I have been so busy writing about all the marvelous sights of our trip that I have neglected writing about one of the greatest parts of the trip. As someone who has traveled all over the world in a variety of styles (independent travel as well as escorted, guided travel) I can tell you that when in a foreign land a good guide can make or break the trip.
Our group has been blessed with two great guides. The first, and the one who is with us throughout our days in Israel, is a woman named Pilar. She is Jewish, originally from Spain, and has been living and guiding in Israel for about 30 years. She met us on arrival in Tel Aviv and immediately took charge of sheparding us through this trip.
Our guide in Jordan yesterday and this morning was a Jordanian man by the name of Khalid. He, too, took charge on our arrival in Jordan and made sure everything went as planned. It was nice to have a change in gender (man vs woman) and religion (Moslem vs Jewish) and nationality (Jordanian vs Israeli.) Each brought their own personal view to current events and to any possible solution to the Middle East dilemna. While we haven't solved the situation, it was certainly interesting to hear more than one side of the argument.
As I was saying, having a great guide can make or break a tour. A good guide knows how to build a cohesive group out of a variety of individuals. Pilar told us that she likes her groups to "become family" and she does many things to get individuals to be learning and laughing together. I have experienced great guides all over the world but I would have to say she has been one of the best.
Having an experienced guide can actually save you time and allow you to see more on an escorted trip. For example, yesterday as we left Israel and proceeded to enter Jordan, Pilar was adamant that we had to be at the border before it opened at 8 a.m. The same was true today as we returned to Israel. In both cases our bus was first in line and by the time we had gone through the immigration process there were 5 other buses behind us. I am sure we saved at least an hour each day just by being at the given location at the best time.
The same was true about visiting some of the popular Christian sites. Pilar scheduled our visits to avoid the crowds at certain locations, flipping some of the visits so that we could enjoy the site in relative privacy.
Guides in many countries are licensed by the government. This is true in Israel and in Jordan, and the guides are very knowledgable about the history of all of the things we are seeing. Traveling on an escorted tour is like taking a college class, without a term paper or final exam. In addition to their lecture the guides are there to answer questions or give information to make the trip truly fulfilling. This is especially important is a place like Israel where so much is based on historical events.
Pilar is especially well read and knowledgable about the Bible. She can quote scripture, chapter and verse about what happened at a certain site and how it relates to other Biblical events. Khalid was also very knowledgable, especially on Muslim events and gave us a great overview of the history of Islam and how it related to events in the Bible. While I am not a scholar and can't attest to the veracity of what he told us, he was certainly engaging and I think everyone enjoyed learning from him. Since much of his lecture was given as we were driving through a barren desert, it was, at least, a diversion.
The tour director (or guide) does much more than just talk about history. They are there to take care of all details at the hotel, arranging wake-up calls, meal reservations in the restaurant, and coordinating the day's activities with the bus driver. There also, we have been blessed with great drivers who are there to make sure our luggage is all loaded and we are delivered safely to the activities of the day.
This morning we left Petra about 7 am with fog in the valley and the mountain tops poking through the fog. Our hotel was located on top of the mountains and the road followed the ridgeline for the first hour, providing many great views. This desert climate provided a cool breeze this morning which was a welcome relief from the hot weather of the last few days.
We re-entered Israel at Eilat, which lies at the very southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea. This is a big resort area and a refreshing change from some of the underdeveloped areas of Jordan. We were impressed that things once again seemed relatively clean and orderly back in Israel.
We traveled a few miles north into the Negev desert. This area is where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering Israel from the north. We visited an exhibit which had a replica of the tabernacle which was built by the Israelites according to plans given by God. It was interesting to see someone's depiction of what is described in the Bible.
After a stop in the desert to see some ancient Egyptian ruins, and climbing through some geologic formations, we continued on to a kibbutz for lunch. Once again Pilar had timed our arrival so that we arrived for lunch when no other groups were there. By the time we left there were several more buses in the parking lot and lines in the restaurant.
Our afternoon drive took us further north to the Dead Sea. Here giant pools of evaporating water are used to extract minerals and salt. We arrived at our hotel in mid-afternoon for a relaxing soak in the Dead Sea. With a salt content of about 35% (as compared to 3% in sea water) it is impossible to sink. In fact, your body floats like a cork. You have to be careful about getting water in your eyes and the salt stings any cut you may have, even if you didn't know you had one. We spent about 30 minutes in the Dead Sea before showering and walking back to the hotel pool, where we could enjoy dipping one's head in the fresh, clear water.
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