After saying bye-bye to Amman, I was all set to reach Doha, the capital of Qatar. My Qatar Airways flight from Queen Alia International Airport was on time, and I got a real taste of luxury when I boarded my flight. I was served Champagne and dates as I sat comfortably on the plane.

Qatar is abundant, and the City has a wealthy look. I stayed in a five-star hotel and was lucky to be upgraded to a sizeable king-size room.

The first thing that I did after settling into my room was to call up my dear friend Taleb Mirza, an Iraqi Khurd who worked as a doctor in this country. Doha is the Capital city of Qatar, and the place is famous for its malls and shopping arcades. 

The City also has a large population of Indians from Kerala and a lot of folks from Bangladesh. These Asians keep the place running and do most of the menial chores in the City, like working as waiters and other staff in plush hotels. 

I spent most of my day in my hotel room and ventured out a few times to get a pack of cigarettes. My honest exploration will start tomorrow when I book with my old school pal, Taleb Mirza. But till then, enjoy the pictures of the sheer luxury of my hotel room and get the view of the City from my window.

The day began with a ride with Issam to the countryside to explore a Methodist church. I stood in front of the image of Mother Mary to say my prayers and lit a candle for her. It was very comforting, as I felt very near to God.

I looked a bit messy as my hair was long, and I had lost my ribbon to make a ponytail out of my hair. The countryside was littered with sheep and donkeys. The nomads of Jordan are sheepherders and live on hilltops where they live in large Igloo-type tents.

Lunch was at the famous Jammu Kashmir restaurant. I had promised Issam that I would dine with him at an Indian restaurant on my last day in Jordon, and this was indeed my last day in the city. After enjoying Keema and Naan, we decided to venture further into the city. As it was my previous day, Issam got a bit emotional and gave me his precious ring .” This is for you, Anuj sir, my unique ring, you will remember me by this ring .” said he placed the ring on my fingers.

After lunch, we ventured into another hot spot called Mount Nebo Siyagha Memorial of Moses; this was a holy place for the Christians and a place that honors Moses as one of the Prophets of God.

Now, I am all set for my onward journey to Doha. This is going to be my last day, and I have a stack full of memories that I carry with me.

Jerash is a city situated north of the Capital of Jordan, Amman . It is an hours drive from Amman and four and a half hours drive from Aqaba. The city of Jerash was where Jesus Christ passed through and performed an exorcism on a man possessed by demons .

Jerash is a Greco-Roman wonder and a world heritage site with old ruins and pillars. It was a once thriving city dating back to the Bronze Age, over two thousand years old. It has classical Roman Columns, temples, and fountains. Named Gerasa, it is the second most popular city in Jordon.

On the extreme side of the site is an arch called the Hadrian Arch, also known as the Triumphal Arch, which was built in AD 129 in honor of the visit of Emperor Hadrian. Behind the arch is the Hippodrome, which hosted chariot races in front of up to 15000 spectators. Fifty-six iconic columns surround the paved limestone Plaza, linking the cardio maximum with the temple of Zeus.

There are Morden souvenir shops, and the entrance ticket is ten rials, which is reasonable. Guides are also available who will take you around on a tour.

I managed to chat up a few shop owners and, as usual, sat down with them, showing my Bollywood videos of my acting with Shah Rukh Khan, who is very popular in this part of the world.

Jerash, no doubt, was enchanting, and my visit to the old excavation site was very fulfilling.

I had slept late as my sandboarding experience was very exhausting; sliding down the dusty slopes of the desserts of Wadi Rum had been tiring for me. So what was needed was a hot shower and a long bath to soothe all the aches and pains in my body. My hotel was very comfortable, and I soon ordered a lasagna and pizza. 

I was fascinated by the election results that had just been announced in Pakistan. I was glued to YouTube all night, trying to get as much information as I could by watching regular updates.

