Great way to spend a day off, even if you are on a business trip

From Wadi Salih to Pella: I took part in this walk in March 2014, and I am very happy that I did it. I was in Jordan on a business trip. Since I had no meetings on Friday and the weather was great, so I decided to sign up for this hike on short notice. I left a message on Facebook on Thursday, went to the meeting point on Friday Morning, paid my ticket and that was it. The bus took us to a small village beyond Jerash, in the Ajloun area, The views there are always spectacular, but springtime is by far the best moment to visit.
First we hiked down a beautiful green valley, with plenty of trees, protecting us from the sun. The walk was rather easy, and even the kids in the group enjoyed it. After about 90 minutes we started climbing up a slope and reached the top of a hill right above the Jordanian-Israel border crossing of Sheikh Hussein (Bisan-Beth Shean region). The views were breathtaking, some of us could not believe that we were really in Jordan. The hiking guides cooked a gorgeous vegetarian meal for us, on an open fire on top of the hill. They had brought kilos of chopped onions, tomatoes and other things in their backpacks and they managed to cook a truly Jordanian Gallaya. They had even brought an impressive teapot (Thanks to Ayman for the “Urban Tea”!)
After lunch we continued hiking, down the slope, towards the Jordan valley and the ruins of Pella (Tabaqat Fahl). That part of the walk was actually the hardest, because the slope was sooooooo steep. Walking zigzag lines the descent was manageable, though, and all in all it was really rewarding. We arrived early enough to explore the ruins of Pella and to celebrate the sundown on the terrace of the Pella Resthouse, with a tasty and refreshing Lemon Mint Juice. For me, this kind of sportive outing is the best way to spend free time during business trips. I will definitely go for it again.