Caravan-Serai Destinations

Hi Rita,
I'm awfully late getting this off to you, but I wanted to provide feedback on this wonderful tour. Thank you for arranging it. It ranks right up there with Syria as the trip(s) of a lifetime. We would definitely use your company again. Rick and I have cobbled together some responses to your trip evaluation questions:

Tour name: Jordan tour (30Mar-9Apr 2011)

"Is this a trip that you would recommend to friends and family? "
Yes, definitely. I have recommended it to people and even tweeted about it.

"Did you enjoy the additional features, if any, that were added to your tour?"
We enjoyed our visit to the home of Wadi Tours owner Basil Sawalha and his wife Viola. They and their children were very gracious hosts. The lunch that Viola prepared was the best meal of the trip (and that's saying a lot because all of the meals were very good)!

"If you had five words to explain the trip, what would they be?"
Amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking, fun, awesome!

"Did you feel your security threatened at any time?"
No, we felt very safe at all times. People were friendly everywhere, with the exception of Aqaba port. There a man came up to our guide and complained about his bringing foreigners there. Also, the employees at the museum and shops in the port area seemed to not want us around.

"Did you have any issues telling people you were American?"
No. When we told people we were American, they were still very positive toward us. (We didn't chat with anyone in Aqaba, or my answer might be different.)

"Did you feel enough free time was given? If not, where would you have liked to have had more time?"
There was enough free time, considering the number of sites to be visited in the eight touring days. If I could do it over, I would try to have a free day at the beginning to rest up before we started.

"Were more explanations needed regarding sites, history, etc.?"
Historical explanations were very good.

"What did you think about the pre-departure materials. Was this enough information to help you prepare for your trip? Was anything missing?"
The pre-departure materials were very useful and far exceeded what we had gotten from other companies on other trips. I had to go into memory on some of the tipping (i.e., the transfer agent and restaurant employees), but I think I'd seen some of that info in places on your web site.

"If changes were made to the itinerary, were you comfortable with them?"
No changes were made. At one point, our guide Naser told us we were taking a 2-hr jeep tour in Wadi Rum, but I informed him that my emails from Caravan-Serai described it as a 4-hr tour. He checked his tickets and confirmed that it was indeed four hours, and that is what we got.

"What did you think of the in-country guides?"
Abdullah, the guide in Dana was very good. He was very helpful, had a great attitude, and was quite a gentleman, always very concerned about helping the female members of the party safely negotiate the hiking trail. Ahmad AlOmari, the guide at Umm Qais was also very good. He was very knowledgeable about the site and had interesting stories to tell, since he had grown up there.
Our bus driver, Hamdi, was pleasant. He did a good job navigating traffic and getting us to our destinations safely.
We had mixed feelings about our main guide, Naser Abu Rizk. First, the positive: Naser gave excellent presentations on the sites that we visited. He arranged a stop to the moneychanger at the beginning of the tour, which came in handy. He was flexible on starting times, while ensuring that we had adequate time to tour the sites. Naser also made sure we had plenty of water on the bus and did not limit us to one small bottle per person per day, for which we were very grateful. Nobody ever went hungry during the tour, because Naser included lunch stops at the logical times. He chose good restaurants on each occasion. He also ensured that we got checked in okay at the hotels.
On the other hand, Naser was impatient and hostile at times, and he handled the Dana tour in a manipulative manner. Before dropping us off in Dana, he said that we would be hiking to Rumanna the next day, adding that it was supposed to rain the day of the hike. When Mary questioned whether we should proceed with the hike, Naser responded "Why not? We love to walk in the rain." Naser didn't go on the hike himself, opting to stay in Petra instead. Anyway, it poured the night before the hike. Thinking that the rain was done, we went ahead with the hike, but it poured again midway through, making the already slippery conditions even worse. When we met back up with Naser, he acted surprised that we hiked in the rain and mud and blamed the hotel for not warning us about the weather. He said that we should have phoned him in Petra to arrange an alternate activity. But Naser hadn't mentioned any alternate options when he urged us to take the hike despite the rain forecast. The saving grace of the Dana tour was our hiking guide, Abdullah. It was a pleasure to spend time with him. Also, the terrain in Dana Reserve was exquisite. We would definitely take this excursion again, although next time we'd be proactive and adjust the hike plans if need be.

General comments: Transfer from the airport was easy and painless. Bassam met us immediately and took us through customs/immigration, got our bags, and then off we went to the hotel. Transfer back to the airport also was smooth. I was impressed that the driver actually carried our bags into the terminal and checked the bulletin board to make sure that our flight was on there. (Our last driver in Cancun almost took us to the wrong terminal).

Dinners out (Tawaheen al-Hawa; Kaan Zamaan) were excellent. Food and atmosphere great.

Hotels: We were very satisified with all of the hotels: Regency Palace -- very comfortable, most friendly and helpful staff, best hotel food of the trip. the room air conditioning didn't work that well, but it was tolerable (given that it was only early April). Dana Guest House -- comfortable, good food, great views Petra Crowne Plaza -- very comfortable, friendly and helpful staff, good food. only complaint would be lack of room to lay down luggage for opening up. Jabal Rum Camp -- a high point of the trip; loved the spacious tent and was pleasantly surprised that it came with an en suite bathroom; cots very comfortable; good food and entertainment Kempinski Ishtar -- lived up to its stellar reputation; best hotel we have ever stayed at, exceeding other 5-stars in quality and value!

