Salaam Alaikum (Peace be upon you)

 Our 14 guest group swelled to 15 upon arriving in Jordan, with 4 out and 5 more in, including our oldest daughter who flew in from Switzerland. We also met our new CEO (Chief Experience Officer) who provided a bit of humour along with his history lessons. On our first full day, we drove from Amman to Jerash, one of the largest and most well-preserved Roman ruins (2nd century) outside of Italy. It took us a half day to wander around the large site which included 2 main temples, 3 amphitheatres, a main street with shops and much more. After that we drove over to the Dead Sea (430 metres below sea level)  for a unique visit. We floated in the sea....it was hard to do anything else in the heavily salted water. Pails of mud were also available for us to coat ourselves in mud, believed to have medicinal and therapeutic benefits. There was also time to lay in a lounger and worship the sun god, Ra. Unfortunately, the Dead Sea is losing a metre of water every year and could disappear within 50 years if changes are not made.

The next full day included visits to Mount Nebo (Moses' death), Madaba (Byzantine mosaics) and the well constructed Karak Castle (built by the Crusaders and where several battles took place). We finished off the day at Little Petra, allowing us to visit the main Petra site at 6 am the following morning for an 8 hour walkabout. While it was amazing to see the Little Petra's buildings hollowed out of limestone cliffs, the main event was 10 times better. We seemed to walk forever along a narrow, slot canyon with impressive stone  temples, tombs and monuments, carved into the sandstone walls on both sides. The walkway was also used by caravan groups passing through the area who also spent overnights there and goods were traded between both parties. The highlights were the Treasury (used in an Indiana Jones movie) and the Monastery (800 stone steps which took 8 kilometres to reach). Another 15 minute walk led to an observation point where the deep canyon below could be observed. Petra was our Jordan highlight.

From Petra, we drove further south to Wadi Rum. The southern part of the country is full of sandstone and granite mountains with a very rocky soil, making it pretty much inhabitable. As a result over 90% of the Jordanian population lives in less than 10% of the country (primarily in the NW). The Wadi Rum region has a few rocky hills but mostly a desert landscape. That led to a day roaming around the desert in a 4x4 jeep, recreating Star Wars scenes, followed by an overnight stay in a Bedouin camp. Our indigenous hosts baked a traditional underground (sand covered) feast for us, that we thought was our best meal of the 2 week tour. With no city lights around our small encampment, the sky put on an impressive night show for us, with more stars than anyone could ever count.

Our next stop was Aqaba, a Red Sea resort city, that was within 20 km's of the borders of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt......leading to all vehicles being stopped at a highway checkpoint heading north, for a security check. My better half, and daughter, opted for a snorkeling trip to a Red Sea reef. I preferred a walkabout, visiting some of the city highlights, including the Sherif al-Hussein Mosque (visitors welcome), the Mamluk Castle (16th century) and stroll along a popular beach.  On our final day we made the 4 hour drive back to Amman, our Jordan starting point. We made a short stop along the way to visit Safi Kitchen, a non-profit agency supported by G Adventures. Their goal is to preserve the local culture and they use disadvantaged locals to help promote the cause. A farewell dinner was held that night as we bid goodbye to our tiny community that developed over the past 2 weeks. It also meant the end of our second encounter with our first born who was returning home to her Swiss partner and job. Fortunately, we will get to see them both, when we visit them in their home city at the end of the week. In the meantime, the two of us will get to relax for a few days in Paris where we will have a light schedule during our return visit.

Summing up our 2 week Egypt - Jordan adventure, we preferred our time in Jordan over Egypt. While both had amazing ancient history and ruins, Jordan offered more activities diversity. There were visits to the Red Sea and Dead Sea, Mount Nebo, the Bedouin desert camp and even a Turkish bath. Jordan's better economy resulted in less street garbage and much less aggressive touts than Egypt, creating a safer environment for travelers. In the end we were still glad to have experienced both countries.

The well preserved Roman ruins at Jerash. This picture was taken from the Temple of Zeus and an amphitheatre next to it. Beyond the Oval Palace in the centre, the ruins continued for at least another kilometre, with more temples, palaces and amphitheatres.

Floating in the Dead Sea, something everyone can do whether you want to or not. It was a weird experience since it was even difficult to lower your feet to the seabed unless you were close to shore.

The view from the top of Mount Nebo. According to the Bible, it was where Moses lived out his final days and was granted a view of the Promised Land before he died. I hope the 'promised land' he observed had a lot of golf courses and sandy beaches.

The Treasury at the Petra ruins. All of the structures there were carved into the sandstone walls. We were told that they were all created starting from the very top and working down. The masons were definitely underpaid for their incredible efforts which took years to complete.

The Royal Tombs where the Kings were buried. The Urn Temple on the right still had remnants of a ceiling painting. The tombs were situated away from the main road at the bottom of the valley, where caravans traveled between countries, trading their goods.

The Monastery at the Petra site. It was situated high above the ancient city which over 2,000 years ago had 25,000 in habitants. It was a good trek to reach there, climbing the 800 rock stairs. You also had to watch carefully for the donkeys carrying passengers who preferred that method.

A natural bridge in the Wadi Rum desert. Our group climbed on top of the bridge for a group photo. The climb up was easier than the scramble down.

Our Bedouin 'zarb' dinner feast. As we watched, the sand on top was cleared and then a carpet and metal cover, covering the food container was removed.  Two Bedouins then hauled the food up which had been contained inside metal tubing. The original method was to surround the food with stones and palm leaves, and use the earth's oven.

The top deck of the yacht that was used for the Red Sea snorkel and dive trip. The marina was definitely built in one of the nicest parts of Aqaba, reflected by the nearby homes and buildings. Two members of our group did a deep dive to the 'museum' where jeeps, tanks and even an airplane had been planted on the sea floor.

We were taken to a special Amman restaurant for our farewell dinner at the end of our tour. This was the appies platter, intended for 4-5 people. The main platter that followed had just as much food, including chicken, beef and lamb. A smaller dessert serving finished off a meal that left on one hungry.