UNCOVERING JORDAN: A MIDDLE EAST GEM
This was our first time visiting Middle East for a biking project and we couldn’t be more excited.
We didn’t bring any media team to this trip, instead, Alvaro, Ernest and I were both riding and shooting. It was a perfect combo to explain our adventure through our lenses.
It was a short trip but we got the chance to see different parts of the country, meet super generous and hospitable people, taste the delicious flavours of Jordan gastronomy and find freeride lines in the most unexpected and remote areas.
ANCIENT TREASURES OF JORDAN CULTURE
No matter where you go in Jordan, you will be surrounded by history, culture, and natural beauty. Our itinerary started in the capital of Jordan, the city of Amman.
It is a bustling metropolis with a rich history and culture. The city is known for its ancient ruins, such as the Roman Theater or the Citadel, which offer stunning views of the city. The city is clearly has a mix of traditional and modern lifestyles. And it has 2 downtowns, the traditional one and the modern one. It’s like two completely different cities in one. We rode a little bit and found a rainbow stairs to play with. We rode them down, up and I even rode on the wall of the stairs. People were amazed and took pictures of our riding.
After one day in the capital we moved to the north, to visit Umm Qais. The town is home to several ancient ruins, and we had lunch in the top of the town with the views of the Sea of Galilee. In the afternoon we did a small ride during the sunset and we mostly enjoyed the views. That night we slept in a homestay and we had, again, the most wonderful food.
Jerash is known for its well-preserved Roman ruins. The impressive ruins of the city, including the Temple of Artemis, the Oval Plaza, and the South Theater makes the city a must-visit destination for anyone interested in history and culture. We also walked through a market and chat with some locals, always welcoming, and giving us some food to test. Its very cool to see how they prepare the food with super fresh products and traditional procedures.
The last place we visited was Petra, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was established as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom in the 4th century BC and it makes it even more unbelievable how they would be able to do such impressive constructions carved into the red sandstone cliffs by that time. All of us had seen Petra in pictures but its worth the view, the vibe and the atmosphere that gives its difficult to explain in words and we only spent 2 hours walking through the canyon.
THE MOST FRIENDLY PEOPLE
We didn’t know that Jordanian people are renowned for their warm hospitality and friendly nature and we did experienced it the whole week. When they saw us in a usual place for a tourist, you could always hear “welcome to Jordan” and a smile on their faces.
They invited several times to try the food at some shops and some even invited us to come in to seat and have a snack. Also when they saw us with the camera, they were always willing to smile for the photo or give us a wave for the video. We loved Jordanian people so much, everyone so friendly and nice with us and they didn’t anything in exchange, they just wanted to show and explain their culture and traditions and to try their local food.
MOUTH-WATERING FOOD
The fusion of traditional Arab, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern flavours creates a unique and tantalising cuisine that delighted our taste buds. Fresh ingredients and spices take center stage in Jordanian gastronomy, with mezze, a selection of small plates (kibbeh, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, bread, rice, freekeh, bulgur…) served as appetizers present in every meal we had.
We took part of a culinary experience ( https://beitsitti.com ) in the city of Amman, where they teach us and we cooked mutabbal beitinjan, tabbouleh, bread and mansaf. After, we ate it all, it was a tasty first meal in Jordan, and we could see what we could expect for the rest of the week. Eating and trying new dishes when we travel is one thing we love, and this time, we even got the chance to cook it by ourselves, it was a great experience and we had a great time with the two ladies teaching us.
We love Jordan cuisine, they have all sorts of dishes and a lot of vegeterian options. Also, you will always have bread in the meals, to dip in the hummus, salads and sauces or to eat it with the main courses. They usually use typical and fresh ingredients from the season and the area which makes all the meals very tasty.
Even it was the middle of Ramadan we can say we didn’t had any problems with food during the day, there are always some places open and its no difficult to find great places to eat.
THE MAGIC OF THE LANDSCAPES
Even we only stayed 5 days, we did several kms and we could see almost all the different landscapes of the country which are a true marvel of nature. The Dana Biosphere Reserve boasts rugged mountains, deep canyons where we could ride some freeride lines, while the north of the country is greener than expected ( at this time of the year ), plenty of dams that helps to maintain the region irrigate. Even we only saw a little part of different places, this unique blend of natural beauty, history, and culture made us fell in love with Jordan.
THIS IS HOW WE TRAVEL
This trip represents perfectly our mindset when it comes to discover a new country or a new place. We love to take our bikes to explore; to explore the cities, to explore the lost tracks, to explore the unknown areas…
In this week though Jordan we could get to know its people, taste their delicious food, feel the massiveness of the landscapes and enjoy every place we visited while riding with our bikes. And thats what we love to do. Its our way of travel, its our way of discover.