I Visa 

 I had just discovered a great new visa site called I Visa. They specialize in getting visa approvals online. I had applied for a Visa for Turkey and Morocco. My view was simple. I had enjoyed the desert lands of Jordan. I wanted to continue the journey further into other countries of North Africa with similar terrain. I applied for a visa for Egypt and Morocco. The process is straightforward. One must upload color copies of one’s passport and photographs and pay the requisite Visa Fee online. Then, one has to wait for approval from the respective governments. Once that is done, an electronic Visa document is emailed directly. I managed to get a Visa that way for both Egypt and Morocco. It took less than five working days, and the process was straightforward.

Once the vista is done, one can plan and book hotels and flights through booking.com, a reliable and safe site. It’s all at the touch of a button, and I loved the ease with which I managed to get my Visa done.

The Red Sea 

After floating around the Dead Sea, it was time for me to go Jet Skiing; along with a two-hour journey on the boat, the whole deal cost me 180 rials, but I thought it was worth it. Buzzing over the pristine blue waters was a sheer delight. I ate a meal of chicken and rice, and then, with my taxi driver friend Inaam, I walked on the beachfront in the evening, capturing some great pictures. The Red Sea is vast and pristine; on the other side is the land of Israel.

It was early morning, almost 7:00 am. Issam, my dedicated driver, was ready to pick me up. We were all set for a four-hour drive to the Dead Sea. This would be a long excursion, and I ensured I had breakfast in the morning as I would have to go hungry through the journey. This was my first taste of the countryside of Jordon. I got a real taste of the dunes of the desert, and I first had a glimpse of the nomadic life of the people who lived there. These were sheepherders, camel owners, and nomads who lived in mud-baked houses. We listened to hit super songs from the film Pathan throughout the drive. Shah Rukh Khan is a big star here. Almost everyone in Jordon knows Shah Rukh Khan and all his songs and movies are dubbed in Arabic and played on television; he is an absolute superstar. When we were getting stopped at the police check posts along with my passport, I would show the policeman my videos of my acting with Shah Rukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi; that was all I needed as an introduction; no more questions were asked off me and we where given free passage with a smile and salute. That is the natural soft power of Bollywood, and I used that power all through my journey in Jordon. I never got hassled at any police checkpoints, and neither did Issam.

I would often stop to take pictures with camels and local nomads; the dry, hot desert dunes were perfect backdrops to take photos. I also saw the drip irrigation technique used to grow vegetables and farm in the desert sand. This is a unique way of farming that is only used in the desert. Occasionally, I would stop over at mosques to pay my respects. The journey was long but fun. This was Jordon, the honest Jordon, far away from the city life and the Urban Jungle of Amman; thus, it was the natural dessert of Arabia where Arab culture was in its full pomp and show. We were now venturing into the Dead Sea territory from the emerald-blue Red Sea of Aqaba. The Dead Sea is known for its heavily slated waters, where one can float at will as the salted water has a lot of buoyancy.

By the afternoon, we reached the Dead Sea; we got off at the Ramada Hotel and then took a minibus to the beach, where the Dead Sea began. I had already bought some swimming trucks and was advised by the local beach divers not to put my face into the water as the salted water would burn my eyes. But like a fool, I did not listen and plunged hard into the water. The result was that my eyes began to hurt as the salty water caused a lot of irritation. I started rubbing my eyes, and that created even more problems. The diver was watching me and came running to me with a bottle full of fresh water, which he sprayed on my eyes, and finally, I was able to get the salt water off my face. After floating around in the dead sea for an hour, I returned to the beach and was duly given a mud bath. The mud from the Dead Sea is meant to be therapeutic and great for the skin; I rubbed it all over my body, black mud all over my body, and finally soaked the sun for an hour before washing it off. 

The afternoon lunch of chicken and rice was all I desired, and I did some curio shopping simultaneously. The drive back was refreshing as I felt reinvigorated after my mud bath, which had a healing effect on the essential body and soul. To my delight, we reached Aqaba just before sunrise and captured some breathtaking sunset pictures. Aqaba sunset next to the sea is an absolute delight and a treat. 

