Holy Land Pilgrimage

  DAY 13

It’s a beautiful day in Tel Aviv. We have just been to the market and what a wonderful experience.  One of the great takeaways from our trip is the realization of how much we love the Israeli people. They have been wonderful to us this whole trip. From friends of friends to total strangers to Israeli soldiers and police. Everyone says “thank you for coming”; wants to engage you in conversation and seems really interested in our story and where we’re from. Today we met an artist, (named Naama Yarmuch, and actually we met her husband Lipa) and bought a piece of her art. We hit it off and had a conversation about many things. As we talked, he insisted that Susan call his wife and tell her what she said about the art. Twenty minutes later we left his table. It’s been that way throughout. We really love it here.

  Caleb and Joshua in Hebrew                 Olive Pizza- Yum      Guy on stilts selling Pizza 

Today we discovered that Israel sends a half a Billion barrels of water to Jordan each year. They do it to be good neighbors and in hopes of continuing the peace they have enjoyed with the Kingdom for many years. They also do it because Israel is one of the most creative and industrious societies in the world. (have developed a de-salinization method to convert water from the Red Sea into usable water) And don’t forget, Israel uses 95% of its water every year. It is not in abundance. Right now they are way short of rainfall and are praying for rain. Somehow, I know it will come. G-d loves His people and this land. (When you see what the Israelis have done with this land, you can certainly see its potential for being the land of milk and honey) One day He will return and all Israel will proclaim “Baruch Haba BaShem Adonai.”

Susan is just going to have to cut back on scrapbooking (yeah, that will happen)because we are coming back, and using scrapbooking money to fund it. (Ade! Help!!!)

Shalom

Pray for the peace for Jerusalem

 DAY 12

Well today was another great day, but a bit bitter sweet as well, since we had to say goodbye to our new friends. The day started in Eilat with a nice cool morning. We started a long drive back to Tel Aviv and the departure of everyone in the group except Susan and I. We are leaving tomorrow evening about 11:20pm. We got the dates messed up since we made our own flight reservations to arrange to use points for an upgrade. So tomorrow will be a day to sleep in (we need it) and take it easy.

As we left beautiful Eilat, our first stop was the Oceanarium. An aquarium that has a nice feel to it. It’s not large but focuses on the local sea life. We spent a couple of hours there. Next we visited Ramon Crater. This is Israel’s answer to the Grand Canyon. It is a natural “Cirque” created by erosion from the north winds. It’s huge and has a dramatic view. We then visited Be’er Sheva, which means the “Well of The Oath”. Here Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech.  It’s the well that Abraham dug when he finally came to the place where G-d sent him. Be’er Sheva is the southern-most city of ancient Israel and it is also where G-d spoke to Hagar when she left Sarah and Abraham. We went into the well which is located in a Tel. They have dated the well to the proper time. It is still intact. It’s cisterns were dry, so we were able to walk in and get a feel for its size We had to wear hard hats.

 Mine is a cooler yellow than hers           If Abraham ever finds out!                    Cistern 

Next we went to the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. Oh yes, he won. This was really neat. We saw the two opposing hills where the Israelite and the Philistines were set to confront one another. You could see where Goliath probably came to taunt  the Israelites. Then we walked down the creek bed where David selected the five smooth stones for his sling and then ran out to confront Goliath. Of course the land and the creek have shifted over the years. But the two hill sides seem to hold with location and description. We then went down into the creek bed to select our five stones to bring home. We also learned something  today that I had never heard of before. Remember in the book of Ruth, Naomi had 2 daughters-in-law; Ruth and Orpah. Naomi told them to go back to Moab to their families after all three women’s husbands died. Ruth refused, but Orpah went back. Well according to the Talmud in Sota Ch. 14. Goliath was the grandson or great-grandson of Orpah. And we know that David was the great-grandson of Ruth. Like I said, we all just heard that today and I haven’t had time to research it at all yet, but if it is true, that sure makes you reflect on the Sovereignty of G-d. Of course, everything about Israel puts that foremost in your mind.

   Looking for David's stone                         Oh here it is!                        You can sense David and Goliath

There seems to be a dispute!   No Henry, yours is the one that missed!

