We were up early this morning as we potentially had a long one in front of us. After breakfast we loaded the bikes, bid farewell to the Saba'a hotel and headed up the hill and out of Wadi Musa.
The first 40km of the day was spent climbing, with some spectacular views for company. Debs has been suffering with a lot of leg pain after our exertions around Petra, so the climbing wasn't particularly welcome. Once again we were joined along the way by our old friend the strong headwind. It would have been nice to have the wind on our side just once in Jordan.
Passing through the village of at-Tayyiba we had a slightly surreal experience when a minibus stopped in front of us and a load of western tourists leapt out and started taking our pictures and filming us. They turned out to be some members of an Italian cycling club, who made a big tour every year. We were the first cyclists they had seen in Jordan so they had stopped to say hello, congratulate us and have their photo taken with us. It was possibly the strangest moment we have experienced on the road yet, but it certainly took our minds off the steep climb out of the village.
Eventually the road started to descend and we joined the Desert Highway and began the long journey down to Aqaba. Despite the fact that the Desert highway is definitely flatter than the King's Highway it was noisier, more desolate and a lot less pleasant to cycle along. Several people early on in our trip through Jordan had suggested it as a better road for us to take; we are very glad that we ignored their advice.
The promised long descent all the way to Aqaba failed to materialise, although that probably had more to do with the headwind than the actual road. In fact we soon found ourselves climbing again, 140km suddenly looked like a very long way. For the next 80km we slogged against a strengthening headwind and the undulating road. If it wasn't for the total lack of shops and our decreasing water supply, we would have probably given up and pitched the tent.
With about 30km to go to the city we had the brief distraction of a lone Bedouin leading three camels, including one baby and a juvenile, across the road. When Debs and I stopped to watch, he kindly brought them over to us so that we could take a photo.
Our whole day has been very far removed from the experiences we have had previously on the road in Jordan. There have been no stones thrown or abuse; just lots of friendly waves, sweet children and one offer of a lift that we foolishly turned down.
By the time we arrived in Aqaba it was getting late and we had no idea where we were going or where we were going to stay. With the help of several locals we found the tourist/hotel area and are safely housed in a functional, if not brilliant, hotel. The day has been far more difficult than we, alright I, had expected. It has been our longest day by quite some margin and it has taken its toll on us both. Once again Debs has amazed me, she has been struggling with her legs all day and yet she managed to keep going despite the pain.
We will have a rest day tomorrow, while we book our ferry tickets to Egypt and try and organize our onward travel plans. It is very nearly farewell Jordan, it is just a shame that all of the cycling days, distance aside, weren't like today.
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