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Published: April 27th 2009
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Karak Castle
A 12th century crusader castle, built by Europeans but used also by Muslims during that time. We’ve only spent about five days in Jordan, but have enjoyed it very much. It’s much cleaner, brighter and friendlier than Egypt, though just as expensive.
24 April. We left Petra for a long day of travel and sightseeing on the way to Madaba. First, we stopped at Kerak, as 12th century hilltop castle built by the crusaders to dominate this area of what is now Jordan. The castle changed hands several times between Christians and Muslims, and the history doesn’t do either side much credit, though the Muslims seem to have acted more honorably, at least here. We went on to the famous Dead Sea for about three hours, giving us time for a dip on what turned out to be a pretty chilly day. As you probably already know, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth at about 1200 feet BELOW sea level. The Jordan River drains into it, but it doesn’t drain into anything else, just sits there getting saltier and saltier as the water level drops. The Dead Sea sinks about three feet per year because Israel and Jordan use the Jordan River for irrigation, and predictions are that it will be totally drained
In the Dead Sea
Floating is not a problem, but swimming is. within the century unless rules for fresh water use from the Jordan River are improved. The local people grow tomatoes and cucumbers and farm the Dead Sea for salt. The Dead Sea is so salty that it’s almost impossible to sink (OR SWIM) in it, and some people in our group floated for the first time in their lives. It was fun to watch them - and Sandy went in too, though Tom served as the backpack guard and photo-taker. Some of the group members bought black Dead Sea mud from an enterprising local man and painted each other - not me, thank goodness.
Last, a very tired bunch went to Mount Nebo, the place where God took Moses to look at the Promised Land, though he would not be allowed to enter. You can see for miles and can imagine how Moses must have felt. Mount Nebo is also the place where Moses died, though his burial site has never been found. The site at the top of Mount Nebo is run by the Franciscan order of the Roman Catholic church, but the site is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, since Moses is honored as a prophet
Jordanian-Scottish Bagpiper
I guess this tradition dates back to the British Mandate over Jordan, but these men played everything from Amazing Grace to Yankee Doodle. by all three religions.
We crawled into Madaba, our last stop in Jordan, ready to relax, only to find (via email) that the one credit card that we’d left at home to pay recurring utility-type bills had been compromised and was canceled. After pleading unsuccessfully with the card company, we stayed up till after 2 AM to talk to companies in the US and make changes on line to transfer all these obligations to another credit card. ARRRGGGGH!!! This is one of the many times that I’m glad that (1) Tom is so organized, and (2) he brought a laptop on the trip.
25 April. The last night of this leg of the trip and Eleanor’s birthday. She turned 35 and is pretty quiet, so was suitably embarrassed when our guide produced a chocolate cake at our farewell dinner. The Jordanian restaurant singer even led the whole restaurant in singing Happy Birthday. Tom and I took the final “Honorary Aussie” exam given to us by the rest of the group and passed with flying colors, so we’re now adopted citizens. You'll soon see another blog entry with the Aussie phrases we’ve learned. We were sitting in the
Dead Sea Cliffs
The white deposit on the rocks is, of course, salt. restaurant and I looked up to see a small blonde woman walking by. I know her, I thought - and jumped up to greet Kathy Swanson from Contracts at AEDC! She’s visiting Jordan with her son, and they’re doing dentistry as mission work with a Bedouin group near the Iraqi border. What a small world…
26 April. We visited Jerash, which is supposed to be the best-preserved Roman site in the world. I haven’t been to Rome (Tom has, of course), but I don’t think I’ll need to - this place was wonderful. The site is huge (about the size of Lynchburg from Jack Daniel’s to Woodard’s) and well cared for, with temples, open courts, streets with working water drainage underneath, market places and theaters. There are also city-block-size stretches that have not yet been excavated. There’s been some earthquake damage, but it’s well worth a visit. We also went into Amman, the Jordanian capital, to visit a Roman/Greek/Muslim/Christian citadel and Museum. The museum has pieces of the Dead Sea scrolls and items from Jordan’s many archaeological sites. Amman’s a big city (1.8 million) and not particularly interesting outside of the museum and citadel, built on many hills. This
Where Bread Comes From
Everyone here eats pita bread, which -- as you can see -- falls from the ceiling. part of Jordan is very green compared to the deserts of the south. There are many farms growing olives, fruit, tomatoes, canola, etc.
27 April. Last day in Jordan, so we’re packing and getting ready to leave tomorrow for Istanbul. See you then!
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