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After we entered Jordan we went to Mt Nebo to set up camp for the night. Mt Nebo is where Moses was told by god that before him was the promised land. From the top of Mt Nebo you can clearly see the dead see and on the other side is Israel. We were told that on a clear day you can see the church spires of Jerusalem, we had no such luck. Although when we were camping we had a clear view over into Israel an although I do not think that I could see Jerusalem, many other Israeli towns were clearly visable. The whole area was very surreal and made for a great view, and not a bad place to spend the night.
The next morning we went for a dip in the Dead sea, it was one of the strangest things that I have ever felt. The sea is so salty and you float so much that it wouldnt even be possible to drown if you tried, you would just float back up. When standing straight and not touching the bottom your shoulders are pushed out of the water. Pete felt that it was so good
Morning paper in the sea
The sea is so saline that you canred the paper.that he read the paper in there. It was not possible to stay in there for very long though because the high salt content made it a bit uncomfortable. After swimming it is important to bathe otherwise the salt will make your skin crack.
Petra is one of the new wonders of the world and after visiting it you can see why. It has become famous for many people as it was in the Indiana Jones film. The majority of the city is carved into the sandstone rocks with the most amazing and recognizable buildings being the treasury and the monestary. The city is very spread out and requires a lot of walking around to see it all including long walks up mountains. These walks themselves are not that bad but when combined with the heat it becomes really hard. We set out early in the morning before the heat of the day and headed directly towards the monestary so that we could avoid the heat of the day.
We would definetly recommend for people to make the journey and see Petra, however it is definately worth 2 or 3 days.
The next journey was into the desert
of Wadi Rum, Wadi Rum was the Desert headquaters for the British in World War 1 and is the home of Lawrence of Arabia. The whole area is spectacular and driving around in 4WD's is the only way to see it. The area is also home to groups of wild camels and they just wander about the desert, seemingly unfazed by the heat which was a problem for everyone as the temperature was just under 40 degrees.
That night we camped in the desert near a camel racing circuit where once again the generous nature of the local people here was displayed when they all came over and introduced themselves and gave us some of there food. This is tradition in the desert where people give to travellers passing through. The idea behind this is simple being that you may have food one day but need food the next so everyone gives to others, this code is probably one of the factors that has made survival in such a harsh environment possible.
Once again in Jordan the hospitality of the people was amazing and it definately was a large part of the experience.
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