Planning/Itinerary -
Birthdays -
Travel Agent -
History of Jordan -
History of Petra -
Dead Sea Overview -
Daily Photos
Trip Planning
As you can see, I have been celebrating my last four birthdays
in many different countries. Virginia and I celebrated my 75th birthday on a cruise to Jamaica and the Grand Cayman Islands. I celebrated my 76th birthday in Portugal. Virginia and I took another cruise to Indonesia and Singapore to celebrate my 77th birthday and finally we celebrated my 78th birthday on a cruise to Sicily, Algeria and Spain. And now in 2019, we want to celebrate my
79th birthday traveling around Jordan, visit Petra and have tea in a Bedouin tent! Maybe a swim in the Dead Sea!
Virginia and I were thinking about a cruise for my
79th birthday through the southern Caribbean but she sent me a link to a trip to Jordan and Petra. When I was in Egypt I flew back to Cairo from Aswan and looked east toward Jordan and Petra but didn't have time to go there. Maybe I will make it this time! Well I made arrangement with my travel agent to go on the trip.
It is only an 8 day trip but no single supplement, breakfast and dinner included with wine! We will visit the capital Amman, see other locations in Jordan, then drive to Petra and finally a day at the Dead Sea, staying at the top Mariott Hotels.
Virginia told me she wanted to go with me and I said to ask my Travel Agent Viviane, if she could try and arrange for her to go on the trip with me for my birthday. Viviane is working on the trip to include Virginia if possible. Good news, Viviane was able to book Virginia on the same trip to Jordan!
Personal Travel Agent - Viviane Tondeur
Chuck, it looks like you're going to cross off 2 of my bucket lists. Petra and transatlantic crossing. I'm jealous! If any of this sounds good to you, I'll be happy to research prices and special promotions.
Note: So far our travel agent found a room with a balcony on the Queen Mary 2 for around $1,369 per person on a return cruise, such a deal!
Please contact my travel agent, Viviane Tondeur, for help in setting up trips and getting the best deals possible.
Read More about My Travel Agent.......
Travel Agent's Overview of the Jordan Trip
You will hit all the Jordan must-sees: Amman, one of the world's oldest cities; Jerash, an ancient Greco-Roman city; Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World; and the Dead Sea.
Activities include sipping tea in a Bedouin tent and a four-wheel drive in the desert of Wadi Rum.
Stay in upscale hotels throughout with daily breakfast and dinner.
Includes: Roundtrip airfare from the U.S. to Jordan; 6 nights' accommodations; breakfast daily; six 3-course dinners with wine; sightseeing per itinerary; English-speaking guide; and all transportation.
Visa Requirements for Jordan
Note: Be sure to read all the requirements for your Passport and the Visa needed to visit Jordan. I bought mine at the Amman Airport for $60.00 American Dollars
Read More about Passport & Visa Requirments.......
Overview of Jordan's Weather
Jordan's Weather for February and Seasons.......
Globus Airline Reservations and Documents
Airline Reservations.......
Brief History of Jordan and a Map
History of Jordan refers to the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the background period of the Emirate of Transjordan under British protectorate as well as the general history of the region of Transjordan.
There is evidence of human activity in Transjordan as early as the Paleolithic period. The area was settled by nomadic tribes in the Bronze Age, which consolidated in small kingdoms during the Iron Age - such as the Edomites and Ammonites, with partial areas controlled by the Israelites. In the classic period, Transjordan came under Greek and later Roman influence.
Read More...
History of Petra
Carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was "lost" to the Western world for hundreds of years.
Located amid rugged desert canyons and mountains in what is now the southwestern corner of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106.
Read More...
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. Its surface and shores are 430.5 metres (1,412 ft) below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 304 m (997 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. With a salinity of 342 g/kg, or 34.2%, (in 2011), it is 9.6 times as salty as the ocean and one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which plants and animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea's main, northern basin is 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and 15 kilometres (9 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
Read More...
Chuck's Travels over the Water Ways
I have been fortunately able to almost go on almost all of the major rivers, oceans, seas and so on. I will perhaps do a float in the Dead Sea! Or try to! Click on this link if you want to view photos of myself as I sail around the world on rivers like the Nile, Amazon, Yantze, Mississippi, Atlantic, Pacific, and other water ways!
Check me out!...
Day 1 Flying from San Francisco to Amman Jordan.
A beautiful morning view of San Francisco from my apartment as I leave for the airport!
Arrive at Amman Airport and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. Enjoy this evening’s welcome dinner with your traveling companions, hosted by your Tour Director and review the itinerary. (Dinner)
Jordan is 85 percent desert. Three million live in Amman, almost all the citizens of Jordan! There is no bus or subway system so everyone either walks or drives a car! It was very strange and there also currently a million Syrians living in Amman without jobs.
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Day 2 Amman, Excursion to Jerash & Umm Qais
Start this morning with guided city sightseeing of Amman and a visit to the ROMAN AMPHITHEATER.