Best regards, Kristen H. Maryland

"If you had five words to explain the trip, what would they be?" Welcoming, historical, safe, delicious, artful. - Jeff M. (Jordan, March 2011)

Hi Maha, Rita, Brenda,
Thank you for all your efforts to include me in Iran tour. I had great time! Iran had changed tremendously in the last 11 years. Visiting Tabriz and areas around was worth wile .Our guide was efficient well inform, charming, envy of other tours. Hotels were good and our little group had good chemistry. Until next time warmest regards. Liliana (Iran, May 2011)

Thanks Maha,

Overall this trip was amazing, you have a lifetime customer, and Iran has a lifetime advocate (I am telling everyone how great of a place it is to travel to). I knew people in the Middle East are very welcoming and friendly to all, this was over the top, I always felt welcome and cared for by the people of Iran (we even had a very friendly experience with some Revolutionary Guards!).

I was surprised at how few tourists were there, this country has so much potential for tourism revenue.

Some of the positives -Visa Process: talking with another couple from a different tour company they had a nightmare getting their visa. I could not believe how easy it was for me, could not have been more simple thanks to you. -Guide: Bahman was very knowledgeable of the country, the history, culture, art and architecture. He went out of his way to make sure we were all taken care of, I know snacks were not included but Bahman took care of us constantly introducing us to local treats. He knew a lot of locals and made sure to introduce us to them. -Driver: had a great driver that went out of how way to make us comfortable, I have no idea how he drove through that traffic but he did so with ease. -Hotels: very impressed with the quality of the hotels, great service and food. -Bahman made sure we got to see how things are made, meet local shop keepers, see them in action, and ask questions. We even went to the home of Mr. Fotowold, the miniaturist painter! -Our guide kept us informed of what places are good places to buy specific articles and took us to places where I felt we could trust the shopkeepers. -Small group size: allowed us to get in and out of places quickly and kept the variation of personalities to a min. I heard people in other groups complaining that the size of their group was too big and it was ruining their trip, so glad that Caravan-Serei keeps their groups small. -Bahman kept us well fed, I never went hungry, was never disappointed in the food quality -Our guide spoke plainly to us about what it is like in his country and how the people feel there.

Nathan (Iran October 2010)

Hi Maha,

We all had a fabulous time. I won't have a computer until next week, so I'll keep it short for right now. Our guide, Bahman, was super. I feel fortunate to have gotten such an experienced guide for such a small group. He did so many extra things for us, bought us fruits, souvenirs, COOKIES, all sorts of local delicacies, took us to wonderful tea houses. Besides the regular sightseeing, we got to see a special gym workout in Shiraz and were able to see a mosque where a funeral was going on. This trip allowed us to enter at least 3 or 4 mosques, which, is indeed, a privilege, considering that no one was Muslim. He made it a very personal and special experience for us. Our driver, Farhad, was also excellent. He is a master of the art of driving in Iran, (not an easy task), is learning English, and had a great personality. I'll write later when I get my computer back. It was a fabulous trip, best hotels, relatively good plumbing, kind, intelligent, curious people and incredible hospitality.

Best,
Kathy (Iran - October 2010)

Algiers is an unbelievably beautiful city, like 1930s Paris by the Med, lots of lovely French Beaux Arts buildings along the water front, like the Rue de Rivoli with arcades. The quality of the light is spectacular, crystal clear, white buildings with blue trim, mostly in the Beaux Arts idion, but some, like my hotel, in an Art Deco style. Everything is in pretty good shape for the shape it's in, the old Casbah was heavily damaged in a severe earth quake a few years ago, so there are missing buildings here and there. Had a wonderful walk through the Casbah with a plain clothes police man as my guide, apparently this is the recommended procedure. He took me through several house museums, former palaces now serving as museums, quite interesting.

My room is the maximum, looking out over the main railroad station and port to sea in the most famous of the old hotels from the French period. Many famous people have stayed here as it was THE place under the French regime, now there are some more modern and fancier places, but I prefer these older hotels with lots of character and history. The view from my terrace allows me to enjoy all the activity in the port and the many trains that come and go, some modern and some older. Not everyone would like it, but for me it is just wonderful! HUGE room with 12 foot ceilings on the top floor. big full light French doors that open on to my little terrace with a view to the blue, blue sea. The bathroom is bigger than my hotel room in Paris, and there is a seperate water closet for the commode... decorated in a decidedly 1930's itteration of Louis XV Deco... so terrazzo and marble floors in Deco patterns, and Deco tile in the Bath room, but furnished with white Louis XV chairs and bed, huge mirrors all over, three big closets, entrance foyer... just too much, exactly the kind of place I love. There is a pool, I think, and a garden and a dining room where i am about to go for something to eat.

I read in the papers tonight that they had 2 million tourists here last year, so i am not the first, but, apparently, European and American tourists are rather rare. Hopefully that will change. From what I have seen so far I would recommend visiting Algeria to anyone with any interest in architectural or colonial history, or in visiting a modern Islamic country. I am told I should not walk alone toward the center of town from here, especially not with a big camera around my neck, so, unlike Libya where street crime is all but unheard of, one does have to be a little careful in this city. Still, my first impression was one of the greatest delight and fascination. I could spend several days just walking around documenting the buildings in the old French city. Some of them are quite spectacular, like the old Beaux Arts gone Arabian Nights Post Office, which is glistening and extremely well maintained, and reminded me of the one in Casablanca, except that it is even more over the top and much bigger.

My driver/guide speaks English and French (as well as Arabic), so we have agreed to speak French. He is very professional, courteous, and knows the answers to most of my questions. The car is new, very comfortable SUV, black with tinted glass, very discrete... I am very happy with all the arrangements Caravan-Serai hs made for me here and in Libya, and would recommend their services to everyone. Tomorrow a road trip to Tlemcen to see the Great Mosque, built about 1,000 years ago in a style similar to the Great Mosque of Cordoba. With luck, I may be permitted to go inside and take some pictures.

~Clifford K.
(Libya & Algeria, 2010)

Hi, Just got back today and it was a wonderful trip-loved Syria and am so glad I stayed at the hotels you recommended! Thanks. Jackie

Hi Rita,

Instead of an Evaluation Form, I am sending a testimonial to a fascinating, fantastic journey into a land with which I was acquainted mainly through media, books and travel friends.

