Petra

We knew we couldn’t come to Jordan and not see one of the new 7 wonders of the world.   We piled in Najib’s car at 8:30 and drove 3 hours to the city of Petra… yes. 3 hours.  it was a long drive to say the least… but totally worth it!  The views on the way there were incredible and the kids did pretty good.  I would have given my left arm for some car seats right about now.

Amman is one of the red dots, that is where we flew into.. then down a bit is Madaba, that is where the church was with the mosaic map, then down further is Dead sea – where we were staying,  and down even further was Petra. 

Petra’s ancient city was discovered in the 1800’s by an explorer, but was built by the Nabataeans over 2000 years ago and was a flourishing city in the time of Christ.  At one point between 20,000-30,000 people lived in the city. 

To read a lot more about Petra click here.

you’re supposed to allow up to 3 days to cover Petra.. we had like 3 hours.. better than nothing!  The prices for entry were steep! It cost us about 100 USD to get in.. ouch.

Once inside, they offer you horses for  the equivalent of about $5 each.  Sure, we’ll take 3 (Audrey wanted her own horse). 

One very excited little girl!  How precious is the picture below? she was so tiny on the horse – but loved.every.single.minute.

I get the giggles every time I see this picture of Charles… doesn’t he look bigger than the horse?? That horse was not happy about it either!  He was very stubborn and didn’t want to go.

What we didn’t know is that this was a quick horse ride just to the other, real entrance. We didn’t even get that far though. The guides got out of view from the others and offered to take us on an ‘off road’ adventure. uhh? Charles and I kept looking at each other, like what do we do? We weren’t sure exactly what they were offering to us, but they said it would cost us about another $100 and it would take an hour…  and kept pointing up.. they said, “if you don’t like, you don’t pay.” hmm.. Ok, both of us were still a little uncertain – but went for it.

How cool are these caves?! I was NOT about to go in one though. ha.

This is us going off the beaten path with our guides..

What ?! rock climbing on horseback?! oh dang we didn’t know that. – we probably shouldn’t have let Audrey go solo.  I was nervous many times.. and I’m not really a nervous nelly mama, so you know it had to be scary. However, I only had to yell out once, maybe twice.. “Hold on to her!! She’s gonna fall!!” to the very responsible 13 year old that was in the front of the line with her. sheesh.

We saw many cool caves.. and handsome guys.. oh wait, that ‘s Charles!

So this must have just been my week – Once again.. one of our guides had sweet eyes for me.. something about those Jordanians? LOL.  He stopped on the trail and ran out of his way to pick this rose for me.  Then he asked if he could take pictures of me with his cell phone and would sit down for several minutes afterwards texting away.. who knows what he was saying – but all I know that these last couple of days were certainly a boost to this tired old mama’s ego. ha. what a surprise!

me and my boys below:

Very very rocky desert

I just love this picture of Audrey below:

This next picture makes me a little afraid of heights -

far far below from where we were standing was this ^^ roman-style coliseum.  It seats 3,000. It would be so cool to see 3,000 people together here in it’s heyday… like year 1 AD.  

Those horses hiked a long way up.. at some points it was too steep and we had to get off the horses and walk them up… as you can see below, Charles and Will traded horses with me and of course Will went back and forth about every 10 minutes.

We got to a point literally in the middle of no where.. mountains as far as you could see then the lead guide says... 

“Okay, finished with the horses. You go from here on your own.”

Me: Wait. What?! You’re coming with us, right?

Him:NO. All finish. You pay now.  We go with horses.

Me:Uhh.. not hardly  You can’t leave us here with two kids

– Charles and I just looked at each other and knew we were both on the same page.  We told the guy, how about one of you walk us to the bottom of this mountain and we will pay you when we are down there.  They were not happy about it at all. He didn’t know enough English to argue.. but he sure did yell a few things in Arabic we couldn’t understand.  He agreed, and sent my new boyfriend.. ha..  It was SUCH a long walk. seriously miles.  we had no idea we would be hiking this far, but still it was beautiful and totally an adventure for the kids.. and best of all – downhill!  They were tired from the long horse ride {and 3 hour car ride} and so were we. 

and we walked and walked

Stunning isn’t it?! We thought we were almost finished but had no idea there was still at least another 45 minutes of walking involved

Thankfully the guide was really helpful and carried Audrey for a while.

Totally amazing that they carved the sandstone like this.  The color was a beautiful pinkish tan.

This is the Siq – it is their old street into the city – it is a really narrow path between the cliffs. The people that lived in this time {forgot  how to spell the name} also designed ways to control water flow in the city, and were very prosperous merchants.. amazing for their time.

