It's not that I *couldn't* post this to the main site, it's just that I want to write to you guys, and that's not the same audience as what is going on there. Plus, I have been able to get a number of the other tour members to write blog entries, and it's become a pretty good community thing. It's still plenty of work for me to coordinate with everyone, get the pictures from Bennet (most are his, some are mine) and then integrate them into posts (probably about 90 minutes per day so far), but I am happy with the results, and I'm pretty sure we have more followers than I anticipated. (And who's going to read all this, except for my close knit of family and friends - and probably not all of you either!)
That said, I still want to share some things with you guys, so I'm glad I set up this alternate blog. Honestly, I don't think I'll be posting near as often because of the time demands on the other, but I will when I can. I'll also keep this one simple (no pictures or video).
So - Hi! I'm in Israel and Jordan! How cool is that??!!
I'll start with the unpleasant stuff. Delta really screwed us over by not flying into Amman and making us change flights into Tel Aviv. Not just the money (which they charged us despite it being their change - and we had a firm commitment). The worst was the travel impact it gave us in order to reach our first hotel in Petra. After landing and clearing customs (which was fairly easy coming in), we had to board a bus and travel to the border (1 hour extra), clear Israel exit control (very slow - 2 hours), clear Jordan customs (45 minutes), and then drive down to Petra (4 hours). Less than 8 hours, sure, but consider that was after an already grueling 26 hours to get from FPC to Tel Aviv (Delta's change also switched us from a direct flight to one with a 5+ hour layover in JFK). So tired when we arrived that most of us felt slightly ill and out of sorts.
And even though we started the next day earlier than I'd have liked, it was to get us out ahead of the heat and into Petra. Petra is beautiful, easily the geographic wonder of this entire region (and one of the 7 wonders, I believe). Sandstone (my fave) carved by a river to form a beautiful canyon. The hike in is pleasant - cool and shaded. The carvings by the native Bedouin people are interesting, but I'll be honest, I think the natural rock is better. As impressive as they are (particularly the Treasury seen in Indiana Jones 3), they only draw your eyes away from the natural beauty of the sandstone. The afternoon hike out is *hot*, 2 miles back up the steady incline of the river bed that carved the canyon. It's the place I most expected to be impressed by, and yes it was impressive, but I'll be honest again - it's not as good as what we have in the states. Once again it's been made clear that the US National Parks are the best natural wonders in the entire world (at least from the places I've been). There is an allure to foreign siteseeing, but I'm glad Mom and Pop gave us the local tour first. Petra also suffers from over-tourism. There are plenty of junk souvenir stalls all along the canyon, and you are literally besieged non-stop from peddlers (worst of all, many young children that have been taken out of school to earn money this way) trying to get you to part with a buck or two. Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad to have seen it, but if you've seen Arches, Bryce, and Antelope canyons, then you've seen better than Petra.
Today, (Thursday), we visited the first of the Holy sites. First was the River Jordan and the Baptism Site of Christ by John the Baptist. There is a controversy here, because Israel and Jordan both claim that 'their' side is the 'true' site of the Baptism. We visited the Jordan side, and I found our local guide to be very compelling in his evidence. He readily admits that no one knows for certain, and that the lay of the Jordan River is significantly different now, but from bible references and arhaelogical discoveries, it looks like what we saw today is the biblical scholars' best guess. I really liked this guide. Ed thought he gave too many arguments for Jordan's case, weakening his argument. But I found his candor (in uncertainty) refreshing, and the man was passionate and very sincere in his beliefs. He won me over and is officially my favorite Jordanian (so far).
Then to the Dead Sea for fun in the mineral-rich, over-salted waters at the lowest point (altitude-wise) on the planet. And lastly (save for a neat mosiac in a church in Madaba), the summit of Mt. Nebo, where Moses saw (but never entered) the promised land. The two Holy sites today really drove home the significance of this trip. Walking where Jesus walked, and Moses, and John the Baptist (or close enough anyway) humbles you and connects you with your faith - way more than just saying those things like we did anticipating the trip.
So far, no troubles at all politically, and everyone has been welcoming and friendly. I miss you all - unlike some trips, I feel like I'm a very long way from home (and obviously I am).
Love you, Luke.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
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