JORDAN COMPILATION 9 June 1995 Contents [1] On-line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Question (FAQ) Lists [1-4] Trip Reports [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing-Lists [1-6] Other Internet Services [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Lonely Planet Guides [2-2] Guide du Routard [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.misc" Newsgroup [3-1] Crossing from/to Israel or Egypt Please drop me a line when you've downloaded this compilation, so that I may estimate how many people use this service. The (more frequently updated) original of this compilation is at: http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/jordan.misc [Turkey] Comments and suggestions are welcome! Happy traveling in Jordan, -- Pierre Flener, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Department of Computer Engineering Email: pf@cs.bilkent.edu.tr and Information Science http: //www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/pf.html Faculty of Engineering Voice: +90 / 312 / 266-4000 x1450 Bilkent University (GMT+2) +90 / 312 / 266-5031 (home) 06533 Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey Fax: +90 / 312 / 266-4126 ======================================================================== [1] On-Line Information [1-1] CIA World Factbook The CIA World Factbook includes such things as population statistics, info about a country's government (names of heads of state, and so on), economy, addresses of U.S. embassies, and more, for many countries. Very interesting! The information on Jordan is available as follows: http://www.ic.gov/94fact/country/126.html [USA] The information is not necessarily up-to-date, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-2] US State Department Travel Advisory The latest travel advisory for US-citizens wishing to visit Jordan is available as follows: ftp://ftp.stolaf.edu/pub/travel-advisories/advisories/jordan http://www.stolaf.edu/network/travel-advisories.html [USA] Such travel advisories are regularly issued by the US State Department. As you can imagine, this information is mostly relevant to US-citizens, but it gives an up-to-date, though slightly paranoid, estimate of the current political/economical/religious/... climate in Jordan. Here follows the most recent advisory that I bothered to download (in November 1994): STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL INFORMATION - Jordan ============================================================ Jordan - Consular Information Sheet April 8, 1994 Country Description: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a developing economy. While Jordan is modern and Western-oriented, Islamic ideals and beliefs provide the conservative foundation of the country's customs, laws and practices. Tourist facilities are widely available, although quality may vary depending on price and location. The workweek in Jordan is Sunday through Thursday. Entry Requirements: Passports are required. Visitors may obtain a visa for Jordan at international ports of entry, not including the Allenby Bridge, upon arrival. Entry into Jordan is sometimes not granted to persons, especially U.S.-Jordanian dual nationals, with passports showing an Israeli visa or exit/entry stamp. For further information, travelers can contact the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 3504 International Drive N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 966-2664. Medical Facilities: Basic modern medical care and medicines are available in the principal cities of Jordan, but not necessarily in outlying areas. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for services. U.S. medical insurance is not always valid outside the United States. Supplemental medical insurance with specific overseas coverage has proved useful. The international travelers hotline at the Centers for Disease Control, telephone (404) 332-4559, has additional useful health information. Information on Crime: Crime is generally not a serious problem for travelers in Jordan. However, petty crime is prevalent in the downtown Amman Hashemiyah Court area and around the Roman amphitheater. Visiting these areas during daylight and in groups will reduce the risk of petty crime. The loss or theft of a U.S. passport abroad should be reported immediately to local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Useful information on safeguarding valuables, protecting personal security, and other matters while traveling abroad is provided in the Department of State pamphlets, "A Safe Trip Abroad" and "Tips for Travelers to the Middle East and North Africa." They are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Drug Penalties: U.S. citizens are subject to the laws and legal practices of the country in which they travel. Penalties for possession, use or trafficking in illegal drugs are severe in Jordan, and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines. Areas of Instability: There is a risk of violent incidents during demonstrations, other large public gatherings, or in refugee camps. Two non-American tourists were attacked in separate incidents in February in downtown Amman, following the violence in the West Bank town of Hebron on February 25. Land mines are located within two miles of all military installations and borders, including the popular Dead Sea area. Mine fields are fenced off and marked with signs carrying a skull and crossbones, but the fences and signs may be in poor repair or hard to see. Avoiding these areas reduces the risk of accidentally setting off a mine. Terrorism: Tension in the region remains high, especially in the wake of the violence in the West Bank town of Hebron. Although there is no specific information on threats to U.S. citizens or U.S. targets in Jordan, terrorism remains a concern. U.S. citizens in Jordan can receive more detailed information from the U.S. Embassy in Amman on reducing the risk of becoming a target of terrorist attack. Dual Nationality: Although no longer subject to immediate conscription, all U.S.-Jordanian dual national males under the age of thirty-seven are required to register for service in the Jordanian military. Those subject to registration may be prevented from leaving Jordan until permission to do so is obtained. This permission is often granted to U.S. citizens, but may take some time to obtain and is limited to one trip only. Consular assistance to dual nationals may be limited in some instances. Registration: U.S. citizens who register at the U.S. Embassy can obtain updated information on travel and security within Jordan. Embassy Location: The U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, is located in Abdoun, Jabel Amman, P.O. Box 354. The telephone number is (962) (6) 820-101. No. 94-44 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-3] Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) Lists Loai Said (lsaid@netcom.com) is planning to prepare a FAQ on Jordan: he welcomes suggestions and contributions! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-4] Trip Reports Currently (June 1995), there is only my Jordanian trip report on the rec.travel archives: http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/middle_east/jordan/trip.flener [USA/MD] http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/jordan.trip [Turkey] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-5] Newsgroups and Mailing Lists + There is a newsgroup, namely "soc.culture.jordan", with continuous/ exclusive coverage of Jordanian culture, politics, economics, history, sports, and so on. + The "rec.travel.misc" (not: .asia!) and the "bit.listserv.travel-l" newsgroups periodically have threads about Jordan: see section [3] of this compilation for an edited and annotated "Best-of". + The same holds for the TRAVEL-L bitnet mailing list. A bitnet mailing list similar in goals to rec.travel. To subscribe, send a mail message to listserv@trearn.bitnet consisting of the line: "subscribe travel-l firstname lastname". + JordanNews is a mailing list devoted to the discussion of issues and news with importance to Jordan and Jordanians. To subscribe, send email to listserv@netcom.com with this line in the body: subscribe JordanNews-L. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1-6] Other Internet Services Excellent home-pages on Jordan are at: http://iconnect.com/jordan/ [USA] http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/jordanians/jordan/ [USA/MA] Lonely Planet Publications have very valuable and very recent feedback from travelers (but no general information yet, as of May 1995): http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/meast_pc.htm#jor [USA?] City Net Express has more pointers: http://www.city.net/countries/jordan/ [USA] David Koblas' "Currency Converter" allows you to find out the current exchange rates of the Jordanian Dinar vs. major and some minor currencies: http://www.ora.com/cgi-bin/ora/currency?Jordan [USA] Rick Bronson's "Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory", at: http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/lucas/travel/tourism-offices.html [Canada] listed the following addresses when I last checked (in October 1994): Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities P.O. Box 224 Amman, Jordan +962-6-642311, -642317 FAX +962-6-348465 Jordan Information Bureau 2319 Wyoming Ave. N.W. Washington, DC 20008 +1-202-265-1606 Many other travel-related (in general) resources are accessible via: + the rec.travel archives: http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] ftp://ftp.digimark.net/pub/rec-travel/ [USA/MD] or their mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://www.solutions.net/rec-travel/ [Canada] ftp://www.solutions.net/ [Canada] ftp://ftp.nus.sg/pub/misc/travel/ [Singapore] http://www.nectec.or.th/rec-travel/index.html [Thailand] ftp://ftp.nectec.or.th/pub/mirrors/rec-travel/ [Thailand] + Lonely Planet Publications: http://www.lonelyplanet.com [USA?] + GNN Travelers' Center: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA] or its mirror sites (select the closest for better network performance): http://bond.edu.au/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Australia] http://www.wimsey.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://quasar.sba.dal.ca:2000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Canada] http://www.germany.eu.net:8000/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Germany] http://www.iol.ie/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Ireland] http://www.ntt.jp/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Japan] http://www.elvis.msk.su/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [Russia] http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [UK] http://www.digital.com/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/CA] http://gnn.interpath.net/gnn/meta/travel/index.html [USA/NC] + City Net Express and The Virtual Tourist II: http://www.city.net/ [USA] http://wings.buffalo.edu/world/vt2/ [USA] + Going Places: http://travel.gpnet.com/ [USA] + TravelASSIST: http://travelassist.com/ [USA] ======================================================================== [2] Guidebooks [2-1] Lonely Planet Guides + Hugh Finlay Jordan and Syria - A Travel Survival Kit Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x (2nd edition) ISBN ??? UK# 8.95 ??? pages, ?? maps, ?? color photos Also available in French. UK# 10.00 Simply excellent! Very informative and comprehensive (includes long sections on basics and contexts, and thus provides for excellent armchair traveling or reading material while on the trip). Highly recommended!!! I can't think of anything that could be included anywhere in this on-line guide that would not be redundant with this book. There is a memorable quote in this guidebook: "Jordan must be the most underrated tourist destination in the world!" + ??? Arabic (Egyptian) Phrasebook Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x ISBN ??? UK# 2.50 ??? pages Very useful, especially that Egyptian Arabic is widely understood in Jordan, because of the cultural influence of Egypt (music, movies, magazines, ...) on the whole Arab world. Jordanian Arabic itself is closer to classical Arabic, though. + ??? Middle-East on a Shoestring Lonely Planet Publishers, Victoria (Australia), 199x (1st edition) ISBN ??? UK# 11.95 ??? pages, ?? maps, ?? color photos I haven't read this one. