DAY ONE

DEPARTURE

I flew from Heathrow with Royal Jordanian to Amman. On arrival, we were met by a Wendy Wu Representative who guided us seamlessly through the airport. He took us past the Visa queue, and we handed in our passports, recovered our cases, and met up with him again. With the stamps in the passports, we were transported to the hotel, which took 40 minutes on an air-conditioned coach.

DAY TWO

JERASH RUINS

After breakfast, we met Oria, our guide for the week, who took us to Jerash Ruins, which had amazing streets, amphitheatres and temples.

We entered through Hadrian's Gate, and bagpipes played in the amphitheatre, which would have held 3000 people. The acoustics were amazing.

We had lunch at the best Lebanese Restaurant in Jerash. There was plenty of food: hummus, bread, stuffed vine leaves, falafel, salads, chips, and a mixed grill.

After lunch, we headed to the old part of Amman and visited the Citadel. From here, we had great views over the city and down to the amphitheatre, which held over 6,000 people.

I returned to the hotel to change for dinner which was at a restaurant on Rainbow Street. The food consisted of three types of salad: steak and chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables and a range of cakes for dessert.

DAY THREE

MOUNT NEBO

Mount Nebo was our first stop of the day. It is the place where Moses was shown the promised land. The Franciscan Monks look after it, and the grounds and church are beautifully kept. Pope John Paul II visited, and an olive tree was planted to commemorate the Christian trail. The beautiful mosaics in the church were all restored. The original was on the floor, and the one they had previously covered it with was on the wall. The whole area brought a calm over you and was so peaceful.

We had a short stop at a mosaic shop to show the old craft of making mosaics with the chance to buy a souvenir.

Our next stop was Madaba, where we visited St George's Church (Church of the Map). This is the oldest Map of Palestine, Showing Jerusalem, Gaza, the Dead Sea, and the Nile Delta.

Lunch was at a restaurant in a restored old house. It even had a hidden tunnel that had led to the church in years past.

Our journey was now 2/3 hours to Petra, where we would stay for the next 2 nights at The Petra Moon.

Tonight, it was our turn to make tea at a cookery class held at Petra Kitchen. We learned to make Lentil Soup, Upside-down Stew, and four salads. This was such a laugh, and our food tasted amazing. We finished the night with a drink at the Cave Bar.

DAY FOUR

PETRA

We had an early start today, meeting at 8:30 am for our first visit to Petra. Taking a golf cart to the Treasury, we stopped along the way as Oria explained the history of various monuments. Walking through the narrow path was breathtaking, and we saw the Treasury emerge in all its glory.

Everything in Petra is carved from the mountains. Oria guided us through its history, pointing out the amphitheatre, the columned street where shops once stood, and the Royal Temples, where people once worshipped their gods. The craftsmanship was incredible.

We had a buffet lunch in Petra, and while some of the group hiked the 1,000 steps to the Monastery, others headed back to the hotel for a swim, a 45-minute walk in 30°C heat back to the golf carts.

Dinner was a buffet at our hotel's rooftop restaurant.

At 7:30 pm, we returned to Petra for the Petra by Night experience. This time, we walked the 2 km trail to the Treasury, now illuminated by lanterns. Unlike a typical night with 1,750 visitors, we were among just 50 people, making it even more magical. Oria shared stories of Petra's history as a flute played and a light show transformed the Treasury in shades of blue, red, purple, gold, and white. We sipped sweet tea, took photos, and then returned, finishing the night with an ice-cold beer at the Cave Bar.

DAY FIVE

WADI RUM

It was another early start as we set off for Wadi Rum, making a few stops including a bazaar where most of us bought Jordanian headscarves for the desert safari. We also stopped to see the railway that Lawrence of Arabia blew up during the Arab Revolt and the Mountain of the Seven Pillars, featured on the cover of his autobiography.

Lunch was in a large dome; as expected, the food was incredible.

We arrived at the Rum Oasis Luxury Camp for our overnight stay and we settled into our tents, which ranged from Martian and Deluxe to Sky and Oasis. All were equipped with twin beds, fridges, bathrooms, and Wi-Fi.

At 5:30 pm, we set off on a jeep safari, with Oria helping everyone tie their scarves before heading into the desert. We stopped for photos with the Kissing Stone, had red hearts painted on our cheeks with desert sand, and took in the breathtaking views.

All but three of us opted for a camel ride. There was plenty of laughter as we got onto the camels while our drivers made a small fire and served sweet Bedouin tea. The others arrived just in time to watch a beautiful sunset.

Dinner was traditionally prepared at camp: buried beneath the sand and slow-steamed for rich, authentic flavours. We enjoyed a delicious rice, potatoes, chicken, lamb, salads, and sweets before ending the night with Jordanian dancing, the Macarena, and stargazing under the breathtaking desert sky.

DAY SIX

THE DEAD SEA

It was another early start as we were off to the Dead Sea, a five-hour coach ride. First, we visited Aqaba to see the borders between Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Here, Oria, our fantastic guide, left us, but not before a hug goodbye.

After arriving at the Dead Sea Spa Resort, we had lunch whilst waiting for our rooms.

We quickly changed and headed to the sea, where we enjoyed floating for 10 minutes. Then, we covered ourselves in mud for 10 minutes and washed it off back into the sea. No one could believe how soft their skin was. We had an hour or so around the pool before dinner.

We had a few beers and tried the shisha pipe for the first time whilst enjoying the evening entertainment: a belly dancer.

It was a perfect way to end our last night!