Beyond Jordan, Dec. 11

The Dead Sea

- Ate a quick breakfast at Sambooki pastry shoppe.
-Went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. This was interesting to see because of the hundreds of objects donated to the memorial by victims' families (photos, personal memoirs, silverware collected by the Nazis, etc). Moving.
- Took a taxi to the hotel to get our things. Kyle and Noah stopped for more gelato while Chris and I ate sandwiches.
- Walked to the Damascus city gate, trying to find out how we get back to the border. Slight oversight in not planning ahead. Found a guy who pointed out a capable taxi service to us, and followed someone a few blocks to the office. Drove to the border.
- Getting out was a lot easier than getting in. On the bus, a guy collected our passports and we didn't see them until we paid for our bus tickets and bags. A little nerve-wracking.
- Chris went to haggle with a taxi driver for a ride to Petra. One driver kept following us around, which was slightly annoying. The idea is to stay in Petra tonight, and go back to Amman tomorrow night.
- After a skirmish with one driver, took the annoying guy to Wadi Musa (just outside of Petra) and went to the hotel (3 hr. drive). They apparently didn't get our reservation, so they didn't have a room for us. Thankfully, the owner/operator's cousin had a hotel on the next block, so the guy took us in his own car to it- Al-Rashid.
- Walked up the street to Shaheed round-about where we ate the best pizza made in the Middle East. At least, it's the best we've found so far. Also ate salad and hummus. Taught the cook what "dressing" is. Funny guy.
- Went back to the hotel. The water was FREEZING even though we let it run for awhile, so we didn't take showers. Went to bed for a 5:30 wake up.

Painted Lions: All over Jerusalem

Jordan Dec. 10 (Part 2) and National Day

Today is National Day where we live, and tomorrow is Liberation Day. These are similar to July 4th and extremely important to the nationals, as they celebrate when the country became independent of Britain in the '60s and when it was liberated from invaders in the '90s. The best part is that it means a 4-day weekend for us; some benefits of being an educator follow us wherever we go. There are lights and decorations EVERYWHERE, and apparently the celebrations get a little crazy. I've done my grocery shopping for the week, so I may just stay in for the next few days with a book. We'll see

Jordan, Dec. 10 (Part 2)
- Walked to New W. Jerusalem toward downtown. Checked into the Caplan hotel, a poor deal compared to the last one.
- Talked about our plans for leaving. We will probably leave tomorrow after seeing the Holocaust museum. Supposed to stay in Petra Thurs., then Amman on Fri. Flight leaves Sat.
- Ate late supper at "Adom," a fancy restaurant tucked away in one of the neighborhood's alleys. I ordered calamari w/ risotto, and we shared a sweet Merlot from the Golan Heights. Syria would not be happy.
- Walked back up toward the hotel to Aldo's cafe. Shared some delicious gelato with Chris and warmed up with a hot vanilla drink. The weather is much cooler here than at home.
- Chris and I went to bed, and the guys went back out. I guess they weren't totally exhausted like us old folks.

Jordan, Dec. 10 (Part 1)

I don' think I ever mentioned that I put a new album on our pictures page, which includes some from softball's opening ceremony and International Day at school.

- Woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel around 8a.m. Walked through a conservative Jewish section toward the Old City.
-Paid to walk on top of the city wall (16 ILS each), which surrounds the Old City. We walk clear from the Jaffa gate to the Golden gate (I think- I've got to check the map). Saw a good bit of the old city and its surroundings this way. Kyle hit his head on a narrow doorway and we thought he was going to pass out. He swore, but he didn't pass out.
- Walked down Jericho Road to the Garden of Gethsemane. The trees there were SO old, but probably planted just a few hundred years ago. There's a basilica built next to it, and across the road is the Temple Mount.
- Hiked UP the Mt. of Olives, which proved to be tiring, but rewarding. From the view at the top, one can see all of Jerusalem. Is this what Jesus saw, plus a few Peugeots?
- We walked back into the old city, and up parts of the Via Dolorosa. Talked to a few vendors, and ate felafel sandwiches and lentil soup for lunch. Did I mention that this is the best food I've ever eaten?
-Walked through metal detectors to get to the section of the Wailing Wall. People leaving prayers on notes, and stuffing them in the crevasses between the stones. Men walking backwards away from the wall. School kids with paper yam akas on their heads.
- Went to the garden tomb and saw Galgotha. The mouth of the supposed "Hill of the Skull" is now covered by a bus station. Convenient. The tomb was smaller than I thought it would be, and seeing probable history before me was fascinating.


Photo: part of the garden tomb

Jordan, Dec. 09

I realize how inadequately my notes convey everything we did on this trip, but I will have to save the unabridged version for the occasion of writing a book.

- Woke up at 5:30 (tough for a day of vacation) and ate breakfast at the hotel. Left around 7:20 with a driver, headed for the King Hussein Bridge.
- Stood in line for an exit "stamp," exchanged some cash, and got on a bus for the border
- Half way, we had to get off of the bus, show our passports, get back on and headed for the West Bank.
- Went through security at Allenby Bridge, and it took over 4 hours to get through customs. These girls are thorough with their information...and like to socialize with their friends.
- Took a taxi (about 20 min.) to J-town.
- Made it to the Hotel Addar, haggled for a room price, and realized we left one of our bags in the taxi. By God's kindness, the driver realized that, and had his brother bring it back to where he dropped us off. How amazing!
- Went for a walk through the neighborhood. We stopped to watch some crazy horse races and eat falafel sandwiches in a Palestinian neighborhood, eastern J-town. Lots of young "bucks" showing off their racing skills on a dirt track, just having fun. There were camel rides and some sort of shaky looking Ferris wheel, too. Wild.
- Went back to the hotel and took a nap until about 6p.m.
- Met Kyle's friend, Dave, who studies at the Hebrew University on a fellowship. We ate burgers with him near the school, then took the bus downtown for a Guinness. (Check out the pictures for the menu with Hebrew.) He gave us some good info. for our stay, and we headed back to the hotel.
- Slept like a baby.