So enjoy my pictures and get a natural feel of Jordan and its Arab Life.

More than anything, Wadi Rum’s vast desert landscape makes it a wonder. Its moon-like surface is littered with huge rock formations, making it look like a Martian surface. It is around an hour’s drive from Aqaba and a desert wonder. Today, I ventured into the deep deserts of Wadi Rum. My driver, Issam, had to drop his car on the way because a car cannot travel deep into the desert, navigating its jagged rocks.

We finally took a truck with an open back to venture deep into the red sandy desserts crisscrossing the sandy dunes. I sat at the back of the Toyota Truck with Issam. The most amazing thing was seeing the large rock formations. Their sheer, huge Igloo-like tents were all over the desert terrain. These were to emanate for travelers and nomads who wanted to stay back and enjoy the night sky of the desert.

We then saw a large column of camels moving along with their nomadic keepers across the desserts.

The best part was venturing into the echo valley. This is a gorge where the echo comes back to you if you shout your name or clap your hands. It gets cold when one walks deep into the gorge, and there is a welcome tent made out for travelers who are served tea and khajur. 

Sandboarding is the most exciting sport, apart from camel rides. This is where young kids carry large sake boards and sit over the dunes down a steep slope. Sandboarding is similar to skateboarding. The only difference is that it has over-slope dunes instead of ocean waves of icy slopes. This was the first time I saw sand skateboarding, and I loved it. I also walked to the top of a sandhill to enjoy the wondrous view from the top of a rock.

Wadi Rum is 60 Km from the city of Aqaba and is a wonder of sandstones and red rock. Wadi Rum is also mentioned as the city of Irum in the Quran.

We then ventured into a part of Wadi Rum where the shooting of Lawrence of Arabia took place. On the red sandstone is carved the face of Lawrence Olivia, who played the iconic role.

This was a place where the Nabetians once lived and thrived. There are huge tents that serve food and tea to fellow travelers, and they manage to catch a conversation with some local Sheiks, who are big fans of Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood Films. Again, my role in the movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi played a significant part in forming friendships. The locals were intrigued to see a Bollywood city in this part of the world.” I also took a picture with Amitabh Bachan. He had come here years ago for a film shoot; I even managed to sell that picture for 500 rials, “a sheik told me getting very excited.

I walked with Issam deep into the rocky valley and finally found a huge rock, a perfect spot where I could just sit and meditate. I meditated full OSHO style, seated like a spiritual Guru on top of this rock, all the while Issam was making my videos.

We spent four hours just wandering around the valley, walking on its dark red sandy dunes. My shoes got covered in dust, but the experience was worth it. The price of hiring a guide is 75 riyal, and if one so wishes, one can also spend the night under the stars in the valley; there are enough igloo-like Martian tests in the area.

We returned by the evening, but the experience was worth it, and I was excited to see another wonder of Jordon, the desert and rocky terrains of Wadi Rum. It was the first time I saw people doing sandboarding, a new learning.

Wadi Rum and its desserts cannot be covered in one day, and I was determined to spend another day in the desert lands of Wadi Rum. We started the day at nine in the morning and hired a truck to venture into the desserts. This was the first time I saw the dessert falcon and Eagle flying over the rocks in the clear blue sky. A camel caravan was passing by; ropes had tied some of the camel’s legs. This is done so the camels don’t run away or wander. 

I managed to climb a steep sand hill; this was my first sandboarding experience. I took a board and slipped down the hill as my driver, Issam, took a video of me sliding. There was a rope down the hill, which I used to pull myself back up the sandy hill. I felt exhausted. Nonetheless, it was a great exercise, and I got a real taste of the sport.

Our next stop was to see the face rock and the ship rock, which were rocks shaped like a human face and a ship. Then there was the mushroom rock. I climbed up the rock to glimpse the vast sandy dunes that stared at me. We also managed to venture into nomadic caves. The caves were dark, but I could get some good pictures of them from inside using the lights on my mobile.

