The JORDAN ISSUE...All things Jordanian!!
We are
very pleased to introduce the “JORDAN MAGIC” website:
www.JordanMagic.com
This fascinating country is absolutely so much more than an
add-on excursion to your Egypt tour...you could easily spend
weeks absorbing the history, culture and spirit of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We have 3 new “standard” Jordan
itineraries but, in truth, no guest’s Jordan itinerary that
I’ve ever prepared has been an exact match to one of the
published standards. But these are good guidelines for how
much you can see and do in a given number of days...a good
starting point for your own planning.
A very talented associate of ours, as well as a prior guest
(who luckily for me is a professional photographer) both
took recent pictures of their stays in Jordan...each picture
tells you far more about this country than I could ever put
into words...
A very
talented associate of ours, as well as a prior guest (who
luckily for me is a professional photographer) both took
recent pictures of their stays in Jordan...each picture
tells you far more about this country than I could ever put
into words...
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The majesty and
vibrant color of Wadi Rum. |
At the Roman Army
Chariot Experience (RACE)
in Jerash.
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Petra, viewed from
one of its many caves. |
Wrangling the
camels in Wadi Rum.
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Jerash street
scene. |
All abover images not for
reproduction. Copyright 2009 Michele MacDonald,
Full Strride Communications, used here with her
permission.
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Photography courtesy of James Carnahan. |
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Photography courtesy of James Carnahan.
And to the fascinating sites you can see and things
you can do in Jordan, we can add one more: “Voluntourism.”
Take some time from your holiday and put your hands & heart
to work to help make life a little better for friends you
didn’t know you had.
VOLUNTOURISM IN JORDAN
What is Voluntourism?
Just as it sounds,
“Voluntourism” is the combination of volunteer service with
tourism. Chances to volunteer are abundant, ranging from a
well-know service program like the Peace Corps to something
as simple as spending a few hours working with children in a
special education class.
What better way bring you together with
ordinary Jordanians, in a setting completely outside the
well-worn “tourist trail.” What better way to
help Jordanians understand who you are and how you live?
What better way for you to understand that your
Jordanian hosts are people who share the same hopes, dreams
and daily problems as yourselves? What better way
to start tearing down the walls of suspicion than by
fostering one-to-one interactions, in a setting which
benefits all concerned? What better way to
see the truth that people are people wherever you find them,
and to give your time and your effort is a gift beyond
price.
Voluntourism can be
many things—it can be conversing with a third-grade English
class, or helping a handicapped child with his
finger-painting, helping Habitat for Humanity put up new
shelters or cleaning the litter from a hiking trail. There
are many opportunities to take from a few hours to a few
days from your touring program to contribute from your time,
your experience, your muscle power...and your heart, to help
make life easier, to help make this small world of ours a
little smaller, and to make new friends. And to have an
experience “on vacation” we guarantee you will always
remember proudly.
There is a
wonderful opportunity to help that’s very close to the Petra
site. About 600 members of the Amareen Bedouin tribe
live in a small government-built village called Baidha
Housing, which sits about 12 km north of Wadi Musa on the
edge of the Petra National Park. Because this tribe
traditionally herded in areas outside the bounds of Petra,
relatively few members of the tribe have become involved in
the financially rewarding benefits of tourism in the way
that other local residents of Um Sehun village and Wadi Musa
have done. Members of the Amareen tribe, many of whom lived
in hand-woven Bedouin tents until little more than a decade
ago, lack the resources and the expertise to make some of
the basic repairs and improvements that would greatly
enhance the quality of their lives.
Current
projects available in the village are:
- Build a
gray-water irrigation system for the vegetable
gardens and orchards that each family has. All the
needed equipment will be donated, but laying the lines
requires some elbow grease. Too much water is wasted in
this desert climate, and a rudimentary recycling system
will save money and help with the local crops.
- Go back to
school and help the children of Baidha to have a
nice school. The simple cement-block schoolhouse badly
needs painting, repairing plumbing, wiring and
foundation cracks, replacing broken doors and windows
and making the school a more inviting and safe place for
the village children.
- Calling
Mr. and Ms. Fix-it to help villagers make many
repairs and simple improvements in their cement-block
houses. Many houses have cracked walls, and in most
there are needed plumbing and electrical repairs
required.
- Show your green thumb
and plant trees in several places
around the village
including the schoolyard and roadsides. Baidha was
largely de-forested during the early 20th
century, and climate-suitable trees would provide
welcome relief from the summer sun and the brisk winds
of the winter months.
This is a representative project list
of what this village needs now...this list will change as
different needs are identified. Please write or call Joyce
for complete updated information.
If you’re interested in
adding Voluntourism to your stay in Jordan, we will send you
a list of the current available projects about 6 weeks prior
to your arrival, indicating a 1-10 degree of physical
challenge and any special skills that are required for the
project, and then ask you to rank your project preferences.
We have developed a
standard itinerary for a total of 8-days in Jordan, with 3
days of voluntourism included, which you can read in
full detail on our website. If you have more or less
time that you’d like to spend we will be delighted to put
together a custom program for you.
There’s not much that can
equal the satisfaction of helping where help is needed...and
we guarantee that the photos you’ll have of huge Jordanian
smiles will be the first ones you show of this unique travel
and life experience.
Joyce
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your request to
VisitEgypt@EgyptMagic.com