapes, harsh beauty, really tugs at me. Probably something from my Cyprus years there). Wadi Rum is truly beautiful. And there’s hummus. So, that’s everything ticked on my list.
Looking forward to your upcoming posts, Jodi!
Thanks Mike! Yes, given your archeology background I suspect it’s a great place for you to visit. We didn’t focus on the technical archeology at all, but there’s plenty there for you, and what I did learn about was fascinating. I’m not a huge hummus fan, but really enjoyed the moutabel (roasted eggplant with tahini and garlic), different from the eggplant dips I was used to eating.
I hope there is a picture of you hugging the baby camel, otherwise that will be another reason you need to go back for :) I look forward to reading all the updates.
There is a photo! Shannon’s got it on her camera (and I have ones of her hugging the same camel) so we’re still sorting through all the photos and will each likely post it soon enough :) There were actually 2 of them, one 10 days old and another 1 month old. Camel cuteness.
Sounds and looks like an amazing place, hopefully we will be there soon! I love the photo above of Wadi Rum at daybreak with the camel. Amazing shot!
Thanks Pete. We had just returned from watching the sun rise over the valley from the back of a camel, and were packing up to go when this man rode by on his camel, affording me the chance to get one last photo. Such a terrific morning.
Hi Jodi,
while I haven’t been to Jordan yet, I had arab food in other middle-east countries and is truly DELICIOUS.
It’s simple and very tasty food, only problem for me was trying to don’t eat meat everyday :)
I became a big fan of hummus… mmm!
Thanks Daniele! I agree that the region was full of delicious, tasty food often with tastes we’re not used to in North America. So much to discover! The mezze make it easy to eat less meat, though the lamb dishes were so incredibly good that I found myself gravitating toward them regardless.
WOW. i so want to go! this food! the scenery! looking forward to reading more. wish i’d been there, eating along with you!
It was a great 10 days and given the variety an breadth of our itinerary, it felt like much longer (in the best way possible). Several kilos were gained :)
Thanks for the inspiration to visit Jordan. Sounds and looks fascinating.
Love the colors in the food photos. And that picture of the Dead Sea is a great shot.
Thanks Craig! I’m glad you enjoyed. Plenty more photos to come :)
Gorgeous. Never thought about visiting Jordan before, but definitely going to have to put it down on my list. And why–why!–must you post such delicious pics??
You know me, if there’s good food I’m going to have to write about it! While tiny in size, the country certainly has its share of incredible sights to see. Like you, I didn’t realize how many until I went there on this trip.
Jodi, your pictures are superb. The food photos have gone and made me hungry! I can’t wait to visit Jordan someday!
Wow, those photos are amazing. I have always wanted to go to Jordan, but now even more so. Thanks!
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Awesome photos!! What a great time it looks like you had in Jordan! What a surprise that you included some photos of the food! :)
Hey Jodi,
Photos are really amazin…..the one of dead sea and camel ride…absolutely fantastic…jordan is amazin..never thought it would be so beautiful…..
Love the meze! That’s my style of eating (thank goodness for Soi Arab in BKK). Hope to catch up with you back in the other continent. ;)
We’re headed to Soi 3/1 for dinner tonight! Need another mezze fix before I leave Bangkok. Enjoy the rest of your time in Africa and hope to see you this summer. Say hi to P for me :)
Isn’t Jordan’s landscape just stunning? Great photos.
Surely the hiking at Petra cancelled out the food? ;)
You’d think so, but the amount of food > the amount of hiking, and thus my pants just don’t fit like they use to! ;)
Wow, the food pics look so tasty. I’m so hungry now!
Your pictures are wonderful, definitely stir the wanderlust in me! Was there a lot of security in evidence I wonder? I ask because clearly Jordan is pulling out all the stops to send the message that it’s a safe country to visit, and should not be lumped together with Libya and Egypt. It’s an indication of how much tourism the Middle East has lost in the last few months that here in the Canary Islands, despite an ongoing recession, tourist stats are zooming off the charts. It’s a viable alternative destination here, and thousands have re-directed their vacations apparently.
Hi Linda! No, not a lot of security in evidence – the country is, as they’ve made it out to be, safer than many of the others in the news of late. In contrast to the protests throughout the region, the demonstration in Amman a few weeks back spoke to economic reform and not a revolution. Geopolitically, Jordan is quite different from its close neighbours but as you’ve said it gets lumped into the unrest despite not participating in it (or, it seems, wanting to).
I didn’t realize that many were re-routing to the Canary Islands – interesting. Tourism is certainly down in Jordan – even though it’s high season, Petra had a paltry amount of people and Wadi Musa was astonishingly quiet.
You captured Jordan in just a few photos! Great post. I was there for a few days last month and had a wonderful time. I loved the food, especially the jameed yogurt and the huge (vegetarian-friendly) Mezze. Would love to go back soon.
