Chech:

I rechecked my notes for the day we travelled to the Dead Sea. We attended several sites in the area we had stayed, including a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We left the area after lunch (probably about 2:00) and starting driving to the Dead Sea. We only made one stop along the way, that being at the River Jordan. According to my notes, it was a 3 hour drive to the Dead Sea (so I’m not sure how much earlier we could have actually gotten there). One of the ladies who didn’t swim and wasn’t comfortable in going into the actual body of water had planned on going into the indoor ‘Dead Sea’ pool but it was closed - either that or it cost money to use and she didn’t want to pay. (I think it was closed, but had it been open she wouldn’t have gone in because you had to pay.) I don’t think it was necessary for to leave as early the next morning as we did (other than I think the tour guide wanted to get to Masada as soon as it opened so we would be first in line), so perhaps they modify the tour by allowing more time at the Dead Sea the next. They run this tour year round, so I’m sure there must be some sort of allowance made so people can enjoy the water during the months there is less sunlight. [It might also be possible that you can go in after dark – I didn’t check]. I can’t imagine a tour spending 3 hours driving to a location and not allowing some time for people to actually use the site, so I wouldn’t be worried about it.

I don’t have the address of the Crowne Plaza, but it definitely was not near the Roman theatre. We ended our tour at the Roman theatre and then had a bit of a drive to get back to the hotel.

Berk:

Tipping: I didn’t keep track of how much we tipped in total (particularly since hubby did most of the tipping). You should be budgeting at least $7.50 USD per day (per person) for the guide & driver. We tipped the bellboys $1.00 USD/bag. and we tipped our meals outside of the hotel at the usual 15-20% (although some places over there automatically add a tip, so you need to check the bill before tipping). Not sure what hubby tipped the waiters and cabin staff on the cruise or exactly whom else he tipped (and/or how much). Like I said though, other than the guide & driver, tips have supposedly been included and you aren’t required to tip anyone further.

The Israel tour was a combination of Roman ruins, biblical sites, and scenic sites. Some people were on the tour for the religious aspects, others (like myself) were there for sight seeing and culture aspects. The religious sites were interesting (although being a non-religious person I took them with a grain of salt) and I’m sure were quite meaningful to those visiting for religious reasons. I enjoyed the Roman ruins and was in awe of the scenery (the greenness of the Jordan River, the crystal clear blueness of the Dead Sea, the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, the colours of the Mountains, the vastness of the ‘desert’ and the endless groves of Date trees.) I was also dumbstruck at the wall around Bethlehem and the vast amount of security (soldiers, machine guns, etc) that was everywhere. (Definitely a new experience for a Canadian). I found the Guide to be a little brusque and a little ‘militant’ about how things were run (which I think some of the group found a little hard to take), but she was definitely very knowledgeable and I had no problems with her. FYI – the “Israeli Breakfast” at the Tel Aviv Sheraton was to die for. Israel was not my destination of choice (it was a compromise with hubby – he wanted Israel, I wanted Jordan, so we combined everything and did the Land of the Prophets tour), however I did enjoy it and am definitely glad I went.

Our Nile Cruise was on the M/S La Boheme, which is one of the newest boats on the Nile, so I can’t comment on the condition of the older ships. We did see other boats while docked and as we were leaving or arriving at new ports, but we were not really close enough to them for me to comment on their condition of repair. While cruising we sometimes saw a boat in the distance and/or occasionally we passed one (or were passed), but it didn’t feel like ‘rush hour’ traffic or anything. A lot of the times there wasn’t another boat in site (or they were so far in the distance you didn’t really notice them). I really enjoyed watching the scenery along the banks of the Nile as we went by. (houses, small villages, fishermen, little boys playing in the water, etc. – essentially a glimpse of a different culture going about their daily life).

I took a combination of money – USD, NIS, EGP, JOD (being non-American, any USD I was going to take had to be ordered in any event, so I ordered all the currencies at the same time). We used the USD mostly for tipping wait/service staff, although I did buy a couple of souvenirs in Israel with USD. Otherwise, we just used the local currency. [I think most people obtained/exchanged money as they went – in particular the Jordanian Dinars. I liked the security of knowing I had local currency at the ready just in case I needed it before I had a chance to hit a bank machine or change other currency, and I didn’t have the hassle of trying to find a bank machine or change money].

‘Small Bills’ is a relative term (are you talking $1.00 and $5.00 bills – or are you talking all bills under $50.00/$100.00). You shouldn’t need several hundred in $1.00 (or even $5.00), but you probably don’t want to have a lot of $50.00 or $100 bills either (as some vendors/stores would only take USD if they didn’t have to provide a large amount of change – ie. good luck using a $50.00 to buy $5.00 worth of stuff). You will definitely want a handful of $1.00 if you plan on buying post cards, scarves, pens, etc. from the roving venders at the sites (everything is $1.00 and you are probably best off having exact change as they will try to sell you more items as opposed to giving you change). When you go to the lower part of Egypt you will definitely want smaller type bills (whether they are USD or EGP), but you can cross that bridge at one of the banks at the Marriott in Cairo. You definitely want to have at least 10 to 20 one EGP coins/bills for the bathroom by the time you leave Cairo!

PS – have the concierge at the Cairo Marriott tell you how to get to the Mobile Gas Station (about 2 blocks from the hotel). They have LARGE bottles of water for 2.50 EGP (approx. 50 cents USD). You’ll definitely want to pick up a bottle or two (if for nothing else than brushing your teeth – as you don’t want to waste your small bottles of ‘allotted’ water on that).

Thanks for the information, DM!!

I've researched a bit and found several references to half-day Dead Sea tours from the hotels in Amman, so if we don't get a lot of time (or even if we do), I have the option for a second visit. And who knows, some from that tour might be going to Jordan too and I might entice them to join me.