Day 258 – Jerash and Ajloun
Jerash Roman Ruins and Ajloun Castle from Amman
Today we left our accommodation, Jordan River Hotel to catch a taxi using the Uber App to the North (Tabarbour) Bus Station. The taxi driver dropped us off right in front of the correct bus to Jerash. The mini buses in Jordan don’t typically have a schedule. They just leave when they are full. Lucky for us, we took up the last two seats, so we didn’t have to wait at all. The bus left at 8:04 am and we were charged 1.15 JOD / $2.35 AUD per person.
The journey to Jerash took less than an hour and dropped us off a short distance from the entrance. In the car park we noticed the Old Roman Restaurant, which was actually still opening. I suspect, business is low during Ramadan, so they were happy to make us breakfast. The staff were really friendly, and from what we could tell, the restaurant doesn’t actually have a breakfast menu. Don’t expect it to be a cheap meal though.
Jerash Archaeological Site
We then entered the Jerash Archeological Site, which is included with the Jordan Pass (otherwise 10 JOD / $20.42 AUD per person). The site was massive, and the ruins were also massive. Having never been to Italy, I am very impressed with the kinds of building the romans built ~2000 years ago.
Some of the highlights for me were the Great Temple of Zeus, the street known as the Cardo and the Hydraulic Stone Cutting Machine. But the entire site was really beautiful. The Oval Plaza, kept reminding me of the Disney classic Hercules (Yes, I know it’s set in Greece). I really enjoyed walking around Jerash. We spent a total of 4 hours at the site before we were done, including the visitor centre and museum.
When walking down the Cardo and past the shops, a few locals, would tell us to follow them, to see columns that move. Our guard was super high after Egypt, so we politely refused and walked away.
Getting from Jerash Archaeological Site to Ajloun Castle
From the museum, we asked directions to Ajloun Castle, which was completely wrong in the end. We were advised to go to the Jerash Bus Complex, which is North of the site. Along the way, we asked a bus driver and he took us to the complex for no charge and pointed us to the “correct” bus. Here a taxi driver approached us, and was very persistent that its the wrong bus and that we should come with him to the castle.
On the other hand, the bus driver kept telling us, he would take us to Ajloun. We decided to trust the bus driver as it would be cheaper. He essentially, drove his route, dropping off locals around the town of Jerash. He then came to the same intersection that the bus from Amman had dropped us off, just south of the site. GAWWD.
For a circle around the site, he charged us 0.5 JOD / $1.02 AUD per person. The taxi driver had offered to take us for 10 JOD / $20.42 AUD but that was to the castle.
The bus driver took us to a shared car, that would make the trip to Ajloun. Again, it would only go when it was full, but it would only cost 1 JOD / $2.04 AUD per person. We had to wait for two more people, and after 30 minutes of waiting, we asked the driver how much to take just the two of us. If the car was full he would only get 4 JOD / $8.17 AUD, but he was asking for 10 JOD / $20.42 AUD. I didn’t understand his logic, but we negotiated the price down to 7 JOD / $14.30 AUD.
After driving just 10 metres, another two people waved down the car and got in. One of the guys was a local and the other was a French tourist. Since the car was full, the price dropped back down to the original 1 JOD / $2.04 AUD per person. *MASSIVE SMILE*
To catch the shared taxi (which are just unmarked cars) go to the GPS location 32.270334, 35.889970 or follow this link to Google Maps https://goo.gl/maps/3w8U3xhhZVPo8aRz8
The taxi only dropped us off close to the Ajloun Bus Station which is around 3km away from the castle. The driver offered to take the 3 remaining tourists for around 2 JOD / $4.08 per person. We got out and found a taxi from the road that would take all 3 of us for 2 JOD / $4.08 AUD, for the 3km up hill drive. Once on site, the driver gave us his number and told us, he can take us back into town after we visit. We told him we would call him if we needed.
Ajloun Castle
The castle was built in 1184 AD to defend a trade route that ran past Ajloun. It was built during the war with the crusaders. The entrance is included with the Jordan Pass (otherwise 3 JOD / $6.15 AUD per person)
The castle was well worth the hassle to get here. The rooms are massive and the information helps to bring the place to life. It was cool to explore all the different levels and then finally, the views from the roof top of the surrounding region were epic.
Gap in the floor to pour boiling oil and water at attackers
Ajloun Castle to Amman
Getting back to Amman from Ajloun was not a picnic either. We went down to the information/ticket counter at the castle and asked if they knew a nearby taxi. Our thought was the driver who dropped us here would be back in town by now. Once the taxi came, the original driver showed up from no where too. The two drivers had a massive argument.
We eventually got into the taxi we had got from the ticket counter, which charged us 2 JOD / $4.08 AUD to get to the Bus Stand. From here we could not find a single bus that was going to Amman or Jerash. Unsure ifs it true, they said the last bus left at 3pm because it’s Ramadan. We found a shared taxi who was willing to take us to Jerash for 1 JOD / $2.04 AUD per person. Other people were asking for double or triple this price. The best anology is, we were chips and the drivers were a pack of seagulls trying to get our business.
In Jerash, we waited on the side of the road for a bus. But several people kept saying, that due to Ramadan the buses don’t run late. We were here around 4-4:30pm. We eventually took another shared taxi to Down-town Amman for 2 JOD / $4.08 AUD per person (3 people in total).
Along the way, the driver showed us large refugee camps that he said were full of Palestine refugees. We could only see large white structures but it was sad to think about the people inside.
Once back in Amman, we found out that our new friend from France was also going to Madaba tomorrow. We exchanged numbers and headed our separate ways. After sunset, the streets became lively, and we had dinner at a busy Hashem Down Town Restaurant, which had a set menu for a total of 5 JOD / $10.21 AUD for both of us.
