Umm Qais (Gardara)

There are various spellings of this place but it's at the very top left hand corner of Jordan, sharing a border with Syria and the Golan Heights. You can see the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) too and that's in Israel & The Palestinaian Territories, so just the place for borderholics. The views back down the Jordan Valley are impressive too. My photos were all a bit over-exposed, so I've settled for this, which was taken at the ruins of Gardara, which is what the town is famous for.

Historical relics and ruins aren't a strong point of mine, so I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about but you can read about it here instead! It was worth going though, not particularly busy when I got there so enjoyed the peace and quiet before sitting in the sun for a spot of Arabic lunch of fattoush and hummous with pine nuts. Hmm.

I had a Mazda for the day, which wasn't exactly a head turner - but a nippy automatic all the same. Because it was late in being delivered this morning (and scuppered my plan A), I used my negotiation skills to keep it overnight and until 1pm tomorrow. I just need to get up early tomorrow now!