Most Inspirational Moment
Jordan really was the most inspirational thing. It is a fantastic country to visit with so much to see. This is a holiday really jammed packed with sights. The backdrop of many of the cycles was also marvellous-great views of incredible rock formations. Nearly every day there was so much to see. Petra was hugely impressive and we had a great day there. However we stayed at Petra for 3 nights which was 1 night too long. This was also the poorest hotel and the food etc not great. Little Petra only took us at most 2 hours and it was quite a made up cycle that day-only 12 miles so we ended up with a free afternoon and another night there. Anas was great at suggesting activities for the afternoon but it was really just filling in time. We ended up in a very touristy Turkish baths which were not very nice. Luckily Anas organised a meal with a family that night and that was a superb evening. Other highlights were swimming in the Dead Sea, seeing the mosaics of Madaba and Mount Nebo and the fabulous Roman site at Jerash. The trip to Wadi Rum for the night was also wonderful. Lovely little camp in a perfect setting with a wonderful evening looking at the stars.
Thoughts on Group Leader
As mentioned above, Anas was a marvellous group leader. He really looked after us so well and really wanted us to have a good time. He dealt with things immediately and was very good at reporting back to us. We were a very small group but he was impressive at working out the best way for the group as a whole making sure no-one was left out. His leadership meant there was not one moment of stress to contend with! He had a great back up staff who all got on very well which also reflected well on Anas. He clearly loves his country and was very happy to share his life and customs with us. We learnt a lot from him. The cycling team who fixed our bikes were very helpful and good fun as was our driver. The only weak link was the cycling guide Josif, whose very uneven cycling pace could have endangered the group.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I think after the trip, that it is a good idea to consider a couple of days at the Red Sea-unfortunately this trip takes you back to Amman but if you can work it out, you can get a lift down to Aqaba and stay at the Sea-there is a short flight from Aqaba to Amman or you just do the car transfer to Amman at the end of your Red Sea adventure. Very easily arranged independently but we were very lucky that our group leader and driver helped us arrange transfers to our own hotel at the end.
Suggestions
Overall we had a fabulous time in a very interesting country. There are a lot of tourists but the short trips on the bike away from it all meant it was a great way to see Jordan rather than just sitting in a bus the whole time!!