* Pictures noted are bottom to top - We left the YMCA early in the morning in the pre-arranged taxi that was waiting to take us to the Allensby Bridge for the cross over from Israel to Jordan. We once again paid for VIP service and within 30 minutes were in Jordan happy to see our driver, Ashrif.
The first stop on our way to the Dead Sea was the Baptism site on the Jordan River where John the Baptist lived when he baptized Jesus (picture 1). Then we had an amazing drive all the way up to Mount Nebo where it is believed Moses was buried. At the top of this incredible mountain we could see, as Moses did, this vast panorama encompassing the Jordan River Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and Jerusalem (picture 2). Just breathtaking.
Next stop was Madaba, 'the City of Mosaics'. Chief attraction was the Greek Orthodox Church of St George, home to the 6th century, Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites (more than 2 million pieces of colored stone; original size was 25x5 meters) (picture 3).
After a great day we finally arrived to our hotel on the Dead Sea (picture 4). Our hotel room was large, very comfortable, and included a lovely terrace with a view of the sea (picture 5). We enjoyed a quiet evening and a wonderful night's sleep.
Next day was sunny, but so hazy we couldn't see across to the other side of the sea. We decided to 'take a day off' and go to the beach for a 'float'. Since this was a private beach and the one we experienced on the Israeli side was public the differences were significant. Here at the hotel in Jordan there was a real beach (sand placed over the salt deposits) making walking near or in the water much easier on the feet, the swim area was deeper and the mud was cleaner.
Once in the water we felt very bouyant, like we were on a big exercise ball which made 'swimming' just about impossible since we were bobbing around so much. What fun. After we did a double float on our backs for a while, we took handfuls of soft mud and smeared it on our face and body. When we got to shore there was a man with a tub of high quality black mud (no smell) who put some over the other mud and instructed us to wait for it to dry then wash it off at the showers.
At the same time we got a wonderful surprise visit from our two drivers/friends, Ashrif and Waheed, who were both 'off duty' but stopped to say hello (picture 6)and for Ashrif to give Susan a very special present - a beautiful Jordanian dress to remember our time here.
After fun at the beach we ate a light lunch, returned to our room to relax. By early evening we were happy to see our friend Eyad again, who drove up from Amman to meet us for a wonderful dinner at an incredible Panoramic Restaurant (organic and eco-friendly) about 30 minutes up the coastal road from our hotel (picture 7). With the stars twinkling and the gentle breezes off the sea caressing our skin we were graciously welcomed and given a tour of this beautiful facility by the general manager. We were seated at the cliff's edge and with Eyad's guidence we were given an incredible Jordanian feast fit for royalty including (for us since Eyad didn't drink) a lovely bottle of St George Cab-Pinot Noir wine from Madaba. The evening with our wonderful friend was fun, delicious, and perfectly magical. After closing the restaurant we returned to our hotel for the night.
Next morning Ashrif was waiting to take us to our next stop, the Wabi Dana Natural Wildlife Reserve.
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