Still here.

Well it’s been two weeks and pretty great . Too many photos but flew to Jordan to mainly visit Petra but Amman and Jaresh were brilliant too.   

 The Jordanians were as the Lebanese, really friendly and helpful, slightly more eager to get the tourist dollar but not annoyingly so. It’s a very poor country overrun with refugees from Syria, Iraq and Palestinians but they don’t seem to mind as they are ‘brothers’ however the country’s GDP is bolstered massively by foreign aid as are the excavation sites. 

Petra was everything expected and more. Met a Pakistani and Spaniard in the coach park so we hooked up and taxied to little Petra which is as it says on the tin.

     

 Hiked from there through the hills to the main event. Amazingly they not me, kept saying when are we going to get there and kept asking the wrong people towing a mule or donkey so were told 3-4 hrs I said bullshit and it did take about an hour and half but there were a lot of steps and hills. Well worth the sweat.

I had two days in Petra so went in the second day and climbed to the top of the hill off the beaten track and visited ruins I hadn’t seen the day before. The area is massive and stunning . Never knew about the Nabateens but they preceded the Romans and Ottomans all around the Med.I pre booked a Jordan pass which saved $40 visa and Petra was 50

 entry on each day other sites were free on it as well so for once I was quids in 😀 Jaresh is another massive site NE of Amman so much still left under the ground but poking out. Amman was crazy . I’ve been to a lot of souks and markets but this one had a buzz that previous ones didn’t. Hotels great . Flight back no problems . 5 days gone. 

Back in Beirut and a trip to where Chateau Musar is made just up the road, top shelf vino, I was the only one on the tour and they didn’t take cards so could only buy a table wine but the woman gave me the half bottle she opened for us to sample which I’m drinking now !

Still getting  a thrill from being in Beirut but think I’ll leave within the week to head west; might go to Crete or if I’m feeling strong straight to Malta or Sicily, depends on the winds.

The monastery 

Roman temple

The treasury

                                                                                                      The Siq

Natural rock colours on the roof

Tea stop

View from my hotel looking towards Petra ruins.

The Citadel Amman

                                        Amman amphitheatre

                                                                                   

Jaresh.

Too many pictures which are the same as postcards but did meet someone back at the marina so got a quick tour of a 43 meter Saudi super yacht which was interesting.

That's all for now.