Due to time constraints we only had a couple of days in Lebanon which we spent in Beirut. This country has been ravaged by civil war, Israeli invasions and the flooding of thousands of Palestinian refugees.

The signs of war are still very evident with bombed out buildings, razor wire everywhere, a plethora of army check points and a huge army presence including plenty of tanks scattered around the city.

We were able to taste a little of the thriving bar scene at night then slept under the stars on the roof of a hotel. The next day we wandered around the modern areas of the city and had a dip in our beloved mediterranean again. It was easy to forget the unfortunate Palestinian families in their poverty stricken camps on the outskirts of the city - the lonely planet author puts it well: "beautiful and blighted, Beirut is home to Prada and Palestinians".

After a 8 hour taxi ride, where we ended up changing drivers 4 times, we arrived in Amman the capital city of the kingdom of Jordan. Our first day exploring turned very bizarre when we met a young Jordanian guy at the bus station on our way to Mt Nebo. He asked where we were headed and he offered to take us. We agreed and everything was great, but the only problem was he insisted to pay for everything. He appeared to be a poor guy but when I tried to give him money or pay for entrance or bus fares he almost violently wouldn't allow it. We thought there was an alterteria motive when he caught the bus all the way back to Amman with us but he then insisted on paying our cab fare back to our hotel and waved goodbye. I think he could be the most generous guy in the cosmos.

Our second day in Jordan was action packed. We left early after hiring a driver/car for the day and headed to a nature reserve. After driving for over an hour through the desert we reached a canyon called Wadi Mujib. We were expecting a leisurely stroll but it ended up being a full on cayoning trek. For almost 3 hours we waded through waist deep water climbed up boulders and small waterfalls with ropes and all this while we gaped at the surrounding 1km high walls of red rock!

Then we visited the river Jordan were it is believed Jesus was baptised. It was weird splashing a bit of the holy river water on the noggin while a machine-gun clad Jordanian guard watched with his Israeli opposite literally 5 meters away on the other side of the pitiful trickle of the once mighty river.

Then we went to the lowest point on earth and had a dip in the Dead Sea. It was a unique experience to be able to simply 'bob' in the water without moving a muscle. The water is over 25% salt so it feels thick, it's a bit like swimming in oil. We also got a full body mud pack on the beach and floated around as the sun set.

The next action packed day was at Petra. One of the new seven wonders of the world this place was simply amazing. We hiked around the breathtaking ruins and rocky desert surroundings all day. It is hard to believe people carved these gigantic tombs and temples into solid rock over 2000 years ago. The famous Treasury which appears after walking down a long canyon called the Siq is a sight I will never forget. Number 1 highlight of the trip so far!

The next day we headed out into the desert in a 4WD. The area called Wadi Rum is immense and beautiful. The red sands seem to to be infinite, with the massive rocky red mountains and the occasional tuft or bush it makes a truly magnificent landscape. We climbed up rocky hills to see small springs, ran up gigantic red dunes, drank tea, saw the perfect sun set and equally beautiful rise, slept and ate in Bedouin tents. It was an unforgettable experience.

Now we are lazing by the Red Sea in Aqaba. The Middle East keeps on getting better. Our time in Jordan has been incredible. Tomorrow we head over the border to Israel and occupied Palestine, and as usual I can't wait...