Thanks to your meticulous planning and caring guidance, I have gained insights, knowledge and experiences beyond all expectations. I appreciate your open attitude in sharing your information and your past in the Levantine. The gracious hospitality extended by your families was heartwarming and will stay with me always. People everywhere were friendly, helpful and welcoming.

Rita, the itinerary came alive! The accommodations were great, the restaurants were wonderful with a variety of colorful, delicious feasts. The entertainment was enjoyable and regionally authentic. The drivers and guides were experts in their fields. The guides were truly impressive in presenting a wealth of information and I enjoyed the pride they showed for their countries.

It is astonishing to have walked through the ancient cities, amphitheaters and castles, to have danced in the desert, bargained in colorful souks, marveled at the mosques, tasted fine wines, hiked by candlelight into Petra, explored the 8th wonder of the world cave and much more. I marveled at the museum collections and the extraordinary mosaics. My photos are amazing - I am finally allotting time to begin editing them as I relive my adventures. I am sending some to you and your families.

With the education I received, I think I can help dispel common misperceptions that people express whenever I mention the Middle East. I am happy to recommend your company and there is a well-traveled couple who has expressed an interest in the Levantine Adventure with you.

Believe it or not, I have evolved into a Middle Easternoholic and have read 12 books since I returned. I became ill with a "mystery virus" and sinus infection when I arrived home (probably from recirculated germs on three crowded flights). All I felt like doing was read, read, read. People, places and events are now meaningful and the complicated history of the region is becoming more coherent.

During the trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman, I had a henna tattoo, bought a water pipe in the souk of Oman, went 4W driving through the sand dunes at sunset, was awed by the Grand Mosque, enjoyed a glamorous fashion show and learned more history. You were right about Dubai: Disneyland, Las Vegas and glitz all rolled into one. My family loved the photos of the ski resort inside the Emirates Mall, also the divers with tourists inside the aquarium!

My illness, the purchase of a home with endless paper work and the upgrades that have turned into a full-blown remodel have all captured my time, so please excuse the tardiness in my response, but none of that dimmed my enthusiasm.

I will be looking forward to another adventure in the future with you. We were fortunate to have enjoyed the company of a very congenial group of travelers. I have talked to several members and I have a feeling we are unanimous in our appreciation of your effort in ensuring a memorable experience for each of us. You provided many "extras" and I thank you for your generosity, your sense of humor , forthrightnes and expertise.

With much appreciation, Elena O.
(Levantine Adventure, March 2010)

Excerpts of feedback from Jack M, Iran Tour, May 2010:

Changes in my mind about the region: (1) The people we met in Iran like Americans and we liked the Iranians we met. It is more difficult now, than before, to understand why there is conflict between our governments. (2) Iran is more developed and more modern than I had expected. Yes, we are recommending this tour to family and friends.

An educational experience? I read several books about Iran before going (Shahnameh, poems of Hafez, Nizami, etc.). From this tour I learned more about the place of Persian myths and poetry in contemporary Iranian culture. And I have a better understanding of Iranian history after having visited several major historical sites in Iran.

Additional features? (1) Our guide, Bahman, arranged many additional experiences that were not part of the formal program, for example, visits to workshops, opportunities to sample local foods, and additional museums, and time exploring several bazaars. (2) We did not have family visits on our tour. We had a few conversations with Iranians in parks, restaurants, bazaars, and hotel lobbies. I would have liked to have more, organized conversations.

Five words: friendly people, ceramic tiles, colorful flowers, nonstop adventure, knowledgeable guide.

Issues telling people we were American? No, never.

More explanations needed regarding sites, history? No. Our guide, Bahman, was very knowledgeable and offered full explanations of sites and additional information as we were driving.

In-country guide: The great success of our trip was due largely to Bahman. He was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and full of energy. His love for the history of Iran and for the people of Iran was very clear. He was quite open to answering everyone's questions and willing to share what he knew and felt about Iran with us.

Suggestions to improve the tour: No. This was an outstanding tour, one of the best I've ever taken.

Good Morning Rita,

This trip to Saudi Arabia was the forth tour I have taken with Caravan - Serai and I just had another quality experience. The hotels and food were top of the line. Hatem Jameel was a very knowledgeable and very witty. He kept me laughing the whole time I was in the Kingdom. Whatever question that was posed to him, he took the time to explain his answer in detail. He looked after all of us so that the tour ran very smoothly until the end. I have a lot of respect for Hatem Jameel and hope to keep in touch with him in the future. It is to your credit that you continue to select the right guides to highlight their countries with tons of information both favorable and sometimes unfavorable giving an accurate account of their country. Hatem Jameel has good contacts all over the country and also at the airports as well. I loved meeting several of his family members and friends in several of the cities we visited. Saudi Arabia is a fascinating country with a lot of the diversity from North to South. I really lucked out with my roommate Oliver. He is very well traveled and we shared many similar viewpoints along the way. It was a pleasure to know him throughout the entire trip. I have included a photo of Hatem and his sister that Hatem wanted me to share with you. Please keep me in mind for Libya during the last two weeks of February of 2011. Both Oliver and I are very interested.

Thanks Mark (Saudi Arabia tour, February 2010)

Rita:

Donna & I want to thank you for a most exhilarating trip through the Middle East. It far exceeded our expectations. Your commentary on the culture, history and politics of the countries visited was extremely enlightening and enhanced and reinforced our understanding of Jordan, Syria & Lebanon.

My Birthday Party at Alberto's in Zahle was a big surprise and was genuinely appreciated. In addition to our cultural experience, the group was a lot of fun and we had some hilarious moments.

