Thursday, September 24, 2009

Random sights around Jordan

Donkeys were everywhere, and we couldn't resist the sight of great camel faces! The sand, layered rocks, sea views.....all pretty fantastic. Can't wait to go back and explore some more!



The Wadi Rum

The Wadi Rum is in the south, near Aqaba. We went diving in the morning and then desert exploring in the afternoon (not a bad day!!) Here's Bruce on camel ride to the old Nabatean temple. Again, everywhere you look - huge rocky mountains, red sand and great views!



Petra

We spent two days walking around Petra, and could easily have spent another. There was always so much to see and new views every where you turned. You can see the carved out camels in the canyon where Bruce is standing (this was a caravan route). The colours were amazing, and constantly changing as the sunlight changed.



and more of Petra...

I had to make two postings of Petra because one just wasn't enough! The red sand, and amazing carved out rock-mountain sides were incredible. There are several hikes up for views overlooking the Petra "city", and the walk in through the canyon (siq) is really a sight. You can see a glimpse of the treasury where Bruce is standing (now we need to rent "The Last Crusade" again...) Also, a pretty unique little lizard that sat just still enough for a few clicks of the camera!



The Dead Sea and the view from Mount Nebo

There's nothing quite like the Dead Sea, although after 15 - 20 minutes, the salt begins to give you that slightly "burning" feeling! It's so dense that it's even hard to swim!

The view from Mount Nebo - the map shows the general directions and distances. The view was not so clear the day we were there, but it does offer sights beyond the Dead sea, and into the Jordan Valley. This is where Moses stood and viewed the Promised Land.

We had a great time swimming at the pools and looking out over the sea. The hills across the Dead Sea are in Israel.




Jerash and the Jordan River

The ancient city of Jerash is located north of Amman. It is considered to be one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world.

At the Jordan river we saw the location where Jesus was believed to have been baptized (the part that looks like the dry river bed), and the current location of the river now (slightly to the west). Across the river you can see the West Bank region of Israel (in front of where Bruce is standing).