Blogs from Jordan, Middle East - page 2

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

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

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

In the fancy tent, the beds were super comfy and nice bedding, which should have made for a restful evening. Ken took advantage and slept all night, which is amazing for him. Me, not so much. This was one of those rare nights where sleep just wasn’t happening. Oh well…I was snug in bed and got a bit of reading done, before just relaxing and hoping for some snoozing. As we were doing a sunrise camel ride, it was up and at the reception area at 630a. Along with 10 others, we wandered in the barely dawn light down the path to our trusty camels. My camel, FouFou was quite chatty and wanted to talk to everyone, kind of between a horse whinnie and a cow moo that is quite comical. She was also enamored with ... read more

Sunshine dawned and this is a hang-day for us at the Dead Sea Marriott. Car is safely stowed, pools ready to be used and the big activity….MUD and SALT. More on that in a bit, as we had to enjoy the breakfast with lots of choices, including fresh fruit, fresh vegis and of course local food that is fresh and tasty. Ken is even venturing into the local fare and not complaining that “this isn’t breakfast food!”. Ok, salad and grilled vegis are not normally on the day-to-day breakfast menu, but you gotta admit it is healthier than most “normal” breakfast foods. Now, it was time to head for the beach and check out the mud and float in the sea. Down the paved path, down the stone stairs and soon we were at the private ... read more