Author: Amanda
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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Part 2: Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo and Azrak
I am on a tour of Jordan. Waving adieu to the red sandstone city of Petra, we are driving south to the shimmering sands and rock formations of Wadi Rum, made famous by the film, Lawrence of Arabia. This is where the legendary T.E. Lawrence was encamped with the Arabs during the Arab revolt. This…
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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Part 1: Ancient Sites of Amman, Jerash and Petra
Jordan. The name has connotations. To some it means the Holy sites, for example, the River Jordan where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, and Mount Nebo from where Moses saw the Promised Land. To others it conjures up images of the rock cut tombs of the Rose City of Petra, built by the…
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France: Waterways of Burgundy
A gentleman I know owns a boat share and invites me to crew for him. The boat, made in Holland, registered in UK and based in France, is 38 feet long, of white painted steel with a navy blue streak round the topsides, and varnished wood with blue cushions below decks. And she is quite…
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Egypt, Part 2
The Nile Cruise The returnees from Abu Simbel are late. Thus I partake of a placid luncheon, the sole person at the big broad table, and reflect upon my lazy flit around Aswan. But, eventually, noisy people appear, engines start up and the long awaited river cruise begins. Heading north now, we motor between the…
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Egypt, Part 1
Exploring ancient ruins is one of my favourite pastimes. There was a time when I used to take part in archaeological digs and enthuse over an emerging prehistoric wall or a shard of pottery from eons ago ‒ rich rewards for hundreds of hours of scraping in the dirt with a trowel. The fascination with…