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Ruins in the middle of Amman.
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Some of the oldest sculptures in the world - 8,500 years ago and a bread baking vessel.
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Day 2 Excursion to Jerash & Umm Qais
Excursion to Jerash, which was inhabited as early as 3200 BC. Although the city was impacted by the earthquake of 749 AD, it is the site of the best preserved Greco-Roman ruins in the Middle East. Next, stop in Umm Qais, site of the Gadarene swine miracle. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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An unbelievable view of the ruins from the top of the nearest hill!
We sat out on the balcony and was treated as royalty by the staff. We, of course, acted up for them!
Day 3 Amman-Wadi Rum-Petra
An exciting visit to Wadi Rum is on the program today. Wadi Rum is the largest wadi (ravine) in Jordan and made eternally famous through the movie Lawrence of Arabia. Enjoy spectacular FOUR-WHEELING through the sand dunes and receive a keffiyeh, a local headscarf. Continue to the “Rose-Red City” of Petra, where you can relax at your hotel this evening or explore the ancient city. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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Day 4 Petra
Full day of guided sightseeing in Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®. Lost to the world for centuries, it is located in the biblical land of Moab. Enjoy an unforgettable experience as you walk down the SIQ, the narrow gorge made famous in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Stand in awe in front of the iconic and famed TREASURY. You’ll see spectacular temples and tombs created out of the rose-colored sandstone, and sip tea in a real BEDOUIN TENT. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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It is 1.2 miles from the visitor's center to the Treasury over a very rought stones.
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Chuck, lots of camels and Jordanian Security!
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It is another mile from the Treasury to more tombs and Roman ruins.
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Lots of horses, mules and camels for tourists to ride, plus the carriages that are a ride in them selves!
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Original clay pipes used to transport water to Petra. Enjoying a cup of coffee after a long walk!
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Day 5 Petra-Kerak-Wadi Mujib-Dead Sea
This morning features Kerak, with a visit to the CRUSADER CASTLE and Wadi Mujib, the “Jordanian Grand Canyon.” Continue to your hotel at the Dead Sea for your 2-night stay. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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The large rocks on the base was a Jewish Temple. The Crusaders built the fort on top of the temple's base!
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Local Shops Along the Way
Great African Rift - From Africa to Jordan, Ending up in Turkey
Sheep and Goat Herders
Day 6 Dead Sea - Madaba - Mount Nebo and Bethany
A fascinating day awaits! Stop in Madaba to visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, which houses a precious 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land. Also explore the MADABA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM. Today’s major highlight is a visit to MOUNT NEBO, where Moses saw the Promised Land. Next is Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Christians believe that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Return to the Dead Sea to enjoy a farewell dinner with your traveling companions to celebrate an unforgettable journey. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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One of the oldest maps with the Holy Land on the left and Egypt on the right.
Madaba Archaeological Museum
Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land
Locals being trained in the art of Mosaics
The local community has a program to train young people the art of mosaics. They take a cotton cloth and draw the outline of the design to be created by the placing of small stones. They make a glue by using flour and water, a liguid glue. The stones come from a manufacturing company in Amman that creates counter tops from marble and other stone. The left over stone is cut into long thin sections and the artists use a pliers to cut the stones into shapes. The shapes are dipped in the glue and tweasers are used to place the stone in the correct postition. The flat portion of the stone is face down on the cloth, the rought side is up. When the project is finished the design is held onto the cloth by the glue. A frame of wood or metal is created and is about an inch deep, then it is filled with grout. The cloth and stone work is placed on top of the grout and left to dry, it may take several days. Then the cloth is taken off the stone and the surface is polished. If the finished product is to be put on a wall or displayed someplace else, nothing is done to it. But the surface is to be used on table tops and so on, are painted with a laquer to ensure the grout will not be stained by coffee, tea or wine. We were told shipping is free for any product sold at this establishment, including rugs and so on.
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Bethany Beyond the Jordan - baptized by John the Baptist
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Multiple Churches are built or being built overlooking the Jordan River
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The Sea of Galilee - Golan Heights - Lebanon - Syria
On the left photo in the distance is the Sea of Galilee. Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. The lake is fed partly by underground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south.
The photo on the right shows the Golan Heights as green hills. The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, has a political and strategic significance which belies its size. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. Most of the Syrian Arab inhabitants fled the area during the conflict.
Far in the distance on the right is Lebonan and farther on to the right is Syria. On a clear day one can see the mountains in three countries.
The Dead Sea
Day 7 Breakfast and Drive to the Amman Airport
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning (the nearest airport is Amman). (Breakfast)
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Five Star Mariotte Hotels, cocktails on our private balcony, fine dining and a great spa!
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Day 8 Home on the 28th floor of Villa Buntjer after touring Jordan
Created on: 2017.08.15
Updated on: 2019.02.18
