Tag Archives: Petra

Living the Ultimate Pharaoh Lifestyle!

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In sharing once in a lifetime adventures, it’s hard to ignore the allure of Africa and the Middle East, and in particular, Egypt – the pyramids are still magnificently standing, having withstood every imaginable world crisis. The history, the pyramids, the sphinx, and the ancient burial tombs all standing amid a hectic twenty first century life. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.

Wadi Rum

Merely weeks before lockdown I enjoyed a glorious visit to Jordan and Egypt, who could ask for a more perfect ending to travel. I began in Jordan exploring Amman and made my way to the Rose City of Petra. We will help you arrive for a night walk under moonlight. I trekked through the narrow dirt Siq passage of Petra by candlelight, to reach the spectacle of The Treasury illuminated by thousands of candles. It was perfectly quiet except for a haunting flute melody played by a local Bedouin. Explore Petra for at least two days, there is much to discover besides the famed Treasury, stroll the colonnades of the Great Temple complex, climb up more than 800 steps to the top of the impressive Monastery. Add on a day or two for glamping in Wadi Rum.

The Treasury, Petra

We always send a box of books and reading list pre-departure and Agatha Christie is at the top of the list for Egypt. It’s a personal choice whether you gather your finest floppy sun hat and white linen, don’t forget evening clothes.  Plan to begin in Cairo, the boisterous capital of Egypt. Known alternately as “The Mother of the World” or “The City of a Thousand Minarets”— visit the tangled narrow alleys and bustling marketplaces and the larger-than-life Pyramids of Giza. If you dropped the pyramid in New York City, it would take up a whole city block.

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The soon to be opened vast Grand Egyptian Museum, is a treasure trove of antiquities, including royal mummies and gilded King Tutankhamun artifacts, is not far from the Giza pyramids. In the shadow of the pyramids, the grand Mena House hotel provides easy access to Giza and the new museum. Arrive early to explore – there’s no better place to initiate your visit, laying out a cultural map of your upcoming days of exploration. Marvel at the majestic Sphinx, buried for most of its life in the sand, an air of mystery has always surrounded the great Sphinx. Then head to the Nile and board a private Felucca or one of our favorites, the intimate 22-cabin Oberoi Philae, we enjoyed an onboard tour. For the ultimate in indulgence and comfort consider a Dahabiya Nile cruise. A Nile cruise has long been one of the classic experiences of travel. Long stretches of river have changed little over the centuries, it’s truly Biblical in nature. Lounging on the sundeck, watching the ancient scenes glide past is a contemplative experience, I moseyed to the upper deck at dawn and couldn’t tear myself away. Absorb archaeological wonders, explore vibrant bazaars, and ponder pharaonic temples as you cruise the Nile. Float past lush sugarcane fields, sleepy rural villages, and oases of date palms as your boat glides up the Nile. The Dahabiya is an ancient iconic boat style, a reminder of the romance of the past with modern comfort and convenience. It’s a leisurely way to get between Luxor and Aswan. Sailing the Nile in a private Dahabiya is what inspired the Victorian allure of boat travel. The most serene of river boats, it offers the ultimate in privacy and convenience for stopping at any riverbank. Fancy a shore break to bicycle around an oasis of date palms or an impromptu farmers market, this is the only river boat allowing such intimate shore access. Elegant in design, designed for modern comfort with light filled comfy cabins and acres of outdoor lounging space.

The Old Cataract Hotel

The Old Cataract Hotel is the historic site where King Fouad once entertained, and Agatha Christie sipped cocktails in the colonial era five-star hotel on the banks of the Nile. The hotel faces out over the Nile to Elephantine Island and the sands of the Sahara beyond.

The Treasury, Petra

“(Egypt) is a great place for contrasts: splendid things gleam in the dust.”
― Gustave Flaubert, Flaubert in Egypt: A Sensibility on Tour

On the Road with Samer. My trusted driver, Jordan.

