Day 1: November 5

We landed at Aqaba airport around noon. The flight took almost 5 hours, but we slept peacefully for practically the entire time.

Aqaba airport is very small. We went through passport control. When we left the airport, the security guards asked us to open our suitcase, found my vitamin C in the form of a white powder, and were very surprised; they laughed when I offered them to try it.

The first thought when we stepped out of the airport was: how warm and sunny it is here!

We rented a Renault Stepway. We’re driving to the hotel. Everything around is orange, there are practically no trees, an amazing landscape.

Our hotel is wonderful, in the center of Aqaba. The sea is visible from the balcony.

It gets dark early here, around 5. We went out for a walk when it was already completely dark.

We wanted to withdraw some local money from an ATM, but the ATM warned about an 8-euro fee, so we decided to look for a currency exchange.

We walked to the beach; there are lots and lots of locals here, sitting in groups, many smoking hookah, so the air smells sweet.

We exchanged money. In a small shop, we bought a kilogram of dates in a box.

Volchiy found a restaurant with a high rating on Google Maps, and we’re heading there.

We ordered hummus, kofta, and a mountain of rice — a feast for the stomach!