By Angus Reed

During the summer of 2019, my girlfriend Jasmin and I spent one month traveling and hitchhiking through Jordan.

We journeyed from the south to the north, starting in Aqaba, the city on the Red Sea, and finishing in Umm Qais, a small village straddling the borders of Israel and Syria.

I’d always been interested to visit this region of the world, but admittedly, I knew little about the culture or the way of life in Jordan.

I had few expectations as the only pictures I had previously seen from Jordan were the ones you see all over Instagram from the tourist hotspots like Petra and Wadi Rum. In fact, I think I did create somewhat of an image in my mind before arriving: that the whole country was going to be one huge expanse of red desert.

Boy, was I wrong!

While Jordan’s varied landscapes took me by surprise, it was the people we met and the incredible generosity we experienced throughout our trip that impacted me the most. Hitchhiking meant that every day was an adventure. If we wanted to go somewhere, we had to put ourselves at the mercy of the kindness of strangers — and kindness we received.

We spent hours standing on the side of a dusty road with our heavy backpacks on, thumbs in the air. Jasmin and I reassured each other, “The right person would come along.” And they always did. Many rides led to visiting family homes and being introduced to parents, siblings, and children. Sometimes, we’d stop along the way and share a meal or a steaming cup of Arabic coffee together in spots only a local would know about. If we offered to pay, our new friends would refuse, almost as if we were insulting them.

This was the true Arabic hospitality that we’d heard so much about… I’ve never felt so immersed in it in other places as I have in Jordan.

the following photo essay tries to capture the spirit of Jordan and the people that make it so beautiful. enjoy!

Overlooking the sand-colored buildings of Umm Qais, the minaret of the town’s central mosque stands tall above all.

Purple thistles bloom alongside a road in the empty surroundings of Umm Qais.

in a small village we hiked to near umm qais, we MET EXCITED KIDS AND, AT ONE POINT, were surrounded by dozens of people.

The friends of our rental apartment’s owner treated US to a MEAL ON OUR SECOND NIGHT IN SOUF.

A SHEPHERD in the hills of Souf treatED us to tea with fresh zaatar, brewed over a fire which he made in about ten seconds.

Street art flourishes in Amman.

We bought some of the best dates I’ve tasted in my life in this lively souk in Amman.

12TH-CENTURY Karak Castle sits precariously on A dry cliff edge.

A man with his SNACKS SMILES on the streets of Karak.

Abdul, a friend of our couch-surfing host and a Syrian refugee, LEFT his home in 2011. HE is one of the most generous people I’ve ever met.

for iftar (the first meal to break fast during Ramadan), abdul treated us to hummus, moutabal (roasted eggplant spread) and tahini.

Mohammed Al Malaheem, also knowN as Abu Ali, IS the owner of the WORLD’S smallest hotel.

Abu Ali decided to turn his OLD VOLKSWAGEN into a hotel to draw tourists TO his village, Al Jaya, located in a deserted region of JORDAN.

Treasures ABOUND inside the cave home/lobby of the “smallest hotel in the world”.

I won’t forget the warmth and generosity of the Jordanians we encountered from so many different walks of life. Doctors, shepherds, truck drivers and refugees — they all welcomed us with open arms.

I look forward to the day when I can go back and visit Jordan again. In the meantime, my door is always open and I’m ready to return the favor.

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Angus is an aspiring travel documentary photographer from Adelaide, South Australia. During the course of his first big backpacking trip in 2018 and 2019, he fell in love with capturing scenes of daily life and searching out authentic cultural experiences. The world has called to him since a young age, and now he’s finally picked up the phone. To follow along with his journey and see previous work, you can visit him on Instagram.