As we drove to the city, our guide told us how important Christians support for Israel is. She told us how her son was severely injured in 2006 in the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The medical staff was sure that he was not going to make it, but if he did he would not have a good prognosis. She said that within 24 hours she received several calls from members from the Christian group she was the guide for, and was told that Christians all over the United States was praying for him 24/7. Sometime later, when her son came out of surgery the nurses were crying. When she inquired as to what was the matter, they told her they could not believe how he had improved; they thought he wasn’t going to make it through the surgery. She told them about all the Christians that had been praying, and told them that it was due to the power of prayer.  And he is fine today. And she is so thankful to G-d and to the Christians that have come into her life. She told us that Israelis are beginning to appreciate that Christians have an understanding of G-d’s plan for Israel; That we are important supporters because of our Jewish roots being tied to the Abrahamic covenant.  She said that Israelis are very loyal to those they see as friends and for us to keep praying for the people here and for the country. She said that is why you see Coca Cola and Subaru are so popular here.  During the Arab boycott of Israel that went on for years, many companies honored it. For example, Israeli’s love Coke. Why, because Coke has been with Israel for years. Pepsi honored the Arab boycott until a few years ago, as did all the Japanese auto makers except Subaru. So guess what cars you see the most of in Israel?

Susan’s ankle rash is getting better thanks to Terry Carlson, a doctor on the trip who became a friend and has helped Susan throughout the ordeal. He and his wife Cindy gave her their Benadryl spray, told her how to apply it and the cortisone, and asked about her several times a day since it happened. These are good people.  Susan is back to being mean as ever. I haven’t been sick or in pain at all. I just have swollen ankles and a rash that was growing. I made the mistake of “google-ing-‘ a rash on the ankles in Israel’”. I won’t do that again. It had over 10,000 sites on the subject, the main focus being on something called “The Rift Valley Fever”. It is a zoological virus that is killing donkeys and camels (hmmm where have we seen those before?) and it has been transmitted to humans in a few cases. (So far eleven people have died and I am quite sure it was due to riding in a racing sulky at Petra Downs.) Luckily the red ankles was the only symptom I had in common with that, and thought it would be safer to stick with the “latex allergy” diagnosis; especially since my medical degree needs updating.

In the last few days we have had a wonderful experience “connecting” with the group. It has been both light and seriously moving as we shared our stories. For example Henry is retired from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. He and his wife both worked there. Henry piloted the Voyager spacecraft. How great is that? He is a genuine wonderful soul that we got to know late in the trip. We found out that a little over a year ago, his wife Susan was diagnosed with cancer. She lasted six months. Although Henry said that that was the hardest six months of his life, their story was compelling. Citing Job 13:15 “though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” Henry talked about their faith and Susan’s comments that if G-d willed her to spend more time here, or to come home, either way she won. It was a statement of trust and hope. Henry said last year was the worst year of his life, but he got through it and has a great outlook for the future. His children now think he is going to be OK. We know he will be. He’s a great guy with an infectious smile and a solid knowledge of scripture. What a great experience for us to meet him. Like Lee said, the last week especially the last few days, have been truly amazing as the group started opening up. Two women sat in the back of the bus and whenever we approached a new site, they would read the related scripture verses. They also had beautiful voices and sang in perfect harmony together leading us all in the songs and hymns that we all love back at home. Several people shared their morning devotions and how G-d had led them to a specific scripture that morning. I loved these times because it just seemed like the hand of G-d was leading us where He wanted the group to be spiritually; especially when we were up in the Golan Heights and also over in Jordan. When we first went up to the Syrian border, you could have heard a pin drop in the bus. It really was intense for those of us whose only frame of reference was the news. And there was also some tension when the Jordanians took all of our passports at the border crossing in Jordan; especially when we were told that we could not take pictures until further notice. But that soon went away, and I was a little sad to leave Jordan so soon.

The children were so warm and friendly, and they acted just like kids laughing and giggling and flirting. I remember on the walk back from Petra the other day, 2 kids about 12 rushed me to sell me some postcards. (a boy and a girl) At first I brushed them off, but the price was too good (15 postcards of Petra for $1.) and I wanted them to check the spelling of the various landmarks and to fill in the gaps in my journaling.  So I turned around to go back, and the boy got to me first. He, in typical pubescent fashion, was disgusted because the girl was competition. He said she was always getting in the way and trying to take his customers. I laughed and said that maybe she just wanted to be with him. He said in a very serious voice. “Yes lady, she is to be my wife”. I was so dumb-founded, but when he said, “ but I haven’t decided yet” I cracked up.  I enjoyed them so much that it wasn’t until later that I noticed everyone of the postcards was in Arabic so I don’t have a clue what I am looking at. But it was worth it.