My only criticism would be to suggest lighter and quicker lunches ( similar to the shwarma lunch in Damascus) and fewer long mid-day meals. Caravan-serai was a big hit.

Our best wishes for continued success.

Most sincerely, Karam & Donna
Levantine Adventure October 2009

"...The trip did change, or rather add to, our thoughts about the region, especially about the various ethnic/religious groups, their ancient history and the importance of geography, incluyding the closeness of the different people to one another, and the importance of the trade routes that linked them.

All of this means that this wasn an educational and emotional experience for us. We were indeed in the "cradle of civilization". Our school education had focused on developments in Western Europe, so what we learned wuth Caravan-Serai was a real eye-opener...

Any issues with being American? Just the opposite. People were always interested in where we came from, and many had relatives that had been or were in the USA.

Thanks again for a great trip".

-Anne B. & Dan G., Jordan & Syria March 2008

"Wanted to write and thank you for a wonderful week in Egypt. This was by far the best planned vacation we have ever had.

Yasser El Sayed met us as we entered the airport from the plane, walked us through customs and baby sat us for the rest of the week. We could not have asked for more. It was a no-hassle vacation from Cairo to Aswan back to Cairo.

Yasser had provided me with a form to complete and I must have left it in the hotel on our last day. There were about 8 questions and for each Frankie and I give the company an "Above and Beyond" rating.

Thanks again.

We are passing the word.

Regards, Harry C.

Dear Rita,

Thanks for your E-mail. We had a wonderful time on our Turkish adventure. First, thank you for being so responsive with respect to our requested the change in our itinerary involving Diyarbakir. Evren was also always available to us and responsive to any issue we needed to raise. We spoke to her on 4 occasions; twice with respect to the changes involving Diyarbakir with which you are familiar, twice with respect to our stay in Amasya, which I will discuss later and once to confirm our Diyakebir-Izmir flight confirmation.

As you know our driver Mehmet spoke no English, but we were truly fortunate to have spent the 18 days with him. He was unfailingly professional, kind and patient. Our driver from Izmir, Ahmet spoke English and was most accommodating. Our Cappadoccian guide Aylin was also excellent and offered us insight into Turkish culture.

The itinerary was just about perfect for us. We loved the time that we had to linger and enjoy the different character of each city. We enjoyed Bursa with its history and Muradiye complex. Its Saturday market is about the biggest, most vital, and varied markets that we’d experienced. The Safran Hotel is wonderfully situated and welcoming. We spent time enjoying the neighboring tea garden. One evening, there was a concert of traditional music and a martial dance demonstration at the city gate a few steps from the hotel.

We found Safranbolu to be absolutely enchanting, and the Havluzu Hotel was simply wonderful. The Hittite ruins and relief at Hattusas were more impressive and evocation than we anticipated.

Cappadoccia is unparalleled in all that it has to offer. We were in awe of the cave churches, frescoes and underground cities. We highly recommend the Esbelli Evi in Urgup. It was truly one of the nicest places that we have ever stayed. The owner Suha has thought of every detail for his guests’ comfort and esthetic enjoyment.

Urfa introduced us to yet another dimension of Turkey. The Golbassi, with its elegant design, graceful mosque complex and teahouses drew us to it again and again. The location of the Edessa Hotel was superlative and Evren was able to get us a room with a spectacular view of the Dergah Mosque complex. The Edessa is in the mist of converting the neighboring Surkav into a beautiful boutique hotel and restaurant. One night, the Surkav was carpeted and hosted a wonderful concert of traditional music, which we attended.

We were fortunate to experience Ramazen in the holy city of Urfa. Each night a single cannon shot heralded the end of the Ramazen fast. Each evening the Golbassi was filled with promenading families and shoppers browsing at booths lining the walkway. At 9 p.m. fireworks began a local celebration which might include some Karagoz puppetry, Turkish poetry, or Kurdish dancing.

We spent a wonderful day at Mt. Nemrut. We arrived about 10 a.m., after the sunrise groups, and as a result, Mehmet and we were all alone with the history and atmosphere of this ancient place. We had an equally good experience in Harran on our way to Mardin.

Mardin remains a lovely town with several interesting mosques and an intimate and vital market. The Syrian Christian monastery of Deyr-az-Zaferan was well worth a visit. The Erdoba Evi is a great hotel as well. The first night we had a nicely appointed modern room. The next night we were moved to a grand Ottoman style room complete with honey colored stone walls and 20 foot ceilings.

Selcuk was a wonderful base for our exploration of Ephesus, which was memorable. We feel in love with the little neighboring town of Sirince, known for its wine production. We also explored the Tuesday market at Tire, which proudly and appropriately refers to its market as “little Bursa”. The KaleHan turned out to be a wonderful oasis and the staff was quite lovely to us. We almost had a problem when we checked in. As you recall, we paid a premium to go to the KaleHan, but we were given a poorly furnished small room overlooking the hotel roof. When we asked about the “satellite TV” proudly proclaimed in the hotel brochure, we were told we had only paid for the least expensive room and TV was not available in this class. When we explained that we were staying for 3 days and that the comfort of the room was important to us, the desk clerk very graciously upgraded us to a better available room overlooking the garden.

In fact, our only real problem during the entire trip involved the Harsena Hotel in Amasya. Something has gone terribly awry with the management of this hotel. It was the only hotel in our entire travels which was not welcoming and in fact, insisted that Mehmet present written documentation that a reservation had been made. We were shown to rooms in the older section of the hotel. While we enjoy traditional ambiance, I have to say that these rooms were beyond quaint or quirky and best described as shabby, something out of a 1960’s hippie backpacker travelogue. When we asked to move to the newer section of the hotel, we were shown a tiny room overlooking the actively used railroad tracks. (I believe our driver actually took that room). We visually identified other more acceptable rooms. We were told, however, that none of these rooms were available for us. (I have no reason to believe that the hotel was fully occupied.) We finally accepted a grim little chamber where the paint peeled and the molding was stripped off the door frame.

