Day 259 – Amman to Madaba
Getting from Amman to Madaba
Just like yesterday (Day 258), we caught an Uber to the North Bus Station from the River Jordan Hotel in Amman. The taxi driver didn’t stop in front of a bus this time, but after asking a bus driver, we were pointed to the correct bus. Once we placed our bags into the mini bus, within a few minutes the bus left. (The taxi driver also offered to take us to Madaba for 10 JOD / $20.44 AUD from memory)
We were not expecting the bus to go, as it was only half full. The bus left the bus station at 8.41am. But we soon found out that locals knew when the bus would be coming. They hailed the bus throughout Amman. By the time we left the capital city the bus was full. The bus cost us 1.25 JOD / $2.55 AUD per person.
Madaba
The bus was in Madaba one hour later. We got off the bus from the side of the road instead of going to the bus stop. There was a short walk to our accommodation, Madaba Hotel. The reviews for the place were a bit iffy, so we only booked for one night on Booking.com.
When we arrived at the hotel, the owner gave us a welcome tea and had a conversation about tours around Madaba. The owner and his family were very nice and the outside common area was very cool. We only came to the hotel to drop our bags off, but we were able to check into the room, well before check in time.
The room was basic, but not too bad. The shared bathroom was the issue. The toilet would not flush and even after telling them, it wasn’t fixed during our stay. We felt like we made the right decision to only book for one night.
Scam or misunderstanding? – Taxi experience
After settling in, we walked around town looking for a tour or way to get to the sites out of town. We talked to a taxi driver who told us his prices for day tours which were expensive. We then wanted to see if we could just go to the Baptism Site of Jesus, know as Bethany Beyond the Jordan. He agreed to take us for a very low price of 5 JOD / $10.25 AUD. However, as we were talking with him, we found out he was taking us to the nearby Mount Nebo.
We told him to stop, so we could sort this out. He ended up asking for 10 times his original price for the actual baptism site, which he was now calling the Jordan River. We refused and he said no problem and that we don’t need to pay him as he turned around back to Madaba due to his misunderstanding.
Once on the outskirts of town he stopped the taxi and he demanded 10 JOD / $20.50 AUD. I told him I would pay the original 5 JOD for his trouble, but then he kept telling me to pay the full amount or nothing. I figured if I didn’t pay anything he would call the cops or something so I left 5 JOD in the car and left. The driver spoke perfect English so I don’t believe it was actually a misunderstanding. We just need to keep our guard up, just like in Egypt unfortunately.
St George Orthodox Church
We decided to check out the sites in town, which can be done by foot. Our first stop was St George Orthodox Church (entrance fee is 1 JOD / $2.05 AUD per person). The church is famous for the mosaic map of Jerusalem on the floor. It’s apparently the oldest surviving map of Jerusalem. Also there is smaller parts of the map in different parts of the church. It must have been a massive map back in the day.
Archaeological Park of Madaba – Virgin Mary Church
After this we walked to the Virgin Mary Church. This is included with the Jordan Pass (otherwise costing 3 JOD / $6.15 AUD per person). This church also has nice mural floors that are nice to look at. The building itself is pretty much falling apart. It appears that the Byzantine churches were really big on the mosaic floors. The church was built in the 6th century AD
The Shrine of the Beheading of St John the Baptist
We then walked a little further to the Church and Shrine of St John the Baptist. This is the site that John the Baptist was beheaded. The entrance costs 1 JOD / $2.05 AUD per person. We were only expecting a church, but there is actually a heap more to see.
You can climb up some narrow steps to the bell tower for views of the town. And then you can go under the church into some tunnels. The tunnels have been made into a small exhibits. There is also a well, that still has water.
The Cathedral Church
We then walked to the Cathedral Church, which was luckily on the way, as its just a vacant block with a few stones now.
Apostles Church
We then continued to the Apostles Church, which is included with the Jordan Pass (normally 3 JOD / $6.15 AUD per person). This is essentially one large room with an large mosaic floor which is nice to see.
After this we met up with our French friend from Ajloun Castle, who was staying just down the road from us at the Pilgrims Guest House. We made plans for getting a tour around town in the lobby for tomorrow. Our friend also found a girl who was also interested to come with us. While talking, a very nice driver overheard us and offered his advice.
After agreeing on our plans for tomorrow, which involved hiring a car from Amman, we all went out for dinner just down the road. However, during the night I received a call that my grandmother was not in a good condition. My mother would fly in from Australia to check on her, and depending on the situation we would fly to Sri Lanka also. It was too late to let the others know, but it made us change our plans.