Day 149, 150, 151

I love it when a plan comes together.

Ahem.

My original plan, to follow Petra, was to spend a day and a night at each of Sarnok castle and Kerak castle - two old crusader castles north of Wadi Musa. Following that, I planned to spend three nights in Amman and then move on to Syria (or Lebanon or Turkey or Israel or whichever country would issue me a tourist visa). But instead of sleeping at those castles, I found a taxi driver who was willing to take me all the way to Amman and was willing to stop and wait for me while I explored each of those castles for a couple of hours. Thusly, I managed to shave two days off of my journey! Fourth months ago I wouldn't have CARED about two nights, but now I am anxious to visit friends in France and then get back to Canada before November sets in.

Those two castles, by the way, were wonderful to visit. The pyramids and even Petra were amazing and awe-inspiring and all of that, but visiting a place that I have spent some time studying (university, yo) is intellectually stimulating. I don't really know who the Nabateans were, nor do I really know what the ancient Egyptians were all about, but I have a pretty decent idea of what the crusaders were up to.

Of the two castles, Kerak played a larger role in the history of the region. It was there that Reynald of Chamblay (wikipedia, yo) commanded his armies and where he died while under seige by the armies of Saladin, whose prowess in battle sealed the fate of all of the crusaders. Today the castle is a crumbling affair, though restoration continues and visitors can clearly see walls, rooms, churches and towers. It's a very photogenic place, and I snapped a few nice pictures.

The fort was built in the early 12th century, I think and was captured by the Muslim armies towards the middle of the 13th.

Curiously, I was interested to learn that the Mongols plowed into the middle east around 1260, around the end of the crusader period here. Truly, in the 13th century, the entire world found it's way to the holy land.

While Kerak has more history (and more restoration work), Sarok castle was much more FUN to visit. This was mainly due to the fact that Sarok has an ESCAPE TUNNEL that visitors can crawl through. Indeed... despite my claustrophobia, I made the 20 minute trip down into the bowels of the earth.... in pitch dark, aided by a flashlight. And fuck, man, REALLY FUCKING SCARY. The crusaders didn't fuck around when it came to digging escape tunnels. Making my way deep into the ground was the scariest thing I have ever done, probably.

Anyways: the tunnel eventually exits at the base of a hill, rather far away from the castle.

Yikes.

I'm at the "Sultan Hotel" in Amman. Like I said, things have really come together. This hotel is great, and my taxi driver put it all together for me, arranging a great price. I'm paying about nine dollars for a great double room with a private bathroom, satellite TV and hot water. That would have cost me 15 or 20 bucks had I tried getting it on my own.

I've visited some of Amman's ancient sights, including a restored Roman Theatre (looking exactly as you might expect) and a pair of small folk museums built in the wings. I spend my evenings here watching BBC world and "Tyra," my new favorite talk show. Ever.

(also: I spent nine bucks chasing a Poste Restante letter from Jennifer all over town. And you know what? I found it. I love it when a plan comes together.)