We called Evren and asked for her assistance in moving us along from Amasya to Cappadoccia one night early. She was responsive as always, but told us that the hotel manager would not free us from our dilemma without paying a 65 dollar ransom, (He ultimately settled for an additional 50 dollars), a sum we thought inappropriate on the hotel’s part, given the inadequacy of the accommodations. We also paid and fully understand the additional 50 dollar charge for the Esbelli Evi, which was well worth it. I know you have used the Harran in the past, and in fact, it was highly rated in our guide books. However, given our experience, you may want to assure that the situation has improved before you consider placing any future groups there.

In all other respects, this was a wonderful trip, as evidenced by the detail of this recitation. We have many other wonderful experiences, such as the memorable afternoon spent in the home of a rural mother and daughter in the Ilhara Valley where we had our first “pekmez” and an invitation to stay the night; the sensation of a warm rose scented “sudsing” at the hamman in Bursa, the sharing of tea and broken English/broken Turkish conversation with the men sitting outside the gentle Sultan Beyazit Camii in Amasya. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, we found Turkey to be unfailingly hospitable, diverse, complex and exciting. Thank you for all your help. Let us know if we can provide you with any other information.

Gene and Shirley R.
October 16, 2006

Well, Caravan-Serai certainly delivers! My mother and I had been searching for a tour operator to the Middle East for awhile, but with the exception of those catering to the high end market, we could not find one to fit our budget. As a last resort when we saw your company voted as a Conde Nast best, we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Not only was our trip determined within just two weeks of originally contacting you, but we definitely felt like we received a stellar vacation for the price paid.

Admittedly, we were originally disappointed that our itinerary did not include the Dead Sea; however, discovering the little gem called Dana Reserve easily made up for this omission along with the numerous personal guides we obtained (at Petra, the norm seemed to be a herd of a 35 member tourist group trekking after 1 guide!)

Nadia K.
Jordan 2006

Before going to Middle East- I thought the place would be dangerous, poor, strict and uncomfortable. I had a complete change of mind - Iranians are the warmest and most educated and sophisticated and happy people. A perfect system, like America in the 50's.

Five words to explain the trip: Exciting, educational rewarding, beautiful, timeless.

I did not feel threatened at any time - people treated us warmly and they were so nice. The guide we had was great and personable, warm, charming and brilliant- The trip was perfect. I love this tour and plan to do it again

Theresa N.
Los Angeles, CA - 2006
Ancient Land of Persia, February, 2006

"Before our trip to the Middle East, I was worried that we, as Americans, would not be well received, but that proved to be far from true. The people we met were welcoming and seemed glad to share their culture.

I was impressed with the sheer numbers of the tombs, temples and pyramids. I had no idea that every square inch was decorated with carvings and paintings and that they would be so accessible. The guides were knowledgeable, and enthusiastic to share theri culture.

I never felt threatened or unsafe during my stay in Egypt. I would whole heartedly recommend this trip to all of my friends. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!

We did have to make some changes to our itinerary, because of the ferry between Hurghada and Sharm El Sheik being discontinued. We were able to choose how we wanted to rearrange the last few days of our trip, and even made changes to these plans so we could revisit some sights because one of our party had been not been feeling well during the initial visit.

I would be more that happy to give a personal recommendation to anyone considering this tour.

Vickie J.
March 2006 to Egypt

"Hi Rita,

I want to thank you for making the trip to Jordan with my mother the best trip possible in such a short time.

Basel met both of us at the airport and made going through customs and baggage just a piece of cake. What a warm and friendly welcome we were pleased to have.

Our driver, Muayyad was outstanding and the whole trip to Petra, Kerak, Mt. Nebo and Madaba was outstanding.

Caravan-Serai and Wadi tours made all of this an outstanding tour for my mother and me.

It was very special to have Basel meet us at the restaurant prior to returning to the airport for a great dinner and easy drive to the airport.

Great service, great host and a great driver/tour guide.

Thank you very much.

Larry P., Las Vegas
Jordan, 2006

"In September '05, my wife and I began a trip that was supposed to last six and a half weeks and cover Jordan, Egypt and Libya. The arrangements were made by Rita Zawaideh, president of Caravan-Serai Tours (3806 Whitman Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103; (800) 451-8097 or visit www.caravan-serai.com).

To save time and expense, Rita arranged for us to obtain our visas upon arrival in each country, procured a special Letter of Invitation for Libya and arranged for a representative to be waiting in Tripoli to assist us in processing our visas.

The trip began smoothly, with an excellent tour of the highlights of Jordan, including a chance for me to scuba dive the Gulf of Aqaba. Caravan-Serai's in-country representative, Basel Sawalha, carefully monitored our daily progress, and when the high-speed ferry we were to take to transfer to Sharm el Sheikh was suddenly canceled, he immediately stepped in and scheduled air flights for us to Sharm at no additional cost! Our itinerary never skipped a beat.

Once again, things went smoothly as I dove the Red Sea, a lifetime wish. We then had a Cairo tour, a Nile cruise and a Lake Nasser cruise. We finished in Alexandria, both of us feeling that we had truly seen the highlights of Egypt.

On the night before we were to return to Cairo to catch our flight to Libya, I received a call from Rita informing me that Libya had suddenly stopped issuing visas to arriving American tourists and was sending back those who had already arrived without visas. This was potentially a big disaster, for our flights home originated in Tripoli. Rita called all of her contacts to try to salvage our visit, but after exhausting all possibilities we finally agreed that we should return to Cairo to await a new routing home.

We arrived late in Cairo on Thursday evening (Sept. 29), and on Friday, it being the Moslem holiday, everything was closed. Nominally, the airline offices were closed on Saturday as well, but Rita managed to get someone to come in on their day off in order to reticket us so we could return home. This was accomplished, and we left on Sunday bound for London -- the first leg of our trip back home.

In this regard, Caravan-Serai's representative, Yasser Elsayed, was most helpful, both in the ticketing issues and in entertaining us, at no cost, during our unanticipated additional stay in Cairo.

Not only did Caravan-Serai go all out to solve these last-minute problems, they did so at their expense, and the rerouted tickets were issued at no additional cost to us. They responded rapidly and efficiently to both of the unanticipated events which occurred during our journey, and I give them very high marks for the results.

I would certainly recommend Caravan-serai to anyone planning a trip to the Middle East or Egypt, and we plan to travel with them again in the future."
H.A. Flertzheim, Jr.
Novato, CA

"The countries were much more lovely than I had anticipated. I did not have one unpleasant reaction from any person I met or passed on the streets."
-Joyce, Smyrna, GA
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon 2005

"Dear Rita,

I want to thank you again for planning and executing such a wonderful Levantine Adventure for me. The trip was probably more than I expected, and I am very glad I chose to go with you.

...I would say that I particularly enjoyed the family visits--people-to-people contact is always a treat when touring. I did not feel insecure at any time, felt the guides were well informed and kind to us, enjoyed the people in the group, and would certainly recommend this tour to my family and friends.

...we saw a lot of the three countries I was interested in visiting, and I think I got a good feel for the differences between the three, although few. Your materials pre and post-trip were most helpful. In all, I feel I had a marvelous experience.

Many thanks again,

Joan
Olympia, WA
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon 2005

"...The home visits were defining highlights of the trip, which was filled with many extraordinary moments in its own right.

I look at the calendar and remember what we were doing one and two weeks ago and wish I could relive every detail Â– and I hope we will after we go to all your other destinations!! My greatest pleasure is telling all our friends who were worried about our safety that we could have been touring south central Pennsylvania (but there were better sites and friendlier people in the Middle East) and that we probably saw fewer police than we would have here at home. Rebecca & James L.
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon 2005

"Dear Rita:

We have returned from our time in Egypt and could not be more pleased with the arrangements that you made for us. The trip was a marvelous adventure for us, with a wonderful balance of the art and archaeology, culture, urban vitality, agricultural tradition and desert wonder that makes Egypt such a unique place.

First of all, we want to give a special word of thanks to your partner, Mr. Ahmed Ali. Mr. Ali was our primary point of contact throughout our trip. He insured that all our transfers were completed like clockwork and that we had the highest caliber of guides for the days that we requested this service. For example, in Cairo, for our trip to Saqqura and Dahshur, Mr. Ali's conversation with our guide, a Mr Soffit (Sophet sp?) ensured that we got the benefit of Mr. Soffitt's extensive knowledge and expertise as an Egyptologist. As a result, he provided us with a context and background that greatly enhanced our understanding throughout the rest of the trip. Mr. Ali worked closely with our Aswan contact, Mr. Sayed Said. Mr. Said was the pinnacle of professionalism. He was impressively well organized and committed to ensuring that we had the very finest experience for this segment of our journey.

To summarize, I think that you can tell we are ecstatic about the trip that you and we planned together. We want to thank you for all your assistance. We will recommend you to any of our friends who wish to travel independently in the Egypt and the Middle East, and will look forward to working with you again, if our travel ever permits us to return to the Middle East Region." -Shirley and Gene R.,
Egypt 2005

September 2004 Iran Trip Impressions

Short Report on Iran

People- Warm, friendly and the most hospitable I have ever met

Sights- Extraordinary and varied from Palaces, citadels, mosques, bazaars

Food- Wonderful so I gained weight

So glad I finally got to go and want to go back in a few years and do more and see the changes that are occurring.

Long Report

Iran is am amazing destination and there seem to be many misconceptions about it so my goal in this report will be to tell you about my own personal experiences. I had planned to go in late September of 2001 and after 9/11 had to cancel so I had this trip on my list of TO DO for quite a while.

PEOPLE

The Persian people set a new high standard for hospitality in their country. They are so friendly except when in a line at the airport or behind the wheel of a car when they become extremely aggressive. They are good looking people with beautiful eyes and quick smiles. Everywhere we went we were approached by locals asking us where we were from and when the answer was America they said they loved Americans and were happy to see us coming to their country again. Many spoke English at least enough to carry on a simple conversation. Their English was certainly better than my Farsi. We also met many Persians who were back in their country visiting friends and family and some who have returned to Iran to live permanently.

The family is very important in Iran, including the extended family. When I went out walking in the evening you would see lots of families having picnics in the park.

We saw very few homeless type people and if you saw a beggar, they never approached tourists- only locals.

The people were very trim in build, especially the children and teenagers. Some of the old people were heavier. They seem to be very concerned with personal appearance and so were well groomed and many of the women have had nose jobs.

The men wear regular western clothes but the women must still cover their heads with a scarf and they had to wear a top that was mid thigh in length. The manteau used to be a very loose so that no body shape was shown, now it has become very fitted. We also saw them wearing sandals, had nail polish on their toes, etc. So it seems that the rule of only hands and face showing seems to be coming to an end. The dress code is changing, especially in the bigger cities. Where they used to wear only dark colors, we saw lots of colors and the scarves are moving back on their heads with more hair showing all the time. In the small towns you saw more women wearing the black chadors but we never had to wear them. The girls must start wearing these coverings by 9 years of age.

SAFETY

Most of the people who heard I was going to Iran asked, Aren’t you afraid?” Actually I felt much safer traveling in Iran than in many other places. Muslim men are not allowed to touch women unless they are related. There is little trouble with theft or pick pockets. Because the people are so friendly, it is easy to feel safe. I felt very comfortable going out for a walk by myself or with Linda my roommate. Sometimes I took a walk after breakfast and sometimes after dinner.

The biggest danger is trying to cross the street. Traffic is really crazy especially in Tehran. If there are any traffic rules they certainly are not followed or enforced from what I could see. There are lane lines, but drivers do not follow them. There are some traffic lights and they have the large countdown of the seconds left until it changes. Round abouts are the main intersections and they seem to turn from the inside lane to take their exit as much as from any other lane. It seems like they are playing the game of chicken to the extreme. In spite of all this we saw few fender benders and no serious accidents. We saw few cars that were dented or banged up. The cars are almost all very small cars and gas costs about $.25 a gallon. (I can remember when that was all it was here- does that mean my age is showing?)

SIGHTS TO SEE

Iran is a land of contrasts with landscapes- everything from lush humid subtropical to barren deserts, mountains and plateaus. The average elevation is 4920 ft . This is a country with so many palaces, gardens, mosques, caravan serais, ruins, mausoleums, museums, etc. The architecture of many of these places is really outstanding. You can read about them in any guide book and I cannot do justice in describing them here. Persepolis is delightful. M favorite city was Isfahan. We visited in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kerman and Yazd and several small towns along the way. There are more than 250,000 archaeological sites including several from about 40,000 years ago

FOOD

If gaining weight is any indication of how good the food is, I can prove is is excellent. The fruits in Iran are especially sweet and juice. We had watermelon and Persian melon almost every meal, but also enjoyed apples, figs and grapes. They are also noted for their dates, dried fruits and nuts (pistachios, almonds, cashews, walnuts). The tomatoes and cucumbers and cucumbers are served at every meal and they are really good. For breakfast I made myself a sandwich out of the flat bread, feta cheese, tomato, cuke and fresh herbs (basil, mint, etc.). We were served soup every lunch and dinner and it was usually a barley soup. We had fish, chicken, lamb and beef. No pork is served in Muslim countries We had lots of kebabs. Yogurt was served with every meal. Rice is a staple but it was served in various ways. It was usually a saffron rice, but a few times we had a rice with dried sour cherries, once a sweet rice and twice a crispy rice. Dessert was usually fresh melon, creme caramel, jello or ice cream. I always had the ice cream when offered and so enjoyed saffron ice cream among others.

No alcohol is served or legal in Iran so we were served water, cola, fanta and tea. Alcohol is served in private homes illegally.

Our last day we had lunch in a fast food restaurant. They had pizza, hamburgers, salads, etc. It was quite full, especially with the younger crowd. Just proves that Tehran is modernizing whether the clerics want it or not.

Tea rooms are another major place in Iran. We stopped at tea rooms a couple of times a day. Often we had a snack with the tea. One had musicians playing. They are definitely a popular place to go in Iran. The first one had a server who carried the 14 full cups of tea to our table. I thought that was impressive. He managed to hit the cup and saucer as he put it down in front of you so that you thought he had dropped it. He seemed to really enjoy this activity.

HOMES

Most of the homes were built out of mud bricks. They have a domed roof to make the rain flow off of them quickly. In small cities they have a high fence in front of the house often with grape arbors over the patio. In the large cities you see lots of taller apartment houses. The large individual homes are really big and very interesting in design. We were invited to a home for our farewell dinner and it was designed with arches and rooms that interconnect It had a balcony outside several of the rooms and since it was located on a hill in Northern Tehran, we had a beautiful view of the city. They often use a badgir, a kind of wind tunnel for natural air conditioning. Many buildings were rather boxy and utilitarian from a few years ago but now some very interesting designs are showing up in the new buildings.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Iran has good water supplies, electricity is reliable, and roads are good. Iran is a wealthy country because of it oil. I was surprised to see all these things in such good working order due to the amount of war they have had in recent history. They had lots of sattlelight TV, cell phones that seem to be better than ours as they didn’t seem to cut out. In fact one of the gals in our group got a call on our guide’s phone from a friend in Los Angeles. Our guide got calls in all kinds of places and they didn’t seem to have the dead spots even with all the mountains that surround each city.

Iran is very clean. We saw almost no litter in the parks or along the streets and sidewalks.

MISCONCEPTIONS CORRECTED

Facts about Iran

Area - 635,234 Square miles

Population 1999 est. 61,531,000 vs US 65,179,752

Ethnic Persian 51%, Azeri 23%, Gilakiu & Mazabdarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%

Religion: Muslim 98% (90.5 Shii, 7.5% Sunni)

Petro Reserves 89.7 billion barrels and natural gas reserves of 812.3 trillion ft

Iranians do like Americans ( just not our government policies that put embargoes on them)

Iran is not a third world nation

Iranians are not as repressed as we are lead to believe. They have been in the past, and there are still areas where they do not have the freedom we have, but I was surprised at how freely they criticized their own government.

Iran Air is a good airline. They served meals even on a 50 minute flight ( vs our carriers it must be a 5 hour flight). There was more leg room and more service.

Iran is a combination of desert and mountains with lots of oasis. They are planting trees along the highways and already have them along many streets in the cities.

The people are very educated and school is compulsory. There are many wealthy people and also many poor people. Many work two jobs to get by.

CARAVAN-SERAI Tour Operator

Caravan Serai is the tour operator that did this trip. I like going with them to the Middle East as Rita Zawaideh, president of the company is from the Middle East and has good contacts there. It is much easier to get a visa to go to Iran with a group than it is to get an individual visa by oneself. They take lots of the hassle out of going by getting you into good hotels, arranging transportation, finding good restaurants, etc. I did my Lebanon, Syria and Jordan trip with them last fall and it was also a good experience.

