The Jordan River is Neither Deep Nor Wide

It wasn't originally part of our itinerary to go to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan but when we realized how close we are we asked that a visit be added into our day. We were in the car with Wafa and Khaled by 10 a.m. It was already hot as hell. Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan is the site many people believe is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Pilgrims have been coming here for years. It was oppressively hot but thank God they went to the trouble to put up a shaded cover. Our first stop was a view of the Jordan River. It appeared to be a muddy trickle.

The next stop is the area where pilgrims believed that John would have baptized Jesus. It is a deep pool that fills with water when the Jordan River overflows. What we saw was a dry hole. There are the ruins of three churches at the site. Twice a church was flooded out and moved to higher ground. We looked at the floor Mosaic still visible from the ruins of the last church built.

Next we walked down to the Jordan River. There was a soldier from the Jordanian army in full combat fatigues holding a semi automatic because directly across from us, just a stone's throw away, was the Israeli side of the Jordan River. We all took our shoes off and got in the water. I only got my toes wet because the steps we so slippery. On the Jordan side it was peaceful and quiet. Dragonflies and butterflies fluttered around us.

Across from us, on the Israeli side, people were singing hymns, collecting Jordan River water and being baptized in white robes. It couldn't have felt more different. We lingered to enjoy the moment.

Just up the bank from the river is a Russian Orthodox Church built in 2000. I looked around but the gold dome, the icons and Monk's skull seemed such an awkward contrast to my Brethren background and the quiet moment I had just had on the banks of the muddy Jordan.

We followed the covered walkway back to the car but the intense heat caused me to get overheated. I started to shiver while it was over 100 degrees outside. I was so relieved to get into an air conditioned car. We headed for  Petra. Our guide said that we would not be taking the King's Highway but a more scenic route. We drove south along the Dead Sea. We stopped once to see a panoramic view of the Dead Sea and the rock formation they call Lot's wife....and so our guide and driver could smoke.

When we turned to head East a herd of camels was near the road and so we pulled over for a photo op. All the adult camels' two front feet were bound to each other to keep them from running away.

The climb up to Petra was steep and windy. We stopped first to see Little Petra, a much scaled down version of Petra. The advantage is that there was no one else there. 

The disadvantage was that it was swarming in flies. Laurie got to experience what it is like to have one fly right up your nostril. Stopping at Little Petra mostly helped us understand how we should dress and prepare for Petra. 

We drove the last few miles into Wadi Musa (the town outside of Petra). We said good-bye to our driver Khaled and checked in to the Petra Moon Hotel, 100 yards from the gate into Petra. We had al little bit of time to rest before our dinner buffet. After dinner we went to the rooftop to see the view. It was windy and chilly so we went back to our rooms to add layers. Wafa was waiting for us outside at 8:20 so we could be at the gate to Petra at 8:30 for the night show at Petra. They host it only a couple nights a week in the summer. You walk through the 2 km siq at night lit only by luminaries. It is a gentle slope downward on uneven ground in the dark, which for my knee is a nightmare. Laurie had a flashlight and Stephanie kept her eye on me and helped me through the rough patches. We were amongst the last to arrive. Since I lost my cane with foldable seat I had practiced getting off the ground (with the help of my friends).  But we were ushered to bench seats. Hallelujah!

We were all seated in front of the treasury at Petra, of which you could only see a slight shadow. Hundreds of luminaries were on the ground between the people and the treasury. A man seated in the middle played a Bedouin pipe and then switched to a stringed instrument. We were brought a sweet warm tea. When the music stopped a man stepped into the middle. He welcomed us and told us to get out our cameras and we would all set off our flash at the same time, thus lighting up the treasury for our photos. We attempted it three times and it didn't work. 

Then he told a story about drinking Arabian coffee together as a way to take try to resolve differences.  At the end he invited us to close our eyes and make our deepest wish. When we opened our eyes the treasury was lit up with a spotlight that changed colors. It was glorious.

That was the end of the show. We sat for awhile enjoying the display of light and people watching. Then we headed back through the siq in the dark. It was uphill all the way back which is easier on my knee but we still had to stop along the way to let me rest. We were at the tail end of the tourists heading out. By the time we got back to our hotel it was 10:45.  My phone reported that I had walked 8 miles, the furthest I have gone in one day since I had surgery.