Conspicuous Absence

Upon reading my last posting, "The Year in Review", Sara commented to me: "That was a great post, but, uh, didn't we go to Jordan?" To which I responded, "Of course, but since Jordan was our favorite trip of the year, I assumed it warranted it's own blog posting." The fact is I just overlooked the folder of Jordan pictures - oops. But the trip we took to Jordan was certainly one of our all-time favorite Middle East excursions. Here are some of the highlights:



Sara and I started our trip exploring the ancient city of Petra. To get to Petra, one must walk down a steep, narrow canyon. At the end of the canyon, the walls part, dramatically revealing the main gate to the city. I don't say this very often, but it truly was breath-taking. To see something that had been carved into sandstone centuries ago in the earliest days of civilization is an awe-inspiring experience. That said, I understand that visiting the ruins of ancient civilizations is far more exciting than looking at the pictures - but I get a "nerdtastic" sensation from sharing the pics. Below you will see an image of the canyon and another of the city gate.

On the way down from visiting the monastery on the far edge of the city, Sara and I encountered a boy and his goats. Sara held a goat, as you can see. What you cannot see is the sensation of pure joy in which she basked at the prospect of holding a genuine Jordanian goat.

One of the many fascinating features of the desert landscape of Jordan is the deep red color of the sand. After Petra, Sara and I traveled to Wadi Rum, where we were given opportunity to take in the vastness of the desert scenery. The red sands of Wadi Rum evoke images of Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones, and a dying culture of nomadic bedouins. It's a place that simply emotes, and one cannot help but be pulled in by rhythm of the desert. (Do you think National Geographic will be calling me any time soon?)

The desert and sands of Wadi Rum behind us, Sara and I journeyed north to Amman and the surrounding area. On the way we toured an old crusader castle and sat back as the desert landscape lulled us to sleep in the car - which was fine, because we actually had our own personal driver for this trip. Saleh, our driver and tour guide, gave us some great insights into Jordanian culture - and he was just a cool guy to hang out with. Pictured below are me and Saleh eating lunch together in a fabulous Lebanese restaurant.


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While in Amman, Sara and I were priveleged to visit two sites of Roman ruins. Above is a shot of Sara exploring the ruins on the Citadel, a strategic hill overlooking the city of Amman.

After Amman, it was on to the Dead Sea, where we covered ourselves in mud and partook of the "healing powers" of this mineral-rich pool of water located at the lowest point on earth. On the left is a photo of the sun setting over the sea, with Israel visible in the distance.

Jordan is a fabulous place with a much different feeling from the "Gulf". Traveling there gave Sara and me a different outlook on the Middle East in general - and, you know, the food was great! I have found a new love of olives and babganoush since visiting Jordan. And I will leave you with this thought: "One of the best parts about traveling is the food." - Unofficial travel philosophy of Mike and Sara