ISRAEL: (1987) Only been to Eilat so far, so can't tell much. Eilat: What to do: Snorkling! I've been to Fiji, Hawaii, Tobago, and so on but the most fabulous snorkling experience was Eilat without doubt   JORDAN: (2005)   Photo album of Jordan is here . A special album on Petra is here Jordan is a small country packed with interesting sites for the traveller. It is not a cheap country to travel but distances are short so you get around fast and quite easily. Alcohol is served everywhere and the local Mt Nebo red wine is good value. Madaba is a quiet town 30min outside Amman and a good base for exploring northern Jordan. Its centre is small and all points of interest are within short walking distance. We found Madaba a much better option than Amman to stay in Jordan. Places to stay: the Mariam hotel  is clean and offers good service at euro 28 a double. It is situated in a quiet residential area an easy 5min walk from town centre. E-mail reservations@mariamhotel.com What to do: Madaba is famous for its old mosaics. In the St. George's church you find the great mosaic map of biblical sites from Lebanon to Egypt, including map of Jerusalem. The Archeological park also has fabulous mosaics on the floor of the Hippolytus Hall from early 6th century. There is also an old Roman road going through there. The Burnt Palace has some good mosaics also but not as great as the Archeological park. Using the same ticket as for the Archeological park you get admission to the Church of the Apostles. The whole floor is covered by a magnificent mosaic. In the centre shows Thalassa, a woman representing the sea. The man at the entrance might wash it for you so you can see the great colours. Normally it is grey with dust. A great place for a snack, ice cold beer, a coffee, tea or fresh juice, is the coffee shop Ayola opposite the St. George's church. The El Cardo Restaurant serves good mezza at lunch time and is located just opposite the Archeological park. It is plenty for two and costs euro 8. The Haret Jdoudna is a complex of craft shops and restaurants. It has a good atmosphere and it is all inside a beautifully restored old house. The food is very good but a bit pricey. Here you compose your own mezza. Do try the stuffed mushrooms w spinach and cheese, and the hummous w minced beef. Amman is a huge busy city with a lot of traffic so hiring a taxi for the day is a good idea. It is a fascinating city situated between several hills where the hillsides are covered in white brick houses. The main attractions are the Citadel and the big Roman theatre. The Citadel is on a hill and gives great views of the city. There are old ruins here including a domed audience hall and the impressive Temple of Hercules with some tall columns remaining. You get a great view of the Roman Theatre from the edge here! The theatre is believed to have been built around 150 AD and has a seating capacity of 6000.Right outside is the small Odeon with a seating capacity of 500 and is believed to have served as venue for musical performances. Jerash: The ruins of Jerash are fabulous and a must see when in Jordan. Just after the entrance you pass the hippodrome. They have a fun show there at 11am with gladiator fights and chariot race. It is great entertainment for the kids but attendance is too expensive at euro 12. However, this seemed easily negotiable. Continuing you will enter the magnificent Oval plaza surrounded by pillars. To the left is the beautiful South theatre. It used to hold 5000 spectators. The views from the top are great and u can get good photos and overview of the ruins and the Oval plaza in particular. Back in the Oval plaza you walk straight through the colonnaded street "cardo maximus". On the left you come to the "nymphaeum" that was the main ornamental fountain of Jerash. Further on the left there is the gate and staircase leading up to the impressive temple of Artemis, dedicated to the goddess of hunting and fertility. At the northern end to the left is another smaller theatre. Entrance to The ruins are euro 6. Getting there and away: the cheap way is by public bus from Amman. Takes ca two hours one way. From Madaba you can get there by taxi and have the driver wait for you for between euro 40 and 48 depending on how long the driver must wait and your negotiating skills. The Dead Sea is a fun destination for a day. It is the lowest place on earth at 409 below sea level. Evaporation is so high that you find lots of salt on the beach and on the rocks around and in the lake. Salt levels in the Dead sea is seven times what you find in the ocean and this makes you float like a cork. Make sure you don't get water in your eyes! At the Dead Sea Rest House you have a beach with the necessary facilities. Entrance is euro 5. At the southern end of their beach you find lots of the famous mud that is so good for the skin and you can give yourself a treatment there. On the way there from Madaba you pass Mt Nebo where Moses looked