jordan

Madaba is about 40 km south of Amman. The town has a sizable Christian population. We were there through Christmas day. On Christmas eve a bunch of fellows dressed as Santa marched through the town playing songs on drums and bagpipes. I have seen everything!

Mt. Nebo is about 5 minutes drive from Madaba. It is supposed to be where Moses saw the promised land.

Past the Dead Sea to Karak, also a town with a sizable Christian population. It was snowing sideways there, so we didn't stay long.


This is the Movenpick, a nice hotel chain. Since the Amman hotel bombings on 9 November, people have sort of lost their minds, understandably. There are metal dectectors at all the nice hotels now. It's weird.


To Petra! It was much better this time than last. For one thing, it is not a million degrees, and for another the Bedouin there were not nearly as aggressive as they were in the summer. This time we went to the monastery. It's about a billion miles and something like 800 stairs, but worth the hike (all be it straight up). The view from there is cool too.

There is a little cafe at the monastery. You can get good tea for JD1 (yikes!).


Oh ya, went to Paris too for 4 days.
But Jordan was cooler.