Last Few Hours in Jordan

The day came to make our way out of Jordan and into Egypt. It was going to be a long day of traveling across borders through three different countries and our anticipation was mounting. After saying goodbye to Amman several days ago, we bid our farewells to Wadi Musa and Petra, too, and then headed south to the coastal town of Aqaba. Famous for its diving and beach resorts, Aqaba also contains a border post into Israel. However, before crossing the border there were a few things we needed to do first: purchase our Egyptian visas, eat at McDonalds, meet another machine gun topped truck with an angry driver, and catch a glimpse of the Red Sea.

Purchasing a visa for any country can take an unexpected amount of time, but doing so in the Middle East seems to guarantee things won't go as planned. The consulate was empty and our presence blindingly obvious. The man behind the window at the counter seemed bothered with our request for Egyptian visas but didn't appear very busy. After sorting out our intentions and taking advantage of my friend's Arabic speaking abilities, he informed us they would be ready in nearly three hours. I assumed it would take him two hours and forty-five minutes to procrastinate, ten minutes to process the visas, and another five to use the bathroom before we returned.

After refueling at McDonald's my friend suggested surveying our close proximity to Saudi Arabia. A photo of the mile marker sign only a few kilometers from the border would make an excellent souvenir and I was excited to add another picture of a border country to my collection. Nearing the intended sign, we passed a group of military men jogging alongside the road. Closing in on the border increased both the level of excitement and tension in the truck, and when we found the sign we hopped out to snap a photo. However, before we even removed our lens caps the group of joggers, now at an uncomfortably close distance, began hollering and waving their arms. Uh oh.

We quickly turned around, hopped in the truck, and drove off. Within two minutes an armed truck pulled up alongside us with the passenger hanging out the window, flagging us to pull over. Oh, geez. Here we go again. After reassuring them we were not photographing their jogging squad, we were informed it is not okay to take pictures of signs. At least, not signs in that particular area, I guess. Okay, it won't happen again.

A few miles down the road, we saw another sign and slowed down enough for me to hang out the window and snap a photo.

Before picking up our passports and leaving the country, we made a quick stop at the Red Sea. The crystal clear water made it easy to spot various fish and several eels beneath the surface, and it's obvious why Aqaba attracts large numbers of scuba divers year round.

On to Egypt...

Finally... a picture of a sign

A beach along the Red Sea

Even while swimming women are expected to maintain modesty. The level of modesty depends on their husbands or families.