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Middle East Vacation: Try Jordan
The ruins of Petra are world-famous for their beauty and historical heritage. They were used, you might remember, in the third Indiana Jones film. Jordan has gotten a bad rap because of the war on terror and because when people think of the middle east they get all weirded out, as if there are suicide bombers around every corner. Not true. They are around every other corner. Just kidding.
Anyway, I just read this piece on CNN.com about the rise of Jordan as a tourist and business destination. The Kempinski Hotel in Amman gets high marks as a (somewhat expensive) place to stay. The country is benefiting from the influx of wealthy Iraqis as well as U.S. servicemen on their way to Iraq, but also from an increased interest from Western travelers. If you want to see the Middle East, this could be a good place to go.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Business, Jordan
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sam Dec 18th 2005 5:07PM
During my first trip to Israel I had the pleasure of taking a day trip to Petra from where we were staying in the south of Israel (Eilat) and I can say that while it didn't have any sort of spiritual connection for me as Israel did...the experience was nothing short of increadible.
The feelings of being in a truly ancient and beautiful place such as that are overwhelming. It should be a wonder of the world. It was also fascinating to have a brief encounter with an Arab society, and experience a bit of hot mint tea in the 99 degree sun which was increadibly refreshing.
If your either going to be able to travel to there from Israel (which isn't easy right now) or are thinking about going on your own I recommend Petra highly. I can't say anything about the rest of Jordan, but I have a Jordanian friend who says its lovely.