#21:

trip dates 1.1.2009 - 18.1.2009
distance cycled 1097 km
repairs 1x


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Wintering in the Middle East

A nice little tour to regain confidence in cycle-touring. Also a nice way to start a year - 1000 km bagged by middle of January.
General information
ROUTE: I started from Amman airport going south on Desert Highway to Karak, then procedded on King's Highway to Petra and Aqaba, with a side trip to Wadi Rum. From Aqaba I cycled north to the Dead Sea, with a side climb to Karak and back. From The Dead Sea I climbed to Mt Nebo and Madaba and then the same way back, then into Israel and to Jerusalem. The same way back to Jordan with a final climb to Amman and the Airport.

ROADS: Roads are paved and very good, I think the best of all my tours. There is a lot of glass and other debris (like pieces of steel wires) on the emergency lane of bigger Highways.

MAPS: I planned the trip by the Freitag & Berndt map of Jordan, (1:700,000) but I don't reccommend it. Instead, better download the road maps provided by pathebikeguy - another cyclist: here. They are much better. My digital map approach didn't work well this time.

TRAFFIC: The traffic is dense in Amman and Jerusalem. Drivers are behaving very well, giving you lot of respect and space, and a honk as a warning or support.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: It seems to be quite easy to pick up a ride in a van. I did that on the climb from Dana village. I had a flight with Turkish and they didn't charge me anything, despite their policy is to collect 60 EUR for a bike one-way. On the way back I didn't need the bike box, I just wrapped the bike with a roll of food-wrapping plastic.

ACCOMMODATION: I stayed in hotels most of the time. I slept outside in a bivy bag twice and wasn't very satisfied. It was too cold (from 5 to 8 deg C). The bivy bags should be good above 15 degrees C, or above 10 C with ground sheet.

FOOD AND WATER: No problems with it in winter. Even on Dead Sea HWY there are places to buy food at 50 km intervals, on other roads much more frequently. Water might be a slightly bigger problem in summer.

COSTS: I paid from 12 to 30 JD (Jordanian dinar) for a room in a hotel. Jordanian dinar was about the same as Euro. A meal was 2 to 5 JD, a can of coke 0.25 to 0.5 JD. I spend a bit more then 30 EUR/day.

VISAS: I got Jordanian visa at the Airport (costs 10 JD) and I entered Israel without one - but there is 35 EUR exit tax from Israel. I used the border at King Hussain bridge - you can re-enter Jordan there on your old visa. The Jordanians don't make a question about the Israeli stamp in your passport.

WEATHER: It was cold. Tempertures were from 0 C in the morning to 13 C at midday, but the wind made it feel much colder. Around Dead Sea it is warm enough for T-shirt and to have a bath. I had great weater - clear skies, just a few hours of rain on one day. Daylight from 6:30 to 17:00.

SITES: Petra is wort a visit. As well as few day's trek around Wadi Rum. Nice desert landscape, wich becomes more dramatic around Wadi's, great views along the Dead Sea and on the climbs up from it.

ANNOYANCES: The kids (and teenagers) could be annoying - teasing, throwing stones under your wheels etc. Beduin dogs will go mad when they see you, but they are benign - just stop and reach for the stone and they'll run away.

EQUIPMENT: Road bike and very little more. Click the bike icon above for details.

REPAIRS: 1 puncture - from a piece of steel wire. I probably ruined the crank when tightening the pedals, but it didn't show till the end of the tour.

LINKS: Peter Gostelow did a similar trip exactly one year before me. See also pathebikeguy's report with usefull information and excellent road maps.

Prezimovanje na bližnjem vzhodu

Ljubka mala tura za povrnitev porušenega zaupanja v kolesarska potovanja. Pa tudi lep način da se začne leto - 1000 km že v prvih dveh tednih januarja.
Splošne informacije
POT: Štartal sem iz letališča pri Ammanu in se odpravil proti jugu po Desert Highway do Karaka, nato pa po King's HWY do Petre in Aqabe s stranskim vložkom do nacinalnega parka Wadi Rum. Iz Aqabe sem obrnil proti severu, proti Mrtvemu morju, s stranskim vzponom v Karak in nazaj. Od Mrtvega morja sem se vzpel do vrha Mt. Nebo in Madabe, nato pa se obrnil nazaj po isti poti, prečkal mejo v Israel in do Jeruzalema. Ponovil pot nazaj v Jordanijo, do Amana in končno do letališča.

