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Tours Secretary Sally Reeves writes .  .  . 

I had wonderful backup from Heritage Travel with lots of information of what to do in an emergency - none of it needed. Similarly, Karma Tours in Amman telephoned me on several occasions to check that all was well. Our guide Zaid was a star, his knowledge of his country was huge, and on our long coach journeys we were able to discuss local politics, religion, history, geography, archaeology, women's rights, and his family life. He was able to think on his feet and adjusted the itinerary to suit us. He took us to Little Petra in the late afternoon as the sun was going down the day before visiting Petra itself. It was wonderfully atmospheric to go into the caves and to see the frescoes, even if Caroline was disappointed that there was no wine left in the Nabatean winery, and it prepared us for the main event the next day.

When the coach drove into the car park there was one other coach there. We were very fortunate to be in Jordan this year as there were so few tourists in all the places that we visited, although we felt very sorry for the Jordanians trying to make a living from tourism. Entering the narrow deep and sunless gorge known as the Siq was exciting and we wended our way slowly downhill with Zaid pointing out various points of interest in the shadowed passage. Just before the end of the Siq Zaid made us get into two lines, hand on the shoulder of the person in front, eyes shut, slowly walking forward to a count to ten and we opened our eyes to a blaze of light, a complete contrast to what we had been experiencing for the last twenty minutes, with the narrow cliffs framing the pink columns of a huge building, bathed in brilliant sunshine. This then, was The Treasury we had been told about, and what we had been so looking forward to seeing. I, for one, found the sight to be very moving, and even more magnificent than I had expected. The whole place was fascinating and we had a memorable day learning about the history and people of Petra - not to mention the camel, donkey, carriage and pony rides!

There is of course, a great deal more I could talk about. The Crusader castles, the churches, the Roman remains, the evidence of thousands of years of civilizations that have influenced our world. Everywhere we went we were accompanied most discreetly by a handsome young tourist policeman with a revolver on his belt. We did not feel threatened anywhere. John, the driver, seemed to have a friend at every stopping place who could sell us food if necessary, and helped escort ladies through the busy traffic when crossing the road. All three hotels were very good and the staff friendly and helpful. The transfers went smoothly; each hotel different, and there were no complaints. For our final stay the Dead Sea provided a wonderful backdrop to our drinks on the terrace on our last night. During the day most of us were slathered in sticky black mud and then floated in the sea, prior to a swim in one of the several Marriott pools (after a shower, of course). A wonderful tour enjoyed by all.
                                                               Sally

Click Here to see the gallery of photos taken by Alberto Fernandes