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It’s the people you meet along the Journey. Samer was my driver in Jordan. He picked me up in a pouring rain storm at the Amman airport, it was late, and he had just returned from a weekend of visiting his parents – he takes his 6 kids to see the ‘ancient’s’ every weekend, a family ritual practiced by generations. Polite questions about his family and our whereabouts were met with some reticence, he said tomorrow we have your guide with us, she can answer all the questions.

If you think of the assets we can attribute to travel, trust and resilience come to mind. My global travel is frequently by myself, I love it and am never lonely and rarely afraid. It’s provided terrific survival skills, although my Journey itineraries include every important detail, once I arrive in a foreign country I am in the real world  —where real time and real situations can present themselves. Good or bad situations. My drivers and guides are my link to security.

Samer and Oria picked me up for our day trip and true to form, Samer let the guide own the conversation. It was at restaurants, where Samer began to warm up a bit – he was determined to eradicate my mostly plant-based diet and introduce me to their wild chickens and goats! It was incomprehensible to him that I would pass up roasted goat! One mid-morning stop, in the all-purpose petrol, bathroom, coffee, gift and buffet dining palace – I admired a colorful keffiyeh, Samer fashioned the scarf like, keffiyeh, around my head and I offered to purchase one for him if he agreed to wear it for the remainder of our Journey…we were twins for a few days.

The Art of wrapping a keffiyeh- Samer.

In the vast Jordan deserts you pass three types of businesses: road side coffee huts – as you pull up, you hand signal to the man – never a woman, serving the coffee, your preference: black or with sugar. You barely stop, roll down the window, drop coins on a tray and carry on. The other shops consist of tire huts – there were more large trucks than cars on the freeways, enormous stacks of huge tires surround the hut, shredded tires and new tires, they repair and sell tires and nothing else. The huts were marginal in size and comfort, practically every other shop was a tire hut, dotting the roads all through Jordan. For miles and miles, the only real type of store includes a petrol station – they invariably are also gift shops and many have a restaurant attached with buffet dining. I’m not one to sit in the car, not wanting to miss any photo opportunity and a chance to see how people live their lives. It is usually the only place for a bathroom break as well. Jordanians drink an inordinate amount of the bitter black Arabic coffee, so I was afforded a few ‘store’ stops!

Look the part and practice at least ten worlds of the native language, it’s a sign of respect and is appreciated by locals, no matter how you mangle the please and thank you!

The art of wrapping a keffiyeh, fully wrapped and ready to go!

After a long day of sightseeing outside the city of Amman, my end of day visit to the Vintage Car Museum was scheduled at 6 pm – I told my guide she didn’t have to tag along if she didn’t like cars. Obviously relieved, Samer took over! When he was stimulated about a subject, he was childlike in his eagerness, his voice grew louder, and his hands waved in enthusiasm, (he could have been part Italian!). Vintage cars were a passion, he insisted I sit in cars despite the no touching sign, the guards ignored us, he was a trusted expert. Strangers would have thought he was shouting at me.

One morning Samer surprised me with a candy apple red walking cane – miles of desert sand, the multiple Petra treks and the uneven ancient steps were pretty challenging to my fairly recent knee replacement.

One long driving day from Wadi Rum to the Dead Sea, dark was approaching and Samer mentioned how many restroom stops we might encounter –  there were few. We made a rapid u turn along the truck filled highway, he pulled into a large petrol shop. I dutifully followed and Samer said we will have dinner here – it’s a long drive. Who knew I would have the opportunity to dine in one of the roadway buffet palaces!?  Think old Las Vegas style buffet palaces, dim lights, no one else dining, the staff uncovered enormous pans of un-recognizable casserole dishes. Jordan actually has an abundance of delicious mezzes and vegetables, I avoided the goat one more time!

Traveling alone, my drivers and guides become my local ambassadors and ultimately trustworthy friends. It’s one reason I interview several guiding teams when I travel. Eventually, our clients will depend on these reliable guides and drivers.

Samer, the ultimate driver in Jordan!

It’s always a test and Samer passed with an A+!           Choukran, Samer.