Following my visit to Israel, during which I hiked through the Negev Desert and explored Jerusalem, I returned to Eilat. After spending a number of nights at a delightful Hostel, I embarked on a bus journey back to Jerusalem. A short distance outside of Eilat, I disembarked the bus and embarked on an eastern walk, towards the border of Jordan.
The path descended towards a farm and then proceeded to curve a few times. Though not particularly difficult to locate, the journey felt never-ending, as I trekked under the scorching sun in the desert.
https://youtube.com/shorts/d8KSxuM9Jy0
I recalled the warnings I had received upon my arrival from Taba. Everyone had cautioned that it would be too strenuous to walk from the border to Eilat under the blazing sun. As expected, the sun was indeed intense, and I quickly found myself running out of water.
Eventually, I reached the border, where the scene was somewhat bewildering. There were a few other people present, but not as many as I had anticipated. Fortunately, their confusion resulted in everyone going the wrong way, and within moments, I found myself at the front of the line.
To exit Israel, a payment of 110 Shekels was required, which I promptly made. I swiftly passed through the border and proceeded to cross an open area that resembled a large parking lot, bordered by a fence with a small door, leading to the Jordanian border.
The Jordanian border crossing was efficiently conducted. They inspected my bag, checked my Jordan pass, and stamped my passport. With the formalities completed, I was now permitted to enter the country.
The Jordan pass I possessed was a valuable tourist pass, encompassing the visa, the exit fee from Jordan, as well as the entrance fees to various tourist attractions, such as Wadi Rum, Petra, the Amman Theater, and the Citadel. Opting for this pass proved to be the most cost-effective way to travel in Jordan, albeit slightly more than 100 USD.
Following the border crossing, I navigated my way to Wadi Rum, but I shall refrain from divulging further into this story at present, as it will be covered in detail in a future post. Wadi Rum and Petra were the two destinations where I embarked on extensive hiking adventures. Some photographs showcasing these experiences can be found in my shorts video, so take a look and discover why there is a final photo from Jerusalem. Regrettably, the last photo accidentally slipped into the video, and I decided to leave it in as it complemented the other photos and short video from my hike in the Negev Desert, which you may not have even noticed.
I chose to write about the border crossing, because in this video, as it encompasses both sides of my journey, including the hike in Israel and the two hikes in Jordan. I have previously shared my experience hiking through the Negev in another blog post here.
If you enjoyed the short video, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and kindly provide an upvote. More comprehensive details about the hikes and travels will be featured here in the future, so stay tuned and accompany me on this journey. Thank you.
It was in July 2022