jarash

I woke up early our first day in Jordan. I left one of my cameras in the airplane and had to go back to the airport to claim it. I grabbed the hotel shuttle and located the baggage office where they wrote a form up in Arabic for me to have signed by another office halfway to the next terminal. Then I had to return to arrivals and go through security backwards to continue identifying myself, sign my name and get my camera back (which clearly had my name etched in the bottom). That teaches me to leave anything on an aircraft!

Since the hotel shuttle did not return very timely and then I watched it drive past me, I looked into renting a car and actually ended up getting what I like to think of as 'the raisin.' It was a little black Peugot missing a wheel covering; classy! I went back to the hotel, snarfed some breakfast and found Kelsey.

A car really set us free in the country. That way we did not have to rely on buses and taxis and could plan our own stops.

Part one of our journey included seeing Jarash and finding a place to stay at the Dead Sea.

We had a difficult time finding Jarash. Let me restate that: We found the city of Jarash and saw the ancient gates and pillars, but coul dnot find a way in. Finally, a nice man flagged us down in our car and even though he did not speak a lick of English, he prompted us to follow the road for two kilometres more and then park. It worked. We parked. We purchased tickets and entered Jarash.

The city was well-labeled (on a map) and described the laces of interest; temples, housing, roads, churches, the market, fountains, and ampitheatres. I have never vistied a place of historical or archaelogical significance like this, so bobbing around the hills and valleys beneath Corinthian columns was a bit of a treat. The day was warm, but bwe managed to see quite a lot of the ancient city in 2.5 hours. And, we took some fancy photos of columns, too. We were both impressed by how expansive this city was and how the old city blends in with the modern town.

Another thing we were surprised at was the music we found on stage at one of the ampitheaters. I do not think anyone would expect to see two Arab men playing Amazing Grace on bagpipes and a drum in a unearthed Jordanian city of antiquity. But, apparently, that is how they earn a bit of extra cash at Jarash.

We had places to go, though, so we did not dawdle too much at Jarash. We hit the road going south. I had to stop on the highway to pick up some pomegranites. They were fairly reasonably priced and you cannot find pomegranite salesmen on the highway in North America, so I found the stop quite amusing.

We drove for awhile and cut out to the Dead Sea to the West and saw a number of Beduin tents along the way. The Dead Sea came into view at dusk and watched the altitude drop far below sea level. The only accommodations available in the area are 4-5 star resorts, so we were forced to stay at the Marriott Resort.

The hotel was perfect after the previous night when airplanes were taking off outside our window and the toilet ran all night long. We each had big fluffy white beds, a room that opened onto our own porch, and a view of the swimming pool. We had five restaurants to choose from and access to the Dead Sea. We chose Italian for dinner and looked over the dark sea to Israel on the opposite shore. With a glass of wine in one hand, we endjoyed the lovely night and reflected on our day. Before crashing for the night, we spent some time in the jacuzzi at the spa. Ahh.