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2-2] Guide du Routard Le Guide du Routard - Egypte, Jordanie, Yemen Revise' et reedite' chaque annee Hachette ISBN ??? FF ??.00 Assez bon, mais (comme d'habitude) un peu mince sur le cote' historique. ======================================================================== [3] Threads on the "rec.travel.misc" Newsgroup [Editor's note: I considerably edited the following threads so as to keep them short and informative (and spell/grammar-checked). I also annotated them whenever I don't agree with other people, or have updates to what they wrote. Sometimes, I also include private followup email conversations I had with readers.] [Editor's note: This section is virtually empty as of now, since I have seen very few messages about traveling in Jordan so far. Most of the messages so far dealt with crossing from Jordan to Israel, or vice-versa, and I'm afraid they have become obsolete with the recent peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and Jordan. Please feel free to submit anything you'd like to see included here!] [3-1] Crossing from/to Israel or Egypt From: Sam Kershaw (skershaw@bnr.ca) Newsgroups: rec.travel Subject: Re: Israel/Egypt/Jordan border crossings? Date: April 1994 I intend to travel around the middle east this summer and would like to travel around Egypt, Israel and Jordan. Can anybody who has recent experience of this area advise me of the current situation regarding border crossings. I would specifically like to know: 1. Has the Israel/Palestine peace accord affected the entry bans imposed by some countries on people who have evidence of a visit to Israel in their passport? Is it likely to in the future? 2. Can I cross from Israel to Jordan? If so, how? 3. Can I cross from Egypt or Greece to Israel without any evidence of Israel being entered in my passport? --- From: bnewlin@netcom.com (Bill Newlin) Newsgroups: rec.travel Subject: Re: Israel/Egypt/Jordan border crossings? Date: April 1994 I don't know what effect, if any, the peace accord has had on the entry bans, but the Israeli border authorities have always been very accommodating about not stamping your passport in the first place, if you ask them to. (Of course, if you *already* have an Israeli stamp in your passport, you may be out of luck.) It's no trouble to cross from Israel to Jordan (without a stamp in your passport), or from Jordan to Israel (since they have always considered the West Bank to be part of Jordan...); there's only one road, across [Allenby] bridge [...]. I forget what buses to take to and from the border (I was there in '89), but it's pretty obvious. Here's the catch: You could go from Jordan to Israel and back to Jordan (on the theory that you'd simply been visiting Jordan's West Bank), *but* you couldn't do the reverse, i.e. if you entered Jordan from Israel you couldn't go back to Israel the same way you came in, because you were violating Israeli protocol. (There was really no way around this for me, since I was a guest of the Israelis, for the Jerusalem Book Fair; I ended up coming back into Israel from Egypt.) Again, I don't know whether recent events have affected these rules. Finally, if you're going to Jordan I assume you're going to move heaven and earth to get to Petra? It's one of the world's great sights, up there with Angkor, Tikal, etc. When you go, be sure to enter the site very, very early (before it officially opens, in other words) so you get a good, solitary look at it before the mule-riding hordes. --- From: djw@wang.com (David Weinstein) Newsgroups: rec.travel Subject: Re: Israel/Egypt/Jordan border crossing? Date: April 1994 Some of your questions can be answered by reading the Lonely Planet Guide to Israel. There's a new one out. I don't have time to put it all in here. Also check with consulates for up to date political info. My advice would be: don't get an Israeli stamp or get two passports. --- From: Judy Frost Newsgroups: bit.listserv.travel-l Subject: Israel and Jordan Date: September 1994 From what I've heard, you should have no trouble. I don't think the Jordanians are accepting Israeli passports just yet, but with an American (or other Western) you should have no trouble. --- From: Newsgroups: bit.listserv.travel-l Subject: Israel to Jordan Date: September 1994 It is also very easy to get to Jordan from Egypt. You can obtain a same day visa from the Jordanian embassy in Cairo. Make sure you have a picture and 20USD. There is a boat that goes from Nuweiba on the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba. I think it goes two or three times a week. You can also just travel to Eilat and then to Aqaba. From Aqaba, Petra is only 1 or 2 hours. [Editor's note: Jordanian visas can be obtained on the spot when coming on that ferry from Nuweiba (Egypt)! And they are then significantly cheaper than if obtained from a consulate somewhere else! Please see my Jordan travelogue (cited in item [1-4] of this compilation) for more information on visa prices, and my Egypt travelogue http://www.digimark.net/rec-travel/africa/egypt/trip.flener [USA/MD] http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~pf/travel/egypt.trip [Turkey] for information about Nuweiba and the ferry ride. I have also heard that overland transit from Egypt to Jordan, through Israel, is going to be possible in a not-too-distant future.] ========================================================================