Israel, Egypt and Jordan are countries included in the Insight Vacations’ tour called “Land of the Prophets.” I have written about Israel and Egypt in my past articles.
The following is my account of my five-day trip to Jordan, known as the Hashemite Kingdom.
On our first day, we visited the nearby city of Jerash, which revealed the most beautifully preserved Greco-Roman city still in existence. A half-day tour to this beautiful excavation proved not enough. Only around 35 percent of the city was excavated and that portion was already massive and impressive.
Upon entering Hadrian’s Gate, the city looked like a movie set, very reminiscent of Pompeii. The columns and streets were wonderfully preserved and indeed a sight worth visiting over and over again! We drove back to Amman, Jordan’s capital, for a city tour and saw the huge Roman Amphitheater and the Citadel Hill. The Amman Citadel and the Temple of Hercules offered us another picture-perfect moment while the remnants of a huge Roman statue (believed to be the statue of Hercules) were highlights of the visit.
We then took a long drive to Petra, with several small castles that could be seen along the way. One of the most interesting was the Qatrana Castle, which was built by the Ottomans. It was so small that a store at Greenbelt Mall could even be bigger than this “castle!”
We arrived and settled at the Marriott Petra, an Insight hotel. There we enjoyed afternoon cocktails in a Bedouin-style tent/bar while watching the sunset. The entire next day was devoted to visiting Petra. The approach to this lost city was through a narrow gorge, called Siq, whose walls rose up 200 meters. The walk was long but we opted to do so, despite the fact that tourists could ride a cart or a horse. We finally emerged from the path to see the magnificent Treasury, carved out of solid rock and standing over 40 meters high. We found our way through the canyon to explore the Roman Amphitheater and the huge ancient royal tombs. Petra was beautiful and the amazing thing was that the colors of the city changed throughout the day. I did not get tired of taking photos of everything throughout the eight hours I spent in Petra on foot.
From Petra, we followed the Kings Highway to visit Shobak, where a 12th-century crusader fortress stood. Then we continued to Mount Nebo, the place where Moses saw the Promised Land. Israel could be seen from Mount Nebo on a clear day. Moses never made it to the Promised Land and a memorial for him was erected in Mount Nebo. When Pope John Paul II visited Mount Nebo, he planted an olive tree. The tree is still there, enclosed in a fence. We stopped by Madaba to see an old mosaic map dating from around 560 AD. It was the oldest map with details of the Holy Land and is probably the oldest and most detailed map made of the walled city of Jerusalem.
After all those activities, we headed back to Amman to end our tour. That afternoon saw us shopping for souvenirs and preparing for our flight back.
The trip was long but the comfort and service of Etihad Airways made the long journey back to Manila a very comfortable one. Its on-demand food service made me eat about six meals/snacks throughout the flight!
(Rajah Travel Corp. is the general sales agent and preferred sales agent of Insight Vacations and other tour packages. Please call 523-8801 or 894-0886. Send an e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. Check its website at www.rajahtravel.com.)
(Etihad Airways flies twice daily to Abu Dhabi. With its new partnership with Air Berlin, it will open new destinations within Europe and the rest of the world. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad serves 72 cities in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, with a fleet of 61 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. It is the official partner airline of Rajah Travel for Insight Vacations. Its office is located at the 22nd Floor of Tower 1, Enterprise Center, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. Check its website at www.etihadairways.com.)
THE PEPPER MILL By Pepper Teehankee | Updated May 29, 2012 - 12:00am
By Pepper Teehankee on a Canon Digital Ixus
