Asia
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[Review] Memories Aicha Luxury Camp in Wadi Rum: Luxury Hotel with Dome Tents (Jordan)
My hotel choices have been heavily influenced by my girlfriend H., who loves beautiful things, luxury, and watches Instagram reels of beautiful hotels. She recommended Our Habitas in Hegra, and now Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (Booking link) for our stay in Wadi Rum. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal After seeing this photo taken by a drone, I’m very interested. Sure, there are many dome tent hotels in Wadi Rum, but after looking closely at the photos, I get the impression that the tents at Memories Aicha Luxury Camp are built differently. They seem more “custom-made” than tents that you buy ready-made, or worse, completely…
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Visiting Petra (Jordan): the 7th new wonder of the world
In 2001, a private organization began reaching out to countries around the world to have them and their residents vote for the 7 new wonders of the world. In over 8 years of travel, it took us 5 years to visit the first 6 new wonders, but Petra in Jordan resisted us because we are rarely in the region. This time, we decided to visit the last new wonder on the list: Petra. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Saudi – Jordan The flight from Medina to Amman went wonderfully well because each passenger had at least 5 seats to themselves. Since the war in…
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Visiting Medina and the Prophet’s Mosque as non-Muslims (Saudi Arabia): Travel Diary
Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 8 (road trip continued) It takes us a little over 3 hours to drive from‘Al Ula to Medina. We decide to dress in traditional clothing in Medina. Before coming, we researched the dress code, and YouTubers all say you can come in loose, well-covered clothing. No need to veil. However, reading the comments, I found that some people are very reluctant to have tourists in Medina (which happens to be the second holiest site in Islam, after Mecca). Some sarcastically say “ahh, we must thank our prince for inviting these tourists”, and others say “please, we are pilgrims…
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Al Ula & Hegra (Saudi Arabia): Travel Journal
We continue our December 2024 road trip in Saudi Arabia, which we are discovering for the first time. We learned that the country was open to non-Muslims during the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, and the magnificent Saudi Arabia booth gave us a strong desire to go there. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 5 of the road trip (continued) Cairo – Al Madinah The airport in Cairo is not the most peaceful in the universe. Everyone has tons of luggage, is very impatient, and very rude. Luckily we get there 3 hours early because it takes us 1 hour of waiting to check…
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How to get a visa for Jordan? Is the Jordan Pass worth it?
I first wanted to apply for an eVisa in anticipation of our trip to Jordan, but it seems the website doesn’t want us. Indeed, as French citizens, the visa is obtained on arrival, and costs 40 JOD. Apparently with cash payment in JOD, so you’ll need to exchange money at the airport’s exchange offices, which we want to avoid. I could have ended my article there, but I discovered that the visa is free if you’ve purchased, before your arrival, a “Jordan Pass”. The Jordan Pass costs between 70 and 80 JOD depending on the number of days you plan to spend in Petra. Be careful to buy these passes…
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How to get an e-visa for Saudi Arabia?
At theDubaï World Expo in 2022, we visited the impressive pavilion of theSaudi Arabia which gave us an irrepressible urge to visit this country. When a Saudi employee asked us at the exit, we replied, “what a shame we can’t visit your country!”. He replied: “of course you can visit Saudi Arabia”.“Really?”“Yes, you can go see my colleague over there, you’ll get your visa in 10 minutes”. Woooow. Indeed, since October 2019, the Kingdom has opened up to “non-religious tourism”. Saudi Arabia is preparing for “life after oil” and plans to develop tourism to make it a significant economic sector. Maybe it’s because of Covid that came right after, but…
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A Week in Bhutan, the Land of Happiness: Part 4/4
Today, we visit the highly anticipated Tiger’s Nest. This post is part of a series about Bhutan. Read part one, part two , and then part three. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Even though dinner was a bit light yesterday, we’re quite well served this morning. The guide picks us up early to avoid the heat. The driver drops us off at the parking lot and wishes us good luck. The Taktshang Monastery, also known as Tiger’s Nest , is one of the most iconic and spiritual places in Bhutan. It’s located in the Paro Valley, clinging to a cliff at about 3,120 meters…
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A Week in Bhutan, the Land of Happiness: Part 3/4
Today, we still have a lot of driving ahead of us. This post is part of a series about Bhutan. Read part one , and then Part 2. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We pass by a stupa, where we buy a scarf for me. It says “baby yak”, super soft. 1800 BTN. The vendor gives JB change in Indian rupees, and he had to ask the guide if we could use them. The Bhutanese currency is pegged to the Indian rupee, and since there is a lot of trade with India, you can use them without any problem. Today, we visit one of…
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A Few Days in Da Nang & Hue (Vietnam) – 2024
I’m catching up on all the missing travel logs from Vietnam. It’s June 2024, and after Thailand, we’re looking for a place to land in Vietnam, before heading to Hanoi and flying back to France. I choose Hue because it’s a city I don’t know very well. There’s a direct flight between Bangkok and Da Nang. We spend a night there because I want to take the scenic train to Hue the next day. At the airport, I find out that the international fireworks competition is happening that very evening. I’m very surprised, because in my head, it’s in October, not June. Whatever! I’ve seen it on TV, it’s always…
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Da Nang to Hoi An by motorbike (Vietnam) – 2022
We’re in May 2022. Vietnam has just reopened after Covid, and we’re meeting our friend F. in Da Nang for a weekend in Hoi An. We each rent a motorbike and decide to ride from Da Nang to Hoi An. We pick up F. at the Pullman, where he stayed the night before. He leaves his suitcase there and keeps only the essentials in a backpack. We each have a small backpack too. There are several possible stops along the way: Ngu Hanh Son mountain, with an old military hotel inside, Ba Na Hills, where French colonists used to vacation to escape the heat… but we won’t do all that…
