Thursday after class, eight classmates and I decided to go to the city of Ajloun and visit the castle. We went to the south bus station here in Irbid and waited for about 15-20 minutes. The bus station was filled with other students from Yarmouk and vendors selling food. Four of us were finally able to to sqeeze on the third Ajloun-Irbid bus that we saw. I noticed that some people would put their personal items on the seats in the bus through the window to save their seat before they got on the bus, so that those that actually made it on the bus first did not have a seat. I personally think that's a cheeky move. 20 or 30 minutes later I was getting off the bus in Ajloun. We weren't sure if we were in the right place, even though we asked where we were, because we did not have a view of the castle right away. We walked through this market with vendors selling anything from clothes to fresh fruit. Once we got through the market we saw the castle in the distance up on a hill, which was very reassuring. After flagging down a taxi we drove for about 5-10 minutes up to the castle. The ticket for the castle was only JD 1 for all four of us together because we had our Yarmouk ID cards with us.
Ajloun Castle was built in 1184 AD by Saladin's generals to control the iron mines and protect the country from the Crusaders. It was full of passages that led to many rooms and everywhere I turned there was an amazing view! It was nice wandering around and taking lots of pictures of everything. It also wasn't crowded with people which made the experience more enjoyable. The other four, those that had to wait for the next bus to Ajloun from Irbid, met us at the castle. Once the castle started to close, we called our taxi driver, fakhry, to come pick us up. He did, and called another cab driver friend of his to pick up the other four. Fakhry took us to a local restaurant in Ajloun to eat dinner. The owner of the restaurant came out and greeted us, he hoped that we would remember our trip forever. I had a delicious chicken meal with mango juice. After we were all done eating, our cab drivers were there to pick us up and take us to the Ajloun Nature Reserve. Gideon called the day before to see if there were empty rooms for us to stay in, but no one answered. When we got there they said that they were all booked, but that we could stay at a camping site about 15 minutes away. The sun was beginning to set at this point so we took some pictures and hopped back into our cabs. The drive to the campsite was pleasant and interesting. We drove through some small towns and I saw a few donkeys on the side of the road, we also had to make it up a steep hill with a drop on the side of us. It felt longer than 15 minutes, but we made it there safely.
The campsite, Rasoun Tourist Camp, looks over the small village of Rasoun. We were greeted by the owner and his three sons, and were immediately given water to drink. We scheduled a time with our taxi drivers for them to pick us up the next day and then started settlling in. The tents were a good size with mattresses, blankets, and pillows, there was also a carpet. Once I put my bag down, I saw that there were small paths around the campsite outlined by big rocks. We all found the most important path amongst the terrain of rocks, weeds, and trees, that led down to the rock ledge that looked over the town of Rasoun and the surrounding area. There was a slightly steep ledge surrouded by rocks that we all sat on and enjoyed the beautiful view. The night time noises or kiew playing in the streat were easy to hear and I could see the stars perfectly, along with a few satellites. We were all down there for about an hour and a half when one of the owner's sons brought us some sage tea, which added to the great experience of star gazing and relaxing.
The night was a bit chilly, but two blankets were provided. The next morning I woke up at 5 so I would be able to see the sunrise. It was a beautiful site. I also walked back down to the viewpoint from the other night so that I could see the town during the day. The morning was relaxing and slow going, which was just what I needed after a busy school week. A breakfast of flat bread, hummus, honey, tea was provided by the owner, along with a cup of coffee once eveyone was done eating. Our taxi drivers picked us up at the designated time, and once they had a small chat with the owner of the campsite, we were on our way. Since it was Friday, there was not going to be a bus to Irbid, so the taxi drivers drove us back to Yarmouk. On our way back to Irbid, I saw donkeys, horses, and one camel. I also realized how important it is for me to know dialect, that was all that our taxi driver spoke. I understood the majority of what he said, but the experience made me appreciate learning it even more. Once we were back in Irbid I read a little and relaxed for the rest of the day. Today has been filled with homework, so it's safe to say that the exciting part of the weekend is over.
Ajloun Castle was built in 1184 AD by Saladin's generals to control the iron mines and protect the country from the Crusaders. It was full of passages that led to many rooms and everywhere I turned there was an amazing view! It was nice wandering around and taking lots of pictures of everything. It also wasn't crowded with people which made the experience more enjoyable. The other four, those that had to wait for the next bus to Ajloun from Irbid, met us at the castle. Once the castle started to close, we called our taxi driver, fakhry, to come pick us up. He did, and called another cab driver friend of his to pick up the other four. Fakhry took us to a local restaurant in Ajloun to eat dinner. The owner of the restaurant came out and greeted us, he hoped that we would remember our trip forever. I had a delicious chicken meal with mango juice. After we were all done eating, our cab drivers were there to pick us up and take us to the Ajloun Nature Reserve. Gideon called the day before to see if there were empty rooms for us to stay in, but no one answered. When we got there they said that they were all booked, but that we could stay at a camping site about 15 minutes away. The sun was beginning to set at this point so we took some pictures and hopped back into our cabs. The drive to the campsite was pleasant and interesting. We drove through some small towns and I saw a few donkeys on the side of the road, we also had to make it up a steep hill with a drop on the side of us. It felt longer than 15 minutes, but we made it there safely.
The campsite, Rasoun Tourist Camp, looks over the small village of Rasoun. We were greeted by the owner and his three sons, and were immediately given water to drink. We scheduled a time with our taxi drivers for them to pick us up the next day and then started settlling in. The tents were a good size with mattresses, blankets, and pillows, there was also a carpet. Once I put my bag down, I saw that there were small paths around the campsite outlined by big rocks. We all found the most important path amongst the terrain of rocks, weeds, and trees, that led down to the rock ledge that looked over the town of Rasoun and the surrounding area. There was a slightly steep ledge surrouded by rocks that we all sat on and enjoyed the beautiful view. The night time noises or kiew playing in the streat were easy to hear and I could see the stars perfectly, along with a few satellites. We were all down there for about an hour and a half when one of the owner's sons brought us some sage tea, which added to the great experience of star gazing and relaxing.
The night was a bit chilly, but two blankets were provided. The next morning I woke up at 5 so I would be able to see the sunrise. It was a beautiful site. I also walked back down to the viewpoint from the other night so that I could see the town during the day. The morning was relaxing and slow going, which was just what I needed after a busy school week. A breakfast of flat bread, hummus, honey, tea was provided by the owner, along with a cup of coffee once eveyone was done eating. Our taxi drivers picked us up at the designated time, and once they had a small chat with the owner of the campsite, we were on our way. Since it was Friday, there was not going to be a bus to Irbid, so the taxi drivers drove us back to Yarmouk. On our way back to Irbid, I saw donkeys, horses, and one camel. I also realized how important it is for me to know dialect, that was all that our taxi driver spoke. I understood the majority of what he said, but the experience made me appreciate learning it even more. Once we were back in Irbid I read a little and relaxed for the rest of the day. Today has been filled with homework, so it's safe to say that the exciting part of the weekend is over.
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