March 12, 2013 Tue Day 7

We were all awakened by "Call to Prayer"  The Monks pray very, very loud, making sure everyone is awake.  They succeeded.
Our first full day in Jordan.  We were cautioned many
times not to drink the water in Jordan.

The Dead Sea Spa Hotel in Amman, Jordan.
The following pictures are all ruins made into hotel rooms.

A huge maze.  We were escorted to our room last night.

Hotel entrance
Beit Zaman is a carefully restored 19th century village.  The very nature of the hotel's history means that it abounds with character, and each of the 129 rooms and suites possess much of the original stonework, while modern touches give the rooms a comfortable finish. 

Marcel & his buddy Stan

Our very own courtyard. 
Like living in a little old village. Loved it. 

Petra, meaning 'stone',  is a historical and archaeological city
that is famous for its rock-cut-architecture and water conduit system.

Sandstone mountains, surrounded by limestone, makes for a gorgeous walk.
Petra is a 4 hour outing, all walking, but well worth it.  

Not everyone walked.  Stan & Linda wanted to ride, just for the experience. "Faster please".

Walter & Barbara

Maryann & Gretchen

Sachi & Ruth thoroughly enjoying the ride.  Their driver thought he was in a race.

A very long walk in the heat.  All downhill going into Petra.  

Petra-The Nabateans are mentioned quite a few times in the Bible.
Nabatean history goes back thousands of years, but since it is so illusive, most historians start in 586 BC, when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar's leadership captured Jerusalem.

The Magi may have been Nabatean.

2 Corinthians 11:32-33  ³² In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. ³³ But I (Paul) was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

I'm sitting in the distance to show the massiveness of these rocks. 

Holy spot for ceremonies. Obelisk Tomb and the Triclinium This Petra tomb was built by the Nabateans in the 1st century BC. The most intriguing part of this structure is the interesting mixture of Egyptian, Greek, and Nabatean-styled architecture. The Obelisk Tomb (top monument in all the photos) was clearly built under an Egyptian influence. An inscription near the tomb writes that the tomb belongs to Abdmank and his children. The Bab As-Siq Triclinium (bottom monument on  the photo) is a chamber with three benches
and served as a location for sacred feasts honoring the dead.

We did not go through this tunnel. 

 The water supply and distribution system

The main entrance to Petra is called Siq, with sides as high as 200m.  This gorge and the temple at the end of it (the Kazneh) were popularized in American culture in the movie, Indiana Jones and the last crusade.

This picture was taken by a young lady we met from Holland with the name of Petra.

Petra and Alida 

First glance of "The Treasury" between the rocks. 

 The end of the Siq, with its dramatic view of Al Khazneh – The Treasury.

The KAZNEH   

The giant urn carved above the entrance to the Treasury bears the marks of hundreds of gunshots. Bedouin tribesmen living in and among the ancient ruins say the damage was caused when local men would open fire with rifles, seeking the loot thought to be inside the urn (actually made of solid stone). The purpose of the Treasury remains something of a mystery. One thing that is fairly certain, however, is that it was not a treasury. In reality, the Treasury is generally believed to be a temple or a royal tomb, but neither conclusion is certain.

Not easy to get some alone time.  You gotta grab it when you can. 

Can't remember what this is.  But Mohammad, our guide is telling us all about it.  Anyone know?

The rock formations and colors are stunning with the blue sky

Petra Amphitheater – in ancient times, this theater could hold more than 8,000 spectators. 

The whole area is covered with hand-carved tombs. 

I invited Linda in for a cup of tea.
Great spot to visit with a friend.

We just buried the dishes.  Someone will dig them up and put them in a museum. 

Gorgeous, gorgeous.

Temple ruins in Petra.  Marcel took the next 2 pictures. 
A large number, including Marcel, continued their walk.  Some of us stayed behind and had lunch, then started walking back.  I paid for Marcel's lunch which he did not know.  He walked all the way back with an empty tummy.  

 The canyon is full of large tombs for the rich, and small tombs where the poor were buried.

This restaurant is where we bought and ate our boxed lunches.
There were donkey rides and camel rides available galore, and
many, many people selling jewelry.   I bought a necklace for $5.  The young man was asking $30.  
  I kept saying 5 dollars, and in the end I won.  Thanks Doron, you taught us well. 

Wendy

Sue & Wendy

Jon and I walked back together all the way up.  And I mean "up".

Phyllis

Stan & Linda Locke

Sunlight hitting the rocks.  

Definitely enjoying the wild bumpy ride.

Sachi & Ruth

Not bothered by the speed.

Muslims bowing to the East to Mecca.
They're worshiping one specific object in the city - Allah's sacred meteorite.

Walter & Barbara

Gretchen & Maryann returning.

Peter enjoying a horse ride up the hill.  The ride cost him $5 Canadian.   

Scenery on our way to the "Dead Sea Spa Hotel".  Second hotel in Jordan. Our bags and us got scanned going into the hotel.  

Dead Sea from our hotel room. 
 The Dead Sea surface and shores are 423 meters (1,388 ft) below sea level,  Earth's lowest elevation on land. The Dead Sea is 377 m (1,237 ft) deep, the deepest hyper-saline lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity, it is also one of the world's saltiest bodies of water.  It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish, hence its name. The Dead Sea is 55 kilometers (34 mi) long and 18 kilometers (11 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The back of the hotel facing The Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea shrinks one meter each year, and is 57 km in circumference.

Floating in the Dead (very salty) Sea. 
You can lay on the surface of the water without even trying to float. 
The high salt content makes you buoyant.

The mud is silky smooth.  Feels wonderful.

This picture could possibly make it on the front page of the blog book!

Janice and Sandra

Our adorable Jon.

Don, Gretchen and Sue

An absolutely wonderful day.

Love to you all.
Alida & Marcel/Mom & Dad/Grandma & Grandpa
Wish you were all here to experience this trip with us.