Desert Queen: Travelling through Jordan

South Beach Aqaba is the only coastal city in the country and is located on the Red Sea in the southernmost part of Jordan, between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The winter palace of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania -- the reigning monarchs of Jordan -- is in Aqaba, and you will find both bikini-clad babes and women in veils on its beaches. With an average water temperature of 23 degrees Celcius, gentle currents and a mild climate, Aqaba has a coral reef that is Nemo heaven, with seasonal visitors such as sea turtles, dolphins, walruses and the solitary whale shark. (This giant plankton-eater is harmless to humans.)

In the pink The most romantic way to see the ancient stone city of Petra is at night. Two evenings a week, the Siq -- a narrow canyon that cuts through the mountain leading to Petra -- is lit up by more than 2,000 candles, and visitors walk single file in silence to the pink-toned Al Khazneh, the most famous monument in Petra. Bedouin play the flute and the rebab (a stringed instrument) while tourists sit on cushions on the ground and sip mint tea. Al Khazneh means “the treasury,” and for a long time the Bedouin believed that the urn on top of the building contained a treasure, but the building is, in fact, a tomb. More than 2,000 years ago, the inhabitants of Petra -- the Nabataeans -- buried their dead in the hollowed-out caverns of the cliffs from which they carved Al Khazneh's facade.

Roman holiday One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Near East, Jerash boasts a column-lined avenue, an outdoor theatre, public baths and temples -- all on a colossal scale. In the hippodrome, former Jordanian soldiers re-enact games that are similar to those the Romans once watched: gladiators in combat, chariot races and military manoeuvres.

Bazaar, bazaar Jordan's bazaars are overflowing with gold, silver and amber jewellery, camel-hair shawls, handmade glass and furniture made from olive wood or inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Other bargains include Bedouin rugs and tapestries, handwoven baskets, copperware and long-spouted coffee pots. It's pointless to haggle in the boutiques, but bartering is mandatory in the bazaars' open-air stalls -- you can often reduce the price by half by bargaining.

For more information, check out www.visitjordan.com

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