You're finally going to Morocco. That's great! So what do you need to know that might not be prominent in your guidebook?
First, upon arrival at the airport, you must complete a challenging Immigration form. Remember to complete a duplicate form or take a photo of your completed form; you'll need to provide essentially the same information at each lodging check-in.
Presenting stories of Christians who, over the past 200 years, have supported the Jewish people and the State of Israel, sometimes risking their lives in doing so, the Friends of Zion Museum (20 Yosef Rivlin St., Jerusalem, Israel; phone +972 2 532 9400, www.fozmuseum.com) opened in Jerusalem in September 2015.
In the fully accessible 4-story building, exhibits include videos, maps and panoramic 3-D images. Open 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun.-Thurs., 9:30-2 Fri. and 10-6 Sat. ILS44 (near $11) adult or ILS22 senior includes guided tour in English.
My husband, David, and I had an excellent experience on our March 2016 trip in Jordan using Go2Jordan.INFO (www.your-guide-to-aqaba-jordan.com).
Our first contact with the company was with Eszter Papai (eszter@your-guide-to-aqaba-jordan.com). She thanked us for our inquiry and passed along some information about Jordan, including a series of travel tips for the area. She also told us they had an English-speaking guide, Zsuzsanna (Suzan) Gabor.
While visiting the Middle East in June 2015, I used the wonderful Egyptian driver Tarek. He speaks English well, his taxi is decent, and he’ll drive visitors to the pyramids and local markets for around $50. If he’s busy, his brother Rahim may be available, and he’s a gem also.
I’ve used Tarek and Rahim for over 20 years. I know their family and have been in their home. They may be reached in Cairo by phone at 01222 70 5229.
My wife, Nancy, and I took the “Egypt & the Nile Tour with Jordan Extension,” Jan.12-29, 2016, with Go Ahead Tours (Cambridge, MA; 800/597-0350, www.goaheadtours.com). The cost for each of us was $4,500, which included airfare from Kansas City to Cairo via Zürich, with the return by way of Amman, Jordan.
There were 24 people in our group during the Egyptian part of our tour, and 10 took part in the Jordan extension.
Our Egyptian tour director, Amr, an Egyptologist, not only knew about the ancient sites in Egypt, he shared his personal involvement in current events.
At the Western (or Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem, men and women soon will be allowed to worship together in a designated space. In addition, at the wall, women will be allowed to lead prayers and wear religious clothing traditionally meant for men.
The new rules were approved by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in January. Construction of the special section was expected to take two to three months. (Separation of the sexes is not practiced at other public sites in Israel, though some bus lines are segregated.)