Most of all, I enjoyed hot tea, which was available in the many tenets on the sandy dunes of the desserts.

In the middle of the afternoon I managed to sit on one of the large rocks and mediate. It’s was very quiet and serine and it was very easy for me to mediate while I sat on the rock.

Then we went to see the rock carvings. They were huge sandstone rocks with carvings of camels, eagles, and other animals found in the desert. There was also a rock with the face of Lawrence of Arabia carved on it. 

I spent four hours exploring the Wadi Rum dessert in total, and I was happy with my explorations, but the highlight of my day was sandboarding.

I got the real taste of Jordan’s desserts when I drove down to see the Al Azraq Castle, which is ninety minutes away from the main city of Amman . 

The first fortress was thought to have been built here in 300 CE during the reign of Diocletian. The Byzantines and the Umayyads also used the structure. Buried deep in the Jordanian desserts, it is a wonder in itself. Surrounded by barbed wires, getting inside the castle area is challenging as it is fully fortified. A distance away is a military installation of the Jordanian army. The fried brown dessert lends itself to a fantastic background, and the drive gave me a real glimpse of dessert life, with nomadic Arabs taking their sheep from one corner to the other corner of the dessert.

The next day, I flew to Aqaba, another big city in Jordan near the Red Sea. I asked my Driver, Issam, to join me while I took the Air Jordan flight. It took me around fifty minutes to get to the city, where Issam met me at the airport. 

Our first stop was the Aqaba Fort, which dates back to the sixteenth century. It was used as a military stronghold. Lawrence of Arabia rode triumphantly from here to Ciro . The fort also has dungeons and jails where prisoners were kept . It was used as a fortress during the Ottoman Empire .

The Cave of Seven Sleepers is a historical site in Al Rajib, east of Amman. The legend has it that a group of seven young men fled the religious persecution of the Roman emperor Decius, according to Byzantine and Islamic sources. According to the story, they hid in these caves in 250 AD only to emerge 309 years later; it is said that they slept for 309 years inside the caves, and a dog guarded the cave’s opening.

The seven sleepers were Maximian, Martini, Donisus, John, Constantine, Iamblicus, and Serapion. According to the myth, when the seven young men woke up after 309 years, the Roman Empire had become Christian, and they were welcomed back- this was a miracle of God. Eight smaller tombs are sealed inside the cave itself. Above and below the caves are the remains of two mosques.

The story of Seven Sleepers is that the Peg-an Emperor Decius is in the middle of a campaign to stamp out Christianity in 250 AD. Many Christians are caught and killed, and others are persecuted. The emperor traveled to Ephesus, where seven Christian soldiers were garrison. They are all Christians, and thus, they are stripped of their ranks and asked to give up their Christian beliefs. The men are chased as they flee for safety inside the cave; the open mouth of the cave then collapses, trapping all the seven men inside the cave. Two Christian men are sent to witness these events. Two plaques are kept near the rubble of the caves that carry the names of the seven men who are presumed to be buried in the rubble inside the caves. 

Iambilicus is the first to wake up, and he sees that the rubble on the cave’s opening has collapsed, and a ray of light is shining through the cave. Iambilicus goes out of the cave to fetch food and water for the others, and this is when the story starts to get very interesting. As he approaches the city of Ephesus, he sees that the city has changed immensely. He sees the cross on the town, and he sees people speaking on Christian topics that are meant to be hidden. He then approaches a merchant and gives him a coin to buy bread. The merchant feels cheated, and Iambilicus is arrested for holding and using outdated silver for a hundred and ninety years. The emperor Decius is at the back of the coin, but the year is 439 AD.

Iambilicus soon realizes that a lot of time has passed since he and the other men had been in the cave for 309 years. The soldiers who arrested Iambilicus take him to a Bishop to settle disputes. The Bishop soon realizes that God is doing something here after he hears Iambilicus’s full story.

