Blogs from Jordan, Middle East

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Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra November 20th 2023

From the small town of Wadi Musa we travelled a short distance to Little Petra. It was an interesting introduction to the area. Here we found the old Nabataean structures which had been dug out of the sides of the canyon. These included a collection systems, steps and "shops" . He last section of the area involved a short but steep set of stairs which was an introductory test to the main Petra site. Next day up early to visit Petra. The first section, about 2.5 km long is through the Siq or narrow canyon. So interesting seeing the variety of carvings. Finally a glimpse of the Treasury! Astounding in size. Petra is much bigger than I imagined. Over the day, we walked about 16 km because we went up the 850 steps to the Monastery. ... read more
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Middle East » Jordan » South » Wadi Rum November 17th 2023

We started our trip in the capital Amman but headed by bus south to the red desert of Wadi Rum, about 4 hours. There we drove around in the back of an open jeep whilst admiring the steep hillsides. We took a short walk through a canyon which had evidence of Nabataean carvings. A steep climb up a sandhills afforded us spectacular views. The evening was spent around a fire with a traditional Bedouin meal cooked in the ground under coals. Our accommodation was in a very smart Bedouin tent with a sky full of bright stars. Next morning our fellow travellers took an uncomfortable ride on some camels. We then travelled to the Red Sea to the city of Aqaba. We visited the old fortress and spent the day on a boat which allowed us ... read more
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Middle East » Jordan October 8th 2023

I put a deposit down on an apartment in Tel Aviv for the month of November with the idea I would leisurely find my way from Egypt to Israel via Jordan and Lebanon. When Hamas kicked the Israeli hornet nest on October 7th, I was in Luxor, and I suddenly had to scramble to enact a plan B. As any seasoned traveler knows. You have to be ready to pivot your itinerary at a moment's notice when something unexpected happens. In my case, ugly War. What do the kids say nowadays? NBD. No Big Deal. Guilty confession. I ate road nuggets at the Cairo airport Maccas. Cardboard ones. I had deemed them necessary amongst the chaos and uncertainty. From Cairo, I flew Royal Jordanian to Amman, Jordan. My ticket said economy, but after being presented with ... read more
Shop Keepers
The Great Float
Desert Glamping

Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra June 21st 2023

Today we visit Petra, a UNESCO World heritage site. Petra, like many other places on our tour required some preparation, so let’s start there. It is HOT in the Middle East in June, July, and August. In fact, the tourist season is winding down by June because it is HOT. September and October are great months to go. November and December as well as January and February are the wet season. In the high mountain areas it will snow! So the best time to go is late March through early June. Shoes. A word about shoes. You are not here to impress anyone if you are on tour so leave those dress shoes home. They add weight and are not at all necessary. Your best friend will be a good pair (I prefer 2) of walking ... read more

Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman June 21st 2023

On June 19 we left our Glamping compound for the dreaded long day in a bus. There comes a day in every tour that no matter where you are going there is one terrible day spent traveling. If you recall, we started our tour in Amman in the north of Jordan and traveled ever south to Petra. We had many stops along the way so the travel was not bad...but the reverse was not so much. We were in Petra and our evening destination was the Dead Sea Resort hotel (Holiday Inn) for 7 of us; while the rest of the travelers were heading to Amman to board flights home, or to continue with another tour. Many continuing on were Aussies! Australians have a thing that their country is so far away, about 24 hours to ... read more

Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra June 18th 2023

I apologize as I am a full day behind in the blog, but we traveled so long and saw so much that when I got to the hotel at 10:30 PM (we started at 8:30 AM) I was bushed and went right to sleep. Today we started out on the bus and headed towards Petra. Our first stop along the King's Highway was the city of Madaba. This is a very ancient city and boasts two major sites, The Greek Orthodox Church and Mt Nebo. The church is dedicated to St. George who slew the dragon. The current church is from the 18th century. The church was built on the site of a Byzantine Church from 560 AD. Although the church is relatively new, the builders uncovered a mosaic floor of profound importance. It was not ... read more

Middle East » Jordan » North » Jerash June 16th 2023

Let's start tonight with a little comment on Touring Etiquette, shall we? Touring is very different from vacationing. With a vacation, you are in charge. You can do what you want when you want and for how long. You travel how you want and, basically, you are in total control. Not so in touring. When you are on a tour you are part of a whole, meaning if you are late, or you get lost or you want to stay longer someplace, you are disrupting everyone else on the tour. Your actions have consequences not only for you but for everyone else. If you are part of a tour, LISTEN to your tour guide. BE PUNCTUAL (meaning showing up at the bus or for a meal 5 minutes before time. PAY ATTENTION to directions from your ... read more

Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman June 15th 2023

Today we leave Israel and head to Aman for our final 6 days of touring. Out of the original 25 travelers, we were reduced to 6 traveling on to Jordan. We arrived at the hotel lobby before 9 AM expecting to see Khadar, who said he would introduce us to our new driver. Well, no Khadar and no new driver. By 9:15 we were a little concerned. One of our members spied a large white van sitting outside all morning and she decided to see if that was our van....It was! We were off to a bit of a rocky start. It was about 90 minutes to the border with Jordan and that went well, that is until we got to the crossing. No one had prepared us for exactly what we were supposed to do. ... read more

Middle East » Jordan » North » Amman January 14th 2023

We have been back just over three weeks, but my mind keeps wandering back to the epic landscapes and vivid history of our family trip to Jordan and Egypt. Over 16 days, we completed a whirlwind tour of both countries seeing many of the most famous sights and leaving us eager to return and see more of both countries in the future. On a bright note, Riley did really well on the trip with almost no other kids to interact with! He made friends with our fellow tourists over the two weeks. After a gruelling 24 hour set of flights from Vancouver to Calgary to Frankfurt to Amman, we arrived late in the day on January 7, were greeted by a local guide and taken to our hotel. The next morning, we were up bright and ... read more
Richard at Jerash
Southern Theatre at Jerash
Temple of Hercules at Jerash

Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra November 24th 2022

First off, Happy Thanksgiving! No turkey for us, but we are so thankful for all we have, including our wonderful family and friends. It seems like all roads lead to Petra, which is the biggest draw to Jordan. No matter that there are so many things to see and experience, it is always Petra. And today we get to find out why. I do feel that no matter what I write, it can't adequately describe the overall experience. There is just so much history and information, so anyone reading this will have to google to get the details. We had gotten advice from some fellow travelers while at the Dead Sea, that we should plan to leave the hotel by 7a to beat the tour busses. So, that is what we did. Our taxi driver was ... read more
Loving Jordan
The Treasury
The Treasury




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