Mar 10, 2011 | Jordan

Because of turmoil throughout the Arab world, tourism in Jordan has plummeted by at least half this year. That's too bad, because the country depends on tourist dollars, and it has a well-deserved reputation for being a safe, stable place in a particularly rough neighborhood. Bev and I rented a car and traveled the full length of the country. We must've passed through three dozen checkpoints in 10 days, which is no surprise since Jordan shares its borders with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories.