"Is it not dangerous to visit Jordan? This is what I have been asked of me by more than one person to whom I have spoken about my imminent journey to Jordan, the land of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the desert land of Wadi Rum and Amman, a capital that pulses with life.
I have personally visited Jordan twice in the last three years and have never felt in danger. I walked the streets of Amman or Petra alone, pervaded by the sense of tranquility that the country exudes.
Surrounded by countries such as Israel, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Jordan lives as a spectator (and in the past as a mediator) which is the problems and instability of the Middle East. Its geographical location gives it an artifact image of a dangerous country. Incorrect image given that the country is at peace thanks to the solid Hashemite Kingdom.
Jordan is called the Switzerland of the Middle East, because it is a country that enjoys excellent political stability, the King is very much loved by the citizens of the country.
I was talking about this together with Ken, who I met under a pergola to shelter myself from the midday sun of the Citadel. He was reading a book about the situation in the Middle East and I asked him if I could sit down to benefit from it for a moment of shadow. Showing his enormous smile, which adorns a face where some Asian characters marry other Westerners (Ken is the son of mother Giordana and American father), he showed me the book he was reading and asked me what I thought of the situation in the Middle East. A good discussion came out in which I spoke to him about the meeting with Miriam during the March trip to Israel and he told me about how most Jordanian people love their real people and how much, in his opinion, this is the fulcrum of the stability of the country.
There are meetings that are not forgotten, meetings that give added value to a trip, the confrontation with Ken gave an extra march to my second trip to Jordan because it was a true and real confrontation.
But it was not the only meeting I will remember about this trip. There is special place where i met Manel on the road leading to the Monastery of Petra. I was going down the road alone because of the tight shoes and turning the corner I saw Greta, one of my traveling companions, drinking tea under a Bedouin tent. I sat down with her and that's how I met Manel who had just two days ago decided to put the burqua. From the only slit that left a part of the body uncovered, I met her eyes, proud of a choice that was really difficult for a Western woman like me to understand. I joined them with the awareness that something special was happening to me, an encounter between two different ways of seeing things and at the same time an encounter that wanted to be a confrontation even if only through the gestures and smiles that we exchanged.
It is not dangerous to visit Jordan, a land of smiles and welcome.
Is Jordan safe?
The fear of Isis, a serious and real problem that affects global tourism, kills our desire to travel and keeps us closed in the confines of our countries. But no place is immune from terrorism. It was not Expo, it is not Rome, no one. Unfortunately, we need to learn to live with this situation that makes us fragile whether we decide to visit Jordan or any crowded place in Italy or abroad.
I can't choose for you but I can tell you what I do. I try not to make myself intimidated, I don't renounce to know the world, I keep on traveling because this is the only way I have to change things, making myself immune from prejudices and false beliefs.
What do you think about it?