 

AH! the highlight.. The Treasury! Seriously – carved out of STONE! The design was beautiful, intricate and absolutely mind-blowing that people did this over 2,000 years ago without any mechanical machinery.  HOW. IN. THE. WORLD???

maybe that is why it is considered one of the new 7 wonders of the world! Some of the movies that were shot here include Transformers 2 and of course everyone knows about Indiana Jones.

 

So Cool.!

so is this guy. ha. He looks like a cross between Pirates of the Caribbean and a sleepy tour guide.  On our way back, we weren’t sure how long the walk was since we took the “up and over” tour.  At this spot, it seemed every second someone was coming up to you trying to sell you something and not taking no for an answer.  I felt sorry for them, but really, it got annoying.  Kids as young as 6 or 7 were trying to sell postcards.. etc.. after a few minutes we were ready to get out of there.

These horse drawn carriages brought people to the exit. we negotiated with a guy for a little while and decided against it. we totally should have paid him.  One of the guys driving these saw that Audrey was tired and offered to bring her to the front for us. Dude, are you crazy!? We politely declined and said “no, she stays with us”.  Then he was trying to insist and we had to a bit firmer with our reply. 

After we were all sick of walking we did hire a guy to take us to the exit.  It was nearly 2 and none of us had eaten lunch.  Charles went to find Najib and I went to order a pizza for the road trip back.  Yep. 3 hours back.  by the time we arrived it was dark and we were all exhausted.  No rest for the weary.. we had to pack up and get going the next morning we were flying out to our next destination. 

Najib came to pick us up the next morning in a smoked out car.. the smoke smell was stronger than usual, his driving was fast and lots of windy curves as we drove thru and around all the mountains and hills.  Audrey complained of a stomach ache the same as she did every morning of our trip after about 10 minutes of being in Najib’s small car.. It all added up for me that she was getting car sick.  I was a little nauseated myself.  She fell asleep in the car on the way to the airport and when we arrived, I went inside with the kids and Charles got the luggage on a cart and then

BLECH. SHE SPEWED!!. right in the entryway. right where people were crying and hugging and doing their goodbyes. right where people were rolling their luggage. oh my word. seriously. what a mess!

I was in shock.  I tried to clear the crowd so she didn’t barf on anyone – then I’m looking for something to clean up this mess – then I realize my child is still throwing up so I go to console her, then I see Will wandering.. ahhhh! Charles comes thru the crowds to see the disaster unfolding and calms me down, takes Will and finds a janitor. thank you!

I whisked her off to the bathroom, cleaned her up and we continue as if nothing ever happened.  I knew exactly what was wrong with her so I wasn’t concerned of a recurrence, but just in case she carried a plastic bag with her. ha. vacation memories.

Christmas Vacation

**Disclaimer: I am a little uncertain about exactly how much I can put on the blog about the extent of our trip… if we decide against posting everything, I will still type it all up, include pictures etc.. just like the blog, but email it out instead**

We traveled regionally this Christmas and had the most memorable, amazing trip!  We only planned this about one month before going but had been talking about it for quite a while.   It was difficult for me to be away from our families this Christmas…  the very first Christmas in my ENTIRE LIFE to be away… it was actually a bit depressing..  so this trip was an excellent distraction. Lets Go. 

We flew out of Abu Dhabi early in the morning and landed in Amman, Jordan.  Since the flight was 3 hours, but there is a 2 hour time difference, it was still early in the morning when we landed.  Charles arranged a driver for us to pick us up when we landed and apparently the company didn’t take note that we are a family of 4 and will be traveling with 4 large suitcases… After a few tries we finally got the trunk to shut and off we went.  Najib, our driver for the next few days, took us to The Citadel in Amman to look around and site see for a bit.  I had no idea the city had ancient Roman ruins! Really cool to see this in person.. you wonder, how in the world did they get those stones up there so high?!

After walking and exploring for a while we went into a small museum and got to see some really OLD stuff.

6500 B.C.!!!  woah.

this one was even older than the previous!

 

I liked this sign – I’m no geography whiz, so this was helpful to understand where everything was in relation to each other.

We left there and drove around to kill time until we could check into our hotel…. We stayed at the Dead Sea Marriott.  Literally right on the Dead Sea.  It was a fabulous hotel.  Gorgeous views, amazing grounds, lots to do.

Welcoming the kids with juice when we arrived.

The pool view – people were swimming.. nuts!. I was too cold.

The hotel had a great playground… naturally, we spent a lot of time there

We went down to check out the dead sea after we got settled in our room. 

