Make it so Your Excellency

There are a couple of angles I could take with this particular country wrap-up. One is: Jordan – the only country we’ve visited to be ruled by a former guest star on Star Trek (It’s true – King Abdullah is a huge fan of Star Trek and worked his connection to get an appearance on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Which episode? I’m glad you asked: Episode 36 – “Investigations“.

A Second Angle: Jordan, the tiny country that keeps getting bigger! Jordan borders on some, well, let’s call them “tricky” parts of the world. It has Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Israel for neighbors. When bad things happen in those countries – have you read the news in the past 60 years? – people come to Jordan for refuge. As a result it’s actually a little tricky finding a Jordanian in Jordan. There’s a constant influx of refugees so it’s sometimes easier to find an Iraqi, or Palestinian than a real Red, Green and Black Jordanian. Interesting Factoid – in 1947 Amman, the capitol, had a population of 35,000 people, today it’s 3 million – The Middle Easts pain is Jordan’s gain.

A Third Angle – Jordan, It’s Holy in three religions! It’s in the Torah, the Bible and the Koran. It’s geographically small, but full of places referenced in the Good Books of three major religions. Give yourself a week in Jordan and you’ll give yourself a refresher course in just about everything you need to know about Allah, Yahweh and JC.

Lee Anne & The Asads

There is no denying it. The best way to explore a city is with a local. Not only do you get the insider’s persepctive, but you get to see things that you may not seek out on your own. Lucky for us parents of my college friend Faris live in Amman and offered to take us out and about for a day. As it turns out, Laila Asad is quite the accomplished tour guide. She’ll try talk your way into the closed Royal Automobile Museum, convince the security guard that tells you not to take a picture of King Hussein’s mosque that he’s wrong and encourage you to take it anyway, and negotiate your way out of a sticky situation with the British Embassy after you’ve snapped a few scenic shots out front of their fortress on September 11th. Oops!

But seriously, a day out with the Asads is not to be missed. After a divine lunch of vegetarian mezze at a local restaurant, we saw and learned quite a bit about Amman. You see, Amman used to be a relatively small town, but over the last 50 years it’s absorbed huge numbers of immigrants and refugees from it’s neighboring countries – particularly during times of conflict – like say, now. And it’s not poor refugees. The Kuwaitis and Iraqis who’ve made their way to Amman our fueling major economic growth and development in West Amman.

New Amman is full of massive newly built villas, fancy shopping malls and possibly the largest Starbucks in the world. The contrast between the old downtown area and newer areas like Abdoun in West Amman are drastic. Dowtown women, at a minimum, wear a hejab that covers their head, markets bustle with people buying fresh produce and little eateries serve up amazing, cheap hummus and falafel. In Abdoun, you can drink a pricey capuccino, eat any kind of food and watch young couples, who could very well be from the US, flirt and socialize with one another.

Indeed the only thing that reminds you you’re not in the west while touring West Amman is the security you pass through to walk into a restaurant or mall. Don’t forget to pop that trunk before you park your car in the garage!

Life is a Kings Highway

The Kings Highway is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Numbers chapter 20 verses 17-21:

17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.’”

18 Then Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.”
19 So the children of Israel said to him, “We will go by the Highway, and if I or my livestock drink any of your water, then I will pay for it; let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.”
20 Then he said,”You shall not pass through.” So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.

Originally, we were simply going to take the six dollar two hour bus straight to Amman, but we were charmed into taking the Kings Highway route by our driver in Petra. While Jordan is not a big country it is seriously packed with sites of historical significance, and most of those are on or near the Kings Highway. Our Driver offered to take us on a one day whirlwind tour of the Highway, and through a combination of fatigue, vague interest and a sudden aversion to public transportation – we agreed.

The first stop was an old Crusader castle – Shobak Castle – in addition to reclaiming Holy sites for Christendom it seems the Crusaders were also interested in controlling this barren hilltop for …well for money. It’s situated at a strategically important site on the Highway. It’s also located near what is thought to be the site of the biblical Las Vegas – Sodom, of Sodom and Gomorrah fame.

Our next destination was the Dana Village, a village on the edge of the Wadi Dana Reserve, one of Jordans largest protected natural areas. Um, okay – I didn’t hate it.

