Blogs from Jordan, Middle East

Our friends were leaving at 4.30 in the morning today. We had all been due to fly back on Friday, but that flight had been cancelled, presumably because of the lack of demand, They had got an alternative flight back today, but we were unable to get one until tomorrow. Never mind, it's hardly a hardship having to stay here another day! It was sad not to be coming back together though. We said our goodbyes last night - close friends as we are, we're not going to be up at 4.30 to see them off. In some ways, we were grateful that the Friday flight had been cancelled, otherwise we would have arrived late on Thursday (see ) and then rushed to get in a quick swim in the Dead Sea before getting an early ... read more

It was, again, a very early start, as we needed to get to breakfast and be waiting at the hotel reception for a guide at 7.30 ready for our Petra tour. This time it wasn't Achmed, but a man called Khamal, who's obviously used to the British grasp of names and languages and was keen to stress that his name isn't Camel. We have been making some effort with Arabic, although those efforts have, so far, only stretched to "Salam" ("hello"), "Sabah El Khair" ("good morning") and "Shikran" ("thank you"). Khamal also introduced us to "Yalla Yalla", which means "get a move on". We were a bit dismayed to see all the coaches parked outside the Petra entrance. It's clearly going to be busy in there! Something that was also parked outside was the tourist police, ... read more

This day actually started with a continuation of the day before. Our flight left Heathrow in the early evening, but that meant, with the two hour time difference, that we did not actually arrive in Amman until 1.30 in the morning. Definitely not the most sociable of times to arrive in a new country. Thankfully, we were being met at the airport and we were surprised to discover that meant being met before we went through immigration. We had understood that the visas were being arranged for us on arrival and we were wondering how they were planning on doing that, so all became clear. That said, it was very disconcerting when someone we had only just met took our passports and disappeared, apparently to go and get an additional stamp. All was good. He then ... read more

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

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