March 11, 2013 Mon Day 6

MARHABA  (Arabic for hello)

After boarding the bus at 7:30 am, prayer and Scripture reading  about the Israelites crossing the Jordan 

Today we travel South through the Jordan Valley into Jordan by way of the Allenby Bridge.

Awesome scenery. 

At 8:30 we stopped, to deliver some of the coffee we had this morning.  (As Doron states)

Janice, Alida, Sandra and Linda.

Don and Kairy

Sheep and shepherd boys were seen all over the countryside.  The young boy is waving at us to come out of the bus.. a chance for him to make some money. 

Around 9:30 we arrived in Qumran National Park overlooking the Dead Sea.  It is where the Dead Sea Scrolls, among which are the oldest biblical books ever found, were discovered. The dining hall, ritual bath and other finds recall the essenes of the people, who sought purity in the desert.

A small model of the ancient village of Qumran..

Ritual baths found at all the ruins.

Pots, in which the scrolls were found. 

Table where the scrolls were written on.

  Dead sea in background.

Dead Sea Scrolls were found hidden in these caves (Today you can see them in the Israel Museum).

Crossing into Jordan went fairly smooth.  All our passport were taken by  Mohammad, our new guide.
While driving through the border, we saw armed military men everywhere, and a machine gun mounted on top of a jeep, pointed at the road.  This picture is taken in Jordan.   

First impression of Jordan:   Many, many Nomads (gypsies) living in the dessert.
Such a contrast between Galilee and the desert in Jordan.

A little difficult to see:
 People sitting selling vegetables beside the road. This was seen many times.

Nomads

We are now in a Middle East Arab Country.   Hmmm
Jeeps with machine guns were seen regularly.  An armed guard on our bus for protection, police, military men are a norm everywhere. 

Amazing drive to the top of Mt Nebo

Still going up

This is where Moses stood.  The top of Mt. Nebo.  It must have been a very emotional moment for Moses, looking out from the top of Mount Nebo and seeing the promised land, while knowing that he would never enter. After all of his exploits during the Exodus, and after struggling 40 years in the wilderness leading the constantly complaining and disobedient Israelites, he was being allowed to go this far and no farther. He had made a serious error in judgment regarding the Lord's miraculous power, in effect claiming supernatural ability to himself, and was then paying the price.  
  He died and was buried here. 

 Bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). ⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

View from top of  Mt Nebo

 Mohammed, our tour guide in Jordan.  

Road we took to get up this mountain.  Can't imagine Moses and the Israelites climbing this huge mountain...but then...they did have 40 yrs of walking experience. 

Roman pottery found. 

Original mosaic art work found.  From 530 AD

Last view of the valley before boarding the bus.

Lunch time  Now trying to adjust to Denars.  (Jordanian dollars)
We went from Canadian to American to Shekels to Denars.
We can be charged any amount for this meal, and we wouldn't know the difference. lol. 
Cost was 20 Denar!! 

Assa Mosa Restaurant

Quite the buffet they put out for us.  

Marcel coming out of the restaurant to enter the (RUM) bus.
 We changed buses, driver, and tour guides in Jordan.  

Picture taken from the bus while driving through a town.

Jordan is 52% Palestinians.  Plus a large population are refugees from Syria and Iran.

Arrived at our hotel Beit Zaman Hotel.  This picture was in our room. 

Jon & Wendy

                       The hotel complex was made from the ruins of the city. Just amazing.
Too dark to take pictures, so will have to wait till tomorrow morning before we continue our travels.

                                                       SALAM (peace) everyone.