Safe and Sound

I and my tea set arrived safe and sound in Winnipeg. The customs officials needed to look through every pocket of my luggage, but it gave me a chance to see that everything had arrived safely. We tried out three cups for supper.
Now I just have to get over jet-lag and jump back into life in Canada.

Last Supper in Jordan

After shopping in the afternoon Daryl took us to visit Nada in the hospital. She works for MCC Jordan and at the retreat slipped and fell in the bathroom on the last day and broke her hip. While I was in Petra she had her hip joint replaced. 
Daryl and Cindy are getting ready for another MCC meeting at the same Visitation home this weekend and we helped them carry a bunch of things in to their house from the car.

In the early evening Carolyn suggested a walk to Haheem's to pick up some hummos for supper. Beside the restaurant is a housewares shop that sells Iraqi tea sets. I had bought an Iraqi tea set in Irbil, but the security people at the gate confiscated them, saying that I wasn't allowed to bring glass onto the plane. So, when I found some similar tea sets beside Hasheem's I bought them. I also had to buy another duffel bag to put them in, but it was worth it to me.

Cindy took her turn making supper for us. Diana and Rachelle were also there. I neglected to take any pictures though. We had corn chowder soup, salad, fresh buns and for dessert, cherry pie. It was all really delicious. I repacked my bags at their house and at 10:30 pm my driver had arrived. He was supposed to come at 11:00 pm, so he only came to ring the bell at five to. 

I managed to check my two bags to Winnipeg and start the long, long journey home. 24 hours later I arrived in Winnipeg to be greeted by Phyllis and Erik.

Last Lunch in Jordan

I spent most of the morning at the MCC office trying to update my blog. Susie ordered in Lebanese style pizza for lunch. It was really good. We ate at the office and then went out shopping.

Last Breakfast in Jordan

At the Toledo Hotel they have a great buffet for breakfast. I had ful, babba ganoush, tahini, halawa and yogurt with zatar and olive oil all helped down with pita bread. yummm.

Bus ride back to Amman

After a shower at the hotel and a bit of a rest we headed back to Amman on a very nice bus. The trip back to Amman took just over three hours. The bus dropped us off at a bus station downtown, but after a few minutes of walking, the empty bus pulled up beside us, and the kind driver took us  to the door of our hotel.

Petra

 Walking in to Petra was cool and breezy. At the outskirts is a village for the Bedouin to live in.

Petra has been a place for both the living and the dead, so there are many tombs carved into the soft stone and many dwellings.

The entrance fee is 50 JD which is about 75 Canadian Dollars and part of the money went towards some men dressed as soldiers in Roman times.

The entrance to Petra is a deep ravine cut through the soft stone by centuries of water erosion. Much of the valley floor has been paved for ease of walking.

For much of the way, there seem to be carvings in almost every rock. 

I just loved this part of Petra, it is so beautiful.

Finding my niche.

A first view of the Treasury.

The treasury.

Camels and tourists along with the Bedouin who try to earn a living selling camel, horse, and donkey rides to the tourists.

Someone spent a lot of time carving up a lot or rocks.

There were donkeys resting in various random places.

The countryside is just beautiful.

Another resting donkey.

There are over 800 steps up to the Monastery and we climbed them all. There are little kiosks like this one all the way to everywhere in Petra. Bedouin women are there to sell you trinkets and many try to make you promise to come and look on your way back.

The Monastery is huge. The part below the door is about five feet high.

More recent alterations in the landscape are piles of rocks balancing precariously.

The view from "the end of the world." Another indeterminate number of steps were needed to reach the pinnacle. There are no safety rails or anything to keep one from falling off the edge.

At the top of the middle peak is the tomb of Aaron - Moses's brother. It didn't really show up with my camera, but there is a white dome visible to the naked eye.

Looking back towards Petra one can see the Monastery and the town beyond.

I needed to sit down and rest at the top of the mountain.

Coming down the mountain.

This tomb has a typical design with the steps on top. 

Having lunch on the edge of the walkway.

The Treasury again, in the afternoon light.

Last view of the Treasury on the way back to Wadi Musa.

A parting shot, after a great day of hiking.

Morning on the Patio

With the sun coming up the view of Wadi Musa is completely different from the night before. In the picture below you can see Petra in the background.

Enjoying a middle eastern breakfast on the patio before heading off to Petra.

The night lights of Wadi Musa

This is the view from the Amra Palace patio.

Relaxing at the hotel

The view from the hotel patio included a mosque only a few feet away. A mosque with a very good sound system I might add. There is a canopy over the patio and a really nice place to sit and read a book.

Afternoon in Wadi Musa

Carolyn loves her Turkish coffee, so we found a bakery near the hotel that served coffee and treats. Most of the desserts feature pistachios. We sampled a number of tiny treats.

The view from our table. We were entertained by all the people coming and going up and down the street. They even had workers picking up garbage.

A look back at the bakery. It is that really big fancy building with the pillars.

There were many barbers in the neighborhood, so I eventually gave in and got a Jordanian hair cut. It cost 5 JD (about 7 Canadian dollars) and was completed in about 5 minutes. The barber didn't ask anything and I just let him do what he did. He landed up shortening my beard, giving me a shave, and trimming my eyebrows and ear hair.