Blog

Fall 2019

Headed over for the ASTA, American Society of Travel Advisor’s Destination Expo in Israel.

Air Canada generously donated our flights so we had set dates with two days before and two days after the Expo. We are going to Jordan before and exploring more of Israel after.

November 7

Travel Day

I stayed overnight at an airport hotel so I could sleep longer before for my 7am flight to Toronto.

The Maple Leaf Lounge at LAX was clean and comfortable.

I had some oatmeal and relaxed but should have checked the monitors before I headed down to the gate. There was a delay of about 40 minutes and crowded down there.

Looks like I didn’t make the cut…

A Bloody Mary and a nap will be perfect until I arrive in snowy Toronto 😬

Well I didn’t sleep, only nodded off a few times before someone came barreling down the aisle and my aisle seat vibrated with each hoof stomp. I knew I should have chosen the window seat, thankfully I have one for the 10 1/2 hour flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv and I’ll finally sleep!

I started watching Cafe Society, I love Woody Allen movies.

I am so excited to see my dad, he’ll be waiting in the Maple Leaf Lounge when I get there, he arrives from New York about 45 minutes before me.

It was lightly snowing in Toronto, can’t see by this picture but it was so pretty in the sunlight.

I ran into my dad at the passport area! I thought he’d be far ahead of me. So we walked to the Maple Leaf Lounge together, I was starving!

It was much larger than the one in Los Angeles. Too bad I didn’t have enough time to enjoy everything. I had a really good Thai Chicken Curry Soup!

We finally found some from our group and sat with them until it was time to board.

We are flying an Air Canada 787 Dreamliner and it was another full flight.

We had snow on the wings so we had to get them de-iced before we left.

November 8

Israel and Jordan

I was so happy to sleep for 6 hours, I really needed it because we land at 10:30am local time with another flight and a full day ahead of me.

I could have passed on breakfast but not sure how long I have until the next flight and if I’ll have time to eat regular food. As the coffee cart approached I was happy because I needed a cup but right then we hit some turbulence so they stopped serving, ugh!!

We arrived in Tel Aviv and went through passport control, baggage claim and customs. It was very long and very thorough.

We headed over to the domestic terminal to get our flight to Eilat. There wasn’t much to eat, just packaged snacks and refrigerated sandwiches that didn’t look good so I passed. Even though I slept six hours, I’m tired…

We landed in the desert, very stark and tan. We are actually in the middle of the Rift Valley that extends from Turkey all the way down through East Africa.

Some check points along the way, the city of Aqaba in Jordan to the left and the city of Eilat in Israel to the right – both on the Red Sea.

Lots of date farms along the way as we approach this southern border crossing to Jordan.

We had to clear the Israeli side first, then walk along over to the Jordanian side.

We made it to the Israeli-Jordanian border pretty quickly. The security was impressive, I haven’t been through anything like that in all my travels! But I didn’t mind at all, I like that they keep their borders secure.

Our driver and guide picked us up on the Jordanian side and off we went towards Aqaba. Look how beautiful it is, the colors of the mountains as the sun is low in the sky.

We headed straight for Aqaba, Jordan, a port city on the Red Sea

We were all starving so we stopped for shawarma. It was soooo good, much better than the kind we have in the states. Buts that’s no big surprise.

The town of Aqaba is really cute, there are lots of little cafes and people walking around. It’s right next to Eilat, Israel and not far from Egypt and Saudi Arabia – they all share the Harbor.

We arrived at our desert camp in Wadi Rum after sunset so we couldn’t see what it looked like and if it really looks like Mars.

We did make it in time for dinner! They were cooking meat in a pit in the ground and when we arrived they were taking it all out and it smelled amazing! We went in for dinner and it was a great spread!

Our tent was simple and comfortable. I couldn’t wait to get into bed!

November 9

Jordan

After a great night of sleep I woke up excited but still tired. We were headed out to the desert for sunrise and dune bashing.  I was excited to see the camp when I looked out of the tent!

Ready for sunrise in the desert!

On the back of the truck enjoying the chilly morning air

We explored and stopped to look at different animal tracks in the sand and watch the sun rise higher.

A stop to stretch our legs and look at some of the ancient writing on the rocks

We stopped at a Bedouin tent for some tea. There was a beautiful tent set up that had pretty carpets, brightly striped seat cushions around the edge, a fire in the middle and a man making tea over the fire.

The tents are made out of a woven goat hair material because it doesn’t burn so they can cook and warm the tent with no worries. It was very cozy and I was excited to have tea. They make it sweet and serve it in small glasses without a handle so you have to carefully hold it by the top rim. It’s such a small glass that it’s gone very quickly. For our second glass they put a few cardamon pods in the glass then poured the tea over them. It gave off a wonderful scent and tasted great.

We got back to camp and were able to see how pretty it was in the sunlight. There are a bunch of dogs who live there too and this one was so cute and playful!

Our tent in Wadi Rum and a well earned breakfast of local delights

We left the desert camp and were headed to see the Lost City of Petra today! On the way we stopped to see a refurbished locomotive from a bygone era in the middle of the Jordanian desert, the Hejaz Railway. It has been restored and you might recognize it from the movie Lawrence of Arabia, it was filmed in this desert.

These steam locomotives and train cars were built in the early 1900’s and used during the Arab Revolt.

Some fun pics with our guide “Mike Jordan”

Look at how the landscape is so desolate, we were getting hungry again and decided to have lunch before we got to Petra.

This was a very welcome site, the chicken smelled delicious!

Real plastic straws!! LOL

First was a stop at the new Petra Museum, learning about the history of the area was perfect as a primer for what we were going to see. Our guide walked us through and explained the history and the people who built Petra, the Nabatoeans. 

Here we go!

It was about a mile walk in the canyon. A pretty cool meandering path with some things to see along the way. But it’s mostly just anticipation building!

Can’t believe I’m here!!

You just keep staring at it from all angles! Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains with many passages and gorges. It is one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites and has been something I have wanted to see since I was little.

The Lost City of Petra was empty and near ruin for centuries until the early 1800’s when it was re-discovered. It was once a thriving trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire between 400 BC and 106 AD. The vibrant red, white and pink sandstone facade of the Treasury is the most recognizable structure and the site for many films. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and more recently one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Petra was everything I imagined it would be and even better!

Our guide dropped us at our hotel in the town of Petra after dark and told us that we would wake to a surreal looking landscape. Wow was he right! It looked like a planet in Star Wars.

We had these huge terraces overlooking this valley.

It was cool and very windy this morning, other-worldly…kind of strange!

To continue the journey with my to Israel, go back to the Menu, Blog, Middle East then Israel or click here:

http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2019/10/15/israel/