Day 105 - Aqaba, Jordan

Day 105 – Friday 25^th April 2014 – Aqaba, Jordan

    

     

We arrived in Aqaba at 08.00 with two other cruise ships on the terminal.

Aqaba is Jordan’s only seaport, located in the southernmost tip of Jordan on the Red Sea.

Aqaba provides the gateway to the rose-red City of Petra and is one of the most spectacular attractions in the Middle East, abandoned and forgotten for centuries.

A lot of the passengers from the ship are going on tour to Petra and I counted thirty six coaches on the quayside.

Eilat

Across the bay, lies the town of Eilat, Israel, and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries.

Colin’s son who works in Amman, the capital of Jordan, and with the two grandsons are visiting the ship today.

I took the 10.00 shuttle bus for the ten minute ride into town, and this time dropped off was in a hotel car park.

Cruise Terminal

Public Beach

I had a walk around the town taking in the newer hotels, where there was no access to their private part of the beach.

A wander round the shops was in sharp contrast to Dubai, there are no shopping malls here.



There are no signs of wealth for the locals; the main income appears to be from the port operations and the tourists, which appeared to be mainly from Russia, or the cruise ships.

It is Friday, so the Muslim holy day and lots of families are out in the cafes having lunch outside, before going to prayers at 13.00.  I went down to the public beach and strolled along the promenade; the beach was packed with the locals enjoying the amenities with lots of boats, at the small piers, taking them out on short trips around the bay.

Yacht Club

There is a marina and after requesting the security guard to enter, permission was granted, and I wander around looking at mostly motor cruisers.  The waters are crystal clear here, which is bit of a disadvantage in the marina, as you can see what the boats have thrown over the side, and is lying on the sea bed.

Situated here is the Royal Jordan Yacht Club, which opened at 13.00. I sat myself outside and enjoyed lunch with refreshing beers on the shaded terrace, while I thought of those sweltering in the heat of Petra.   The club had internet access and happily caught up with all communications.  It was 17.00 when I left after saying goodbyes to my friendly hosts.

Back Street Shops

Back into the hustle and bustle of the markets which were in full swing after re-opening at 16.00.  In and out of shops; haggling over things, which were not really worth the bother.

The meat, fruit and vegetable markets were the most interesting, as they had more colour on their displays, and appeared to be doing the most business.

For a final offering in the town, I went to the pub near the beach and next door to the McDonalds (this fast food chain are everywhere), called the ‘Rovers Return’ based on the ‘Coronation Street’ TV soap.  The décor inside was clean and the air conditioning worked, as I watched the world snooker championship on tele from the UK.

Farewell

The light is fading and it is time to head back to the ship on the shuttle bus.  With the town’s lights on, the streets, shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels all look very inviting, but I had seen the place in the daylight.  The darkness may hide the run down parts of the town, the drabness, unclean streets, the squalor and the unfriendly faces, but I had already made up my mind never to return.

We sailed at 09.30 slowly back down the Red Sea and around 23.00 on this clear night, there is something which is unusual to be seen anywhere in the world. 

Looking back you can see the lights of Eilat, in Israel, the lights of Aqaba, Jordan.  Looking to the left of the ship you are passing Saudi Arabia and to the right you are passing the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.

All four countries seen at the same time.