Day 12: September 8 - Extension Trip to Jordan
We got up at 4 AM so we could be picked up at 4:30 AM to get to the Cairo airport for our flight to Amman. There were 20 of us continuing on to Jordan. We thought our friends from California would be coming, but with the wheel chair I guess they ended up with another tour. It was sad to say goodbye and I thought of them the whole time we were in Jordan wondering where they were and how they were doing. This was a day where everything took forever. The airport part was long and tense on both ends.
Unfortunately my airplane window had lots of rain bowing, so I did not get very good pictures of what we passed over, but as always I found the different landscapes intriguing.
There was desert with roads and trails.
When we got close to the airport the land looked like this.
The Queen Alia airport was airier than the airport in Cairo with higher ceilings and open space. One of our bags got lost so we had to wait a while in the airport.
We met our new guide, Sufian, and got on the bus. He gave us gift bags with dates and also got our listening devices, so we could hear him when we went to visit the sights. We had a long ride ahead of us - some 4 hours, but at least we got to stop at various places.The first stop would be Madaba.
That is our guide dressed in red in the reflection of the bus.
We saw ranches and farms, like the sheep ranch above and the olive farm below.
We also saw Bedouin communities. Tents that would be moved periodically when the group decided it was time to find another location.
This was a particularly large settlement. Later we would see single family camp grounds as well.
We headed first to the town of Madaba so we could see the Mosaic map of the ancient world.
This was a wealthier area without the outdoor hawkers. Instead there were stones and mortar shops selling everything a tourist might want to purchase.
Here is what the map looks like. It is missing pieces, but is significant because it shows the layout of Jerusalem dating from the 6th century CE.
The mosaic floor is found in the Byzantine Church of St. George.
Some of the map was destroyed in the 8th Century when Madaba came under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. But the worst damage probably occurred as the result of an earthquake in 746.
In 1884 it was decided to build a new Church on the site of the old church and they rediscovered the mosaic floor.
Subsequent fires and moisture caused further damage, and the site wasn't restored until 1965 when the Volkswagen corporation donated the money to do so.
The little circle on the upper left is Jerusalem.
The interior of the church was fairly bare, but did have this place to make an offering.
Here is the exterior court yard.
It was strange not to see zillions of tourists everywhere and not to have aggressive buskers trying to sell us something for "just one dollah!"
One store had fashion dolls for children on sale.
We went to lunch at a local establishment called "The Food Basket."
The restaurant was started by the woman on the right and has been very successful. In the middle of the picture is our guide. The atmosphere was very pleasant and we were served typical Jordanian food.
One of the dishes is called Upside down chicken. They put the chicken in the bottom of a giant pot and cover it with rice and then when they serve it the whole thing gets turned upside down onto a platter.
The bathroom was edifying.
We had about a 4 hour drive to get to the Dead Sea, but we made several stops including Madaba, and the Dead Sea museum. Below is a gorgeous planting of lantana that matched the awnings in the background.
From the bus we got a lovely view of the Dead Sea in the distance.
This is very typical of the landscape of the area.
Jordan has different colors than Egypt. The sands are a bit lighter in color and there is a bit more vegetation.
The Dead Sea is shrinking because of evaporation and water use. One of our stops was a Dead Sea Museum and Panoramic Complex.
In the museum they had the change of the footprint of the sea marked on the floor. You can see how much it has shrunk so far and what they expect to happen in the coming years.
The grounds of the Museum were beautifully planted with Bougainvillea and other gorgeous flowers.
It was quite pleasant to get out of the bus and stroll around the grounds.
There was a restaurant too.
Of course the Dead Sea vista was the real attraction here.
The sea is a deep, gorgeous blue.
We wandered around a bit and explored the area.
Look at all the fruit on that palm tree!
This garden has two colors of bougainvillea.
This red-blossomed tree seems to be a locust of some kind.
Some of the vistas were simply stunning.
Bougainvilla setting off the view of the Dead Sea!
I'm not sure what the yellow flowers are.
Of course there was more ground to cover, so it was back into the bus and back through the desert.
Eventually we arrived at the Möwenpick Resort on the Dead Sea. We were welcomed by this interesting version of a giant pitcher. To pour the drinks, the server had to bow down.
Here our guide is treated to a nice refreshing drink.
I loved these lobsters that decorated the wall of the lobby hall.
The furniture was beautiful with inlaid mother-of-pearl.
The foyer of the main building was huge and open and we felt very comfortable immediately.
The chandeliers were gigantic metal work structures full of light bulbs.
In the lobby we were given keys and the room numbers for our bungalows which were out amid the gardens of the grounds. between the main building and the Dead Sea.
Tghere was an amazing store in the hotel too.
Downstairs from the lobby was the access to the grounds.
I love the lions near the fountain on the walk out ground floor.
The lay-out of this resort is very similar to Eyin Gedi the resort I stayed at in Israel (on the other side of the Dead Sea.) Here you can see the main building from one of the paths to the bungalows.
If you look at the Google Earth shot below, you can see the Main Building parallel with the crescent drive on the right side of the image. The bungalows where we stayed are on either side of the dark strip upper middle and the walk down to the Dead Sea progresses on to the left past tennis courts and swimming pools and the spa.
The gardens (the dark spot in the upper middle as well as plantings around the buildings) were full of palms and flowering trees and shrubs.
Here is the map of the grounds that we got as posted on a sign.
Our bungalow offered respite from the bright sun. It was cozy, with earthy colors, contemporary watercolor pictures and discreet oriental elements here and there.
The screen in the background below gave the room an Arabic flavor along with the dark wood of the furnishings.
We also had a wonderful patio. Unfortunately we did not have much time to use it, but it was a very pleasant space.
The buildings were set into the gardens and the central areas had bridges and fountains and carefully groomed landscaping.
It would have been lovely to spend 3 or 4 days here bathing, and just relaxing, but that was not to be on this trip.
Since we only had a day, we decided to head to the beach and do our float in the Dead Sea.
It is a pretty amazing experience to be that buoyant. The high salt content (about 31.5%) means that you have no choice but to float.
The minerals are supposed to be very healthy for the skin too. You can even add a mud bath that is supposed to be great for whatever ails you.
We wandered back to our room after our swim/float. This is the back entry to our room through the patio.
Best of all, the Möwenpick is famous for its 4:00 "Chocolate hour". Free chocolates for the hotel guests in the late afternoon! We timed things perfectly so that we could have chocolate after our swim.
We relaxed until dinner time and then headed up the hill to the main building. Someone else knew that it was dinner time!
This one is salads and pickles.
The screened room on the right had special cooks making falafel. Evidently the kitties got to share in the bounty, because they gathered outside waiting eagerly.
The offerings for dinner were abundant set out on these beautifully decorated food carts.
The dining room was big and had the same tall ceilings we saw in the foyer of the main building.
Meats and main courses were along the wall.
Desserts were along the far wall and breads in the middle of the room.
Here is a close up of part of the dessert table.
How can anyone choose just one?
The pink color of this pickle is amazing!
So this is what my dinner plate looked like after visiting all the carts:
And here is what I chose for dessert!