Jordan is proving to be a trip of wonders, and today was my trip to Petra Caves. I had been waiting to see this world heritage site for years and was finally on my way. My taxi driver, a local Jordanian man named Issam, was at my hotel early as the incredible caves of Petra were more than three hours away from the city center.

Wadi Musa Drive is one of the stops on the way to Petra; the scenery was breathtaking, as I could see the vast brown landmass of Jordon; the highway is well constructed, and the drive was pretty smooth. Bollywood films, especially Shah Rukh Khan, are viral here, and my driver made it a point to keep playing the songs from the Bollywood Film Pathan on the way, “ Jhoome re Pathan mere Jaan.” I was pleasantly surprised that he was playing the Arabic version of the song, which sounded even better than the original. I enjoyed the ride across the vast expanse of the desert. 

Petra was built by the Nabataeans, who were Arab nomads and traders. These people constructed Petra and carved its ancient monuments from the substantial sandstone rocks. The Nabateans emerged as a distinct civilization and political entity between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE,[cantered around a loosely controlled trading network that brought considerable wealth and influence across the ancient world.   

After buying an entry ticket for ten dinars, I was welcomed by a plump Arab lady who introduced herself as Amal Betra.” I can eat you around the Petra Caves, and you can also have dinner at my house; I am a great cook.” She smiled and told me. I took her up on the offer and showed her some of my videos where I had worked with Shah Rukh Khan in a film. We meandered through the pink and red stone rocks of Petra. I was especially intrigued by the drainage system that the Nabataeans had built to tarp rainwater, which would provide water for the inhabitants of this ancient city. 

Petra was a trading route used by the Arabs as they rode around the mammoth sandstone rocks on camels and donkeys. Tourists use camels and donkeys to cover the Petra caves; some find the long walks exhausting. I, however, decided to walk along with my guide, Amal Betra, and see this spectacular civilization. The Nabataeans used it as a trade route to carry incense and spices to Sirya, Egypt, Arabian, and the Mediterranean in the 6th century BC. 

I also met the Bedouins, the local nomads living in the Petra caves for generations. They survive entirely on tourism, eating with their hands. They keep many wives but are very friendly; the typical greeting is kissing each other on the cheeks. The Swiss explorer John Louis Bogart discovered the Petra caves in 1812 after the Nabataeans had abandoned them due to a series of earthquakes. 

I was also intrigued to see the sandstones that depict Dushara, the supreme god of the Nabateans, also known as the lord of the mountains, who was worshipped by the nomadic tribes that lived in Petra.

But the most beautiful site is Al Khazenh, which means the treasure. These are the most elaborate rock-cut tombs of Petra. I managed to meander through the site on the back of a large camel. This was my first camel ride in Jordan, and it was so much fun.

The Khazneh was the tomb of Aritas, the fourth, who ruled the region in 1st BC. It was used as the backdrop for Steven Spielberg’s film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The Roman theatre is another wonder carved out of sandstone with a seating capacity of over five thousand. It was where people would sing and dance and was used for mass entertainment. 

But the most fascinating is the tomb of Jebel Haroon, where the brother of Moses named Aron was buried.

Sun Rise and sunset are when Petra truly glows, and one can see the various colors of the sandstone. In the evening, I was invited by my guide Amal to her home for dinner. She was a middle-aged Arab woman who was divorced and lived near the site of Petra with her mother and a seven-year-old son. I enjoyed a meal of mutton and rice along with vegetables. Sitting on the floor, we tucked into our food, eating from one plate with our hands like a family. The TV was showing a Bollywood film which was dubbed into Arabic. Bollywood Films are very popular here and are dubbed in the local language. This was my first experience eating and chatting with a regular Jordanian Family.

The drive back was three hours long, and we reached Amman through the desert of Wadi Mosa. I was totally exhausted by the end of the trip, but the knowledge I gained about the region was immense.