For the folks back home ...

I recently did a trip north of Amman to Ajloun to check out the Ajloun Nature Reserve run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. I'm planning a workshop for Iraqi Environmental NGO's in September and I want to take the group there. The reserve is unique because of it is the only place where the once vast Evergreen Oak trees of Jordan can still be found. The reserve as two trails, a nature center with restaurant and giftshop, 10 very nice cabins for overnight camping and an area set aside for the breeding of Roe Deer, also once native to the area.

Most people heading up into Ajloun go to the Ajloun Castle, a crusader-era castle built by the nephew of Saladin (who many don't realize was a Kurd from what is now Iraq). You can see the castle, perched at the top of a steep hill, from miles around.