I am in touch with one called Petra Moon, has anyone got any experience with them?<

For Kura Tobi - I don't know this tour operator but there is a hotel in the Petra area with the same name and it looked kind of bad. We used a tour operator called Turricum Travel, but of course, they are a middle man. You probably already know this, but you need to get your visa for Jordan. We just visited there this spring. We stayed in the Le Meridien in Amman and at the Grand View Hotel in Petra - both excellent hotels. The food was really good in Jordan at both hotels.

If you want literature, contact the Jordan Ministry of Tourism, Fax Nr. 202 966 3110.

The visa fee for individuals was $44 in the spring. Because we were a group, the fee was waived (for a group of 5 or more, staying 4 nights in Jordanian hotels). This has to be arranged in advance - fax nr. for the Embassy of Jordan is 202 686 4491.

We enjoyed Jordan, although the scenery is pretty desolate. Our guides scared many in our group from going into Petra by saying they wouldn't be up to the walk through the Siq. There are donkeys there to ride, but they said there wouldn't be enough for everyone They were wrong. There is also some kind of cart you can ride - at extra cost, but not bad. Those who went agreed it was a strenuous walk for older folks, but they were all happy they did it.

One of the high points of the trip for me, was standing atop Mt. Nebo and looking over into the Promised Land.

I hope I didn't give you more information than you were looking for !

I hope you have as enjoyable trip as we did - oh, take Cipro or something like it for emergencies. You don't usually have as much of a problem as people do in Egypt, but it happens.

Rosemary