Letter from Aqaba, where the street art is one of Jordan's unsung glories

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | October 15, 2021 “Very bad sensation,” said Dr Muthena sympathetically after he removed the swab from the upper reaches of my right nostril. On the contrary, I thought: apart from the occasional nasopharyngeal intervention, travelling through the Middle East once again is a very good sensation. It was a bright Wednesday morning at the Islamic Hospital in Aqaba. After that cheap and cheerful Covid test, I wandered through a city with an extraordinary geopolitical location. Four nations crowd in: from the terrace of the Al Manara Hotel you are presented with a view of Eilat in Israel, just half-a-mile west; Egypt, whose Sinai frontier is five miles further; and, in the distance on the opposite shore, the muscular mountains of Saudi Arabia rippling into the haze. These four nations, divided by three tricky international borders, are arranged in a neat arc at the apex of the Gulf of Aqaba. Desert dream: a mural on an electricity transformer box in central Aqaba, Jordan I last found myself here, inadvertently, in March 2020. My planned journey from the Saudi tourism hub of Al Ula to the Yemeni island of Socotra collapsed when the flight to Cairo was cancelled as frontiers slammed shut. Rather than taking that as an early sign of an impending travel shutdown and seeking the fastest route home, I stubbornly caught a bus to the last town in Saudi Arabia and found a fixer who bundled me, a Russian and a German across the border to Aqaba in his ancient taxi. With an urgent appointment for the once-a-week flight to Yemen awaiting in the Egyptian capital, I had no time to savour Aqaba. Instead I hitchhiked across Israel (not especially challenging given the nation’s narrowness in the south) and reached Sharm El Sheikh exactly an hour before the last flight to Cairo. River deep, mountain high: a street in Aqaba Nineteen months and one global pandemic later, I can appreciate fully the relaxed hospitality and outstanding food of Aqaba – especially fresh fish grilled theatrically amidst the good-natured clamour of the city’s markets. Most of all, I adore the spectrum of colour: from the ochre mountains that crowd in on Aqaba to the murals that occupy every available space down to electricity transformer housings. The highlights of Jordan are widely known: the ancient city of Petra, hewn from bare rock two millennia ago; the mineral intensity of the Dead Sea; and the desert drama of Wadi Rum, which radiated the nation's beauty to cinema screens worldwide. But make time for the street art of Aqaba. It’s sensational. Destination of the week: Singapore Back on the map: Singapore On Tuesday 19 October, Singapore opens up to travellers from the UK – providing they follow strict protocols to visit the South East Asian city-state. Anyone hoping to visit must spend the two weeks before departure only in the UK or one of the other eligible countries (including Canada, France, Germany and Italy). They must travel on a special Vaccinated Travel Lane flight, on which everyone is fully jabbed. British Airways and Singapore Airlines plan such flights from London Heathrow. A PCR test must be taken in the 48 hours before departure to Singapore, and a second on arrival. Visitors must then go by taxi (not public transport) to their hotel and self-isolate while they wait for the result – likely to be within a few hours. They can then leave quarantine and enjoy a city in all its delicious diversity. Don’t miss my daily travel podcast [Green List Travel]( For all the latest travel tips, advice and news listen to my podcast ‘Green List Travel with Simon Calder and The Independent’. It's available now for free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Deals of the week: cut-price Eurostar and a £183 break in Alicante - Eurostar has suffered more than almost any other transport company during the coronavirus pandemic. But the cross-Channel passenger train operator is once again offering highly competitive fares from London St Pancras International to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. The lowest fare is £39 one-way. But at the next price level, £44.50 (£89 return), there is availability practically every day from mid-November until the end of the year. - Once the October half-term ends, prices for Mediterranean trips plunge. Jet2 Holidays has a tempting three-night package from Birmingham to Alicante, whose good looks and deep history are under-appreciated. Depart on Saturday 6 November and stay in the city's well-appointed Hotel Maya Alicante (with breakfast) for £183. Question of the week: Why are US flights being axed? Question: British Airways has just cancelled our flights to Orlando on 10 November. Any idea what’s going on? Answer: American officials have promised the 20-month travel ban on arrivals from the UK will be lifted, for fully vaccinated travellers only, from some date in November. With barely a fortnight until that month starts, there is no indication when exactly the easing of restrictions will take place. British Airways clearly believes the chance of an early restart is slim. So rather than fly largely empty planes, BA has delayed the restart of flights to Orlando – as well as nearby Tampa, and Las Vegas – by two weeks to 15 November. With every day that elapses without a decision from the US, expect more transatlantic flights to be cancelled on other airlines. 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