Thanks Leslie! Shannon will be posting more on the vegetarian dishes, but I’ll also have to discuss just how ridiculously good the lamb there was. After months of lamblessness in Thailand, a true treat. :) Glad you enjoyed your time there as well!
Wow, what great pics! This is so high on my list after reading about yours and Uncornered Market’s travels here. Need to get my 7 month old her passport!
Thanks Jude. Dan & Audrey’s stories and photos were part of what had me very excited to visit too. Hope you get there one day soon!
That sounds fantastic! I’ve never been to Jordan, but these pictures really make me want to go there. The pictures of the desert with the blue sky make me dream of wanting my own camel tour :)
The photos look amazing!! I love the one of the woman hand-mixing the yogurt. Sounds like you had a phenomenal time. Have you been to Israel? Obviously a very similar landscape/food.
I have been, but many years ago (over a decade at this point!). Very similar landscape and food. It was nice to have seen the sun rise over the Dead Sea from the Israeli side and then see it set last week over the Jordanian side. Excellent symmetry, many years apart.
Wow, what a recap and some of the most stunning pics of Jordan I’ve ever seen. Looks like you had an amazing time there. My favorite pic is the baby camel…oh soooo cute!!!
Thanks Jeff! Glad you enjoyed. These are just a precursor to more photos, likely quite a bit on the food too ;) The baby camel was absolutely adorable and hard to believe it was only 10 days old.
I’m looking extremely foward to going to Jordan. I was planning on spending only maybe five days in the country. Maybe I’ll stay longer, though. And your food photos are fantastic!
I’d allocate a bit longer than 5 days, to be honest. It’s a small country geographically, which means you can get to see quite a large part of it if you stay for a week or so. Worth it in my mind; such diversity of landscape that the contrasts help make the time there that much more special.
OMG, it was painful seeing the pics here and of fuul in the another post! I’m not hungry, but somewhere in my soul there is pain (hunger). Anyway, if you liked the cuisine, you should absolutely visit Lebanon, the birthplace of many of those dishes, and the place with the best culinary culture in the near east. You will discover real mezze with its never-ending varieties, and try mana’eesh.. Still, Jordan zaatar mixes will be the best; the ones from Aleppo-Syria will come in second.. Have fun in your travels, and thanks for your awesome blog.
Glad you enjoyed Ahmad. Tried several versions of manakeesh and all were delicious (though all were not good for my stomach). The Middle East definitely has a huge set of food options, all of which are enticing. Lebanon’s high up on the list as I grew up with a Lebanese friend and dinners at her place involved labne and tabouli and all sorts of deliciousness. Hope to get there soon!
very nice pics :)
Great photos, Jodi! Jordan is very, very, very high on our list of places to go, and I can’t read enough about it. Your pictures are amazing!
I love your pictures! They definitely show the beauty of Jordan.
I hope that y’all pay us a visit oneday, you won’t regret it I promise :)
These are all beautiful, beautiful photos, Jodi. I love the nickname Shodi, it works so well. I also love how closely these photos and stories mirror my own experience on the other side of the Dead Sea. I worked predominantly with Bedouin women in the past year and wrote about their entrepreneurial experience, so your photos of their cooking (as well as of the hummus and the Dead Sea) are making me deeply nostalgic and appreciative. I cannot wait to see the rest of the images and hear all about your trip. Thank you, as always, for sharing all this beauty.
Thank you Roxanne. I’ve really enjoyed your farewell posts to a country you obviously love but had a very intense time discovering. Hope to see you Stateside this summer!
Great pictures! Especially love the ruins! Jordan is definitely on the list of our “must travel” to places. Your post just bumped it up the list a few more notches!
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You got me cravin’ a trip to Jordan now.
Who knew?
Jordan’s on the list for me this year too! LOVE your photos!I’m super curious about this whole being a guest of the tourism board for various countries gig… do you go into depth about how this happens on any of your posts? Much appreciated:)
Hi Monica, usually the tourist boards reach out to me directly, as was the case with Jordan. I don’t go on press trips very often; as I said above, I want the destination to be one I’m excited about and a place I’d visit independently if I could. Jordan was a perfect fit and when the asked me to participate in their bloggers’ press efforts, I was thrilled to say yes.
Many tourism boards or cities will use PR companies to do outreach for them, so to the extent you have a conference or travel show with PR representation, getting your name out there in that capacity would be helpful too.
Brings back great memories. Was just there with my Mum and Dad to celebrate my Mum’s 70th birthday.
Maybe see you when you are back in the States.
Nicola (Apt 7C)
Hi Nicola! Were you in Jordan this spring? Thank you for the comment and hope to see you in NY later this summer.
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Just great photos I really enjoy looking at the one of the 10 day old camel and of course the delicious looking food. I always think of Jordan as being unbearable with the heat..how was it?
Oh no, it was beautiful weather. It is hot in the summer months but April and May are cooler and very pleasant.
Beautiful pictures! My favorite is the dead sea viewed from the cliff. Somehow it looks really serene. Oh and the food looks very interesting also.