Blogs from North, Jordan, Middle East - page 4

Skipping ahead in the journey sequence. I'm now hopelessly behind schedule because of so many days without internet. The current hotel is one more nail in that coffin. I cannot catch up.... but I also can't wait to talk about the most amazing fabulous surprise I had at my hotel in Amman, Jordan. So I'll jump ahead to that story. Four days ago. Most of that day was spent on the onward journey, at airports, flying from Luxor to Cairo then Cairo to Amman. I was sorry to leave Egypt. I wrote my love letter while waiting at the airport in Cairo. Then I set my eyes on Jordan and the adventures waiting there. Largely unplanned, without the rigorous schedule of sightseeing I'd set myself for Egypt, Jordan would just unfold So I'm at the hotel ... read more

Jordan is a land rich in epic scenery, world heritage sites, and natural wonders. It is also a spiritual heartland; a land blessed with a rich religious history. It is a land that inspired prophets and formed the spiritual backdrop for God’s covenants. Over the next four days, we will visit sites where modern day miracles happened, trek along pilgrimage routes mentioned in the Old Testament, take in views of the Promised Land revealed to Moses, visit the site where John baptized Jesus, see where Elijah ascended into heaven on a Chariot of Fire, and stop to enjoy the tranquil scenery where Jacob wrestled with an angel. Remarkably, the landscape in Jordan has changed little in the last 2,000 years. Today we ventured north of Jordan’s capital to Anjara, Jerash, Tell Mar Elias & the Jabbok ... read more

As one of the wonders of the modern world and an icon to fans of the movie Indiana Jones, the Treasury in Petra is clearly at the top of most travel wish lists. So when the decision to go to Jordan was made, my friend Kevin who is a huge Indiana Jones fan, was the most logical choice to be my travel partner. We had a long 10 hour flight on American Airlines to London where we then had a 4 hour layover before connecting to Amman, Jordan on Royal Jordanian Airlines. Arriving just before midnight, clearing customs and immigration was a slow process but while in line, I meet a guy named Josh from London who just so happens to be doing a similar tour around Jordan but with G Adventures. Finally clearing customs, the ... read more

We enjoyed breakfast in the hotel this morning at 7:30 with our fellow travellers Meredith and Graham, then met Mohammed (not our trip leader Mohammed, but a different Mohammed, who is from the tour company we booked our day tour of Amman with). There was some confusion at the start as he didn't seem to know what our tour was supposed to include. We booked a day tour of Amman with a company called Green Olive Tours, who evidently subcontracted with a local company called Discover Jordan, and there was a lack of communication between the two companies, because what Mohammed described was not what we had booked. Mohammed was just a driver, not a guide, and our tour was supposed to include a guide. Susan got Mohammed to call his boss at Discover Jordan and ... read more

Geo: 30.5852, 36.2384Met the group last night. A nice mix of folks from everywhere from Tasmania to the U.S. Once again a well traveled group and all fairly young (compared to me:).Jordan is very interesting. A population of around 8 million plus about 5 million Palestinian refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars and more recently about 2 million Syrian refugees. There is also a large Egyptian population, many have come because they can get jobs here. The refugees are a huge burden on the Jordanian economy although they get funding from the U.S., Israel, Britain and a few other countries. We have a packed itinerary today but return to Amman for one more night before heading south to Petra and then to the Red Sea. Hopefully the weather will improve so we can go snorkeling.Today ... read more