PS: (the stone I told you about the other day was the Eilat Stone, not the Jerusalem stone)

 DAY 11

Is this Israel or Jordan, Jerusalem or Petra or Aqaba? No, it’s Eilat the Jewel of the Red sea! (It is where Solomon’s copper mines were and it is also where the Jerusalem Stone is mined. It is a beautiful stone like turquoise, lapis lazuli, jade and malachite all rolled into one stone.) After more than a week and many one day stops it is easy to get confused. However as we near the end of the trip it is both exciting to know we’ll soon be home and at the same time sad we’re leaving some new friends and ending a great adventure. We are both exhausted. We have done more physical activity on this trip than our last five combined. It was not unexpected and we tried to prepare for it – we’re just tired. But it’s a good tired.

 Across the bay is Israel (Eilat)               Truly  Five Star quality                                  View of Eilat 

                                                 Intercontinental Hotel Aquaba, Jordan

No trip with Susan is complete without a crisis. (I do my best not to disappoint, but I thought I had it covered already with the fractured thumb.) We always keep several ready, in case they are needed. But as usual, Susan has risen to the occasion. Remember yesterday we talked about Susan having a rash that (we thought) was caused by the socks she wore? The socks that I bought her! Well once again I am exonerated. It wasn’t the socks. (maybe) We don’t know what it is yet but we do know that several other women on the trip have it now or have had it for almost five days and I did not buy them socks! (In fact I seem to have been the only one wearing any socks at all. Some had on capris, others long pants. Some wore tennis shoes, some wore sandals. The only thing in common is a red rash and swollen feet. It is really strange. They have been using cortisone on it and it looks much better on them after five days.) Imagine some lonely bug, poisonous plant or toxic dirt or alien spore out in the desert waiting years, maybe thousands of years. Hey this could be a new Indiana Jones movie. And along comes SUSAN. The child  spore says to the mother spore, “Now, momma? Now?” “NO, my son”,  says the mother spore, “Be patient; watch and learn. You’ll only have one chance to get this right. HERE, see the one sitting down with the big feet and endlessly journaling? She is our target. It will be easy, she hasn’t moved in ten minutes.” Nuff said, you get the picture. (I’m guessing Lee has spent a little too much time in the sun. What’s your guess?)

                                           Ouch!  It wasn't the socks! (it was alien spores)

                                                       Once again I am exonerated

This morning when the rash still looked angry, I decided I had to try and find a drugstore or “Pharmacia.” In Israel and Jordan nothing medical or pharmaceutical is sold over the counter anywhere, but from a drugstore. So at 8:00AM I left in a Jordanian Taxi driven by a probable Hamas death squad member to find an “open” drugstore. (He was a kindly old grandfather.) The Concierge at the hotel said it would be “no problem.” Translation: No problem for the Concierge. (He did go outside to hail you a cab.) The first three drugstores that  we visited, were closed. The fourth that was open was staffed by a single woman who was a recently retired member of the “seventy virgins” and not happy with infidel men. (He has such a positive spirit, doesn’t he? That’s my guy”!) I asked for Benadryl. Five times I asked. We played charades. I acted like a Bee biting her arm. She brought me insect repellent. I said no and made a mark on my arm . she brought me After bite. This went on for a while. Finally another man came in and they laughed at me. (They were humoring this masochistic infidel) I said “Emergencia,” and that got their attention. I said cortisone and they brought some tubes, which checked out and I agreed to buy. The (grandfatherly) cab driver who had been waiting for me throughout all of this was smiling as we drove back to the hotel. When I got the toll I understood why he was smiling. (He was such a big help, and Lee felt better once he was able to find the steroidal cream. And the benevolent grandfatherly taxi driver was able to get Lee back to the hotel with 10 minutes to spare to gobble down his breakfast before we once again climbed on the bus. My hero once again came to the rescue. Poor Lee did have a rushed beginning to our day. I thought I should go with him to provide a visual ‘show and tell’ due to the language problem, but Lee had a good point that we couldn’t find anyone to tell that we had left the hotel in case we were late.)

