Well my journey is almost over...

Today I traveled back to the River Jordan and to the site of the baptism of Jesus near Bethany (see photo below). 

This time I am in Jordan looking across to Palestine. And maybe because it isn't very hot and not many people it seems more poignant than the first time or perhaps it is the completion of this journey that is affecting me. Having visited Mt Nebo and stood, possibly, where Moses stood and then traveled through the desert to the River Jordan, I too can see the promised land. It's odd but I can feel the pull of Jerusalem from here and yet in Israel I couldn't, perhaps my vision was clouded by religion and politics!

Tomorrow I head home... (to good coffee and temperatures below 30!)

(Below are some photos that fit the theme including the mosaic map of the biblical lands and Jerusalem found in a church at Madaba, and finally a haloed mountain or something...)

Wadi Rum to the Dead Sea via Aqaba

Sounds like a quiz question- travelling by car where in the world can you be in the desert, then go snorkelling then float in the Dead Sea all within 3 hours? Yes you guessed it, either Jordan or Palestine! Aqaba is a strange place, it is mainly a Port city stuck in the middle of the desert, even the hotel area seemed to have grown out of nothing. Desert on 3 sides but still green in the hotel complex.

PS snorkelling was great though.

Some more photos of Wadi Rum, with me in my 'safari' style outfit!

The desert is fascinating though because it is very fertile and all you need to do is add water and hey presto you can grow anything!

And finally the Dead Sea with a little bit of a biblical connection, can you guess who this might be?

Wadi Rum

I've had a great couple of days in the desert region of Wadi Rum, sleeping overnight in a Bedouin style camp (for tourists of course), riding a camel (probably once is enough), and spending 6 hours in the desert itself. It is an amazing place from the shades of desert sand, burn't orange through to yellow and white to the absolute quiet and the vast open spaces. One of the special experiences was standing very still watching the sunset while a group of three camels approached me. I was very surprised when two of them came up and nudged me as if to say hello and then wandered off towards home!!

Petra Continued

Petra is a very engaging and beautiful site so here are some more photos including some of the rock formations and also a little friend I discovered in a rather deserted part of Petra, the Wadi Farasa. The first one is a view from the top of the Monastery, a very long climb up 900 steps!

Travels In Jordan

Travelling in Jordan is really a continuation of my travels through Turkey and Israel/Palestine. The borders are very arbitrary and have been contested for at least 2 millennia. The food is very similar (which has been great by the way) as well as the culture of hospitality, and the sense of being in an ancient land. Yesterday in Petra I picked up 2000 year old shards of pottery and sat and looked at the remains of the Nabatean buildings which are still impressive today and I can appreciate the awe and dread the tombs might've inspired in an invading army.

There are layers of civilisations in this land, from Neolithic to Nabatean to Greek and Roman, Byzantine to Islamic, Crusader to Ottoman, continuing to today. The following photos are from Petra but the last one is from Jerash and shows the Roman buildings set against the city it lies within, still going strong today.