Bits and Bobs: 2011

Continuing on our trip to Jordan, the next day took us to the Jordan River and the site where they believe Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

They are still working on the reconstruction of the churches that have been built over the centuries at this sacred site. As you can imagine the recovery is painstakingly slow to preserve the integrity of the details like these beautiful mosaic tiles.

This is how they envision the site and

the structure in the foreground is where they think Jesus was actually baptized. I don't know what I was expecting but I didn't think it would be so simple and unadorned. If it were anywhere else in the world, it would be a Disneyland ride - think, The Jordan Baptismal Slide! I think Jesus would have liked it the way it is now!

This is actually the Jordan River! I remember the first time I saw the Alamo in San Antonio, I was shocked. I envisioned it being a huge fortress and it's actually a simple little chapel. I kind of got the same feeling here BUT I wasn't disappointed.

It's literally only a few feet wide at this point and is evaporating at an alarming rate due to national water projects on both sides of the river further upstream. As the flow from the River Jordan decreases, the level of the Dead Sea has decreased, too, since the Jordan River feeds into it. However, there is a huge and long-term project underway to connect the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea to prevent the evaporation.

Lucky for tourists and followers, there is still plenty of "holy water" for the taking. I took some directly out of the river in an empty water bottle. Glad I didn't fall in while doing so!

St. John the Baptist Church at the Jordan River - a Greek Orthodox church.

Mount Nebo is one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan, located just west of the Roman Byzantine town of Madaba, for this is where Moses is buried and below was his view of

the Promised Land.

The Serpentine Cross is symbolic of the bronze serpent taken by Moses into the desert, and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

Today, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth at 400 feet below sea level. Fresh water flowing downstream through the Jordan River empties into the terminal lake. Having no exit point, the Dead Sea water evaporates, causing salts to accumulate in the lake and in its sediments. As a result, the Dead Sea's salt concentration is about 33 percent, compared to 3 percent in the Mediterranean.

With the Dead Sea in the background, we took advantage of the health and beauty advantages that the mud from the Dead Sea is purported to have.

They have it set up nicely, with fresh buckets of mud readily available and mirrors placed strategically so as not to miss any spots. Now, look at this picture carefully - do you see the woman in the mirror? Where is she? And where is the reflection of the guy applying mud to his face? Very strange.....

Voila! Here we are soaking up the wonders of the Dead Sea! Aren't we a lovely foursome? Did we miss any spots? After letting the mud sufficiently dry and work it's wonders,

we took a dip in the sea, where the density of the saltwater made it virtually impossible to drown. It was a very strange sensation. I have to report that indeed my skin felt as soft as a baby's bottom after our natural spa treatment!

And, a final view of the Dead Sea at sunset and a fond farewell to our adventure in the amazing, welcoming country of Jordan.

On day 2 of our Arabian adventure in Jordan, we traveled a short distance from the grand site of Petra to a lesser-known area called Little Petra. Some believe Little Petra was once an important suburb, located where caravan routes that linked the Arabian Peninsula, Gaza, Egypt and the Mediterranean coast converged.

Though not as opulent, to me it was equally as fascinating. It also boasted a siq (or entrance), similar to Petra’s, that lead to temples, tombs, houses, water channels and cisterns carved out of the same red rock as seen in Petra.

I actually think I enjoyed Little Petra more as there were only a handful of tourists besides ourselves.

Suddenly the "suburbs" took on a whole different meaning!

What a view the Nabateans had everyday.

Rivette, Liz, Jeanne, Barb, Charene and Mercedes.

In the 1980's, however, when Petra started becoming an important tourist destination, the Bedouins who lived there were urged (forced!) to uproot and move into a "concrete" settlement of Umm Sayhoon.

Not quite the ambiance of a cave overlooking the desert but it does have plumbing and electricity!

Another natural lure in Jordan, Wadi Rum is a mesmerizing desert wilderness that has recently been named a Unesco World Heritage Site. Wadi means "valley" and Rum is, well, not what you're thinking but just the name of the valley. Not sure if it translates to English or not.

Our carriages awaited our group.

Not really any two-lane highways - or one-lane, for that matter.

It was a one WILD ride up and over the dunes. The women in my jeep were saying things that shocked me! We were asking one of the gals if she thought now she ought to loosen the reins on her 20-year old daughter. Her reply was, "What daughter?! Woo-hoo!!!"

We survive the ride with our trusty, slightly demented driver but Rivette still clings to Liz.

This fine-looking Bedouin proudly poses and displays his saber while

this one shows off his artistic way of wearing his mendeel (headscarf).

Rasha posing by some graffiti. Yes, it's been around for thousands of years!

All of the animals we saw looked really healthy and well-cared for,

including the docile camels sauntering across the desolate landscape and

the famed Arabian horses.

We stopped for tea at this Bedouin tent site where

tea is a VERY important ritual. We learned that you should NEVER refuse an offer for tea and it was offered wherever we went. It was very, very sweet so the polite one cup was enough for me.

Who knew that a group of women couldn't resist a chance for more shopping? These entrepreneurs, that's who!

More scarves...

and soaps?....

and teas....

Potty break for us and

a rest for these weary camels.

The spectacular views were endless. It was here that Lawrence of Arabia and Prince Faisal Bin Hussein established their headquarters during the Arab Revolt in the early 1900s during WWI.

Our destination for that day was nearing as we approached our campsite for the night,

The Rainbow Camp. We had our evening meal and festivities (more on that later so stay tuned) in this large open tent.

Our little campsite and tents look minuscule against the grandeur of the rust-colored mountains.

Barb and I shared this tent. You know how they talk about the cold desert nights? Well, let me tell you, it was F-F-F-FREEZING, even though there were several blankets piled on top of each other. Where were my flannel jammies when I needed them?!

But, before dinner and going to bed, we had an awesome opportunity to witness a spectacular sunset.

Perched on top of a cliff,

we drank a toast to our trip thus far. Rasha thought of everything - including wine for this special moment.

Later on....., Jeanne, Mercedes and Charene enjoy the warmth of the campfire while

Barb is enjoying the hookah! Sometime after a few glasses of wine, a lot of dancing and a few hits off the hookah (a very mild form of tobacco), a few of us decided to opt for a different type of transportation back in the morning.....

Aren't they gorgeous? I've heard horror stories about nasty camels that smell and spit but ours were quite nice with their soft beautiful eyes with two sets of eyelashes!

Getting on and up was the most difficult part since you get on while the camels are kneeling down, then they lurch forward to get up. If you're not hanging on tightly, you'll go flying over the head of the camel. Once on, it's a breeze!

What's he smiling about?

We rode the camels for about 2 and a half hours while the rest of the group went back in jeeps. A couple of jeeps went by, the people waved and asked us if we wanted a ride but we ventured on as the Bedouins have for thousands of years. (I'm not seriously comparing our ride to that of the Bedouins life!) Since we were moving so slowly, this was pretty much our view the whole way, with the exception of