{"id":3954,"date":"2017-11-28T10:06:51","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T15:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=3954"},"modified":"2017-12-22T13:05:08","modified_gmt":"2017-12-22T18:05:08","slug":"travel-finding-jewels-jordan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/travel-finding-jewels-jordan\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel | Finding the jewels of Jordan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Debi Lander<br \/>\n<\/em><em>mail@floridanewsline.com<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Americans generally don\u2019t include the Middle East on their bucket list, but I\u2019d like to change your mind about Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom, Jordan\u2019s official name, is the safest country in the region and extremely welcoming to tourists. Jordan offers incredible historic sites, attractions, and adventures for luxury to budget travelers.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, stands out as the favorite. The ancient city flourished as the strategic crossroads for spice and silk trade some 2,300 years ago, but routes changed and earthquakes twice ravaged the area. By the 13th century, only local Bedouin tribes remembered Petra. In 1812, Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt disguised himself as an Arab wanting to make an offering. He convinced a guide to take him to the area. Burckhardt rediscovered Petra\u2019s tombs, but couldn\u2019t fully inspect the ruins. His guide became suspicious, forcing Burckhardt to leave. He wrote about his findings, but they, too, remained off limits for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Treasury, a delicate and beautifully chiseled stone structure, lies hidden at the end of a mile long walk between massive 10-story high boulders. The movie \u201cIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade\u201d features Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in a miraculous escape from the location. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reaching the Monastery takes a climb of 900 rough, worn steps unless you\u2019d prefer a donkey ride. The reward at the end more than justifies the arduous trek opening up views of the most intricate architectural shrine. Petra includes many more temples, tombs, an amphitheater and streets within the vast World Heritage site. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wadi Rum, about an hour from Petra, is also part of the cinematic legend, providing locations for the movie \u201cLawrence of Arabia,\u201d highlighted by British Intelligence Officer T.E. Lawrence\u2019s epic battle. Camel and jeep tours into the desert offer overnight camping. The more budget conscious still have a dazzling choice \u2014 sleeping under the crystal clear starry sky. Slightly splurging turns an already fantastic experience to \u201cglamping\u201d (glamor camping) in rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Accommodations include Zarb, a delicious Bedouin dinner cooked in a sand-covered pit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aqaba, a famous harbor on the Red Sea, offers boating and great snorkeling or scuba diving. Farther up the coast, Dead Sea luxury resort hotels sparkle next to the often-iridescent water. Relax on the beach and give yourself the mud treatment and dip in the salty brine. My skin never felt better!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Romans were no strangers to Jordan. Jerash, called the City of a Thousand Columns, displays the best ruins outside of Italy. In some ways, I found them superior to their counterparts in Rome, as they haven\u2019t been overly visited. You\u2019ll need at least a half-day to explore the expansive archeological destination. Recently, opera star Andrea Bocelli gave a concert in the amphitheater. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other than Israel, no other country has more biblical sites. Bethany Beyond the Jordan attracts as the site of Jesus&#8217; baptism. It\u2019s common to see Christians being dunked in the River Jordan during their baptismal ceremony. Nearby, at Mt. Nebo, stand where Moses first gazed upon the Promised Land. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The accommodating Jordanians offer farm-fresh, colorful and American friendly food, but don\u2019t expect burgers and fries. Meals begin with salad, fresh bread and an array of toppings like hummus, tabbouleh or moutabel, similar to baba ghanoush. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Direct flights from New York City arrive in Amman, the capital. Western-friendly hotels and local-run establishments alike await. My suggestion is to sign on for a five \u2013 seven day tour of the country and prepare yourself for the thrill of a lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Visit <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bylandersea.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">www.bylandersea.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to read more of local travel writer Debi Lander\u2019s stories and travel tips.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Photo courtesy Debi Lander<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Petra Treasury<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Debi Lander mail@floridanewsline.com Americans generally don\u2019t include the Middle East on their bucket list, but I\u2019d like to change your mind about Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom, Jordan\u2019s official name, is the safest country in the region and extremely welcoming to tourists. Jordan offers incredible historic sites, attractions, and adventures for luxury to budget travelers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,4],"tags":[9],"class_list":{"0":"post-3954","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns","8":"category-mandarin","9":"category-ponte-vedra","10":"tag-travel"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Travel | Finding the jewels of Jordan - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CreekLine, Mandarin NewsLine, Ponte Vedra NewsLineBy Debi Lander mail@floridanewsline.com Americans generally don\u2019t include the Middle East on their bucket list, but I\u2019d like to change your mind about\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/travel-finding-jewels-jordan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Travel | Finding the jewels of Jordan - 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