I found some interesting facts about the dead sea on the internet for ya…

20 Quick facts About The Dead Sea

1. The Dead Sea isn’t actually a sea at all! The Dead Sea is a saltwater lake.
2. Hence the name, there is no marine life in the Dead Sea. The high mineral and salt content of the waters make it impossible for fish or plants to live.
3. The Dead Sea is the second saltiest body of water in the world, with a salt content of 33%.
4. Cleopatra loved the Dead Sea so much, she ordered that cosmetic factories and resorts be built along its shores.
5. You can lay on the surface of the water without even trying to float. The high salt content makes you buoyant.
6. Water flows into the Dead Sea from streams and rivers, but does not flow out.
7. Dead Sea salt is super bitter and not at all like table salt.
8. The Dead Sea is filled with minerals including calcium, iodine, saline, potassium, and bromide.
9. The minerals in the Dead Sea all naturally occur within our bodies.
10. Egyptians used mud from the Dead Sea in their mummification of the deceased.
11. Centuries ago, one of the popular names of the Dead Sea was “The Stinky Sea”.
12. Asphalt often rises to the surface of the water in the Dead Sea. The Greeks called it “Lake Asphaltites” after the strange phenomenon.
13. The climate of the Dead Sea region is sunny, warm and dry all year round.
14. Both Jesus and John the Baptist are closely tied to the Dead Sea in biblical writings.
15. In the Bible, it is said that the Dead Sea will one day come alive and fill with marine life.
16. The shores of Dead Sea mark the lowest elevation on earth.
17. Aristotle wrote about the Dead Sea in his writings.
18. During the 20^th Century, the “Dead Sea Scrolls” were discovered. These scrolls are the ancient writings of the Essenes.
19. The Dead Sea is 3 million years old.
20. The unique salt in the Dead Sea treats acne, psoriasis, hives, cellulite, dry skin, dandruff, stress, muscle aches, and more.

so many of the rocks were covered with salt.. looks like ice or snow, doesn’t it?

Audrey reminded me of my sister in this picture.. they don’t look alike.. but the rock collecting and set up is something she would have done.. Audrey also found a bone a little later on in our vacation and wanted to keep it as a souvenir… ha.. this was SO kari when she was little.

Notice the sign below –415.75 meters below sea level… us Americans don’t think in meters…. so here’s the conversion  -1363.66 Feet

Day 2: Baptism Site of Jesus, Mount Nebo & Madaba

We were sooooo tired from our early morning departure and the 2 hour time difference, we wanted to sleep at 7:00 pm and wake up at 4:00 am… We were up and at ‘em so early that we needed to kill time before Najib came to pick us up…. so we walked around the hotel property and sold it to the kids as “we are going on an adventure.”  They were dying to get their winter gear on we were surprised at how unseasonably warm it was, the weather was cool, crisp and perfect!

Najib drove us to the Baptism site of Jesus. This is not in Amman, but in Bethany {they called it Bethany beyond the Jordan} – it took us about 35 minutes to get there. Luckily the next tour was scheduled to leave shortly after we arrived.  We got on a bus and it drove us to this pathway where we did the rest of the tour by foot.  We didn’t realize this or we would have brought a stroller or two, but honestly the kids did great and had lots of fun.  

Our first stop on the path was John the Baptist Spring:  The stone below says that this spring was used for drinking water… I was so surprised that there was indeed no water here… I asked the guide about it and he said that this is the dry season and in a couple of weeks the rain will come and the water will flow.

Just a little bible background on John the Baptist… his mother, Elizabeth and Mary were cousins.  Elizabeth was already pregnant with John when Mary told her she was expecting Jesus and John ‘jumped for joy’ in her womb.  Jesus’ baptism by John marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry… and actually the beginning of Christianity.  Here is a picture of the kids going down into the area of the “spring”

John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus…

click here to read: The Testimony of John the Baptist

The small windy paths were beautiful…

We paused for a family pic – our tour guide suggested that we stop and take a picture.. and so we did… Also – every time Charles would get out of earshot, he would compliment me – lets just say he was quite smitten with me LOL.. I thought it was hilarious. 

This mosaic is a picture of the following verse:

^{Matthew 3:16} As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

It overwhelmed me that the voice of God was actually audible here.. The Holy Spirit was visible here. wow.

The excavation and discovery of this site began 3 years after the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.  How lucky are we that just in the last 15 years this huge landmark was uncovered.. amazing.!!

Remains of an old mosaic church floor are shown on the ground.  The church was built to commemorate the spot of Jesus’ baptism built in the 5th century AD. 

As we were passing this spot, the guide let everyone else go ahead of us, made sure no one was looking and then waved for us to follow him.  He motioned to us to go down into the area that was roped off and to go into the actual site to stand where Jesus stood… UMMM OKAY!!! He didn’t have to twist my arm!

When walking down the steps, the guide reminded us that this is exactly where Jesus walked down for His Baptism.  I remember feeling choked up and overwhelmed at just the thought.  The man told us to turn to our left..  toward Jerusalem and say a prayer.

