Most Inspirational Moment
Every day was inspirational and 'the best day ever' but these rated the highest: 1.Eating at Ali Baba's 2.Petra 3.Wadi Rum (desert night) 4. Dead Sea 5. The food, I had no idea what an eating extravaganza this was going to be!
Thoughts on Group Leader
We lucked out having Ibrahim, who is a truly talented group leader. In addition to his past careers / 20+ years as a guide, he is also very well traveled himself and this combination gives him fantastic skills in being able to patiently and effectively deal with and understand all the different personalities / cultures you may have in your group. He has a unique skill of anticipating questions or situations and handles them in a very diplomatic and professional way. He has a great sense of humour too! Ibrahim communicates very clearly and gives enough info as needed. He constantly encourages questions and loves conversation. He also does not push anything on you but informs you and lets you make your own decisions (ex: buying extra excursions or buying anything in the markets). What we noticed and appreciated was that he called us travellers, not tourists. * I am GF so brought myself some crackers and snacks to have (just in case). I told Ibrahim I was GF to make sure there would be rice available and he went to a specialty shop and bought me GF pita bread so I could enjoy all the mezze (dips) we'd be having all week. So thoughtful of him!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
I read lots of the reviews / tips before we went and here are a few things I would like to pass along: 1. We were very fortunate with wonderful weather in Dec/Jan but it could be a gamble (bring layers for this time of year) 2. If you are wondering if you are 'fit enough' to walk to the monastery it is good to know that your group leader leaves you at this point and you do this part of the trek/hike independently so you can easily go at your own pace. Our group of 10 were of all ages and fitness abilities so we broke off into smaller groups and everyone reached the monastery 3. No need to pre-order a 'lunch box' during the day in Petra, the restaurant that provides it is right there before you go up to the monastery and you can order off their menu 4. Bring cat / dog treats (I am so glad we did!) 5. Bring a small gift for the host dinner family (we gave a bag of British chocolates to the kids. Wish I brought stickers and a few little trinkets for the kids) 6. We did not need the towels we brought but if you have space bring them just incase 7. Bring water shoes other than flip flops / we had tevas and they were fine (ones that stay on your feet) 8. Bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses even in winter 9. We used a mix of local currency and credit card. We brought dollars but did not need them. We could not get money at LHR so got it upon arrival at the airport. You can also get money at the hotel or at a local bank. 10. We brought some snacks but you have plenty of opportunities to get snacks along the way
Suggestions
Go to Jordan, you will not regret it!