My Trip of a Lifetime

The Roman ruin of Jerash The Roman ruin of Jerash, thirty miles from Amman. It was a prosperous city during the first century. The ruins include temples, two theaters, a Forum surrounded by colonnades and a hippodrome. There are also the remains of early churches here. Like many of Jordan’s sites it combines remnants of many different civilizations.

Evanson Ma’In Hot Springs and Six Senses Spa A steaming waterfall at the elegant Evanson Ma’In Hot Springs and Six Senses Spa where one can bathe in warm, bubbling water. I also stayed at the Feynan Eco Lodge in the Dana Biosphere Reserve. In the evening I chatted with a Bedouin sheik, who has two wives, but has also been to a ecological conference in New York. Also enjoyed the Movenpick hotels at Petra and at the Dead Sea where, yes, one can get covered in Dead Sea mud.

Posing at The Treasury No, Indiana Jones wasn’t around, but who could resist posing in front of The Treasury with a Jordanian army officer and a policeman. Some people ride in on camels or donkeys. I walked but took a horse drawn carriage ride out after a long day. But I returned for a mysterious candle-lit walk through the ruins again that night.

The Treasury The Treasury, of course, which is rose-red at some times but beige and beautiful at others, depending on the light.

Petra More at Petra. It goes on for miles of beautifully carved tombs and temples. And in Little Petra, nearby, there are remnants of what seem to be the inns where travelers stayed, dined, prayed, partied, and made the Nabateans, the inhabitants of Petra, very, very rich.

Wadi Rum The amazing moon-like landscape of Wadi Rum. One can hike, ride on camel or take a jeep safari and, of course, camp out. The Bedouins, who have lived there for centuries, are guides. Their village near Wadi Rum is the most prosperous Bedouin village in Jordan.

Lawrence of Arabia in Wadi Rum A carved portrait of Lawrence of Arabia on a boulder in Wadi Rum, which he described as “Vast, echoing and God-like." And though some of the film Lawrence of Arabia was shot in Morocco, much was photographed in the actual place where Lawrence and his comrades crossed the desert.

Bethany Beyond Jordan In Bethany Beyond Jordan, where most scholars now believe John baptized Jesus. The Jordan is now a much smaller, much muddier river then it was in Biblical times. And I couldn’t resist at least dipping my toe in such a legendary stretch of water.