Toronto, Canada

We arrived back in Toronto safely.  We ended up carrying most of our souvenirs as carry-on, which turned out to be much better for fragile souvenirs.  We had bought a cheap duffle bag intending to pack it carefully and check it; but then found out it was $70 to check a 2nd bag.  So the airplane people suggested we take it carry-on.  I think we'll try to do this for future trips!

Overall Jordan was a very enjoyable trip.  There weren't any safety issues, even near the borders.  The biggest impression was the lack of hard-sell from would-be guides, vendors, etc -- all it took was a single "no thanks" and they would wish us a good time in Jordan.  It was very refreshing.

Petra was amazing, it's in my top five places to see in the world.

There were a lot of ruins in Jordan, and we did get out-ruined after a while.  Three weeks in Jordan was probably too much time -- normally, Jordan would be part of a trip including Israel, Syria and/or Egypt, which would provide more variety.

Also, there's not much tourist infrastructure. Outside of Petra, Aqaba, Madaba and Amman there is very little mid-range accommodation.  Out of 22 days in Jordan, we spent 18 nights in those four cities.  I would have preferred a little more variety, but there just weren't places to stay.

Here's our pics from the trip:

2012 Jordan - favourites