We then had to transfer across the frontier into Israel. This can be tricky and can take as long as five hours. We made it in 90 minutes. Early is definitely better. (And the fact that the tour agency did a good job organizing this departure.) I guess it is because Marv has done this so many times, but even he and his staff were amazed at the quick turn-around.

Red Sea - Eilate a European favorite       Our Hotel -- Princess                      The Aquarium

Eilat is a true resort town. It was founded in 1949. It is a key destination for Europeans (especially Swedes) throughout the winter months. It is a temperate climate in winter but brutally hot in the summer. Still, it’s a beautiful place. Once we made it back to Israel, it was another boat ride, but this time on the Red Sea. Marv said, "you’ve now been to the Red, the Dead and the Med.“ The cruise today showed us the incredibly close proximity of Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in this spot. All are visible and within 5-7 miles of one another. Egypt is visible only a quarter mile from our balcony. There were also gorgeous hotels, lots of shopping and too many boats and ships to count. It was very picturesque down here at the waterfront dock.

   Our hotel right on Egyptian border           Floating in the Red             Four countries within 5 mi.

The Captain stopped the ship fired up the grill and said “go swimming while we fix lunch.”  With one huge splash, I was in the Red Sea. (I took pictures and journal-ed; Someone has to be the detail person.) It was wonderful and the salt content is higher than our ocean which is 3%. Here it is about 5% and more salt equals more buoyancy. By comparison, the Dead Sea is 30%. We had a great time of relaxation and fellowship, as everyone knew the trip was coming to a close. Oh yes and the food is getting better. For our friends Vito and Amy Rulli, we actually had hamburgers and hotdogs on the boat. There are McDonalds and Burger King’s everywhere in Agaba and Eilat. FRENCH FRIES !! YEA!! I know we never ate camel, but sometimes it seemed like it. (That is true, however you will not be surprised to know that Lee did not break his record. No vegetable crossed his lips. But neither did any sausage or bacon here in Israel.) There is one mystery of this area I was never able to solve. What is it with ice? You’d think it was gold. It’s hard to find, and when you find it, you get two cubes MAX. I have been looking in the commodities markets with gold, silver and oil, but I can’t find it. It will remain with horseradish as one of the great problems the world has not yet mastered.  Tomorrow we head back toward Tel Aviv and frankly I can’t tell you what we’re going to see on the way. You see, I’m a short-timer now. I can hear the engines of our Boeing 777 revving – somewhere. (We will first go to the underwater observatory here in Eilat, then to Sappir Park, Beersheva, Ramon Crater, the Valley of Elah and Emmaus as we work our way to Tel Aviv. Finally we will drop off the majority of the group at the airport and then we will spend the night at the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv and fly out Tuesday night and be back home Wednesday afternoon. So you will probably receive one more travel update from us. Erev tov and Shalom Aleichem!!)

DAY 10

  As you read this, feel my PAIN!        "Susan, it's time to ride!"                 Susan's "Carriage from Hell"

NOTE:  Susan just told me that she wants to "edit" my posting -- "Danger Will Robinson"

