With a flying time of just over 5 hours to amman from London, Jordan can be an ideal choice for a winter city break. Tours from the City include trips to Petra and the Dead Sea. For a longer stay combine culture with Beach and visit the costal resort of Aqaba.

The weather in Jordan is hot in the summer months (June to October) with the rain falling mainly between November and March. The winter November to March can be warm during the day with chilly evenings.

Visa Requirements for Jordan
A tourist single entry visa is required on arrival in Jordan which can be purchased at the airport for a cost of approximately £11 sterling.

What to do in Jordan
Jordan offers many things for the visitor. From shopping, dinning out, trekking, sight seeing it has something for everyone.
a visit to the Dead sea is a must just to lie back and float on the sea for total relaxation check in to one of the Spa resorts at the Dead sea.
Rock climbing in Wadi Rum, canoeing and wildlife spotting are just a few of the different activities in Jordan.
Petra – Whilst a must to visit during the day a night visit to Petra is also a spectacular tour with the ancient city dressed by candel-light and the haunting sound of a Bedouin flute. The night visit to Petra is only available 3 evenings a week, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

For a little culture visit the ancient Nabatean city of Petra and watch the sunset on the rose pink city.
Combine the city, culture and beach with a visit to Aqaba and enjoy the comforts of the luxury 4 and 5 star hotels on the beach.

Honeymoons in Jordan
Jordan is the perfect choice for a honeymoon when requiring more than just a beach destination. You can combine the country of Jordan with a visit to Egypt and take in the delights of the two countries. Just imagine starting your honeymoon with a stay at a hotel in Cairo with views to the Pyramids then on to Jordan for a visit to the Dead Sea and the ancient Nabatean city of Petra finished off with a few days at the beach in Aqaba or cross back into Egypt and spend your time at the beach in Taba Heights.

For more information on Jordan visit Jordan Tourist Board

Favorite Traditions/Recipes

Being a military family has given me the privilige to experience a world of cultures. One of the many blessings of having friends from around the globe is the treasure of being invited into their homes to experience something new. 

My friends teaching me how to make Venezuelan Hallacas.

Recently I was invited to make a Venezuelan dish called Hallacas. Similar to Mexican tamale this one is filled with a stew, along with boiled egg, onions, peppers, olives, and capers. Wrapped in banana leaves it’s like a little present of yumminess (it’s even tied with a bow!)

Me with my first Hallaca.

It was such a treat to spend time with these wonderful ladies from Venezuela, Chile, Columbia, Honduras, and of course, the U.S. and learn about their traditions (all while I practiced my Spanish listening skills). 

As I get ready to move from Egypt, I’m sad to leave such a sweet community of friends but I know that they will always have a special place in my heart as I think about all that they have shared with me. Muchas gracias mi amigas. Dios los bendiga a ustedes ya sus familias.

Do you have a special holiday tradition in your family? Have you ever been a part of another cultures holiday tradition? Share with me your favorite tradition and you will be entered into this month’s A Few Of My Favorite Things giveaway.

Kwanzaa which was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga brings vision & voice to people of the African diaspora. We at RichSista.com celebrate this “cultural holiday” as a means to encourage like-minded women of color to discuss the values that bring us together and move us forward. This year, if you never took the time to understand the principles of Kwanzaa, celebrate all that they mean, and activate their blessings in your life, do so with RichSista today.

Lifted straight from the Official Kwanzaa Website the seven principles are discussed in this quote:

Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce seven basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African American people as well as Africans throughout the world African community. These values are called the Nguzo Saba which in Swahili means the Seven Principles. Developed by Dr. Karenga, the Nguzo Saba stand at the heart of the origin and meaning of Kwanzaa, for it is these values which are not only the building blocks for community but also serve to reinforce and enhance them.

The Nguzo Saba (The 7 Principles)

Umoja = Unity

To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Kujichagulia = Self-Determination

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, & speak for ourselves.

Ujima = Collective Work & Responsibility 

To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.

Ujamaa = Cooperative Economics

 To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia = Purpose

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba = Creativity

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani = Faith

 To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

RichSista.com hopes that these principles stir up in you the desire to lend your hand to making the world a better place today for women of color and all people. We know that our mission here at Rich Sista, Inc. is noble in the sense that we wish to take all the best that women of color have to offer to the world and make it accessible to women & girls who are looking for the information that can create wealth for themselves and generations to come. Being a Rich Sista has nothing to do with the money in your purse or bank accounts, it has to do with wealth of wisdom, rich experiences, rich thoughts, exchanging value with one another that makes a positive impact on our lives and the environment we live. Taking in to consideration the principles of Kwanzaa this year will allow one to discover the potential for individual and collective progress for all people.  Use the principles of Kwanzaa to help guide your decision making this year, cause all of us could benefit from more unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility, cooperative economics, and purpose, creativity, and faith to add values and vision to your life in 2012. Wouldn’t you agree?

Tell us at RichSista how you plan on using the principles of Kwanzaa in your life all yearlong to create wealth for women & girls globally. Leave a comment below. Happy New Year!

But amid all the excitement and fun, Christmas does not mean the same to all people and culture. It is a mixture of religious and secular traditions, and depending on where you live and to which culture you belong, the season could take on a different meaning.

From a Christian perspective, “Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25 as a religious and cultural holiday by billions of people around the world.”

Kids love Christmas, it seems the tradition got started specifically for them. When I was a young child, I got excited about Christmas too, but when Santa did not show up at my house for about 3 years in a row, I became sad and abandoned Christmas, and subsequently developed a hatred for Santa Claus.

However, as I grew older I understood what Santa Claus was all about: He brings happiness to sad faces. But most often than not, the parents have to take the place of Santa. Unfortunately many parents do not have the wherewithal to do so; therefore, they have to depend on relatives, friends and neighbors and sometimes you.

Won’t you make a sad face happy this Christmas? It doesn’t have to be a child. Maybe you know somebody who has been out of work for a long time. More than likely such a person is going through rough times. You could be Santa Claus to that person’s kids or to the entire family. The Bible says: ”  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Here are a list of other bloggers that keep my holidays interesting and lead me to all kinds of outstanding musical and cultural holiday discoveries. Check them out!

http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/

http://falalalala.com/

http://christmasagogo.blogspot.com/

http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/

http://therealbigrockcandymountain.blogspot.com/

http://bongobells5.blogspot.com/

http://www.jinglebellrocks.com/

http://77santas.blogspot.com/

http://santasworkingovertime.blogspot.com/

http://sanityclauseshanty.blogspot.com/

http://merryandbright.blogspot.com/

http://hif-fi-holiday.blogspot.com/

http://www.hipchristmas.com/

http://www.mistletunes.com/

http://blog.wfmu.org/

http://worldsworstrecords.blogspot.com/

http://apartyinsuburbia.blogspot.com

http://www.stubbyschristmas.com