Good morning, Amman!

Good morning Amman! The weather today was perfect…warm and cloudless. We left the hotel about 8:00, which Tareq described as “rushing hour”. From our view in the bus high above the other traffic, “rushing hour” was not a problem. However, the high bus does have its disadvantages. After the first stop for photos Barry commented that the steps to get back on the bus were so tall you needed a Sherpa to get back in the bus!

There were interesting sites all along the way. We passed a group of what we referred to as “camels” only to be told by Tareq that the animals were dromedaries because they had one hump instead of two. Ferrell told us we could probably still use those photographs and pass them off as camels to most people.

We stopped at the area presumed to be Bethany Beyond Jordan where Jesus was baptized. Because of the Biblical descriptions, this is one of those places where if it wasn’t this “exact spot”, it was somewhere in the same vicinity. Ferrell had warned us prior to arriving at the site that the Jordan River at this point is extremely polluted and we should not wade in or even touch the water at this point. (I did not have to be told that twice!) We were required to enter a checkpoint before going to the baptismal site. I never thought a baptismal site was a controversial area, but who knows? While we were there, several people (whom we assume to be Greek Orthodox) came to the area to be baptized. I have witnessed many baptisms in my lifetime, but never one where the subject dipped himself three times in polluted water under the oversight of a minister in a Speedo, and carefully watched by an armed guard. Most interesting. The armed guard was to make sure the new convert did not just wade out another fifteen feet in the Jordan River and flee illegally into Israel, I guess. I am not sure what the minister in the Speedo added to the picture since the baptismal subjects immersed themselves. I wonder if I can Google all these questions when I get home?

From Bethany Beyond Jordan we went to Mount Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death. The drive up the mountain took us through rough, barren areas. Lyle announced that he was totally comfortable in that terrain because it looked like the places his golf ball always ends up!

The weather was still spectacular and the view of the Dead Sea and Israel in the distance from high on the mountain was beautiful. Ferrell exclaimed that he had never seen the sky this clear. Elizabeth told me that on the drive to the top of Mount Nebo she thought she was going to have to resuscitate Ferrell several tines because he had to miss taking some great photos because the road was so narrow we could not stop the bus for photos. Poor Ferrell.

Once on top we could see the area of Jericho on the Israel side of the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and the general area Moses saw during his last days. Lunch stop was very near the area, and the lunch-snackers found a rooftop area to eat our peanut butter crackers where we had a view of Mount Nebo.

Since the “snackers” finished lunch long before the rest of the group, we wandered into a “Mosaic and Handicraft Shop”, where we watched local artisans making mosaics using natural-colored stones to create lovely designs. Their skills were amazing. The next main stop was in the nearby town of Madaba where we visited the “Church of the Map”, a church built over a mosaic map of Israel and Jordan that was constructed about 600 A.D. This area is known for mosaics.

We drove about nine miles north of Madaba to see what is thought to be the tel of Heshbon, one of the ancient Moabite cities and the capitol city of the King of Sihon. From there we got on the Desert Highway and drove about four hours through the desert to Petra in the ancient land of Edom. On our route through the desert, all we had seen was sand, a few camels (dromedaries, if you want to be technical), gypsy tents here and there, and occasionally a sprig or two of grass and a few small tumbleweed-type plants. Suddenly the bus turned into a gas station/tourist stop. Relating this truck stop in the middle of the desert to skills we have learned about designating Biblical sites with positive certainty, Barry said, “I’ve always heard of the middle of nowhere. If this isn’t it…it is definitely somewhere in this immediate vicinity!”

While at that stop, Dan bought a Petra T-shirt to wear tomorrow. Once we were back on the bus he opened it up , and on a closer inspection it had a tag that clearly stated, “Made in China”. Not all souvenirs are authentic, huh, Dan?

We arrived at our hotel in Petra just as the sun was setting. The hotel is lovely, like all the hotels we have stayed in, but this hotel is literally hung on the side of a mountain with rooms on varying levels and even in various buildings all connected by halls. At dinner tonight we sang “Happy Birthday” to Doris, who is celebrating today. What a lovely place to celebrate a birthday! We hope you had a great day, Doris.

We began the day in Amman, and are ending it in Petra. How exciting. Tomorrow we actually see Petra. We must get to bed so we can be rested for the events of tomorrow.