The Obstacle

On the southwestern tip of Jordan is the port city of Aqaba, which is well-known in the expat community for its tax-free alcohol and numerous beaches. On the city's coast are a lot of private beaches reserved for high-paying hotel guests. My friends and I, however, opted to go swimming at the free public beach. It was then that I understood why people are willing to pay so much more for a private beach. The shore was packed with people, some camping, some grilling, and all of them Jordanian. It is obviously unfair to complain about Jordanians on their own beaches, but it did mean that I would have to put on tights and a shirt to go swimming and avoid a scandal. The wind did not allow me to change discreetly underneath a towel, so for a few excruciating seconds, I had a shirt and a bikini bottom on in public while I was wrestling with my tights in the wind, trying to pull them over my bikini while those nearby were yelling, "Oh my God!" and parents were calling their children to their side. After thoroughly embarrassing myself and my travel partners, we were finally able to go swimming. The fact that most of the beach-goers were conservative Muslims meant that they were not wearing swimming attire, so the beaches were packed, but the water was not. The sea was a little cold, but pleasant.

Our hotel overlooked the water, a park full of palm trees, and a parking lot that had in its center a mosque with no roof and no walls.

One of the first things you notice when looking across the Red Sea is Aqaba's neighboring city--Eilat, Israel. It is so close that it appears to be an extension of Aqaba, but the large billboard boasting an Israeli flag faces Jordan and clears up any confusion about where Jordan ends and Israel begins. 

 

On Jordan's side is the massive flag of the Arab Revolt, which is very similar to the flag of Palestine. When I asked some locals, they said that their flag went up first and Israel responded with their billboard.

Beyond Israel is Egypt's Sinai, which is also visible from Aqaba, and south of the city is Saudi Arabia. Some of the best diving sites are right along the Jordan-Saudi border. We did not go quite that far south, but we did visit three different coral reefs and a sunken military tank that is in the process of becoming a coral reef. The variety of fish was amazing--parrotfish, angel fish, sea anemones (also known as 'sea hedgehogs' or قنفذ البحر in Arabic), and dozens of other species in every color imaginable. The men working on our boat handed us pita bread in the water to crumble up as we snorkeled, attracting the fish to come and eat right in front of our faces. It was unreal and the water was amazingly clear. I really wish I had an underwater camera, but here are some above-water photos I did get.