Miscellaneous Experiences

I wanted to visit a classroom in a school I saw one morning. I went up to the office and told them I was a teacher for 30 years in America and would like to visit in a classroom. No one spoke English in the office and so a man kept taking me to different people who I would then explain my dilemma to and they didn’t speak English either. Finally they took me next door to the doctor who did understand English and so she interpreted for me to the man and then he took me back to visit in a classroom of girls about 8 years old. I took some pictures and they did a recitation for me of something but I did enjoy it.

Originally we were going to Bam, but since the earthquake there it has been leveled so we went to Rayan which is also a mud citadel. Really a nice place to visit.

People bring their tents and camp in the parks overnight when traveling if they cannot afford a hotel. They used little tents and folded them up the first thing in the morning before having their picnic breakfast there.

The bazaars are always an interesting places to visit. You get to mingle with the people, smell the spice, bargain if you find something you want and just see what they have in general.

These are many celebrations in Iran and they were getting ready for the birthday of Shaba’am the promised one by all, the only hope for this depressed age. It occurs on October 1st. There streets were decorated with lots of lights like we might do for Christmas here. He is the 12th promised Imam who is going to come and save the world. I certainly hope that he comes soon- someone certainly needs to save the world!

Think I better stop rambling about this trip and get it out to you. I sure am glad I went and want to go back in a few years to see the changes and also to visit the Caspian Sea, Tabriz and some of the other places I missed on this trip. Hope this letter finds everyone well and having fun. I plan to stay in the country the rest of this year but when 2005 comes I will be off again!

Dona

PS - If you are interested in doing more reading re Iran, I would recommend the following books.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafis

Persian Pilgrimages by Afshin Molavi

A Honeymoon in Purdah- An Iranian Journey by Alison Wearing

Neither East or West- One Woman’s Journey through the Islamic Republic of Iran by Christiane Bird

Esfahan A Tiny Earthly Paradise- English translation by Mahmoud Reza Shayesteh

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Dona M.
San Francisco

"...I find myself reminiscing almost daily since returning home about the magnificent monuments and sites we visited on our thrilling trip to Egypt and Jordan.

I want to begin by saying thank you, thank you, thank you to the three knowledgeable ladies (Brenda, Maha, and Rita) who planned a most memorable trip for me and my friend. It was a true adventure and a life long dream come true."

- Philip M., Seattle
Egypt, Jordan 2004

"I had researched every Moroccan tour package that I could possibly locate. When I saw yours, I knew immediately that it was going to work well for us.

Youssef understands the American traveler. Anything he suggested was always of good quality. I thought both Mohammed and Youssef did a good job of allowing us lots of freedom in regard to the culture and yet made sure we did not embarrass ourselves or embarrass the people. They were very good about educating us on the hows and whats. We read allot about the country and the culture but things came up that we were unsure of or we were unawre of. They did a very good job of explaining things and setting the parameters. I think this takes great skill and diplomacy.

- Monica and Donal S., Seattle
Morocco

"Dear Rita,

Having a bit of free time (Memorial Day holiday), I wanted to drop you a note to say what a great time I had in Tunisia and to thank you for arranging the experience!

I took 10 rolls of film and a "throw away" panoramic camera with me, but had to buy 2 more rolls there -- it was so beautiful! My captioned photo album is 4" thick and many friends are enjoying a "vicarious" tour of Tunisia through it. I scanned in a few of my favorite shots to share and thought you might enjoy seeing them (attached).

This was my first experience traveling with an international group. There were 6 from Spain, 3 from Portugal, 2 from France, 2 from Brazil and 1 American (me). Most spoke only a little (if any) English, but we had great fun trying to communicate. It was a terrific group of people. Our guide gave all of his explanations in flawless Spanish, French and English.

Much to my amazement, being an American made me something of a novelty. There were always lots of questions from the Tunisians I encountered -- the first always being "are you from New York?" Of course, no one had heard of Ohio (imagine that!) At no time did I feel the least bit concerned for my safety, or uncomfortable about being an American. Security was visible (especially at the synagogue), but to me the armed guards were more comforting than frightening.

I had a political discussion with one shopkeeper who was very sympathetic about he 9-11 attacks. He said, "as tragic as that was, it seems to have gotten the American people interested in knowing about what's happening in the rest of the world." I thought that was rather insightful.

Better stop, or I'll go on and on. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the tour and appreciated your guidance."

- Jan C., Tunisia

"Rita - I have to tell you how impressed I am with your very personalized service. I was a little concerned doing business over the internet with an "unknown" - but so far - GREAT! Thanks again."

-Pamela D., Missouri

"We are back from our trip. Everything was great! We had a wonderful time. The guide and driver did an excellent job. A+ in our book."

-Peter J., Spain

"Say yes to Yemen. If your clients enjoy visiting fascinating places, crossing the famous Rub Al-Khali Desert, meeting nomads and their camels, then Yemen is definitely worth a look. Send them to the Land of Sheba with Caravan-Serai for a trip of a lifetime."

-June B., Travel Now -Miami

"It was really an unusual and fascinating tour. My favorite part was crossing the desert (your watermelon was a stroke of genius). Tour was quite unforgettable. Yemen was an intriguing place. Thank you for including me." -Carol K. , Saratoga CA

"It was a wonderful experience and certainly gave me a much better perspective of the cultural richness which Jordan possesses. I was shocked when I returned home and people told me they were worried form my personal safety in Jordan. I laughed and told them that I felt much safer walking about Amman than in New York City!"

-John F., Jr, Corpus Christi

"Thank you very much for the wonderful week. The food, scenery and your care made our week unforgettable. You are all very professional."

-Dave and Jeanne M., Seattle

"Rita Zawaideh, owner of Caravan-Serai recently took 14 agents to Jordan and Syria. This gal is an expert and knows the people and the destinations!"
-Travel Agent Magazine 1997 - Delores B., Miami