The experience was so beautiful… seeing scripture come to life and become tangible for the first time was something that is hard to describe.

We caught up with the group and headed down to the Jordan River.  You’ll see a very very narrow river and people on the other side.  We were standing in Jordan, they were in Israel.  There were guards with very large guns on both sides.   I was still on cloud 9 from our experience of walking down into Jesus’ Baptism site so it didn’t bother me too much.  Seeing the church groups across the river, yet in another country was so neat.  some were being baptized, some were singing praise and worship songs, and one in particular was wearing a hot pink string bikini… something about that just didn’t feel quite right. is that even legal here?! LOL

Our tour guide still offering to take pictures of us… The water was SO COLD!

Audrey was a grump for a little while because she thought we were going to put her in the water.  She saw the other people in the water and all the talk about Jesus’ Baptism sparked a conversation with her on the topic… She was curious and surprised to find out that daddy and mama had both been baptized – mama twice (once as an infant, later as an adult).. and for some reason she thought we were going to make her get in the water.  We explained the best way we could to a 5 year old what we believe baptism means and that she will decide when she is ready for baptism…and it is not scary!! it is a good thing! Here is daddy trying to explain it to her.. Just the thought of a daddy explaining what baptism means to his baby girl at the Jordan River is pretty amazing in and of itself.  Here is Will.. oblivious. ha!

 

Can you spot the girl in the bikini..? behind the lady in purple.. she is bending over to dry her hair. so funny.

This church was just up the hill from the Jordan River.  It was a beautiful turquoise blue inside, very small, but gorgeous.

Once we left there we headed back on buses to meet Najib.  We asked him if he would take us to Mount Nebo.. and off we went!

On the way we saw Bedouin people.  These people live out in tents nomad style.  We saw them all over Jordan.. I cannot imagine living like that!

These two travelers had been up since 4:30 am and pooped out on the way..

When we got out, we randomly crossed paths with a turkey. ha!

click here to read about the biblical reference to this place:Deuteronomy 34:1-8

The view: Stunning!

Pope John Paul enjoying the view:

This little guy was trying to get some rest, so we made it quick

Back in the car we go.. and Najib suggests we see Madaba.. Ok. sure. but first, lets eat!

That is Najib in the background of the picture below, nice guy, but man he loved to smoke.. see the cigarette he’s lighting up right now?   Not sure how much second hand smoke we took in those few days.. Thankfully he didn’t smoke in the car with us.  He brought us to a local restaurant – the food was really good!! Arabic home-cooking. Delish.

Since Najib wasn’t a Christian, he didn’t really know what to tell us about the places we were going. well, he might have known, but his english wasn’t stellar so maybe he just couldn’t communicate it to us.  I looked stuff up afterwards to connect the dots.. we visited this church called St. Georges Church.  I remember seeing a big map that was made of mosaic tile on the floor.. very, very old.  I later learned that this map was discovered in 1886 and it was a map of the Holy Land done in 542 AD.  This is sort of a present day treasure map for Christians since many historical biblical sites have been uncovered and located exactly where this map suggests they are.  Good thing I snapped a picture of it – at the time, it just seemed like an old mosaic.. as you can tell, they are everywhere in Jordan – but I didn’t understand it’s importance until we got back home.

Here are the remains of the map.. Can you believe that whoever built this church covered it up?!?!

The map also included the site of Jesus’ Baptism.. here’s another angle:

I lit a candle for our families during Christmas time.  I don’t exactly remember what the rule is on lighting candles.. is it for dead people? or for prayer? I just decided to say a prayer and light a candle because they were there and it felt fitting.

There was amazing artwork here – I was shocked at how out in the open it all was.. If this was in the USA it would be in a museum, behind thick glass, 10 feet away, roped off.

More mosaics and ancient art

This was a typical street in the city of Madaba.  Lined with vendors.

We were ready to head back to the hotel so we got in the car and went back to the Dead Sea…

Najib disguised a photo op for his smoke break.. also he stopped on the side of the road for Turkish coffee.  ha. I think we were a bit much for him.

 

These coffee shops were the roadside Jordanian Starbucks

We scored some wine from a shop while in the Mount Nebo area and brought it with us to dinner in the hotel. they didn’t seem to mind..really really good wine. too good. we each had a glass at dinner and then another on a walk around the hotel property.  We could see Jerusalem and Jericho’s city lights as we tried to keep the kids up.. but they crashed before 7 again. danggit!

Sorry if it is a bit blurry.. those night pictures are tricky..  AND I did have two glasses of wine..lightweight, I know.  Jerusalem was directly across the Dead Sea and Jericho was off to the right.

Good Night! Tomorrow I will try to post about Petra.. SO amazing!