September 25
Today was a really cool experience - a much more "personal" day where the stops were "real" is the best way to describe it. First, we had a good start by not having to check out and be on board the bus until 9:30 am. But both today and the day after tomorrow promised to be long bus ride days. We first had to climb nearly 12,000 feet from our resort on the Dead Sea (the lowest spot on Planet Earth) to get all the way to Mount Nebo and then headed into the small town near the mountain top. It was here that our fabulous guide, Rain, wanted to stop at his brother's mosaic store where he also has a workshop to demonstrate how the mosaics are made. The first thing that was oh-so-cool was how Rain spoke about his younger brother, who's name translates to "Thunder!" and when his brother joined us on the bus, their embrace and huge grins demonstrated just how close these brothers are. We were led in to see THE most remarkable demonstration how these pieces of art are made from cut stone. Thunder explained that the pricing was not determined by the size of the piece but by the size of the stones and the intricacies of the art work. You'll see in the photos below just how amazing this is. We then were led into their store room and I decided that a great memory to take home from this experience would be a coffee mug, made of mosaics so that every morning I drank from this cup I'd remember Jordan and the passion these two men had for one another. I told this to both of them and they were very touched.
Next we drove about 20 minutes up the road to reach the town of Madaba. Two very cool experiences here. First, we went to a 200-year-old church which would have been something, but what was significant was that this church, when the foundation was being dug out (over a previous church) they found a mosaic.....it turns out it is the oldest map of the Middle East dating back to 546 AD. Rain led us to a small center off to the side away from the crowd where in the air conditioning he could explain on a model map what we were seeing. MOST ASTOUNDING! First the map is laid out exactly positioned to the geography it portrays. Second the details are astounding and it obviously was the "Google Map" of the ancient world so travelers could get their bearings. Who are they so sure about the dating? Because in the portrayal of the City of Jerusalem there is a church that is positively dated to 546 AD. There are two other churches that were built in 560 AD that DO NOT appear on the map - so that's how it's dated so accurately.
As we had walked to the church we approached the restaurant where we would have lunch. Rain explained that he'd known the owner & founder of this restaurant and his family - including his young daughter - for thirty years. Recently Rain had been in Saudi Arabia for five years and when he returned about a year ago he found they'd opened a second restaurant. When he went in the long-time friend introduced him to "the boss" of the new establishment and so Rain introduced her as "the boss" to his group, only to notice the girl was giving him an odd look.....she said, "You don't remember me?" Turned out to be the daughter who was grown into a young woman, Maya, and ever since she is known as "the Boss" to Rain. Then after the church we walked back there to be treated to a fabulous lunch, a traditional dish of "Upside Down Chicken" or maqluba. Sure enough, they brought it out in a giant pan, then with great pomp & circumstance the staff member flipped it over and slammed it onto the pan so that all the vegetables & chicken would be on top of the rice base. Let me tell you, this was DEEEEE-licious! And as an added perk, Maya served my plate to me :)
After hearty thanks for the meal and hospitality we went back to the bus and set out on a 2 1/2 hour trip to Shoubak Castle. We had been "warned" that this was a very VERY steep climb and that once at the top of the mountain in the castle the walkways were uneven and would require great care. But Rain explained that the view was so splendid that even if only one guest wanted to go he'd take them. As it turned out about half our group of twenty went and let me tell you it was a steep climb up, but we all made it. The view was excellent and provided a great photo op. In explaining the importance of the castle Rain pointed out that all this arid land at the time had once been nothing but forest. But during the reign of the Ottoman Empire they built a massive railroad and cut ALL the trees down.
We had about an hour ride to reach our resort hotel, but just outside of town Rain had the bus driver pull off the side of the road and we watched a beautiful sunset. An impromptu WOW sequence of moments to be sure. Tomorrow is THE highlight of the Jordan visit, the Lost City of Petra. If you Google "Petra" the photo that comes up is what everyone is waiting for. It comes as your round the bend in the canyon and Rain explained that regardless of how many videos and photos you've seen EVERY guest he's ever taken here just has their mind blown! It should be an amazing day - a lot of walking through the canyon to the city and back out again, but remarkable. Kim and I signed up for the optional dinner at a local family's home and it turns out we are the only two going tomorrow! So we'll have a very unique and "up close and personal" experience. Should be a BIG day!
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