Jerash Ruins and Amman Nights

Day 1 in Jordan

In December 2022, my girlfriend and I embarked on a grand trip spanning 5 countries and 1 city-state. In a series of posts, I’ll take you through our 28-days trip across Jordan, Egypt, The Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore, and Dubai. Jordan was the was the first stop. I recap our first day in Jordan and share travel notes to make your trip a smooth one.

Jerash was a last-minute add to the Jordan itinerary, but I’m glad we did it. The Jerash Archaeological Site is the ruins of a once thriving Roman city. The sheer vastness and well-preserved structures made it much more impressive than the Amman Citadel and Roman Theatre.

Check out my Instagram reel for day 1 highlights.

Our original flight was scheduled to land at 8:40am but due to a transfer-delay in Cairo we didn’t arrive until 9:30am. It took an hour and 15 minutes to drive from AMM airport to the Jerash Archaeological Site (will be referred to as Jerash). Still full from the flight meal, we opted for some Turkish coffees at the Old Roman Restaurant, conveniently located next to the Jerash parking lot.

3 JD-later and caffeinated, we passed through the souvenirs market and into the ruins.

Be aware, there are more vendors on the ruin grounds. They’ll have stands and you can spot them easily, but their super-friendly approach can disarm you, as it certainly did with us. We met Omar, who took us around to the best photo spots in the Jerash ruins, took some spectacular photos for us, showed us how to tie headscarves, and…I ended up buying two scarves from him. I haggled down the price of two supposedly handmade scarves from 50 JD to 30 JD. Did I overpay? Probably. Would I do it again? Absolutely. In some countries, you would never hand over your phone to a stranger, but here…we did and got some excellent photos.

The vendors at Jerash have no problem with physical touch, particularly with male tourists. I have another story with a different vendor, still at Jerash. This vendor offered to adjust my newly-bought headscarf, claiming that it was incorrect. I didn’t say no immediately and he started doing it. I was disarmed. He then pointed at a tower, and told us to go with him to take photos on top of the tower. Confident from our interaction with Omar, we handed over our phone and he led us up this tower. I noticed that there was a foam mattress on the steps of the tower and asked the vendor if that was his – “if I miss the bus [to Amman], yes I’ll sleep here, ” he replied. When we got down to the tower, we showed no interest to his wares so he requested a tip. I looked in my wallet and he saw the 50 JD note I had – “how about 15 JD?”, he asked. I said no and ended up giving him 5.

For the rest of the day, I quickly declined offers to adjust my headscarf and politely declined any offers to take photos of us.

From Jerash, we made the hour drive to our lodging in Amman. I picked the Carob Hostel because of the location and private rooms, however bathrooms and showers are shared but have locks on the doors. Downtown Amman is a 10-min downhill walk, Amman Citadel is a 15 min walk, and the Roman Theater is an 18 min walk in the same direction as the Amman Citadel.

Now in Amman and situated in our room, the jet lag piled onto our exhaustion and we took a 4-hour nap. Amman Citadel and the Roman Theater were closed at 4pm anyways November through April. Jordan Pass site opening hours

I love food so I’m surprised I got this far without talking about. I’ll save you some time and just go to Hashem Restaurant Downtown and Habibah Sweets. Both are institutions frequented by locals and tourists, with a combined 24 thousand reviews on Google for these two locations alone.

Hashem Restaurant (left). Looking past the open-air alley space dotted with plastic tables and chairs, you’ll find the most satisfying and best-value food in Jordan. We were provided menus at this location and ordered the smoothest hummus with gamey [lamb] meat, stuffed falafels, oversized pita that stayed soft even cold, baba ganoush, and black tea with mint. This all came with a complementary plate of tomatoes, pickles, mint leaves, and raw onion.

Habibah Sweets (right). Get in line for kunafah – a cheese-based pastry with a crispy shell, soaked in syrup and topped with pistachios. Even though a small order of it can be shared by two people, you’ll want your own. This will set you back a measly 0.35 JD (~50 cents USD) per order.

The rest of the night we wandered through the rest of downtown for ice cream, passed by many suit tailors, and soaked in the hustle and bustle of the streets. At no point did we feel unsafe, even on the dimly lit streets walking back to our lodging.

Oh, pro-tip: skip Rainbow street. It was desolate and only had 4 shops, one of which featured Italian food.

Side note about airport security Jordan and Egypt and how my cuticle cutter was confiscated. There are several security checkpoints to pass through before getting on your flight. First, all luggage (both checked and carry-on) are scanned at the airport doors before you get to the check-in counters. Second, there’s the security checkpoint to get into the terminal, screening individuals and carry-on luggage. Finally, one last security checkpoint between the terminal and the boarding area, where all carry-on luggage and persons are re-screened. My cuticle cutter, approved for travel in the US, made it through the first two checkpoints but not the third.