Jordan beauty

The week-long independent tour of Jordan that my son, Eirik, and I took, July 1-7, 2010, was very enjoyable due to the kind cooperation of Ali Al-Hasanat, who runs Jordan Beauty Tours (Box 8, Petra 71810, Jordan; phone/fax +962 3 215 4 999, www.jordanbeauty.com).

I chose this company after doing a lot of research about companies that would do the independent stops I wanted: Jerash, shopping in Amman, Madaba, an overnight in Dana Nature Reserve, Petra, an extended stay in Wadi Rum, snorkeling in Aqaba and then a drive north to the airport in Amman. Ali and I corresponded for months as I made changes to the itinerary.

Eirik and I walked across the Sheikh Hussein border crossing from Israel into Jordan, where Ali’s driver, Isa, was waiting for us. Ali called an hour later to greet us and be sure we were satisfied.

When we got to Petra, Ali, himself, transported each of us back and forth, got herbs for my upset stomach and sent us onward to Aqaba with his brother and driver, Muhammad.

We found Ali to be entirely trustworthy and very willing to arrange what we desired. He would not accept a deposit beforehand; we paid the full amount of $890 per person in US dollars. (He will also accept other currencies and payment via a Visa credit card.) The price included car, drivers, accommodations, seven breakfasts, four dinners and all admissions to sites.

ANN CABOT

Austin, TX