Saturday, January 15, 2011

Best Kept Secret in Jordan

One of the neatest experiences in Jordan that your tour guide will probably never tell you about is in rural, northwest Jordan near Ajloun. A lot of the work we are doing hear is economic development projects to help empower women in particular. The northwest part of the country is very "lush" compared to the rest of Jordan and has a bit of a Mediterranean feel to it.

A series of trails have been constructed that link several small villages together. The Al Ayoun(means the eyes which is also the Arabic word for springs) trail is a must do excursion if you are in Jordan or planning to visit. The group I am working with has done some amazing work in the area to help provide economic opportunities where they haven't existed before.

One of the neatest day trips is to walk with a local guide on the trails and then share meal with one of the local families. You can either make is a day trip or explore more of the area and have a home-stay with one of the families. I have had a lot of great meals in Jordan, but the breakfast I had yesterday blew them all away.

One of the other projects is the Soap House where local women make soap from olive oil and locally grown and harvested herbs. A great gift idea and even better way to help rural, Jordanian families!

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