Bermudian Robyn Skinner is travelling the world and has finally found her way out of Turkey. In her latest dispatch for The Royal Gazette, she reports from Jordan, which, she says, is definitely not a backpackers' paradise.

Next Stop: Amman, Jordan

A three-hour flight from Istanbul and we were in the Middle East. This was a first for me and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, you know, after having the fear of all things eastern and middle by media and the Bush admin pounded into you. Unfortunately for Jordan, it may get more of a bum rap because it is lumped in between some very feisty neighbours (Israel, Saudia Arabia, Iraq and Syria).

The Kingdom, however, is religiously moderate and stable and has been run by King Abdullah II since his father died in 1999. It, however, struggles to empower its population economically while also being inundated with refugees from both Iraq wars and Palestinians.

Still Jordan manages a highly educated population compared to other countries in the region and a currency that is stronger than the US Dollar. This, unfortunately for us, meant travelling through Jordan or, officially, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, was expensive.

This is definitely not a backpackers paradise. Though our youth hostel in Amman was about $15 a night, this was no longer the pristine housing of Turkey. Instead the carpets had not been cleaned in about ten years, the bathroom door wouldn't shut and the floor was more comfortable than the beds (even though you definitely did not want to sleep on it). And unfortunately the only step-up from a decrepit hostel in Amman was one of the four star hotels that we just could not afford.

So for our first night in the Middle East we settled in our falling-down hostel and joined the friendly owner and guests on the rooftop to enjoy Bedouin tea while watching the sun set.

Amman is an interesting place. Schizophrenic, the capital city hosts both a conservative Islamic and historic area where women are largely clothed in burkas and headscarves, as well as modern and chic areas with mansion-lined streets filled with diplomats. Here young men and women wear whatever they like, go out dancing and even drinking in bars and clubs.

After watching the sunset over the capital city, hearing the calls of prayer beginning to echo throughout and watching the kites swirling in the air, it was time to get some grub. We found a restaurant recommended by our hostel owner that was completely rammed. Here young and old were eating, smoking the nargile and listening to the live music. There was no alcohol served here; instead, it was fruity cocktails being pumped out of the bar and spices littering the amazing food. Incredible, thank goodness, because it cost us more than $25, which is more than we paid in Turkey ever for food.

The next day after some lunch we decided on sightseeing in Amman. First stop: the Roman Theatre. More of a modern Arab city rather than a cultural centre, Amman offers few tourist sites, but these include this theatre built in the 2nd Century AD that seated about 6,000 people. Also impressive is the Citadel which overlooks the city from the highest hill in Amman and is a quick walk upstairs from the theatre. Artefacts found here date this walled citadel back to the Bronze Age when it was used as a fort and/or agora for thousands of years. Sunset from here was beautiful and peaceful as we had left the din of the city 850 metres below us.

Descending back into the fray was fun, though, as every child and teenager asked us where we were from and then welcomed us to Jordan. Though Jordan's people are poor and the country expensive, they are very friendly; one man we asked for directions even walked with us to the location rather than send us on our own.

After coming down from the Citadel's height we had to find some dinner. Rather than the ridiculous prices of the night before we found a fantastic falafel "diner". Literally all they serve is falafel (a fried lentil dish) with a massive piece of pita bread and sides of French fries and beans. Not exactly the healthiest option but definitely the cheapest. Two rounds of falafel cost us $5!

After gorging ourselves on these tasty treats it was time to hit the hay because the next day we were heading North. In partnership with an Australian/British couple from our hostel we took one of the few public buses north to the Roman ruin town of Jerash.

Like most places in the world Jordan has survived through many different rulers and the remnants of them are spread throughout the country. Jerash in its heyday was the provincial capital for Rome with 15,000 people living here. Now it's inundated by tourists and fake gladiators that for another 15 Jordanian Dinar or $25 we could watch fake-fighting and racing chariots. How could we pass up the chance?

Amusing and surprisingly educational (did you know that one line of Romans used to fight for eight seconds before the next round of fighters would step in?) we lowered our thumbs, killed a few gladiators and moved on to the columned pathways. Wandering through this ancient city is quite impressive and beautiful because it is sited in lush green hills (and thus became such a success from agriculture). It was hot, though, with no trees to hide from the sun and I was beginning to understand why tourists looked like Indiana Jones wannabes.

We couldn't dawdle at Jerash because returning to Amman by bus meant catching the last one at 3 p.m. Travelling around Jordan can be expensive. Resource poor, Jordan did not inherit the prime oil land or other natural resources that its neighbours like Saudia Arabia and Iraq did, and the infrastructure seems to have suffered because of it.

In addition, the vast majority of the country is covered in desert, with the Jordan Rift Valley and various oases providing some of the only green in the country. Access to a lot of Jordan, by public transport is therefore impossible. Buses only run between major cities and can stop as early as 3 p.m. This means reliance on taxis that can cost a small fortune or massive tourist buses that speed organised tours of khaki-clad foreigners to all of the sites.

We didn't have the luxury of these aircon, organised tourist transports so after a hot, dusty, public bus ride and another falafel infusion I crashed into bed. Well that was until about 1 a.m when my travel buddy found himself sick on the floor of the bathroom. Ah, the fun of travelling in hostels with no doors. This repeated itself all night (I can imagine how mothers of newborns feel now) until I finally pushed him into a cab and we went to the hospital.

I will give Amman this the hospital is top notch. There was zero waiting time at the emergency room and after ordering tests, it took only half an hour to get the results. He had a bacterial infection and this ruling sealed the fate on further sight-seeing in Amman. Then I put the kibosh on the rundown and awful hostel after finding a better hotel in a town called Madaba which is about 45 minutes away. Rather than face another public bus to Madaba, we caved, became one of the taxi tourists and paid $25 for a lift.

My travel buddy couldn't get out of bed for four days and with time on my hands, I went to see Madaba. What a difference being a single girl on the town makes. Once you get passed all the stares and few catcalls you also get free tours of the sites! The most important Christian centre in Jordan, this tiny town, is also renowned for mosaics which is one of my favourite artistic forms. At the Greek Orthodox Basilica of St. George (yes there is a very Christian tradition here) the ticket seller brought me inside to tell me all about the ancient mosaic relief on the floor. Then I went on to the Archaeological museum and had a one hour tour, again, with the man selling tickets for free! I think my travel buddy's holding me back ...

After four days of him watching TV and me trying to stay sane in Madaba we both decided it was best to get a change of scenery. What could be better than going to visit one of the new wonders of the world?

Next stop: Petra, Jordan.