CESTE: Ceste so asfaltirane in odlične, če zanemarimo dejstvo, da je na odstavnih pasovih večjih (avto)cest veliko stekla in železnih opilkov.

ZEMLJEVID: Pot sem načrtoval po karti Jordanije Freitag & Berndt (1:700,000), ki pa je slaba. Namesto tega si je najbolje naložiti dve cestni karti s spletne strani pathebikeguy - še enega kolesarja: tukaj. Moje digitalne karte mi tokrat niso kaj dosti služile.

PROMET: Promet je gost v in okolici Ammana in Jeruzalema. Vozniki so kar v redu, puščajo dovolj prostora (zlasti če ga sami imajo) in hupajo v opozorilo ali v pozdrav.

JAVNI TRANSPORT: Izgleda, da je dokaj enostavno dobiti prevoz s kakšnim kombijem (enkrat na kratko sem se te možnosti poslužil tudi sam). Tudi avtobusov je dovolj. Letel sem s Turkish Airlines in ni bilo potrebno nikakšno doplačilo za kolo, četudi ta agencija običajno kasira 60 EUR (ali več) za prevoz v eno smer. Na poti nazaj nisem niti rabil škatle - kolo sem zavil v folijo za zavijanje živil.

PRENOČIŠČA: Prenočeval sem največkrat v hotelih. V bivak vreči sem spal dvakrat, toda bilo je premrzlo (5 do 8 C).

HRANA IN VODA: S tem ni problemov pozimi. Celo na pustem Dead Sea HWY so postojanke največ 50 km narazen, na drugih cestah pa še bolj pogosto. Z vodo so morebiti večji problemi poleti.

STROŠKI: Plačal sem med 12 in 30 Jordanskimi dinarji (JD) za hotel. Jordanski dinar je bil približno enak Evru. Kosilo v restoranu je 2 do 5 JD, piksna kokakole 0.25 do 0.5 JD. Porabil sem okoli 30 EUR/dan.

VIZE: Jordansko vizo sem dobil na letališču (10 JD), v Izrael pa so me spustili brez vize. Že vedo zakaj: na izhodu je treba plačati 35 Evrov. Šel sem čez mejo pri mostu King Hussaina, kjer se lahko vrneš v Jordanijo s staro, veljevno vizo. Jordancev ne moti Izraelski pečat v potnem listu.

VREME: Bilo je kar mrzlo. Temperature so bile od 0 C zjutraj do 13 C največ čez dan, toda mrzli veter je to naredil veliko bolj mrzlo. Ob Mrtvem morju je zadosti toplo za majico in kopanje. Imel sem odlično vreme - jasno vse dni razen pol dneva pri Madabi. Dan je od 6:30 do 17:00.

KRAJI: Petra je vsekakor atrakcija vredna obiska, kakor tudi trek (ali plezanje) v NP Wadi Rum. Lepa puščavska pokrajina, ki ob Wadijih (suhin rečnih kanjonih) postane dramatična. Odlični razgledi okoli Mrtvega morja in na vzponih od tam navzgor.

NEVŠEČNOSTI: Otroci (in najstniki) so lahko nadležni: težijo, mečejo kamenje, itd. Pastirski psi bodo ponoreli, ko te vidijo, a so nenevarni: kretnja proti kamnu na tleh in že bežijo z repom med nogami.

OPREMA: Cestno kolo in le malo kaj več. Glej detajle pod ikono kolesa zgoraj.

POPRAVKI: 1 predrta zračnica - zaradi železnega opilka. Zelo verjetno sem uničil navoje v gonilki, ko sem na silo privijal pedala.

