I think it was the poet Burns who first mused about the “best laid plans”, and how they often came undone. Perhaps even back then it was ‘travel’ plans he was talking about – certainly this past week threw us a couple of a curveballs, one fairly minor, the other, well, not !

So, we got back to our van in Athens and clicked the door opening fob….nothing. No reassuring “click” (as when all the doors would normally open in unison). Hopefully just a dead fob battery ( as has happened before ) so we opened the van manually, then tried to start it. Still nothing. No reassuring display of multi colored dash lights, not so much as a ‘click’ from the starter motor. No, this battery was probably dead, likely VERY dead ! Alas, hope springs eternal – tried a trickle changer over 24 hours ( nothing ), then a “jump” from a big diesel Landcruiser, still nothing. Seems there must have been some phantom “draw” on the battery over the past 5 weeks while it was stored. Fortunately our host, Thasos, connected us up with a nearby battery shop – the manager, born in Canada as luck would have it, took kindly to us and they delivered and installed a new unit the following day. Now all was good with the van ( I also learned a trick about how to avoid this problem during future long storage periods ). In the scheme of things this was a minor issue, easily fixed – the next ‘issue’ was far more impactful on us.

Battery issue resolved we moved to the bigger of our two problems – renewed political tension in the Middle East, specifically Iran. And, of course, the Middle East was exactly where we had been planning to ship our vehicle next. The mass protests and killings in Iran were causing alarm all over the world but especially in the Middle East. The original plan after returning to Athens and collecting our van, was for us to send it on a Salamis Lines RoRo ship from Athens to Haifa, in Israel – Israel being a planned conduit for further travels through to the rest of the Arabian peninsula. Now the fact that just six months ago Israel and Iran fought an all out war gave us pause for thought in terms of how the current situation in Iran might affect our own van-based travel plans. We certainly don’t go looking for danger but with the United States pulling troops out of neighboring gulf states, one had to take the threat of expanded hostilities somewhat seriously. Even the shipping line, which had only a day before finally confirmed passage for our van on their ship, issued a warning ( see image below ). When these things go sideways in the Middle East, they can go seriously sideways very quickly – meaning shipping routes get canceled, borders get closed and even personal movement can be restricted. We also had to factor in our van likely leaving the region via the same route ( Haifa to Athens on the return journey ) and there was now no guarantee that would be possible. While we were still super keen to go to the Middle East ourselves, we now really had to reconsider taking the van. While we can always fly out ourselves if things heated up, matters become exponentially more complicated when you are cruising around in a 7m long ( non-containerable ) camper van, a vehicle for which where your exit options are already limited. We needed to think very carefully about proceeding with the original van-shipping plan, and if not, then decide how to proceed instead.

Following a very deep dive on all the pros and cons, putting our van on the ship to Israel just did not make good sense right now. The only practical option was flying to somewhere in the region, just renting a suitable vehicle(s) and hoteling it everywhere for the couple of months that we planned to travel around. Not the way we prefer to travel, and certainly not the way we would normally travel, but the best of the limited options that were available to us in the current climate.

Decision made, we then had to confirm that we could leave our rig for 2 or 3 more months in Athens ( got a quick green light there ), and so decided on a route. Amman, Jordan ( also an ideal gateway for onwards exploration ) had a convenient direct flight the very next day, so without further ado, we packed up, prepared our rig for more storage time, and hopped on the flight to Amman. In the end it all happened rather quickly…no looking back now !

There are few ( if any ) countries we’ve been to where the hospitality and warm welcome we received has matched that which we experienced in Jordan, way back in 1990. We were keen to see how it had changed and specifically to make sure that this time  we got to Jerash ( for its historic ruins ) and Wadi Rum ( for the spectacular desert area ), both of which we missed on the earlier visit. Having picked up our rental car on arrival in Amman we took off for Jerash right away, figuring we’d then work our way north to south exploring the country.

Jerash did not disappoint, the ruins are expansive and in most places extremely well maintained. Remarkable to travel in the parts we have travelled over this past year and see just how far the Roman influence had reached – and this was all 2,000 years ago ! The images below show the extent of the ruins and how the modern day city of Jerash has just grown around the ancient site. As large as it is, as with so many such places not all of it has been excavated – probably a hundred or more years to get it all done.

Leaving Jerash our itinerary took us south, back past Amman, on the long Desert Highway to the town of Wadi Musa, home of Jordan’s most famous site, the rock-cut architecture of Petra, carved by the ancient Nabatean civilization over 2,000 years ago. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Famous for all those reasons of course but given a further boost when Steven Spielberg chose it for a scene in “Raiders of the Last Ark – The Last Crusade” ( click on the link to watch the scene ). Of course, it’s on everyone’s bucket list now. Petra is a full day affair ( some spend 2 days ), involves long hikes and considerable climbing to see it all but it’s absolutely worth any and all effort expended. The place just leaves you breathless. How this was done over 2,000 years ago boggles the mind – right up there with Machu Picchu and the pyramids of Egypt as far as we are both concerned.

Going to be hard to top Jerash and Petra but next week brings us to Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and a few other highlights that Jordan has to offer. Stay tuned.

Till next week…