Madaba, Mt. Nebo and Wadi Mujib

Today we left Amman and arrived in Petra. Along the way, we stopped at Madaba, an old church (now Greek Orthodox) where there is a mozaic map on the floor of the church of the entire Holy Land created during the 6th Century A.D. Very accurate and including some notable spots for the time. Many biblical refrences.



After Madaba, we went to Mount Nebo. This is the last spot where Moses came (he never actually reached the holy land) to stand on the mountain and see the Holy Land stretching out before him. You can see Jerusalem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, the entire Dead Sea valley from this mountain top. Moses died here, but it is not known where he was buried. The view was incredible. The desert landscape and the mountains and the Dead Sea just make for an unmatched panorama anywhere in the world.



After Mount Nebo, we drove for about 3 hours to arrive in Petra, where I am writing from now. Along the way we stopped at Wadi Mujib which is a mountain top with again, incredible views of the desert stretching out in every direction. And the roads snaking and winding through the distance in every direction. Its so vast and desolate. I can't imagine how the current Bedouins and biblical people survived here. There is nothing.



This hotel (The HOtel Amara) is pretty seedy. The whole town of Petra seems pretty seedy, but we are all excited to see the site tomorrow. Its the first time for many of us, so we all voted to leave the hotel at 7:15am to get in some extra time there. I can see the rocks and cliffs of Petra from the balcony of my hotel. We watched the sun set over it this evening.



One of the things I most enjoy when I'm traveling is the common place things in foreign countries that are so foreign to us. For example, the call to prayer for the Muslims in the evening and in the morning feels otherworldly. Its so beautiful and enchanting, you can't help but feel like you are in a movie or some adventure novel. And the driving. There are great paved roads onthe highways, but for the most part, there are no lanes marked and everyone just bobs and weaves along the roads, including in the city, to get where they are going without breaking. The road may have space for two lanes, but the cars and trucks make three lanes, but they are not orderly and defined, they just present themself as needed.