Next stop – Karak Castle – Karak is kind of the capitol of Southern Jordan. Also a big stop over for Crusaders and pretty much every conquering army over the last few thousand years. The Castle itself is remarkably well preserved and offers impressive views of the Dead Sea. There is also a sizable Christian community still in town.

Next – The Dead Sea. The lowest point on the planet, hot, humid and …hot. Our driver talked us into taking a dip in that nasty water. Normal sea water is 3 to 4 percent salt. The Dead Sea is 30 percent salt. The only thing that lives in it are two types of bacteria – let’s get in it! There are a number of extremely high end resorts on this nasty collection of H2O, I have no idea why.

The Dead Sea was quickly followed by – Hammamat Ma’in (Hot Springs). Basically a tea stop for our driver, no comment.

The last two stops in our quickly tour was arguably the most important in Jordan – Mount Nebo. This is the site where it is believed that Moses saw the Promised Land of Israel and died. It’s been a pilgrimage site for Jews, Christians and Muslims for oh, a few thousand years. Talk about beating a well worn path!

On to Madaba – the home of the ancient tradition of mosaic craftsmanship in Jordan. Also a stopover for Medieval Pilgrims on their way to Mt. Nebo the highlight of this village is an 900 year old map of the Holy Land and Near East. It was recently rediscovered in the floor of a Church during renovations. It was literally hidden right under the feet of worshippers for the last several hundred years.

And so eight hours later we arrive in Amman. It was a bit of a breakneck pace, but considering our limited time in Jordan, it was probably worth it.

The Treasury

In its hey day thousands of years ago, Petra was described as a cosmopolitan city full of beautiful buildings, gardens and villas. The Nabateans had moved from their nomadic cave dwelling culture to a wealthy and powerful kingdom popular on the early trade routes. But nothing last forever, and Petra eventually fell into disrepair only to be rediscovered by a Swiss explorer in the early 19th century.

Now Petra is a World Heritage site and most recently has been named by popular vote to the New Seven Wonders of the World. It has earned the titles. We spent two days exploring the city. Our legs were exhausted and our shoes full of sand, but the trip there merits long days of walking. The initial walk down the Siq – a naturally formed gorge – is stunning. All the time you are anticipating your first sighting of the Treasury. It doesn’t disappoint. The camels, though touristy, do add ambience. And an odd smell. Provided you are in half decent shape, you’d be a fool to not hike up to the High Place of Sacrifice to take in the views over the whole area. We opted to take an alternate route down the back side of the jebel (mountain) and were rewarded with sites that few tourists venture to see.

On our second day we thought we’d change it up a bit and took the “path less travelled” into the city. That’s an understatement. When your guidebook says it’s too dangerous to follow a path during the rainy season, I guess that should be an indication that it might get a little hairy. Especially when it’s a narrow gorge prone to flash flooding and everything that rushing water leaves behind during the dry season. Lucky for us, there wasn’t a threat of rain in the sky. The hike turned out to be a fun adventure of scrambling over boulders and through narrow canyon passages. When we popped out the other side, we came across an excited German tourist who commented that this was better than any of the canyons he’d explored in Utah. Not sure about that, but it was pretty cool.

For me, the Monastery was a clear favorite. Perched on top of a mountain with a door the size of a house, it’s an awe inspiring sight. Especially after you’ve made the sweaty hike up to it. Though it’s not as ornate as the Treasury, it’s scale and location make it a highlight of Petra.

So if Petra is one of those places that you’ve always wanted to visit, then go! Come on. Even Delroy Lindo is doing it!

Let Their Be Water!

7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
Numbers 20:11

If you’re a biblical site junkie, you should think about a visit to Jordan. Once you’re Petra-d out, you can take in a few local biblically referenced sights compliments of Moses trek through the area with the Israelites en route to the Promised Land. Though not universally accepted as the true site, you can see the rock that Moses struck and the accompanying spring. I bet that water was looking pretty good after 40 years in the desert! Don’t get too excited though. Today the spring appears to be a popular source of water for car washing.

And from atop one of the many mountains in Petra you can see Jebel Haroun, Aaron’s mountain, where a white shrine marks the alleged location of his burial – a popular pilgrimage site for Christians, Jews and Muslims.