Arrived in London...leaving for home today.

Jordan - Karak, Mt Nebo and Madaba

Yesterday we left our hotel near petra stopping to see the place where moses struck his staff down and a water spring begin to flow from the location. We couldn't drink the water though...it looked a bit diryt.

Next, we traveled to Karak, another crusader's castles. It was built by Chantilly who stole young muslims from traveling caravans and forced them to build the castle. When it was all done, he had no use for them. He put a wooden box over their head; so they wouldn't lose consciousness before they died and tossed them off the steep side of the castle. Salhadin, who eventually killed Chantilly, was very chivalrous. He came to storm the castle, but when he found out there was a wedding happening; he refused to attack the part of the castle where the event was occuring. The castle orginally was 6 stories high! Really amazing.

We drove up to Mt. Nebo where God told Moses to go to look onto Canaan (the promised land for the israelites). He died there, so we saw his tomb. The day was cloudy, so we didn't see much of 'the promised land.' but I did get a photo of the promised land map. Mom, you would have loved this day.

We stayed in Madaba overnight (which is very near the dead sea where we will be going today).

I've had some battery issues with my camera. My first pair of batteries died... The local batteries apparently don't work. I bought 2 packs before I figured this out and was able to find an American brand. Now the issue is just too many photos. I have a 16 pic limit today unless I can delete some previous pictures..very possible.

All of the cities here are built in very high locations for safety reason. They could see enemies coming and prepare or toss stones down on them from on top.

It's been great having a guide on the trip to fill us in on all of the stories behind the places we're seeing. I can't believe today is our last day!

Well, I need to go as breakfast is waiting! Lots o' Love!

Day in Petra

Had a long, full day in Petra today. We were out the door by 6:30 a.m. to see the ruins. The multi-colored rocks themselves could be considered a natural wonder. Petra was built by the nubeatains (sp)who originally came from Yeman in caravans. They were amazing engineers and business men. The city's very mountainous; so we spent a lot of time climbing up and down mountains. on one scenic overlook we could see Israel and the gaza strip...it was amazing! i could write a lot more on the stories around the city and what I saw today, but I'm going to keep it brief as it's getting late.

In the evening we went to a turkish bath where we were sauna'd, exfoliated, washed and massaged...it was awful!!! Later, we headed back to Petra for the light show where we walked through a candle-lit siq down to the treasury and listened to the bedouin play music and tell stories; it was a very different experience then seeing the city during the day - quiet, and serene.

In Petra, Jordan

I just checked into our hotel after a long day of travel from the Bedouin camp. We stopped at Shoback castle, built in the 11th century, and at little Petra. The trip was a bit uneventful except for some miscommunications that happened with our new guide fayz and some of the gap people... we worked it out though. We will get up early tomorrow to see the full petra. The mountain rocks here are phenominal! They are contorted with artistic holes, knots and shapes.

In Jordan

The trip from the Nuweiba port to Aqaba, Jordan was a little scarey. At the port there was a male-female ratio of about 30 men to every woman. Men stared at us and clicked as I made my way to the boat. When I was boarding, the passport man said something like, "anti-american" which freaked me out a bit. On the boat, however, everyone was very friendly. I was falling asleep because I hadn't had much sleep the night before and the Jordanian guys behind me went and got me a coffee - it was really sweet. Everyone here has really been kind, friendly and has made me feel very comfortable.

We spent Monday afternoon in the desert traveling in open-air trucks. It really is like riding in a boat. We climbed up the moving sand and a number of the oddly shaped rock formations. In the evening, we camped in camel-haired tents at the Boudouin campsite. The Boudouin are poor, happy, nomads that live in the desert. They are known for their honesty and their goodness. At night we all sat in a large tent smoking hooki sheesha and drinking turkish coffee. We boudouin danced, sang and played drums. I got up to dance several times as well as Aaron, a guy on my tour. Aaron was braver then I though, because the men are much more intimate...touch and kiss each other much more here then in the states. It's actually really refreshing that they can be affectionate with each other, but maybe a little scarey for an American male.

Last day in Luxor

I have about 4 minutes to summarize today, so here goes: Rode a felucca to the West side of the Nile in Luxor,raced a donkey named Casablanca while screeming, "hop,hop ya Law! Habibi," - Hurry up, let's go, love(platonic)- visted the Valley of the kings where we toured 3 of the 12 open tombs (the place has 67 total). Took the donkeys to the alabaster museum where I lingered a little too long and Khaled and the donkey master had to come back for me. Saw Hep...???'s tmb (Sorry, I'll have to look up the name of the female pharoah later), Hung off the back of a jail truck back to the Nile, took a felucca back to the east side, ate delicious Kosher, took a horse carriage ride to Karnac (more ruins), took a horse carriage home. Practice my haggling skills on the drive..I still need a little work.

Fast and furious blog here as I'm off to catch the night train to Cairo. Having an incredible time!! Should have more time to respond to email tomorrow. Lots of Love, Habibi!

In Luxor writing about trip to Luxor

We arrived in Luxor today after traveling the day on the Nile in a felucca(sailboat). The boat was so amazing. It was basically a huge cusion with lounging pillows around the edge of it. It never rains in Aswan, so we had another beautiful day to float and lounge down the river. We stopped for lunch by the edge of the river where I had a chance to go swimming. The water was a bit nippy, but it felt really wonderful...it's been a long time since I've swam outside of a pool. In the evening we parked on an island...it was so beautiful with rolling farm land. I hike to the other side of the island where hundreds of egrets were nesting in the long grasses. It was so peaceful and amazing to listen to the birds while the sun set. The moon was full last night and much of the group, including myself chose to sleep on top of the river pontoon. We told ghost stories and Jim, who seems to be king at bringing up interesting conversation topics, kept us going most the night. At about midnight the wind picked up significantly and I was freezing. I ended up finishing the night off in the felucca which was much warmer.

The people on this tour are really interesting. All of them have traveled extensively and have fascinating stories to tell. Ages range from 25 to 78. 12 people are on the trip (3 women and 9 men) from Canada, the U.S, and Australia. Khaled, our Egyptian guide, is amazing. He's so detailed and descriptive and seems to have good answers to anything we throw at him. He's also incredibly attuned to everyone on the group; we are very well taken care of.

We hear the call to prayer(Selections of the Quran broadcasted)every morning (starts at 5:15am)and throughout the day. I love it! It's really beautiful and calming.

Having a great time! More later. LoL :)