over the Promised Land. It has good views of the Dead Sea, the Palestine territories, Jericho and supposedly all the way to Jerusalem on a very clear day. A day trip to the Dead Sea and Mt Nebo from Madaba is ca euro 23 with taxi. Aqaba is a nice town,at least when it is not too hot. Downtown is a vibrant area with a good atmosphere. The market is a good place to stock up on fruits. To the north of it is the main tourist area with shops, restaurants and big hotels. There is a nice promenade along the public beaches (not the big Corniche which is also ok) where there are small cafes and the main area for glass-bottom boats. These beaches are ok for small kids to swim and play in the water, but not all that for adults. However, it is a fun place to sit and watch how Jordanians enjoy a day at the beach- wading in fully clothed or sitting in a chair just dipping the feet in the water, while others smoke water pipes and watch. The best beaches are on longer public but occupied by big luxury hotels like the Intercontinental. Access to their beach costs euro 25 pr person so it is obvious they don't want visitors from outside (and they admitted noone uses this offer either). Places to stay: the Al-Cazar hotel looks a bit run-down from outside but the rooms are spacious and very good. It also has a big swimming pool. Prices depends a lot on season and length of stay, as well as type of room. The hotel has its own beach south of Aqaba and its guests are taken there and has access for free (others must pay euro 5 for the day). At their beach they have a complex with a pool, restaurant, showers and toilets. However, they don't clean the beach and it is quite littered, at least when we were there. There are sharp corals and stones all the way in on the beach so it is not ideal for small kids. The hotel bus goes there at 9:00 and at 13:30 and returns at 17:00. Places to eat: the best restaurant we found during our week in Aqaba was Floka Sea Food just opposite the Al-Cazar. The grilled fish was truly superb. The floating restaurant Mina House is a nice outing and food is good, although not matching Floka. The Ali Baba restaurant should have named themselves Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, like the story, as their prices are truly worthy of that name: including gov tax and service charge a simple cup of coffee is euro 2. That's a double of what we normally paid. Petra: this is Jordans big attraction and it is truly fantastic. This ancient city with all its tombs carved into the rock walls of a hidden place between mountains in Southern Jordan, is awesome. As you walk down the narrow siq with it is colourful and beautifully shaped high rock walls, anticipation builds to finally see the Treasury like you've seen in photos and travel programs on tv. And when you finally see a part of it between the walls of the siq, it is magical. The details on the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) are amazing. Your best chance of getting photos without huge groups of tourists in front are either very early in the morning or after three o'clock in the afternoon.  Moving further on you get to the theatre, also carved out from rock. Everywhere around are tombs and different holes and caves in the rock sides, some with incredible colours from the red, white and pink layers of the rocks of the area. The Royal tombs are on your right after the theatre, the stairs leading to them start behind the tea place on your right. They are well worth a visit. Moving on further along the main path you go through the colonnaded street but there is very little left of it. At the end of the street you get to ruins of old temples before some big new restaurants. Behind the restaurants are two paths. The one to the right leads to the Monastery (Al-Deir). It is a steep walk up and takes between 20 and 30min depending on your speed and stops on the way. The climb is beautiful with some spectacular rock formations. The Monastery itself is beautiful although not as spectacular as the Treasury, but the walk up there is definitely worth it. Petra is accessed from the town Wadi Musa (translates to "Valley Moses", we were told) which is a good two hour drive from Aqaba. A return full day trip with taxi will cost you euro 5. Entrance fee to Petra is euro 25 for one day, and euro 32 for a two-day pass. Wadi Rum is said to have some of the most beautiful desert landscapes in the World. It is definitely unique and beautiful. The mountains are eroded and have incredible shapes and many places the sand is a deep rusty red. There are fantastic rock bridges and big red sand dunes. Many of the tour agencies organize overnight trips and this should not be missed. A typical tour costs euro 36 and includes a full day in the desert with a 4 wheel drive where you sit in the open on benches, lunch in the desert and overnight in a bedouin tent with dinner. It is a great experience! Check out www.bedouinroads.com for more details.