(As is normally the case, Lee’s side of the story needs correction, so below you will get “the rest of the story!) Today was all about discovering Petra and it was a full day. We stayed at a wonderful resort right at Petra with wonderful food, unbelievable views and the best part was we didn’t have to drive 40 or 50 miles in the morning to get there. With the light of day, (remember we came in after dark) this place was an unbelievable sight. The size of the mountains combined with the fusion of colors and flowing rock formations is unrivaled. Probably the closest thing to it from a geological perspective is in Moab Utah.
Since we have had over a week of walking long hard days, we (Lee - there was no “we” in this decision) decided to rent a carriage to take us down to the first stop on the trip, the Nabatean Temple. From there we were to walk the rest of the way and pick up our carriage up on our return. This was to cut out more than half of the days estimated 3.6 miles of walking on rocky uneven terrain. Sounds reasonable right? Especially since Susan has experience some swelling in her ankles after this week+ journey. (It had nothing to do with the walking. The 88 year old retired missionaries were beating us. The problem with the swollen feet was due to “new socks” Lee bought for me to hike in. Problem  #1 we didn’t know they had Latex in them and #2, we didn’t know Susan was allergic that severely to Latex. So aside from my turning into “Elephant man” I have two perfectly symmetrical rashes about 3” wide encircling both ankles. It is very attractive. Remember, he bought the socks) When we  saw the carriage that was to carry us down to the temple, Susan balked faster than a Kentucky Derby three year old entering the gate for the big race. (I wasn’t the only one balking. The horse took one look at us and thought “are you kidding me?”) But I prevailed on her sense of logic, adventure, economics, duty, honor, courage  , (he bullied me)… and finally she got in the carriage. Once in, she wanted out, but I’ve been working out lately and I held on fast. We were off and trotting down a rocky path, on “little bitty” wheels. With no shock absorbers on this carriage, which looks more like a child’s toy (a racing sulky is more like it. A child’s toy suggests fun-it wasn’t) than a vehicle for off-roading,  we were bouncing like a couple of Mexican jumping beans (no slight intended to our brothers to the south.) As we hit the caverns through which we had to travel for 2/3’s of this journey the rocks turned to a mostly smooth stone path. That’s good right? Wrong! In a moderate down sloping grade, ‘said horse’ pulling ‘said brakeless carriage’ began to pick up speed and lose footing. We were slipping and sliding like a 1950’s sock hop. The driver kept repeating “out of way” which means “two fat people in a run-away brakeless carriage is coming in your general direction.  Failure to dive into the rocks is a decision you make at your own risk”. (At least we think that is what he was saying. He was speaking Arabic for crying out loud! For all I know he could have been trying to sell his sister to Lee and my demise was the “bride price”)
That driver was a pro. He steered that poor horse past six or seven imminent collisions. Meanwhile, Susan is threatening me with death by “spoon”. She is trying to jump out, or grab a passing limb. Finally after screaming death threats at me, (Aside from the hyperventilating, I didn’t make a sound, but he did get “THE  LOOK” several times.)  I think the driver though he might be collateral damage in this conflict so he stopped said horse on a flat section we came upon. (The driver was oblivious to my concerns. He was busy figuring out how to introduce Fatima to Lee. And he did not stop; he slowed down on a turn, as another reckless carriage was approaching SO I jumped out before either of them realized my intentions. Lee’s thinking “crap” I have to walk back, and Gunga Din is thinking, “but what about Fatima?”)

 "They're off" scary huh??            See the Locals? Notice any FEAR? (no)     We're about to hit ..(nothing)

   NOTICE: Don't show this to young children, they may need counseling from the shear HORROR

  That's it, Susan has left the Carriage             Why am I NOT riding? Come back!

Susan was out of the carriage faster than the falling exchange rate. Try as I may, nothing would get her back in . So we left our expensive carriage after one third of the journey down. I said I’d meet him at the Temple at 1:15pm for the return trip, and Susan said forget it. (No I said you’d go alone and oh by the way look into another room)
When a day starts like that in the Pinkard family, it does not get better. (Are you nuts? Most every day starts that way- I’m just thankful he didn’t know about the camel transport at the time) What did get better was this excursion. You all simply have to see the pictures.  Petra which will play no insignificant role in end-times, has been occupied by Romans and others since 500-600 BCE. (That’s B.C. for the politically incorrect)  actually had people living in there until 22 years ago. It is a remarkable place to be sure.

 No riders? did they Jump?         The stairs go back and way up!       Great colors and formations

                                                               Amazing Petra!  (not Alexzandreta) 

   Much is still buried                    Huge burial tombs                                  Roman Theater

            "Hey Mr. want a ride?"                      Ever smelled a camel?                     More Roman structure

    Seats, just when needed                 Cool shade and cold Coke                     The food was great! 

So we walked back to the Temple (after walking throughout the entire compound, which I never knew existed. It truly was amazing), then over a MILE up a moderate grade through the tunnels, in a hurry (did I mention that we were in a hurry because someone was stopping every minute to either take a picture or “journal.”) (And your point is?) So we’re “hurrying” on a hot day up rocky terrain to make a bus that has threatened to leave us if we are not there. Oh, and I’m carrying a 25 pound back pack with Susan’s camera, telephoto lens, spare shoes,(a tiny pair of Crocs) picture hard drive, and sweater in it. I know I must of mentioned that. You see I thought it wasn’t a problem because WE WERE RIDING IN A CARRIAGE!!!

