June 17 On to Petra

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I apologize as I am a full day behind in the blog, but we traveled so long and saw so much that when I got to the hotel at 10:30 PM (we started at 8:30 AM) I was bushed and went right to sleep.

Today we started out on the bus and headed towards Petra. Our first stop along the King's Highway was the city of Madaba. This is a very ancient city and boasts two major sites, The Greek Orthodox Church and Mt Nebo.

The church is dedicated to St. George who slew the dragon. The current church is from the 18^th century. The church was built on the site of a Byzantine Church from 560 AD.

Although the church is relatively new, the builders uncovered a mosaic floor of profound importance. It was not just another mosaic of fishes or design, no. It was a map that represents the oldest representation of Palestine in existence.

The map suffered neglect but some restoration revealed a highly detailed map of Palestine including trading routes, sites of biblical significance and some say the true location of the Ark of The Covenant! To be looking down into history from 2023 to 560 AD is a humbling experience.

There are many other churches in this small town: St John the Baptist, The Healing Church, Seventh Day Adventist, and many more. Suffice it to say this is a very religious site!

We also stopped at the Food Basket restaurant that is owned by Maya our lovely host from last night. Pity she was not there to say hello.

Our next stop was Mt Nebo. Now, this is a truly spiritual site. It is from Mt Nebo that Moses was able to see the promised land but was forbidden to enter!

You see Moses was leading the Israelites through the desert. They needed water to survive. Moses was told by God that, when he needed water, he should strike the rock, and a spring will form.

Now Moses obeyed , mostly. On the fourth attempt at the foot of Mt Nebo he was instructed to speak to the rock, not strike it.

Well, maybe Moses was a little absentminded; he was after all 120 years old,.He struck the rock with his staff as he had done thrice before.

For his disobedience, God punished him by refusing to let him into the promised land; he could only see it from Mt Nebo. God is tough on following specific rules! The spring is still there today.

Moses died and is buried in an unknown spot somewhere in the desert.

When we travel, you never know who you will meet. As we headed back to the bus, we ran across Jason and his mom from our Israel tour! They are doing the same thing we are but with a different tour group. It was good to catch up. They are enjoying their tour as much as we are, and he is following along on the blog. Kudos, Jason. I hope this is a great memory.

Our next stop was the Crusader Shobek Castle perched on the side of a mountain. Built by the Crusader King Baldwin I in 1115, its defenders withstood multiple attacks from Saladin but were able to repulse him until Saladin left them alone.

The Castle finally fell in 1189 to Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi.

The castle is being restored and boasts wide avenues, churches, a mamluk school and many other buildings of the time. It was well worth the visit. I love castles and I love Crusader history, so this was the daily double for me.

One more adventure was our dinner in the Bedouin camp on the final leg of our journey to Petra. Our bus driver had to do some amazing off-roading with our bus as the camp was WAY OFF the beaten path. It was getting to twilight, so visibility was good, but there was no real road to follow. We arrived unscathed and were treated to some authentic Bedouin coffee.

Our host roasted the beans in an open pan over a wood fire. Once the beans were cooked, he poured them into a manual grinder and proceeded to grind the beans. This is no ordinary grinder. His is a hand made vessel with a wooden pestle. It not only grinds the beans but it is also a musical instrument. As the pestle hits the bottom of the vessel it sounds like a drum. By moving the pestle in various directions you can play music and make coffee!

We were invited into their very large Bedouin tent but first we had to remove our shoes. As we entered Cathy and I were immediately impressed and a bit concerned about the interior decor. First there were only two tables. Several folks rushed to claim a chair, leaving the rest of us to dine al Bedouin, on pillows over a very low table!

It was a bit of a challenge for us old geezers to sit down. I tried to be graceful but bumped the back of my head on what I thought would be a soft canvas tent. Wrong! I hit my head on the wooden beams that held the back of the tent in place. Ouch! Cathy, on the other hand, who often has issues getting to the floor, plopped down with no issue. Go figure.

Dinner was a buffet and consisted of many of the delicacies we have been eating all three days. Note to self: In Jordan they pretty much serve the same general foods buffet style basically everywhere. YES, the food is good but after a while a little boring. So if you are coming here don’t expect a wide variety of food choices. Just be prepared.

Our final destination was our hotel in Petra. Now this was a real treat. It was designed as if it were a permanent Bedouin camp. It had real walls, and a path to all of the first floor rooms. They had a pool, pool tables, live music, restaurant, and so much more. Unfortunately, it was 10:30 PM when we got there and Cathy and I were bushed, so we took a very quick look around and headed to our two room suite for some much needed sleep.

Tomorrow we head to the archeological site of Petra. Can’t wait!

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