Blogs from Jordan, Middle East - page 7

We were all exhausted from walking around Petra yesterday, so luckily we had a leisurely start. We left the town of Petra at 10 a.m. and drove through a really rugged part of Jordan. We just kept climbing past this rocky terrain until we topped out at about 5000 feet. Then we descended down to Wadi Rum, the next stop in our itinerary. We started in Amman in the north and went further north to Jerash, then to the Dead Sea. From there we continued south to Mt. Nebo, Madaba, and Petra. Now we are going to Wadi Rum and will continue to Aquaba tomorrow. Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم‎ Wādī Ramm), known also as the Valley of the Moon (Arabic: وادي القمر‎ i... read more

Unexpected things happen when you travel. Today we were supposed to go to Karak as our 3rd visit, but there are demonstrations and GAdventures felt it was too dangerous for us to go. The demonstrations were due to the plan to move the bus station from the inside to the outside which would affect all the merchants and their income. The crowds were supposedly controlled with tear gas. I can't find any news about it. Our first stop was to Mt. Nebo, the spot where Moses was told where the Holy Land is, and this is where he died. According to the final chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses ascended Mount Nebo to view the Land of Canaan, which God had said he would not enter; he died in Moab.url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wik... read more

Last night we had our farewell dinner. Hard to believe the Egypt part of the tour is over. Khaled asked us to talk about what we liked about the tour and suggestions. I really appreciated how passionate Khaled is about his country, and he would discuss anything with us, not just sightseeing things. I appreciated his attention to detail to constantly be calling bus driver, the boat, the felucca, our train tickets, our flight tickets, showing us where to get money, taught us how to haggle in the market, where to buy water. He was always there to help us. I came for the Pyramids and Sphinx, and got alot more. My only suggestion was a handout with a list of the Gods that he talked about because I got confused even though I read about ... read more

‘Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’ did for Petra what ‘The Sound of Music’ did for Salzburg, but with less nuns. The image of Harrison Ford galloping through the narrow canyon to arrive at the Treasury Building is an iconic one. Petra is one of those occasions when a movie set exists in real life. The gorge, properly called ‘The Siq’, is over a kilometre in length and, at times, is only three metres wide. It feels like a secret passage to hidden kingdom; because that’s what it is. At its end, quite by surprise, you emerge into an open space and the Treasury Building towers majestically above you. A wonderful, natural phenomenon gives way to a stunning human masterpiece. The design was intended to impress a traveller entering the city; it still does. For years, ... read more

So as always for any trip I make a list of last-minute things I have to do...buy extra batteries, get snacks, make sure my family has what they need while I’m away, etc. Terry drove me to New Martinsville, was helping me out, and would also take my car home once I linked up with the rest of the group. While waiting at the plaza we learned Randy, Diane, and Debbie were in a fender bender at McDonald’s. It caused a lot of excitement and delayed our departure to Pittsburgh. Once they arrived, we loaded up and had an uneventful trip to the airport. We were later than we planned but we had plenty of time. Debbie and I were the first the check in with our bags. I dug through my purse...no passport. I dug ... read more