April 11, 2019 – Wadi Rum, Jordan
I arose about 4 am to check out the stars. It was nice and I could see the milky way. Not much different than Hickory Island but nice to see.
Breakfast at 6:30 am. Great Jordanian food. Murad showed at 7 am and we were off for the Dead Sea. 4 hours of driving time. We did stop for a restroom break and ran into Brian and Sandy and we realized we were on the same tour, with the same company but with different drivers. We would meet up with them at each stop the rest of the day.
We arrived at the Holiday Inn Dead Sea at about 11 am. We grabbed our gear and headed down to the beach. Here we changed into our swim gear and went into the sea. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea. It is about 10 times saltier than regular seawater and contains many other minerals. It is also the lowest body of water on earth.
Floating in the Dead Sea is not an issue. Step in and and start to wade. Step back and you are floating.
We played around a bit and then took some time spreading mud all over ourselves.
Julie, Dave, Sandy and Brian joined us for a group mud photo. We let the mud bake and went back into the sea. All of us are on the Amsterdam.
The shine off of my head was used as a beacon to lead the others back into the sea.
Lunch was inside the hotel. As Holiday Inns go, this was definitely a 5 star. Lunch was buffet style with plenty of great Jordanian food. The tour that I had booked was over at this point. We could hangout at the hotel, swim in the sea or the many swimming pools, or head back to the ship. One of the other couples suggested we see a few more sites that were relatively close by and that is what we chose to do.
The first stop on the extended tour was Mt. Nebo. This is the location where Moses saw the promised land. The drive up was right out of a James Bond thriller. Hairpin curves all the way up and our driver ignored the fact that we were inches from the edge of the road and certain death. I was hoping Q included a few of his goodies in this substitute Aston Martin we were in.
The view of the promised land.
This area is very important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Jordan river is in this photo and Israel is on the other side. Our next stop was the Jordan River to see the location where John the Baptist had his church and Jesus was baptized.
Murad took us to the entrance where we purchased tickets and then a shuttle took us to the Jordan River. The bus was well used and not quite up to the Detroit city busses I used to ride as a kid. We were able to enjoy the biting black flies on the bus as we waited for the shuttle to fill. I was so happy that other people get to enjoy these flies that we have at home.
We arrived at the site and followed our guide. He was less than a jolly fellow. He was very insistent and unpleasant but we carried on.
The Jordan river.
Here is the spot where Jesus was baptized.
Further down the river a sign warns that no one can go in the water or be baptized. On the Israeli side, groups of people were being baptized. An armed guard was posted on the Jordanian side.
We took some photos and then headed back to the bus. Our guide perked up and said “you wait for the bus in here”. “Here” was a gift shop. Obviously a cousin. More junk in here. The shuttle arrived and took us back to our driver.
It was 5 pm. We had a full day and dreaded the 3 hour ride back to Aqaba. Since we had James Bond in the makeshift Aston Martin we arrived a bit sooner than expected. Murad was waived over by police along the way. A few nasty words were given to the police officer and Murad then threw the ticket into the glove box and peeled away.
We needed to pay Murad for the past two days and he dropped us off at an ATM in Aqaba. It was a Thursday night and the town was alive.
Murad explained that while drinking is legal in Jordan, it is frowned upon to consume with your family. Alcoholic beverages are very inexpensive in Aqaba, unlike the rest of Jordan. Young people tend to go to Aqaba to let loose and do things they normally wouldn’t do back home.
Murad took us back to the ship and along the way we were stopped by customs. The officer asked us for our passports. We turned over photocopies as the ship had our originals. He didn’t appear to even look at them and handed them back. More angry words from Murad. “Who escapes from America to come to Jordan” , he said.
We arrived at the ship about 9:30 pm. An hour to spare before all aboard.
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