National Day long weekend was coming up in Abu Dhabi and I had already endured the torture of National Day celebrations for one year. It was a perfect chance to get away.
Jordan is in the Middle East and borders Israel. There is a lot of history in the country and it was really exciting to be able to trace some of the footsteps of Biblical characters.
We started our journey by travelling to Petra. Halfway there, we were told, there would be a purple place called the Midway Castle where we would find the cheapest souvenirs. We stopped and I limited my purchasing and then we finished the 3 hour trek to Petra in our old and slow rental car, stuffed with 5 teachers. Thankfully we live in a country that speaks Arabic so that Mackenzie could talk us out of a speeding ticket on the way. Phew!
We arrived in Petra just before Sunset. We headed out to see little Petra before it got dark. It was a great glimpse into what we would experience the next day. It was a bit creepy in the dark, with the Bedouins hanging around and so we headed back to the hotel for some supper and early bedtime. As we were getting ready for bed, Mackenzie was excited by the sound of 'fireworks' and ran outside to see where they were. It then occurred to me that we are privileged white girls because most other people in the world who heard that sound would duck for cover. Hilarious!
Day 2 was a full Petra day. We were there by 8 am and walked around until about 4pm. It was a day of beautiful and mysterious tunnels and caves, long hikes, and interesting people. It was amazing to walk through the rocky tunnels and find the famous treasury at the end. From there, we saw many rocky formations and hidden caves. It reminded me a lot of my trip to Cappadocia, in Turkey.
We walked all the way to the end of the big touristy area where there was a hike of "800 steps" up to see the monastery. There was an option to pay for a donkey ride up, but being tough Canadians we decided to make the trek ourselves. It was a long way up but well worth it. The monastery actually looked a lot like the treasury but the view at the top was beautiful and it was fun to climb up inside.
We did a lot of planking on the trip, because it is hilarious. On the way down, we also met the son of a crazy Kiwi lady who met a Bedouin during her travels to Petra and decided to stay and marry him. She wrote a book called Married to a Bedouinand her son sells it. He looked just like his father, but had his mother's accent. Crazy. If you want to read about a crazy hippie lady, check that book out.
To end our day at Petra, we made another long hike up to the high point. There we could see an ancient altar for sacrificing (complete with blood drain). There was a stunning view and we could also see the tomb of Aaron in the distance. On the way down there was a bunch of Bedouin hippies hanging out on a cliff edge jamming to "I just had sex", some crude pop song. They invited us to their hash party. I politely declined, dying from awkward laughter, and the sadness of my spiritual moment being smashed to bits. crazy hippies
After a long day of hiking it is safe to say that we were completely exhausted and regretting our decision not to take a horse/camel/donkey ride earlier in the day. We were definitely hurting after that adventure. Petra did not, disappoint, though. It was a blessing to be able to see another one of the 7 wonders of the world.
The next day we got up early to head to the Dead Sea. On our way, we stopped at Jesus' Baptism site. It was really neat to be able to see what it looked like where John the Baptist would have lived and where Jesus walked. People complaining about audio guides took away from the spiritual part of the tour a bit, but it was still amazing to think that I got to walk where Jesus walked and step in the river that He was baptised in. Wow!
From there we headed to Mount Nebo, where Moses was shown the promised land. The view from the top was amazing, and it was great to be able to see Israel, even if we couldn't go there. We drove back down the mountain and dodged some sketchy military security before getting to the Dead Sea.
Our hotel, the Dead Sea Spa Hotel, was right on the water and a beautiful resort. It reminded me a lot of the resorts that I have seen in the Caribbean. Who knew that Jordan was so beautiful. People had told us to be prepared for cold weather, and we were all packed for it, but it was beautiful. I would say it was probably 20-30 everyday. It was a little chilly to swim in the Dead Sea, but nothing like the cold lakes back in Canada. We got our bathing suits on and headed down to the water, first thing.
The water felt slippery because it was so filled with salt. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth and also had the saltiest water. Nothing can live in it because it is so salty, and it makes you float like nothing else. It was like sitting on an air mattress, but you weren't! So fun! We went in and were baffled by the buoyancy. It was actually hard to get your feet back under you once you were floating.
To experience toe Dead Sea fully, we had to have mud baths. The mud there is famous for its healing properties. We went to the edge of the beach and lathered ourselves in mud, from head to toe. It was so fun to play in the much and cover our entire bodies with it. We waited for it to dry, after taking silly mud monster pictures, and then we were back in the water to wash off. It left our skin feeling silky smooth.
Krista, Mackenzie, and I sat in the water and just floated for the next hour or two, watching the sun set over the promised land and reflecting on how blessed we were to be there. It was an experience, and a sunset like none other. Maybe one day I will get to go to Israel, but at this point I am pretty grateful for the experience that I had, getting so close. I would like to imagine that Jesus and his disciples also played in the Dead Sea, had a mud bath, and watched the sunset. Maybe.
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