Stepping out of the Groove: Madaba and the Dead Sea

We arrived in Jordan on March 28. The immigration logistics were a snap. We never even had to complete a form. There is more paperwork when you land in Hawai'i. We had a rental car reserved and were back to driving on the USA side of the road. Frankly, it took a little getting used to after 7 weeks on the British side.

The road signs being in Arabic proved a bit challenging. Most of the key signs have English as well, but not all. Eventually, we found Madaba and sorted out a hotel with availability. Because we are not in the height of the high tourist season we elected to go without advanced hotel resy's just to maintain spontaneity and flexibility. That type of uncertainty appeals to some and not to others. We like to keep it loose if the area allows for that approach. However, when we are in Paris in June we have an apartment pre-booked and it was fully paid for back in May, 2012. A mix of both travel styles is good.

I digress...

Madaba is a more manageable city size than the capital of Amman and it is central to some excellent sites. Our first stop was at a newly built historical museum depicting various parts of Jordanian culture including village life, bedouin nomads, religious events in history, and the like. I particularly liked the homage paid to Ouray Glassworks East and the Middle Eastern version of a Promise Breakers meeting - see images below.

Next we stopped at Mt Nebo where Moses supposedly first viewed the Promised Land. Nice views of the Dead Sea and Israel. On a clear day you can see Jericho and Jerusalem. Down in the Jordan River Valley we swung by the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. After having paid 1 Dinar (about $1.50 US) for a couple of different sites we were appalled to see the price point at the entrance of 12 Dinar or $18 per person with no discount for children. We were not going to blow $90 to read plaques about the event. It felt like a skewer job, so we passed.

The Dead Sea was our next stop. Floating in the Dead Sea is a pretty cool experience. You are truly unsinkable. You cannot even get your shoulders to go under. One trick we were doing was to orient ourselves vertically in the water (as if we were standing); you can position yourself like that and hold out your hands in the air and still not need to kick to stay afloat. Remarkable.

I am writing from a beachside hotel pool deck in Aqaba looking out over the Red Sea. You can see Egypt and Israel both and Suadi Arabia is 5km to our south. We plan to do some scuba and snorkeling today. It is reputed to be outstanding.