We took off for Jordan on this sunny, clear morning. As we headed to the border, it was all downhill driving to 500 ft. below sea level. Yosef was our new guide. The desert here was not green or growing anything.
Once we hit the Israeli checkpoint, the waiting began. We arrived at 7:40 a.m., but the Allenby Bridge (the crossing) didn't open until 8 am. We sat there for 30 minutes or more, observing workers waiting to cross. The traffic got crazy here with trucks parked all around, buses in line, and cars pulling in and forging to the front. Workers stood in the roadway, smoking and talking. Soon, two men started to argue. Then later, the "foreman" argued with the security leader. Others had to kindly grab him and walk him away. It was interesting to watch men from this culture and how they interacted.
Then we went to the Jordanian border. Here, we got our boarding passes then went to security then to the new bus. Each stage required checking of passports. I asked the Jordanian men guarding there to unlock the restrooms on the outside of the building. They had to get a "head" man who did. They were very friendly. Then we sat and waited some more. We then proceeded over the Allenby Bridge (named for Gen. Allenby of Britain who fought off the Ottoman Turks here in WWI). The bridge is now re-named King Hussein Bridge. On the way to the checkpoint, we went through a military zone. Everything was set for war. We saw many bunkers along the way. Pulling into the checkpoint, we saw many trucks with 50 caliber guns mounted on them. This small town had many rent-a-car shops, one after another, after another. A guard came on board the bus to count us and take passports. Some luggage was removed from the bus; it turned out to be ours and two of our new friends. They were opened and returned, once all of the passports were eventually returned again. We got a new guide, a Christian Jordanian named Michele. The women tried to go to the restroom here. It was a hoot!! The lady inside asked which type of toilet we wanted. One type turned out to be a hole in the floor. There was no toilet tissue, but the lady was handing out 1 small square. It was quite an ordeal as the ladies squatted over this hole, because they had on slacks--no skirts--which would not get out of the way. Then there was a hose available. We didn't know what it was for, for sure. Was it for flushing? We later decided it was also for Muslim ladies to clean and air dry!! When we returned, I just HAD to take a picture of this toilet! At 10:30 am, we were finally finished and on our way.
We drove to Mt. Nebo, where God showed Moses the Promised Land. The road winds back and forth again and again in tight "S" curves to reach the top of the mountain. On top was an awesome view of the Land of Milk and Honey. We were blessed with an especially clear view that day and could see Jerusalem afar off at the top of a mountain, Jericho at the base in the Jordan River valley, the Dead Sea, Amman to the north, etc. Robert of NTS gave us scripture to read aloud and he talked about Moses, Jacob, and Joshua. We discovered that Jacob was 97 when he wrestled the angel! This spot was the end of the road for Moses. He was not allowed to go into the Promised Land. He died close to Mt. Nebo. No one knows where. The River Jordan, which we were looking at in the distance, stopped flowing from the mouth of the Dead Sea, in the south, to Dan, 15 miles to the north! The valley, which was at flood stage, dried up and 2 million Jews crossed into the Promised Land with no problems.
On Mt. Nebo, they are working on an ancient church built there in honor of Moses. A large tent made of coarse goat hair was set up for people to enter and see many ancient mosaic tiles. They came from a church floor in Madaba. The stories in the pictures on the tiles indicated blessing from God and provision. These tiles pieced together to make a very large floor.
Lunch was in Madaba . They wouldn't give us water for lunch--only soda! The dessert was milk pudding with honey. This lunch didn't measure up to all the fantastic meals we had been served again and again, but it was an interesting spot along a narrow road with nearly nothing around it for miles. A truck nearby was delivering water to a business next to this. Water is very precious here.
We drove 3 hours south to Petra. We had left the mountains and were drving though a flat, open landscape.
We arrived in Petra and stayed at The Movenpick. Two weeks prior, we weren't supposed to stay at this super luxurious place. However, the owner had had enough cancellations that he offered this hotel to us. Everything was expensive--the furniture was inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the fabrics were beautiful and fine, everywhere was quartz and marble. Our room on the 3rd floor (with a mezzanine floor below us added in) had a window that opened onto the inner court of marble tiles, gorgeous furnishings, the bustle of people walking through to the restaurant. The food there was artistic and beautiful, but they wouldn't serve hot drinks (coffee) with dinner! They had lots of chocolate desserts. The date chocolate roll was delish! All of the servers were Muslim men who interacted in a friendly way, for the most part. The food was beyond outstanding with dishes of every kind.
After dinner, we shopped on the streets of Petra. The shop keepers were very friendly, not pushy. We visited with a young man making sand bottles with designs and names in them. His English was perfect. He said he just picked it up from tourists. His brother is presently in London and his parents are in the States! We had to pass back through guards to return to the hotel. We did and then looked through the luxurious shops inside the hotel. This is a place where the elite of the world would stay. Our room had bathrobes and slippers, body gels and Dead Sea toiletries, and a refrigerator stocked with free food and drinks. We got a good night's sleep and were looking forward to going into Petra in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment