Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ber of substantial yachts and cruisers. At one such marina I chatted to a couple of military
guards who were keeping out of the blistering sun.
Behind the beach there was a strip of allotments where vegetable crops were being grown
side by side with the ubiquitous piles of plastic rubbish. Each of the individual plots was
relatively small but they strung out along the full length of the beach area and, taken to-
gether, became irrigated fields.
The town itself was a thin strip of fertile land with stark bare hills behind. There was a
small 12
th
Century fort adjacent to what was described as the third tallest flagpole in the
world. The flagpole was 130 metres high and carried the flag of the so-called Arab Revolt
of 1916-18 that secured independence from the Ottoman Turks. Lawrence of Arabia was
involved in the skirmishing that took place in the area.
An aged caretaker was nodding off in the shade as we entered the fort that comprised an
inner courtyard surrounded by ramparts and towers with intersecting battlements.
The courtyard had several large gum trees and a slightly incongruous note was provided by
the tree trunks bearing carved graffiti in Arabic script alongside various other initials. Not
exactly what we expect to see on an Australian eucalypt.
With the considerable amount of construction going on, there is a perception that the Jord-
anian's are keen to rebuild Aqaba to compete with the Israeli town of Eilat, which is visible
several kilometres away on the opposite shore of the Gulf. You could also see the border
post between Eilat and Egypt several kilometres further along the coast.
A couple of us caught a cab to the Israeli border just to have a look. We couldn't get too
close and the border guards were watching us closely as we did a U-turn and took photos
of the distant Eilat, with its high-rise buildings that climbed the mountainside. Apparently
the place is quite a resort.
Back at the hotel, those who had travelled overland from Egypt joined us. We then went
through a process of breaking up into the smaller groups with allocated guides. There was
some initial confusion, however, it eventually settled down and we started the tour proper.
Next stop was Wadi Rum.
