Hello from sunny Jordan!
I’ve been traveling for a little under 2 weeks now and wanted to write a quick update of the trip for friends and family. As some of you know – I am traveling around the Middle East at the moment before heading out to Asia and let me preface it all by saying – I am ok and I’m safe.
The past 12 days have been nothing short of great adventures and I cannot wait to tell you some stories in later posts. You may have seen some of the pictures and videos I’ve uploaded – and trust me many more fun ones are to come! 
I’ve been very fortunate to meet some incredible people in the past 12 days, which has reminded me why I LOVE traveling so much! You never know who you’d meet on the road – especially in the Middle East – but one thing is for sure – all of the people you’d come across have interesting stories and very diverse backgrounds.
….and who knows – you may even meet someone involved in one of the sports you admired and dreamed of while growing up! (yes, true story!)
The Middle East
The Middle East is a fascinating area and I’m absolutely loving it here. I spent about 9 days in Egypt – a country of incredibly warm people, ancient history and many, many persistent touts. I loved being in Egypt, but hated parts of the experience – a shame really as I was so excited about seeing the country. Egypt is a country of wonder and the magical allure of the ancient Egyptians, but definitely a difficult place to visit - especially if you are a solo woman traveler. (though even some of the guys I met shared that view.) But more on that later.
Right now, I am in Jordan and absolutely LOVING it here! The country has impressed me in more ways than one. The people are incredibly warm and hospitable, and while in Egypt folks are nice and helpful, but expect a payment in the form of a baksheesh for their kindness, here in Jordan people genuinely try to help one another in any way possible without expecting anything in return.
In particular, the Bedouin hospitality that we’ve experienced in the Wadi Rum desert and in the ancient city of Petra was unlike anything I’ve seen in my life. Here there were people who have very little and live so simply, but have huge hearts and were not afraid to give away what they had and share it with even absolute strangers.
Apart from the people, I’ve really enjoyed how beautiful, safe and stable Jordan is. In Egypt I was harassed constantly by men on the street – even if I was covered up and dressed modestly; here none of that has happened. What I like about Jordan is that if you ask someone to stop or to let you be – they do. In comparison, in Egypt, sometimes you may ask someone to leave you alone, but 8 blocks and 10 min. later they are still walking after you, saying things and offering you services and goods you do not want.
———————–
So I’ll wrap up this quick update as I want to go to the grocery store and grab a few things. I’m making crepes for one of my closest and best friends whom I’m lucky enough to be visiting in Amman – I absolutely can’t wait to feed her some yummy food from one of my specialty recipes!
Take care and I hope all of you are doing well – wherever in the world you may be!
Until next time,
-K
Tags: Egypt, Jordan, Middle East, Travel
