Guided in a Holy Land

Happy New Year!

Well, for this blog, it didn't quite start off as a Happy New Year, as my Jordan and Israel blog post somehow disappeared.

A visual representation on how Blogger did me in.

Aside from that bit of un-fun, 2015 has been pretty terrific several days in. Well, when you start off the year doing what you love....

You find inner peace!! I think.

There's still a lot of unanswered questions, ( still that burning question of what am I going to do with my life) and still readjusting to spontaneity and uncertainty in regards to my travel. At 20 I wasn't concerned flying off somewhere foreign and figuring it out when I got there, but nearing 27 I've become  acclimated to planning and booking ahead.

what's at the end of this road? how will I get there?  how long should I be on itRRRARARRGHH

So my (New Years') resolution to try and be a little more flexible with my travel is still work in progress. I've booked about the first quarter leg of Australia, so perhaps it will be the immediate future when that 'go with the flow' habit redevelops. I like to pretend I don't want to control every step of my life, but that would be moderately false.

Though I did ride off into the sunset sunrise in Petra, so does that count as steps in the right direction? 

The past few weeks have been fairly regimen, which is a given as Jordan and Israel aren't places you can travel without a tour.

Not even if you try blending in.

While you can show up and find a tour on arrival (it seems more easy to do in Jordan than in Israel), the lack of a 'do it on your own'  option isn't so bad, because a majority of the highlights are only where guide can take you.

Like eating in a Jordanian home with real, local food. This was amazing.

We really lucked out in Jordan, where we were guided by perhaps our best tour guide we've had travelling....ever.

His name was Hisham and he was awesome.

One thing that can make or break a tour is your tour guide. The funny thing about being a tour guide is that a love of travel can't make you great. At minimum, you have to be a.) knowledgeable and b.) a people person.

Can't be denying people, for example.

If you can read people, figure out what they are interested in, and play in on it in, you'll be successful.

I wanna be a Jedi!!@!!2

Our guide made a point to tailor to things we were interested in. Granted, he'd been in the industry nearly twenty years, so experience played a large role, but one thing that stood out from his knowledge was what I think is equivalently important in a tour guide:

Enthusiasm.

8D

Now I'm not saying you have to be smiley and cheery all the time. (Because really, I would never find work if this is the case.) But if you love your work, it's not hard to tell. You unconsciously express it, and it will be received as such.

If you have a passion for mosiacs and history, your audience will definitely pick up on it.

Because I'm sure our guide has seen these views a hundred times. But he made it seem if it was the first.

Jordan as a whole I walked away considerably enlightened. Because it is part of the Holy Land (Jordan River, Moses' view into the Promised Land, Lot's Cave, Red Sea) was why we went there. But the friendly people, ancient architecture, and exotic atmosphere set it apart. I could easily revisit, just to experience its wonder once more.

And doing a roadtrip. Just saying.

Now in comparison was our Israel tour guide.  He was extremely knowledgeable in running the tour. The efficiency of it all was impressive. 

From here:

 To here:

 To here!

All in one day.

Knows his stuff.

But he wasn't very enthusiastic. Mostly, he seemed worn out, as if 20 plus years of leading tours and dealing with tourists had caught up with him.

I hate this.

I'm sure anyone who's worked a job they didn't like can relate. I didn't hold it against him.

'Cuz like, Goodwill and stuff. Towards everybody. Oh and men too.

The views, no matter where we went,in Israel, were spectacular. But perhaps it was more the experience of Israel that made the biggest impression on us. Having set foot in places that shaped modern religion as we know it? Pretty powerful stuff.

I left Israel impressed with what we saw. The Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Stations of the Cross, Gethsemane, Bethlehem...these places shaped Christianity. And time travel is always a hit for me, no matter what century it's in. 

Because I'm all about those ruins, bout the ruins, ALL RUBBLE.

But if I chose between the two to revisit, Jordan would win. Because like in tour guiding, the scenery doesn't change.

Going beyond borders.

But the people you meet change you.

From here, the United Arab Emirates and Oman are next on our visit list. And then the turning of the page to the next chapter of Internationally Natalie...

Because really, the best experiences are certainly worth repeating.