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Security concerns, hotel accomodations, frequent flier miles, and tips
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While in Egypt, we always had an armed escort in civilian clothes; in Jordan a member of the Jordanian Tourism Police was always with the group; and in Israel, armed soldiers were always nearby. While going through a rough part of the Sinai Peninsula, we had a jeep with multiple guards with automatic weapons in the front and back of our convoy ready to light up any thieves or terrorists. Native speaking tour guides accompanied us through the different countries making for an informative stay. The 4-star hotels in the USA, Europe, and Caribbean were superior to the 4-star hotels in the Middle East -- not sure what standards are used to gauge their hotels. Israel Tourism Consultants found great airfare, however, frequent flier miles were forfeited to secure that lower price -- I missed out on 14,000 miles, but airfare was very low. Be sure to buy some of the sand art in Egypt -- finer grain sand packs the images better, so beware of buying something with coarse sand because it more apt to shift and destroy the colored sand images inside the bottle. You can get small bottles with your name inscribed on the inside for as low as $5 with detailed camels and desert scenes -- wish I'd gotten more! The Mount Sinai climb is demanding, best to be in shape if you plan to make it to the top; bring a flashlight is starting at 1:45AM. You might want to bring a flyswatter along on the bus. Bottled water was inexpensive; once you get to Israel, just refill your used bottles with water from the hotel. Have a great trip.
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