Jordan Road Trip

Well, quite an adventure took place this past week. My brother-in-law, Nader, and my wife's cousin, Steven, flew in from London to spend some time with the family. They came in early in the morning on Friday the 5th. We then got together and planned a trip to some places in Jordan. Stephen is into photography and Nader is trying to pick up some of the tricks as well, so they wanted to hit some good places for photos while they were here. One of Nader's friends, Ghasan, went with us. We started out around 8am or so on Wednesday. We arrived at Karak Castle and looked around for a little bit, then hit the road to get to one of our primary destinations of Wadi Rum before sunset. We got to Wadi Rum just in time. Once we had talked to the visitor's center and gotten everything arranged we hired a truck to take us to the Bedouin Camp where we would be staying. Yes, we slept in the desert for two nights. Probably one of the greatest things I have ever been a part of. We got to our camp right before sunset, so the two aspiring photographers went up on the rocks behind our camp to take some photos. Our camp was located in one of two places listed as "sunset sites" on the map. I took some very unprofessional photos for a little while, then wandered around the area a little before it got too dark to see, and then went back to the campsite. That night the Bedouins prepared a traditional meal for us. They make a fire down in a pit and then wait until the wood burns down to a pile of red coals. Then they take some chicken and onions and potatoes and put them in the pit on a grill type surface over the coals. Then they cover it and bury it in the sand for a while. Then when it is ready they uncover it from the sand and it is ready for everyone's enjoyment. Very cool.
The next day we hired a truck and it drove us all over Wadi Rum. It took us to the former home of T.E. Lawrence. The British soldier made famous by the film Lawrence of Arabia. We also viewed the two natural rock bridges. One of which I got to walk across. Our guide also showed us some Nabatean Inscriptions on some of the walls of the rocks. We got to climb up one of the red sand dunes that Wadi Rum is famous for, then we ran down it just for the fun of it. Then around three our driver dropped us at one of the other sunset sites to take some more photos. It was amazing. I can't imagine anything being like it in all the world.
After that we got up the next morning and headed to Aqaba to drop off Ghasan, who had to get back. We spent a little time in Aqaba just hanging out, but it was more of a resort area and there wasn't much history or anything we were looking for to spend time on so we quickly made haste to get to Petra.
Petra was another interesting stop on our journey. The Treasury, made famous by the Steven Spielberg film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", was truly something to see. The siq to get down to it was quite a walk and well worth the journey. After we got to the Treasury we decided to continue on to see the Monastery which was even better due to the timing. We had arrived just as the sun was setting on it so we were able to see some beautiful colors on it. We were also able to see the differences in the colors as the light changed on the face of it. After that we walked back to the car and headed to our motel for the night. When we got back to the motel we decided to look into a Turkish Bath. We had been seeing them in a couple of places and decided to find out what it was. What we experienced was a very nice investment after being in the desert for two nights and walking around Petra. It was a very relaxing experienc which we all enjoyed. I won't go into the details on what was involved, you can look that up for yourself, or ask me the next time you see me.
The next morning we woke up again and walked through a second pathway through Petra which was a little more difficult and didn't have quite as many ancient items to look at, but there was some interesting history to it as well and it was a change of scenery from the previous day.
After we finished in Petra we headed out to drive along the Dead Sea Highway, so we could pass by the Dead Sea on the way back to Amman. We stopped along the way so that the photographers could take some photos. In the meantime I was being attacked by some of the hundreds of flies living in the area as I stayed at the car. Once they were back and loaded up we headed toward home as quick as we could.
To finish off the trip we dropped our car off at the rental place and headed for some traditional food at the local...Applebees? Yes, we ended our historical adventure in a very typical fashion. No more Arabic food. Just something to fill us up and keep us going. So the journey ends fat and happy. Full of food, fun, and memories that will last a lifetime. Not to mention the sand I will probably be finding in the items I took until the end of time.

Past couple of months

It's been a little over two months since I left the comfort (and complacency) of home to come to the Middle East. So far everything has been great. Yes, there have been moments of longing for home and to see the people I left behind, but in the grand scheme of things there are more times when I am excited to be here and thrilled at this opportunity that it overshadows any negative feelings I might have. Just a few months ago I would not have imagined already being where I am and being able to do what I have done. By the grace of God, however, He has thrust me into an experience I will never forget.
Recently, the family and I traveled to Jerash, which is a city that contains some Roman ruins, for a day of exploring. Another couple joined us for our trip to show us around since they had already been there. The experience, I must say, was top notch. We had a blast roaming around the ruins. Ariana had fun as well getting to walk around in the dirt and climbing on top of some of the large stones. Toward the end of our trip we went inside the amphitheater. It was pretty amazing how the design of the theater was set up so that as long as you stood in a specific spot in the middle of the floor your voice would be amplified to every seat in the house.
After we left the ruins we decided to grab something to eat. We went to a great place called the Lebanese House. They serve traditional style mezza, which is a little of this and a little of that shared by the entire group. It was enough food for all four of us with some left to take home.
The experience as I said was top notch and I couldn’t have asked for better. Until next time…