Driving in Jordan

 Driving in Jordan was really quite different. Cars came from all directions and just sort of avoided each other. Stop signs appeared to be optional.  Lights turned from red to yellow to green. As soon as they turned yellow, cars behind started honking. We never did figure out who had the right of way at the round abouts.  The  speed bumps were ubiquitous and kept everyone from speeding. They also had a tendency to scrape the bottom of the car, especially the ones on the smaller roads.  Generally but not always a sign announced a coming bump, but the distance from the sign varied greatly. The best way to find them was to follow another vehicle and watch for when they slow down.

We often saw cars driving the wrong way, even on the expressway.  They generally drove on the shoulder, so they didn't really disrupt traffic. At one point, probably a quarry, we saw huge lorries drive across the gravel median  of the expressway and go the wrong way for about a hundred feet then exit. It was all quite amusing.

Seatbelts and car seats are not required, but the aunt who drove with us to Jerash did sit in the backseat rather than the front with her 2 year old--but he sat on her lap. 

We also saw children and adults sitting in the back of pick up trucks. Often children hung out the windows or from sunroofs.

 The smaller roads were really narrow. One in particular was wide enough for one and a half cars. It had a lot of hairpin turns and blind corners. It was easy to tell where the more difficult parts were since the guardrails were mangled and broken at those places. Once the road became a little more important, it widened to 2 cars wide and had piles of rocks encased in chicken wire to keep cars from going over the cliff.  

Jordan was mostly desert, shades of brown, especially in the south. At one point we reached an oasis. The surrounding area went from brown sand and rocks to an exuberant and lush green vegetation.  The toothbrush trees hung out into the road, and people just drove around them.  I was the driver, so we didn't get a pictures.