Today we are leaving Egypt and are praying that it will be easier getting out than it as getting in.. We make an early start to go the 70km to Nuiweba where we will get the ferry to Aqaba, Jordan. First we must get tickets (for people and vehicle). The main gates to the ticket building are closed although there are people inside and out with many people crowded around the gate pushing money and papers back and forth. We jostle to the front and are told to go around to the side where there are open gates (not sure why everyone else is working through the closed ones). We find out line and someone moves us to the front of the line. $465 we are told and the ferry leaves at 3pm today. Hmmmm. Nothing earlier? We ask several ways. The guy behind the counter is doing a lot of shouting – not at us- but we don't want to get on his bad side since he has just taken our passports, carnet and $465. It seems that truly there is only one car ferry today and it leaves at 3. That's going to be a boring day in the port of Niuweba….
In the port of Nuweiba, we were friendly guided to the first booth ad then to the next. We could even nicely pass the line of truckers! Only to hear that they could not help us and we needed to go to a police building. Here of course no one could help us also, we need to go to this other building… To make a long story short, we drove a round the complete harbor complex a few times before we found out that the Tourist police helps us with the paperwork (read another few laps) thanks to the Oasis Overland crew. Finally, everything is done at a cost of only ~ 100 EP and man hours in the heat, while we expected to get 50 pounds back!
On the boat we are upgraded to first class. We arrive in Aqaba and are met by the most pleasant immigration official on the planet. We don't already have a stamp? (apparently you can get them somewhere on the boat as it goes along). No problem, he takes our passports and tells us to meet him at the passport office. We hesitate a moment only because we are waiting to be shouted at or asked for money but he just smiles and tells us that really it is no problem, to go on in the lounge and wait for him and welcome o Jordan. We wait inside the terminal and eventually the immigration officer comes back to us, takes us up to the immigration counters and gets our passports stamped. No fees, no hassle. A very warm welcome to Jordan. As we are waiting for the car ferry to arrive we are approached by the chief customs official on duty just to have a chat. He has a Masters in Political Science and is interested in what has been going on with the politics in Kenya. Another genuinely pleasant and helpful person who tells us a warm welcome to Jordan.
As the evening is wearing on and the car ferry hasn't yet arrived Julia and Eowyn decide to head to the hotel. Julia goes through customs and asks the nice man from before about arranging a taxi. He won't hear of it. One of the officers on duty arranges to have another officer drive her to the hotel for free and off we go. Julia gets dropped for free at the hotel only to discover that it is the wrong hotel (there is a Petra Hotel and Petra International Hotel in Aqaba! She goes outside to catch a taxi who takes her across town for 1 Dinar (1 Euro) with no bargaining or hassle. On arrival at the hotel as she is registering one of the hotel attendants goes to a shop around the corner and comes back with snacks and juice for Eowyn. It seems Jordanians will surpass Nubian Sudanese as THE nicest people on earth. The Lonely Planet doesn't do the Petra Hotel justice. Maybe they have had a revamp recently (or maybe everything is relative) but the triple room for 15 Dinar with hot water, a/c, fan and TV is in great condition. Once the guys arrive with the car they go out for take away and come back with Houmas, foul, falafel, bread and fresh mango juice.
