When we left Rajef, we were driven to Wadi Musa (the "gateway" town to Petra - little more than a town full of cheap hotels and internet cafes, but still quite fun. Interestingly Wadi Musa ("Valley of Moses") is where Moses is supposed to have struck a rock and produced water - there is even a shrine or somthing to mark the spot) and checked in to the Valentine Inn. We were not best impressed with this place, but I will not go into the reasons...

Early on the morning of Saturday 17th July we took several taxis from the hotel to the Jet Bus station to travel to Rajef. The driver of the taxi I was in told me off for my bag being so heavy (for any familiar with Arabic or the Middle East - the word "haram" was used). It took about 4 hours for the bus to get to Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses - supposedly the place where Moses struck a rock and brought out water - but I think there are several places clai...

A piece of advice: if you're going to Jordan for a month, start by making sure there's nothing wrong with your teeth. That way, you can eat without crying, and you won't have to see a dentist when you get there, and have a root canal done with no anaesthetic. Lad point. On the plus side, the dentist I saw was lovely, spoke good English, and I have had no further problems since. We spent the first week (ish) in a hotel in Amman. The hotel was small and modest, bu...

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Umm id-dunya - the mother of the world My goodness me, it has been the best part of a month since I last did one of these. I therefore have a lot to say, so go and make yourselves a nice cup of tea (or coffee if you prefer, we drink both in Cairo) and bring two biscuits (or a banana) to keep you fuelled for the ride. 22 February - the bomb in Khan El-Khalili. I'm sure most of you are awar...

Al-Qahira ... in sha'allah ... Another week jam-packed full of not very much, in which I have had a whale of a time. Last Sunday, my landlord Bishoy drove Danielle and I up to City Stars, which is in Nasr City. Or maybe Heliopolis, I can't remember. It is the most enormous shopping mall I have ever imagined, let alone seen. We were there all afternoon, and probably saw less than a quarter of it. My aim for the trip: to buy a nice pair of jeans. Outcome: no jean...