For the majority of my life Mount Nebo was a mini-mountain in Ohio where I once lived.
Once I became more familiar with religion I learned it is a place in Jordan where Moses is said to have a view of the promise land.
On top of the hill is an Olive Tree planted by John Paul II during his visit here as a symbol of peace.
serpentine cross sculpture
In addition to the views there are the remains of a 4th century church that contains an amazing work of mosaic that was able to survive the iconoclastic period during which all art such as this was destroyed.
After our visit to the church on Mount Nebo we stopped in a workshop to see how mosaics are made.
The whole process is fascinating and I would love to ship a table like below back home but it is quite out of my price range, especially for someone currently unemployed. Maybe one day if I have money flowing I’ll go back to Jordan and ship some beautiful mosaics home.
A visit to Jordan wouldn’t be complete without a chance to float in the dead sea.
During one of our long tour days we arrive at a beach club with pools, a concession, and access to the sea. We are given time to go down to mud up, float, and then to spend some relaxing time at the pools afterwards.
The Dead Sea is 400 meters below sea level and the UV rays don’t affect you as much. Which means no sunburning? The ozone layer is supposedly thicker here and so high that it actually filters out many of the sun’s harmful UV rays. It is not 100% safe but safer for exposure than most locations. Use your best judgement with sunscreen and don’t necessarily rely on your tour guide for advice.
To get the whole experience you pay to have access to the “healing” mud. You can cover your entire body with mud, let it dry, and then go out to the sea to wash it off.
Pro tip: No shaving before you visit. I rarely shave while I am traveling but for some reason I shaved right before my visit to the Dead Sea. Bad idea. Once in the sea I start stinging a little. I am also really freaked out about getting the water in my eyes because that is supposed to be painful as well.
Lathering up in our mud. Photo credit unknown.
We put our group stuff in a pile and go lather up and stand around to let our mud dry.
Waiting to dry. I blur the faces to protect the innocent. Photo credit Travel Companion
This isn’t actually a sea but a super-salty lake which cannot sustain life. The salt density of the water means you’ll go for a float; swimming is almost impossible.
We float around in fun shapes. Photo credit unknown
I didn’t float long since my face did burn a little bit, can’t tell if it is the salt or the sunscreen I had applied to my face. I exited the lake went up to rinse off and take a dip in the pools at the resort. At some point I realize I don’t have my sunglasses. I gave them to someone to hold for me while we applied mud and I could not find them in the pile of bags we had. Because it is the only pair I had for my travels (prescription) and because I am weary from all my travels, I have a mini-meltdown. I run up and down looking for them, accusing others of losing them. Eventually I found them underneath some of my travel companions things, right where they were supposed to be. This mini freak-out is a reminder to take it easy and not to sweat the small stuff – a skill that would be useful for the next few months of travel I have left.
I finally swim a bit in the pools but then it is time to get ready to leave. I enter into the ladies showers and changing room and the women working in the shower are very bossy and tell me where to walk and how to shower. The whole process is a little annoying especially because the shower was terrible. Oh well, it is all part of the experience.
Despite my little setbacks it was a great experience to do a float in the Dead Sea. If I had to do it over again I probably would have scheduled an overnight at the sea so it wouldn’t have been a rushed experience (In a group tour your time is limited). I’ve heard the Israel side is more lively; Israel is on my travel bucket list so maybe one day I will go back….
The morning started with a hike to the monastery. The morning hike had a good amount of shade and it was still cool enough in the morning so I didn’t overheat too much.
As a group we decided we were also going to see the High Place of Sacrifice, one of the highest points in Petra. I am hot and tired but I decide to do it anyway.
At the top of Jebel Madbah there is an altar with drains for the blood of sacrificial animals. Most people get there using the 45 minute trail from the theatre but we arrived through the back route seeing the Royal Tombs first. This trail is probably best done in the morning but we did it in the afternoon due to the Monastery hike in the morning.
We head first to the Petra temple and explore the area. Some of us desired a rest so we sit around a strange altar area for a while. Someone may have left their hard boiled egg from breakfast to the gods. It is during this time we start losing group members, they can’t find us and they travel ahead to the trail.
egg
Getting some rest. Photo credit unknown.wandering around the temple
From behind the temple we find the back trail to the High Place of Sacrifice. We start our ascent uphill and see lots of tombs along the way.
The steps up here were very steep. Not so bad going up but very difficult going down. You can see the group congregating at top and slowly going down.The view belowAlmost there. Lady at the top yelling at us to follow her for the way up. We end up scrambling up some rocks.Finally at the top.Altar is the upper leftTea shop at the topView of below
Once back down below we head back out toward the main entrance. I am beat and taking it very slow even though it is mostly downhill. I think I definitely got my fill of hiking for the day. Of course we stop for views of the Treasury one last time.
Due to our long day we did see quite a bit of Petra but there is still more to see. Two days gives you a good highlight but if you can spend more then do so. Petra is a good place to visit.
Today we wake up early for our Jeep ride to Ad Deir, or the Petra monastery. The monastery hike is actually the highlight of my Petra visit. The hike is along a scenic back trail with rock formations out in the distance. There are two main ways to get to the monastery: one is the most used route from the main Petra site and there is the one we took from the back roads.
Those of us who chose to do this hike are divided into two jeeps. We then start our ride to the back road of Petra.
Showing our passes before they take us to the trail start.Does this look like a smooth ride to you?Me starting my hike. Photo credit to one of my travel companions.Some of our lovely viewsThe route is not too challenging but there is a bit of up the stairs and some down the stairs along the way.Travel companion Phil having some panorama fun. Photo credit Phil.Not great trail for those with a fear of heights.Very cool stone patternsFinally we have arrived.
When we arrive at the monastery we are well rewarded. There are barely any visitors and the lighting is satisfactory for pictures. We explored and snapped some photos for a while. Soon we sat back and enjoyed some refreshments at the tea shop.
Once we made our way toward Petra proper after our monastery visit I knew we made the right choice; crowds start to thicken, souvenir stands appear and aggressive vendors are upon us. We fortunately missed all that on our journey there. Our journey consisted of a peaceful, quiet and impressive hike with a beautiful monastery at the end.
Route back to Petra
After our descent we decided to go do the hike to the high place of sacrifice which I reluctantly did. That was a journey of its own so more on that later.
Growing With Leala 