travel

Over the weekend we had the chance for a quick getaway to Aqaba, which is down on the Red Sea. It's significantly hotter down there at sea level in the desert, it usually stays around 100F/40C. There's great scuba diving and snorkeling, although this time we just relaxed by the pool.

A few weeks ago we visited one of my favorite places in Jordan. Um Qays is the site of old Roman ruins, and in the spring time it is filled with wild flowers. From the site you can see the Sea of Galilee, as well as Syria and Israel.

Last week, or whenever it was that we were gone camping, we also spent the night in Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum is one of the most magical places I've ever visited. Wadi Rum is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a protected nature reserve. Made somewhat famous by Lawrence of Arabia, the 1962 movie was filmed there, as was the more recent film Prometheus. Dramatic rock formations surrounded by desert make for a stunning and alien location. When we go, we stay with a group of Bedouins who have opened up their tents to people wanting to get away from the hustle of daily life.

This last week we had the chance to get out of the city and do a little camping. We revisited several favorite places, and I thought this would be a good chance to get back to showing you around the great country of Jordan.

We spent two nights camping at the Wadi Dana nature preserve. The campsite is a little more than two hours from Amman.

To continue with our blog trip around Jordan (see the first stop here), the next stop is the Dead Sea.

For being such a small country, that is generally unknown to people who don't live here, Jordan has lots of really wonderful places to visit. So many, that I wasn't quite sure where to start. But I guess when you do have one of the 7 Wonders of the World, that's as good a place as any...

Somewhat surprisingly, Jordan has become one of the more significant countries in my home story. And since it's a pretty cool place that doesn't get a lot of attention, I thought it would be fun to write some about all the great places in this little country.

Disclaimer: Life is confusing because I both live in Jordan and am married to Jordan. I shall try my best to indicate which one I'm talking about. Also, I'm in no way an expert on life here, just sharing my own experiences.

I have always wanted to go for a balloon ride. It seemed like a magical thing to do, but I didn't think too seriously about it because it seemed like it would be a long time before we could actually afford it. So it was a little unreal when the travel agent not only offered us a balloon ride at sunrise over Luxor, but also offered a price we could justify. Since the revolution, Egypt has been struggling to bring in the number of tourists they are used to, which is unfortunate for them, but worked in our favor.

There are few things greater than exploring a place that's really old. And places don't really come much older than in Egypt.