The distance between Amman and Aqaba by the Red Sea is not that much. In theory, you should be able to drive down in a couple of hours. In practice, it takes you at least four hours. The main reason for the longer time is that there are hundred of check points on the roads leading south. The closer you drive the to Israeli border, the more check points will want you to stop so that they can search your car.
Stopping at check points is routine for anyone who lives in Jordan or is a regular visitor. The check point personnel stop all cars, no matter where the sticker on your car states that you are from. They ask you questions relating to your trip, work and personal details. They search your car, including the boot, and x-ray it thoroughly. During the process, the personnel maintain a very serious face and avoid eye-contact. Finally, the give you a hand signal that means that you can proceed with your trip.
When you are driving next to the Israeli border, check points are more frequent. There are also watch towers on the border, facing Jordan. The highway from Amman to the south is straight, right next to the border line, with another highway right on the other side of the border on the side of Israel. As you drive along, you can clearly see cars on the Israeli side. This proximity is contradictory to how hard it is to cross the border. You are so close, yet so far. One could try to run across the border, it would only take seconds. But it would also mean that a bullet would be fired at you.
Experiences like these give us Westerners a better way of understanding how it is when you are scrutinized for no reason, when you are held at a check point without any concrete evidence, how you are treated as if you are a criminal when you are not. It makes it easier for us to empathize with those who face such treatment on a daily basis.
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