I DIDN'T like Aqaba (Jordan). DON'T go there before watching this

[@sapper4711]

I love Aqaba. I have been there 5 times since 2004. I have explored the town, the markets and had tea with shopkeepers and in the spice market. Sure it has changed since then. I am always at the Moevenpick down town. When I first went there was a death corridor between Jordan and Israel's Eilat, just on the other side. Things have improved since then. I absolutely love visiting Jordan.

[@7ala8]

Thank you for this video, and I liked the way you explained the city. I'm glad that someone like you visited my city 💓😃

[@spaghettistef]

Thank you for watching it! I am planning to go back to Jordan so I will definitely be visiting Aqaba again :))

[@chris52lad]

I will be there in November as part as a cruise. Is it safe enough to be walking around and doing stuff with everything thats going on.

[@spaghettistef]

Hey! Hard to say so far in advance really but I am quite confident it will be safe to walk around and visit. Let's see how things go!!

[@chris52lad]

@spaghettistef thats it. I just have to wait and see. Thanks for getting back to me. It's the only country on the cruise I am worried about, to be honest.

[@salmahakki6]

Yeah its safe

[@bachanamikaia]

Thank you for the video! I plan to travel to Aqaba this Sunday, are there any e-scooter app services like Lime or any other?

[@spaghettistef]

Hey! Thank you for watching! To be honest I cannot remember seeing anyone on e-scooters in Jordan. I may be totally wrong but from memory I think they are not really a thing there. However, Aqaba is actually quite small so you can get around the city quite comfortably on foot. If you want to venture a bit further Uber is a great option, reliable and MUCH cheaper than in Europe (sorry, not sure where you're from :)).

[@patroneran9997]

would you go to eilat? i was there last month or so and it was really cool and fun experience but the only downside is that it was like 46c at daylight and still 40c at night time

[@spaghettistef]

Know what? I didn't go in the end and I still don't know why! I guess I just got a bit lazy. I went there like 10 years ago and remember I had a good time! :)

[@omaralshareif3123]

Im jordanian and i love this video i love how u visted the non so touristic areas such as down town but sorry for all the beggers we are not all like that😂😂 ❤

[@spaghettistef]

Ahah thanks man! I absolutely loved Jordan, one of my favourite countries in the world! And no worries, even beggars were very nice people :)

[@balkanbald]

Good one! I liked your story of Lawrence of Arabia . At least your hotel was clean 😅. Where are you going next?

[@spaghettistef]

Ahah true! I was quite lucky with that! I am in London now and heading to India and Pakistan in a couple of weeks! What about you? Anything planned yet?

[@balkanbald]

@spaghetti stef That sounds amazing. I'll be travelling to Thailand and Vietnam in June and maybe a trip somewhere in Europe till then. Have a good time and be safe!

[@spaghettistef]

Wow! I have never been there! Have a great time there mate!

[@trippy9320]

it’s palestine not isreal

[@pkqqq]

very informative, thanks. also liked the music you choose, it's perfect :>

[@spaghettistef]

So nice of you! Many thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@elisass.4117]

Thank you for the video and for the interesting history !

[@spaghettistef]

Thank YOU for watching! 🙏🏻😀

[@elisass.4117]

And useful tips for my next journey!

[@meassurendra]

so does not like the city in the video clickbait title , then says he likes it for no reason in the end , just to grab some desperate views ? That is really low. Clickbait shite

[@SamjohnJohn]

Colonel colonial master agent t e Lawrence unified the Arabs against an oppressor ottoman? I wanted to laugh ! Did you want to mention Sykes picot? Read orientalism by Edward said.

[@spaghettistef]

Happy to inform you that I wrote my dissertation about Orientalism by Said so believe it or not I have read it thoroughly several times. Surprised to see that you didn't catch my reference to the British betrayal of the Arabs when I said "invasion or liberation" at minute 3:26, which clearly implied what you're saying. Something that was made quite clear by me saying that the British aimed at taking over the Levantine Middle East to open new routes for their own interests. As a matter of fact, part of the footage I shot was about the Sykes-Picot agreement but unfortunately it was so long that I decided to remove it from the final edit because I explained it too complexly and slowly that it affected the "flow" of the video. My bad on that, but I felt it was an excessively complicated matter for a travel vlog aimed at entertaining, providing travel information and certainly not educating. Nevertheless, I would recommend to get some information about the rise of Arab nationalism within the Ottoman Empire after centuries of Ottoman rule. Side note: the Sykes-Picot agreements came only after the Arab Revolt and although the two events are certainly intertwined, it is quite denigratory of you towards the Arab tribes to say that they had no agency in the process. Surely, Arab tribe deserve a bit more respect than assuming that they were living their best life under Ottoman rule, a de facto foreign empire.

[@SamjohnJohn]

@@spaghettistef we can have a separate long discussion on Arab tribes or Arab nationalism, and for the most part Arabs accepted ottoman rule when they surrendered to sultan selim yavuz or that mamluks were Turks like ottomans who spoke Arabic. Great to hear your dissertation was on this topic , any way I can read it ?

[@spaghettistef]

@@SamjohnJohn Well, if surrendering to an emperor (or Sultan) implies being loyal to that emperor then one should explain why pretty much all subjugated populations at some point claim their independence and cause the fall of the empires they initially accepted. It's something common to all empires, from the Egyptians, to the Romans, to the Ottoman, to the Zulu, to the Mayas and to the British. It's just how empires go. Orientalism is a very interesting book and full of inspiring points, but sadly it falls short of providing an objective analysis of sociological processes that are inherent in human nature as a way to make sense of the world (i.e. othering). All cultures apply a degree of orientalism to other cultures, in other to define what they are in relation to others. Cannot blame Said for the shortcomings though, he wrote in 1978 and not much had been studied back then! Interesting point you made though, thanks for it and for watching :)

[@SamjohnJohn]

Good point from you too. People do not seek independence or secession so long they have their rights and are accepted. Ottomans gave freedom to many millets and communities at a time when inquisition was taking place and indeed sultan Bayezid protected Jewish refugees of Spain and Portugal along with the Muslims. Arab legacy is still visible in Spanish language when they use the word dinero for gold coins in Arabic . What I meant when I said Arabs accepted ottoman rule was they did not rebel continuously and the clerics in Cairo accepted sultan selim as he was a Muslim. Nation can be formed from similar of anything whether it be language , physical looks , ideology or religion. Ottomans for the most part we’re accepted for the longest time as they gave religious freedom to minorities. Thank you for your response. Regards

[@SamjohnJohn]

About Edward said , his prime objective I think was to challenge the colonial narrative which was for the most part accepted as supreme and accurate. You are right about human nature and othering , indeed his book showed the colonial masters are humans and subject to human flaws. Good point from you .

[@diegokokoromamirou9680]

British and Italian accent not a good mix lol

[@nihownutin5425]

I love your knowledge and the taxi drivers are like this all over jordan 😂 sorry loved your video

[@spaghettistef]

Many thanks! I appreciate your comment 🙂🙂 Ahaha Yes! I noticed they are like that!! I don't blame them, they look for business... I would do exactly the same! 😅

[@dishankgulia816]

New blog bro

[@spaghettistef]

Coming soon! I’m travelling now but as soon as I’m back home I’ll start posting 😃

[@barryoneill7016]

You seem grumpy though the whole video...not my cup of tea !

[@spaghettistef]

You are 100% right, I WAS grumpy! That very morning I had a minor accident and had cuts and wounds all over my legs. That's probably why I was not in the best mood and didn't really enjoy Aqaba :(