Amman-I took a break from the hilly hustle of Amman and took a service taxi (shared taxi where you split costs with strangers that only departs when its full) down to Jordan’s sole outlet to the sea, sleepy Aqaba. I was last in Aqaba 20 years ago when I returned to Jordan from covering the very first days of the American-led occupation of Iraq. But I only really went there to catch the ferry to Nuweiba in the Sinai to then go down to Dahab to decompress from Iraq. This time around I wanted to more fully explore Jordan’s Red Sea sanctuary.
I submerged myself and my GoPro Hero 11 for the first time on a wicked snorkeling day trip, explored an upscale UAE-like marina development built by a billionaire and his creative visionary daughter outside the town in a former mined military border zone, and tour the fort built by the Mamluk sultanate which is now a quiet tourist attraction. Oh and the adjacent world’s 6th largest flagpole. Come along for the ride, swim, and walk!