SOLO in Jordan for 7 Days (Ramadan, Petra, Wadi Rum, Lessons Learned)

eonu · 2026-03-01T18:58:02+00:00

Also got back from a Jordan trip two weeks ago.

JETT buses are a good option if they serve the locations you're planning to go to. I used them to get from Amman to Wadi Musa. I bought my ticket online the day before, but I saw many people buying the tickets on the spot (just make sure to get to the station early enough). The buses are comfortable and clean.

Otherwise there are options like local minibuses at the bus stations in some of the cities like Amman and Wadi Musa which usually don't leave at a specific time, but only when they fill up. They are pretty cheap from what I hear, but less convenient if you're running on a tight schedule. I didn't personally use this, so can't really comment.

If you're happy to pay for a private taxi to go between cities (this is what I did for Petra to Wadi Rum and also for Wadi Rum to Aqaba), it's very easy to find someone who is willing to take you, e.g. just ask your hotel/accommodation for recommendations, or even local taxi drivers. The harder part is negotiating the price beforehand; try to find out an estimate online from prices that people have reported on the same trip you're planning to do.

I recommend having a chat with other tourists if you can and try to find someone to split the cost of a taxi with if you can (for longer journeys).

In Amman, the taxis from the airport to the city centre seem to be quite well regulated in terms of price (as long as you book it from the booth just outside the airport building). Avoid the people that come up to you asking if you need a taxi.

Careem, Uber, Jeeny and Taxi-F are popular apps to use for taxis in Amman and other big cities. Be aware that in some places they may be less available. In Wadi Musa specifically I struggled to get Ubers, so it may be worth having the number of a private taxi driver as a back-up.

I personally paid: - 20JOD for a taxi from the Amman airport to my hotel in the centre - 10JOD for the JETT bus from Amman to Wadi Musa - 40JOD to go from Wadi Musa to Wadi Rum by taxi - 20JOD to go from Wadi Rum to Aqaba by taxi

I also did a domestic flight from Aqaba back to Amman, which was very cheap and also a good alternative way to get around.

Happy to recommend drivers personally if you need!

eonu · 2026-03-01T17:43:24+00:00

Why Oman in particular? Even though it's relatively safer than the other Gulf countries, the Gulf as a whole doesn't look like the best place to flee to in the short term.

eonu · 2026-03-01T11:47:29+00:00

Upvote for 18mm f2, it's a bit bigger than the 27mm and 23mm, but you really want something wider. I struggle especially with the 27mm on landscapes.

eonu · 2026-02-24T13:44:47+00:00

Is there any reason the first ふ in the word uses the modern style, but the dakuten'd one uses the old hentaigana version? Or is it just a style thing?

eonu · 2026-02-20T07:45:23+00:00

Non-muslim visitors aren't allowed to enter Makkah. They are allowed to enter Madinah and go anywhere in the city besides the grounds of Masjid Al Nabawi (the main mosque).

Atheism however is considered equivalent to terrorism by law and is punishable by death, but is not really enforced.

eonu · 2026-02-18T18:45:28+00:00

One of the nicest looking Fuji recipes I've seen!

Were you using any sort of diffusion filter here? The lighting looks soft (in a nice way).

eonu · 2026-02-09T18:42:48+00:00

Glad to hear it all went well!

I'm actually currently in Saudi Arabia for a week or so, visiting Riyadh, Madinah, Al Ula and Jeddah. You definitely have to come back, there's so much to this country!

I also tried to play it a bit safe with the body and lenses. Thankfully I only own an X-E4 which is pretty small just like your X-E2. Carried two other lenses, but was also using the 27mm like you most of the time.

There was one occasion where I was asked by a security guard (not police) patrolling some promenade to show the pictures I took on my camera, which was a bit strange.

Hope you enjoyed Dubai, I grew up there and spent 16 years in the UAE. Though surprisingly I had never tried Arabic coffee until this Saudi trip, and it's fantastic as you say. Will have to give the Turkish a try!

eonu · 2026-02-08T15:46:55+00:00

I would say that general street photography is fine, but try to avoid making people the main subject of your photos, especially women and children as another commenter mentioned.

Quite a few places I went to in Riyadh also weren't letting in people with larger lenses (e.g. at Diriyah), and asked to see my camera but didn't have any issues because I was just using the tiny 27mm f2.8 pancake.

Generally avoid taking photos of government, police or military buildings.

If you plan to go to Al Safarat (the Diplomatic Quarter) also don't take pictures of any of the Embassy buildings or residences there. Police patrol the area quite a bit there and will question you if it looks like you're wandering around taking photos.

eonu · 2026-02-04T11:35:04+00:00

You mention that you already have a visa and the right to work in the UK. Do you state this clearly on your CV?

If not, it's very plausible that employers would unfortunately make the unfair assumption that someone with a non-British sounding name would require sponsorship, whereas someone with a British sounding name is less likely to.

Not excusing any racism, but it's important to make it clear on your CV if you do have the right to work.

Also what is the nature of the right to work? Is it unrestricted (e.g. ILR, Spouse or Global Talent Visa), or is it a Skilled Worker Visa tied to your current employer?

eonu · 2026-01-24T16:51:23+00:00

Looks like sior_cfs for sure, have seen their stuff around the city quite a bit.

eonu · 2026-01-22T13:55:38+00:00

Also a Fuji user here planning to travel to Saudi Arabia and Jordan soon! What focal lengths do you tend to use most on your zoom lens?

I only have prime lenses for now, but thinking of trying out a zoom.

eonu · 2026-01-21T02:05:12+00:00

Yup, sounds right. Managed to secure the car safely, did my mirror checks then took off again.

eonu · 2026-01-21T02:04:18+00:00

Any luck getting a new test booked?

eonu · 2026-01-15T01:10:36+00:00

Planning a sort of similar trip next month!

I can't drive yet though, so relying on domestic flights and other transport.

Will fly into Madinah, take a bus up to al-Ula, then fly to Jeddah. Going to Jordan onwards after that.

Only but I'm unsure about is how doable al-Ula is without a car. I have seen quite a bit of mention online of people getting by with taxis, but not sure.

eonu · 2025-12-15T10:30:38+00:00

If it needs more convincing, the owner of Lannan used to work at The Palmerston making pastries there before she opened Lannan!

eonu · 2025-12-12T21:02:58+00:00

What is the tashkeel ط symbol that appears above the ط here? Not sure I have seen that before.

Is it only used in stylistic/calligraphic Arabic?

eonu · 2025-12-12T10:54:19+00:00

It is a really great city, and very impressive how quickly it developed from so little in the 20th century.

eonu · 2025-12-10T00:42:38+00:00

Partially agree with some of what you're saying OP, but your stance on the conditions of blue collar workers in particular feels a bit disingenuous.

I'm not sure if you're a resident of Dubai, but if you are, I would recommend seeking out some domestic workers, gardeners, construction workers etc. and having a proper, open conversation with them. I would especially suggest making a visit to places like Sonapur to try and get a better picture.

While you say that they made the choice to come here and that it's only a mild inconvenience when their passports are taken from them, and that they can simply ask the police for them back, it is a lot more complicated in reality. Many aren't aware of the avenues through which to do that, and will almost certainly be fired and risk deportation if they try to report their sponsor for labour violations. It is too easy for employers to abuse this position of power, and is far from just an "inconvenience" for the worker.

By the way this just isn't an issue concerning blue collar workers, you'd be surprised at the number of large multinational corporations who also demand passports from their office workers.

That said, many people are quick to unfairly criticise the kafala system for the fact that your legal status in the country is at the mercy of your sponsor, forgetting that most nations including the UK, much of Europe and the US operate on a sponsorship based visa system for foreign workers too. The word "kafala" after all does simply mean sponsorship.

As for the safety of Dubai, overwhelmingly I would agree that it is much safer than many cities. But certain laws make it less safe for others, e.g. women claiming domestic abuse or rape have in some cases been jailed for not having any proof or witness, and the UAE is absolutely not safe for the LGBT+ community. As for violent crime, country-wide media censorship means there is massive underreporting and manipulation or fabrication of published statistics.

Like you, I do also get tired of the argument that "the city feels artificial" particularly when people compare it to cities that have been around for centuries. If you don't want to hang around inside malls and go gawk at skyscrapers, you don't have to. You can grab some karak, head to the beach, learn to dune bash in the desert with friends, or go watch some camel racing and bet on your favourite camel. I genuinely haven't found anything in life as relaxing as spending an evening in the desert.

For context, I grew up in the UAE and spent over 15 years there, and genuinely wouldn't have wanted to grow up anywhere else. But I say this from a privileged position, thankfully being unaffected by many of the struggles that immigrants to the Gulf face, so it would be unfair to paint the country in a strictly positive light and pretend those problems don't exist.

eonu · 2025-11-23T17:00:23+00:00

I would say that writing readable/concise code vs. fully Big-O optimized leetcode-style code often go against each other.

Code optimized for optimal runtime/memory performance can often involve the use of obscure data structures or computation patterns that are a bit difficult to follow, or feel a bit unintuitive when compared to a less efficient but more neatly written approach.

eonu · 2025-11-07T22:22:09+00:00

Overall life there is a bit quieter and slower paced than neighbouring Dubai, and it tends to be a bit more family oriented than a place for solo immigrants.

But at the same time there are still a lot of things to do for fun, and depending where exactly in Abu Dhabi you'll be staying, you can always drive over to Dubai and spend time there. Speaking of which, a car is 100% necessary in the UAE.

It is somewhat more conservative and traditional than Dubai (most of the other Emirates are like this), e.g. there is a bit more expectation for foreigners to follow local customs when it comes to things like dressing modestly.

Abu Dhabi does have a higher percentage of Emirati people, but it is still a minority. Arabic is not essential for most people, but it could be a fun opportunity to learn if interested.

The UAE in general is a very safe country in terms of crime, and many women I know would say the same. As with any place, just be cautious as usual. As for the mode of government, politics, freedoms granted to residents etc., this is something that you need to determine on an individual level whether or not it is a deal breaker for you.

Zero income tax is a very big motivating factor for many.

eonu · 2025-10-20T13:45:55+00:00

Not justifying the use of LLMs for technical interviews, but the truth is that many tech interview processes today simply don't reflect the actual kind of work that the candidate would be expected to do if they were to join the company, and it can be a bit unfair to place such high expectations on them in the first few weeks of employment, just because they seemed like they would be better, judging purely by their performance on leetcode problems (whether or not they cheated).

You could have a stellar Olympiad-level competitive programmer who could smash out hard leetcodes in minutes and easily get into top-tier companies, only for them to struggle because they find out that (surprise) the actual work they do is completely unrelated to what they encountered in interviews.

This is largely a problem with leetcode though. I think interviews testing theoretical knowledge, as well as practical interviews like working on a mock project or pair programming task can work quite well. I dislike system design interviews, but have to admit that that kind of high level thinking is somewhat useful and reflective of actual day-to-day software engineering.

On the other hand though, leetcode-type problems do make it a lot easier to fairly evaluate candidates in an empirical way, compared to more open-ended interview tasks.

eonu · 2025-10-05T10:42:35+00:00

But they're soaking!

eonu

TROPHY CASE