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| Jordan, Sept 2009 |
Note: Click on the photo above to see the album highlighting our trip to Jordan.
Eid Mubarak! We have returned from our Eid trip to Jordan.
It was a good week-long holiday. We landed in Amman and spent the night in western Amman before heading to Mount Nebo, where Moses is supposedly buried. From the top of Mount Nebo, we saw the Jordan Valley, Jericho, and Bethany, where John the Baptist baptized Christ. We also saw St. Elijah's Hill, where Elijah ascended into heaven in a chariot of fire.
From Mount Nebo, we headed south, stopping at a deep canyon at Wadi Al Majib and at the hilltop Shawbak Castle (from the time of the Crusaders).
The next day, we visited Petra, immortalized in INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Pictures make it seem so remote, but our downtown hotel was within walking distance. However, once you pass through the siq (a deep, narrow, 1.2 km long gorge), you ARE isolated from everything. We rode horses at Petra (Anastasia rode with Christine in the Baby Bjorn, A's first horse ride!).
The following day, we were exploring Wadi Rum, immortalized (I promise not to use that word again in this space) by Lawrence of Arabia--both the real guy AND in the movie. It was cool; it was like walking onto the movie set. A Bedouin in a rusty old 4x4 took us on a bumpy, dusty tour...oh, and Anastasia sat on a camel while we were out in the desert.
We then headed north again for the Dead Sea. We saw the lights of Jerusalem at night, but of course, as UAE residents, we can't cross the border into Israel--sigh. At over 1300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is 20*F warmer than in Amman. It's the lowest place on earth, and yes, you float in it. We stayed at the Dead Sea Spa, a big resort on the Jordan side. Anastasia had her first experience in a pool here (yes, one day it was her first horse ride, then first camel ride, then first pool, all on consecutive days!).
Our holiday concluded with two days in downtown Amman, where we walked around the old downtown with its shops and Roman ruins, including an old Roman theater.
It was a good trip...
