The end of a long journey

As I sit here in the lobby of our Jordan hotel watching the staff set up and decorate a Christmas tree it's hard to believe that nine weeks have passed by so quickly.

It took fifty years of dreaming and two years of planning, negotiating, and scheduling to get going. We used 72 different tourism vendors, eight individual tour companies, and seventeen private guides.

We rented and drove cars and ATVs, were transported in vans, trucks, busses, taxis, metros, trains, boats, and ferries. We saddled up camels, donkeys, and horses and covered a lot of sand and rock. Collectively we flew on twenty-one different air carriers.

We met countless charming, open and welcoming people who embraced our uniqueness and shared theirs. We gave and received gifts.

Fourteen powerful and resourceful friends found a way to travel intimately for weeks, sometimes sharing close quarters and all the while getting along. Spats certainly occurred and every once in a while one of us in turn needed to be reeled in, me included. However love and genuine respect always won out in the end.

Memories abound and were formed and three newcomers joined our merry band for future adventurers. As the saying now goes, "once you've been with a leopard, you'll never go back to your old ways!"

Personally this was a journey of completions and new beginnings. I loved traveling with my beautiful wife and awesome son. I've added six new countries to my list-it's up to 57 now and growing. I've made many new friends. My world is growing closer. I have once again seen that no matter who we are, what religion or belief we embrace, we are truly one. Lets all hope our governments can soon figure out what we all have known for a long, long time.

I can't wait for the next great adventure. Stay tuned!

Amman-our last day

We said goodbye to Andi, Marvie, Frenchy, Hans and Kathryn last night as they departed home. This morning there were only eight of us left. Our day took us north of the city to within 20 km on Syria (yikes) and included a visit to Jedash to view the largest Roman ruins in Jordan. They were spectacular with the amphitheater and Temple of Artemis. Afterwards we had a really nice local lunch before returning to our hotel to pack our bags and rest.

Tonight we have our second farewell dinner and then say goodbye to Denise, Marilyn and Rick. The remaining five head for the airport tomorrow and that 27 hours of flying home.

Dead Sea

Today is our last day as a big group. Five depart for home after dinner.

We left the hotel and descended into the Jordan valley beige. We went from 3500 feet above to 1500 below!

Once at the shoreline we donned our swimming gear and floated on the water. It was a challenge to get underwater with the 35% saline content.

We enjoyed the sun and the views and spent the day at the resort.

Following Moses's footsteps

This morning we said good bye to Petra and headed north to Amman. We stopped at the Spring of Moses and Mt. Nemo where it us believed he is buried. At the summit of the Jordan Valley rift we could see the skyline of Jerusalem just 30 KM away. We then visited St. George church in Madaba where we viewed the oldest mosaic map of the holy land. Interesting. We arrived in Amman late afternoon at an absolutely beautiful boutique hotel-Canyon Hotel Amman-very modern and first class.

Note: Pictues are not loading for some reason so check back for updates. We're home in two days.

Petra Kitchen

After a huge day in the monument it was only fitting that we end with a cooking class in Jordanian cuisine.

We were joined by Meg and Bob from DC. We were introduced to the staff of the restaurant. What followed was an absolutely delightful time chopping and stirring and eating!

Look at the pics and decide if we had a grand time.

Petra

The highlight of our visit to Jordan and arguably of the entire trip was to the ancient ruins of Petra. Made globally famous by many movies, most notably "Indiana Jones,"

The term "shock and awe" effectively fit our experience today. We rode horses to the opening of the Sig (canyon) and then walked the narrow sandstone and water-erosion carved passage until reaching the famous "treasury." The last few feet were with eyes closed as Ahmed led us to that moment. The look on everyone's face was great.

Fron there Ahmed led us past one carved marvel after another. The colors of the sandstone layers were mesmerizing. Lunch was at the bottom of the canyon with three hours of free time to pursue personal interests.

Bobbie, Rick and I climbed to the High Place of Sacrifice-687 steps carved into the cliffs. We toured the royal tombs and stuck our noses into ad many holes in the walks as possible!

It was a grand day and you'll have to attend our after-tour party to see all the pics.

Our grand hotel in Wadi Musa

The Beit Zaman in Petra is a complex of Ottoman period stone houses that was converted to a hotel twenty years ago. The heated pool, unique rooms, a Bedouin family's former home,all made our stay memorable.

The heated swimming pool, fully stocked bar, and awesome surroundings were great.