Sadness in Jordan after attack at Karak

My name is Sandy Dhuyvetter, I am a Travel writer, Artist and Musician who lives in Northern Michigan in one of the more desirable places in the world, Leelanau County. Mona Naffa is the Director of Monaco Business Development in Aman, Jordan. Together we designed the Taking Jordan by Storm Tour.

Mona Naffa and Sandy Dhuyvetter, Designers
of the Taking Jordan by Storm Tour

The news came to us as we were departing Jordan after a perfect 8 day tour. Karak had been the site of a drive by shooting where cowardly killers decided to take the lives of innocent officers and a tourist from Canada. There is a deep sadness in us especially knowing that we came to Jordan to help promote tourism and shout the joys of knowing Jordan. 

George Powell, Sandy Dhuyvetter, Lorne Peterson, our guide
Mohammad Qamhiya, Rich Appenzeller and Hector Cruz

If there was ever an appropriate name for our tour, Taking Jordan by Storm was it. We arrived after hours of travel and accommodations with Royal Jordanian to be greeted at the airport by perhaps Jordan's best tour guide, Mohammad Qamhiya. We were then rushed to our first event, the tasting of the Jordan River wines which immediately brought the group together with lovely conversation and delicious sipping of the grape beverage. At that point, the journey began with 8 days of touring, signing autographs and meeting hundreds of Jordanians.

Me and Lorne Peterson

Our team consisted of five members from the US. We left Dec 9 with academy award winning master model maker, Lorne Peterson, my self, known as Momma Fett, our photographer George Powell and two storm troopers who are great fans of the star wars franchise, Hector Cruz and Rich Appenzeller. Four of the visitors were taking their maiden voyage to Jordan, I was the one who was blessed with 5 trips to Jordan in the past 10 years. I knew how exciting and life changing it would be for my companions, but stopped at vocalizing or pontificating about Jordan so that each could discover this land on their own. I wanted it to be a pure discovery without prompting from me in a way that might bias their experience. It didn't take long for their experiences to be shared. Each were over come with the hospitality, the warm welcoming and the richness of their experiences. Stories were emerging of experiences that would seem to leave one or more of the group in awe of their discovery. The wondering and anticipation of the group was quickly turning to pure awe. We were witnessing our companions, as we had ourselves transformed during our first visitgone through on our first visit a life changing experience redefining the stereotypical definition of what life is like in Jordan. 

From the first site of Jordan at the moment of our arrival until we said our emotional good byes, we were captivate and entranced with the welcoming and the abundant care shown by our host, Mona Naffa and her team Sami Kattan and Eva Al-Sunna.

This brings us back to facing daily facts that bad things can and do happen in good places. We must mourn our loss and bury our dead as heroes and then we must carry on and continue to discover this beautiful world in places like Jordan who are so deserving and offer the traveler riches only a visit can deliver.

Visit Jordan soon!

This is the start of my story of Taking Jordan by Storm....please join me on our journey with Academy Award winning Model Maker, Lorne Peterson, Sandy Dhuyvetter along with our US and Jordanian Team.

Sandy Dhuyvetter,
Artist, Musician and Travel Journalist.

Sandy Dhuyvetter AKA Momma Fett