        Shus! Don't tell her!                    My Carriage is still out there                   Not up here 

  Tombs for GREAT kings and small       Nabatean's started it, G-d finished      Incredible crafts & Jewelry

                          Our Group                                    "He can't take it anymore"                 Me either (bedraggled)     

We made it back to the bus, (before 2/3 of the rest of the group) and passed out for the two hour ride to Aqaba where we are now. (And he hasn’t even thanked me yet, for all the exercise he got. I was simply taking his interest to heart and acting as his personal trainer. And he was able to do a good deed for the day by giving his return ticket to a bedraggled soul who truly wanted and needed and appreciated the ride.) 

 DAY 9

We are now in Jordan, and it is very different than Israel! We’ll tell you how it’s different, but first, let us tell you how we got here. This morning was a 5:30 wakeup (yuck.) We left knowing that we would drive for over five hours today and it took even longer. Our first stop was after about two hours of driving as we crossed the border into Jordan. We first had to go through the Israeli Passport Control which took about an hour. We moved to a Jordanian bus and picked up our Jordanian driver and guide named Ramses. He is a very nice Jordanian Christian. In Jordan about 5% of the population is Christian, mostly Roman Catholic, and Greek Orthodox, but there are also some Protestant denominations. However, Ramses entire village is Christian.

We then drove through several miles of “no man’s land” before reaching the Jordanian Passport Control. (They took our passports and we took an hour break. After an interesting water closet break that only the pictures I took could describe (this is Susan’s aside here) we got our passports back and drove onto the Kings Highway to “Bethany on the other side of the Jordan” (John 1:28) also known as Wadi Kharrar. This is also in the Judean wilderness where Jesus went and was tempted.) This is the Bethany where John the Baptist (upon seeing Christ approaching) said “Behold the lamb that takes away the sins of the world.” From where we parked the buses, we still had a hike in to the site. There we found an excavation where three churches were found built on top of each other over the last two millenia. This indicates a very important place. In this case the site is a ways from where the Jordan river flows today, but the excavation showed that the river once ran through the site. There is even a platform of the type used in baptisms of the first century church. We then hiked down to the Jordan and put our hands in. It was  nice to actually feel the flow of such an important landmark. 

 Excavated three ancient churches on top of each other --   a sign of a significant place.  John the Baptist

likely met Jesus here.  The water path, stone platform, all fit and  the Jordan was likely here 2000 yrs. ago

Note: Jordan is so different from Israel. First, it is much poorer and filled with Bedouins who heard sheep and goats, ride camels and basically look like they did a hundred years ago. It’s like a modern society versus a pre-modern society. Maybe Amman is different but what we saw was clearly an agrarian society.  (However, the Jordanians really respect and honor the Bedouin society. They are the militia/border patrol/ homeland security for the Jordanians. They are mounted on camels and basically keep the law and order in this vast wilderness; No one wants to mess with them.)

From there we crossed Jordan’s wilderness area with mine fields (clearly marked) on both sides of the bus. A reminder that we are sojourners in a troubled land. We came to a little town called Madaba. And believe it or not, we had some excellent spaghetti, some type of relish called Mohammara that totally cleaned out our sinuses, and REAL COCA COLA (YEAH!!!)  Most all the people we have met have been really friendly, and hospitable.  (My only complaint would be that you have to bring your own toilet paper to the ladies room. At one of the rest areas a man stood outside the ladies room with a shoebox for money and a box of Kleenex. It was $1 for 2-3 sheets. However, my favorite was at the Bethany baptismal site. A very nice young man stood outside the ladies rooms handing out 3 squares of toilet paper to each woman. It was free, but it was also only 3 small squares of toilet paper. I thought Sheryl Crow had invaded the Holy Land.)

We then moved on to Mt. Nebo. What a view. From there you can, on a clear day, see Jericho, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, and Amman. Today was a clear day. Mt. Nebo is where G-d buried Moses, after he was allowed to “see” the promise land. After the drive up the winding mountain road with no railings, we were sure that we were about to enter the Promise Land sooner than we had anticipated. (but our Jordanian bus driver is incredible. I also took pictures of the Elusive Moabitian Black Iris which is Jordan’s national flower, and only grows for a short period of time and only in the area.  We also went to the mosaic factory where the handicap do beautiful work creating and crafting hand- made mosaics. I wanted to bring you all back a little souvenir and help the handicapped, but at $280US for a 5 inch tile and that is after a 15% discount, I thought better of it. Maybe next time. NOT!)

    Roman tile Mosaic amazingly shows lions and bears                Mt. Nebo Exibit 

                                                            MT Nebo

Resting place of Moses   Art o