POVEZAVE: Peter Gostelow je naredil podobno pot natanko eno leto prej. Poglej tudi poročilo pathebikeguy-a s koristnimi informacijami in odličnimi cestnimi kartami.

Stuff

Aluminium road bike with carbon fork, triple chainring (52/42/30), 8 speed cassette (12-26) and 700x25c tyres. I experimented a little bit further into the realm of ultralight cycling. Instead of tent and sleeping bag I had only a bivy bag this time. This reduced the volume so much that I didn't need the rear rack. It ment 4 kg less than my usual touring weight. I could pack everything - including the bike and 1 liter of water in 15 kg. See further details.
It seems I optimized thing totaly this time - I used everything I had.

Stvari

Cestno kolo št. 8, ki je sedaj moje standardno potovalno kolo. Ima aluminijasti okvir, karbonsko vilico, trojno šajbo (52/42/30) in 8-prestavno kaseto (12-26). Gume so bile 700x25c. Tokrat sem še nekoliko bolj raziskal možnosti ultralahke kolesarske ture. Namesto šotora in spalke sem imel bivak vrečo. To je drastično zmanjšalo prostornino, tako da nikakršni prtljažniki niso bili potrebni. Pomenilo je tudi 4 kg manj od standardne oprema, ali 15 kg skupaj s kolesom in litrom vode. Glej nadaljne detajle.

Cycling data


Day Date Trip Time   Speed   Alti Total Accom Notes (daily end-stop) ***
                    Avr Max            
    d/m   km  h:m  km/h km/h    m    km
0   1/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0  826     0   a   Ljubljana-Amman
1   2/1  122  6:16 19.4 47.3  994   122   h   Karak
2   3/1   93  6:33 14.2 57.1 1450   215   h   Dana village
3   4/1   54  2:58 18.3 50.9 1129   269   h   Wadi Musa
4   5/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0 1129   269   h   Wadi Musa
5   6/1  118  6:12 19.0 57.6  949   387   c   Wadi Rum
6   7/1   72  3:11 22.7 50.9    9   459   h   Aquaba
7   8/1   95  6:55 13.7 39.1  100   554   w   Rashih+4km
8   9/1  155  8:17 18.7 49.9  994   709   h   Karak
9  10/1  110  5:09 21.4 54.5 -400   819   c   Amman Beach
10 11/1   52  3:42 14.1 46.8  782   871   h   Madaba
11 12/1   84  4:52 17.2 68.0  765   955   h   Jerusalem
12 13/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0  765   955   h   Jerusalem
13 14/1   96  5:56 16.1 49.9  850  1051   h   Amman
14 15/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0  850  1051   h   Amman
15 16/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0  850  1051   h   Amman
16 17/1   46  2:16 20.4 45.5  850  1097   a   Amman Airport
17 18/1    0  0:0   0.0  0.0  300  1097   a   Amman to Ljubljana


Days   Trip   Time   Speed   Alti
                    Avr Max
         km   h:m  km/h km/h   m    
17     1097  62:17   -   -     -    Sum
11     1051  60:01   -   -     -    Sum, cycling days
 -      155   8:17 22.7 68.0 1450   MAX, cycling days
 -       52   2:58 13.7 39.1 -400   min, cycling days
17       61     -    -   -     -    average per day
11       96   5:27 17.7 52.0   -    average per cycling day


*** Legend
1   2/1 - cycling day
14 15/1 - non cycling or rest day
Trip    - daily cycling distance
Time    - daily cycling time (while in motion)
Speed   - daily cycling speed (while in motion): Avr - average; Max - maximal.
Climb   - daily cumulative altitude gain (registered manually)
Alti    - altitude at the end of the day
Total   - cumulative distance
Accom   - accommodation: a: airplane; b: bus; h: ho(s)tel; f: at a family; c: camp; w: wild camping

Travelogue

I wrote a blog about this trip, it's here: http://iikinmiddleeast.blogspot.com.

Potopis

Blog v angleščini lahko vidiš na: http://iikinmiddleeast.blogspot.com.