Aqaba Excursion Description
This ‘easy activity’ tour begins with a short drive to the South beach of Aqaba then back into the town center. Aqaba is Jordan’s only outlet to the sea and has grown to an impressive port and resort town. Surrounded by a chain of purple mountains and groves of palm trees, the town boasts several modern hotels while at the same time retaining a traditional way of living. From the comfort of your tour bus see the South beach of Aqaba and then pass by Aqaba Marine Park and the new hotels. Then return to the town center and enjoy a panoramic drive overlooking Aqaba Fort and Museum and passing near the remains of the oldest Byzantine Church in the world. Before returning to the ship enjoy some free time exploring the city and shopping.
I am writing this at a cool desk in the Amsterdam’s library. I am using the word ‘cool’ with both meanings. Yes, the desk is refreshingly cool in comparison to the table on the Lido Deck where I have been writing for the last few hours. The desk is also cool because the library was designed so you can look out big windows when you are sitting at the desk.
I am looking across the water at two countries while we are docked at a third country. O.K. you know I am at Aqaba, Jordan so if you are geographically sophisticated, you know I can see Egypt and Israel. The distance does not seem to be any farther than that between Coronado Island and Seaport Village.
Aqaba was not a very exciting place to tour. The strong adventurers on the ship headed toward a very exotic ancient ruin called Petra. Others went to another place called Wadi-Rum. The write-ups on these tours emphasized, in no uncertain terms, the rugged challenges that awaited these adventurers.
The adventurers returned to the ship many hours later telling tales of exhilaration and exhaustion. Some rode camels on impulse. Some rode horses or they would not have made it back.
Mary and I took a tour which was quite a contrast to the adventurer excursions. Our tour was virtually nothing but lengthy stops at two different markets and a very quick trip to glance at a beach. The write-up made it sound like much more. I was particularly disenchanted by the litter and graffiti I observed in Aqaba.
The tour took place on our first day in Aqaba. At the breakfast table in the dining room on my second day in Aqaba I discovered a small group of women planning to take the shuttle into Aqaba. Even though the tour Mary and I took had been expensive and very disappointing, I still had hope. I had heard there was a bus tour which started at the town center. This half-hour tour cost only $5.00!
We caught the shuttle into town. By this time, there were six of us. When we arrived in the town center where the bus tour originated, several of the group wanted to go to a pharmacy first. After the side trip to the pharmacy, there were more side trips to stores. Pretty soon, we had gained a few more members to the group and then, when the plans for the $5.00 tour were mentioned, a couple of the group dropped the tour plans because they wanted to do more shopping.
As the remaining members of the group stopped in for a quick look at one more craft shop, I suggested that I go ahead and get the details for the tour. I approached to kiosk in the town square and got disappointing information. All the tour spaces were sold out until 1:30pm. At the time, it was 11:00am. Some of the women decided to continue shopping. I decided to go back to the ship.
The lackluster experience of Aqaba was followed by something that was truly a “World Cruise Highlight” for me. We traveled through the Suez Canal. I got up at 3:30 in the morning and sat in the Crows Nest until 3:00 that afternoon when The Amsterdam reached the Mediterranean Sea.
I did not really know what to expect and I think that is what made my Suez Canal experience so special. The canal is approximately the distance between San Diego and Los Angeles. Two things stood out to me. One thing was the lack of cacti since I knew it was a desert. The other thing was the lack of people I observed. This may have been for security reasons but I found it surprising. I was told by a more sophisticated world traveler that there were guards in the many towers and, if I looked closely, I could see them. It never occurred to me how people who lived and worked in the vicinity of the canals could cross from one side to another. I learned there are ferries, tunnels and one very amazing bridge.
I started this message by describing the experience of having three countries in sight at the same time. I will end it by saying that when I was traveling through the Suez Canal, I could see two continents at the same time. I was in a slow moving convoy of big ships splitting Africa and Asia. What a special experience!
