LEBANON & JORDAN 2006

We spent a week in Beirut, Lebanon which is known as the Paris of the Middle East. Beirut is a vibrant and exciting city to visit. The Cornish, a boardwalk that runs for miles along the city and beside the Mediterranean, is a great place for a stroll and to people watch. Beirut has many boutiques that offer the latest fashions. The restaurants have some of the best Middle Eastern & European food we have ever had. The Jeitta Grotto is one of the most impressive limestone caverns in the world and after seeing it we can attest that it is spectacular and well worth visiting. We visited Byblos which was founded more than 7000 years ago and is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. It was a very impressive city to visit and wander through the ruins and market.

After Lebanon we flew to Amman, Jordan for another week of adventure. While in Amman we visited the Gold Market and we were dazzled by the variety of jewelry in the many shops. We made a few purchases and then we were off to the Dead Sea for a float and a mud bath. The Dead Sea is exceptionally salty which makes it possible for anyone to float. The Dead Sea mud is renowned for its alleged rejuvenation effects. Next stop was Wadi Rum, where Laurence of Arabia was filmed. We spent the day riding camels and exploring the desert and we left wishing we had more time to spend in this beautiful area. Our journey next took us to Petra, one of the most amazing places we had ever seen. Petra was the site of another movie filmed in Jordan, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. Petra is completely carved out of the stone cliffs and dates back to 10,000 – 6,000 BC, an amazing feat considering the tools they had at the time. Our last few days were spent relaxing at a resort in Aqaba on the Red Sea.

If you are interested in an Arabian Night adventure, shopping for Gold or visiting historical sites, Lebanon and Jordan offers all of this and more. If you would like help planning your adventure please contact me.