Inspired by my child hood hero, I've always wanted to see the valley of the Crescent Moon, but Jordan is in a part of the world that's always intimidated me little bit. So when Todd, my friend / Arabic travel expert suggested the trip, I could only reply with...
Absolutely!
...So we left off the vacation marathon at 0600 in the morning at Memmingen airport after 12 hours of driving (to get my forgotten passport) and on 2 or 3 hours of sleep.
Todd and I met at Amman airport and picked up our rental car. It was a real trooper thru the craziest traffic I've ever navigated and over the largest speed-bumps 45 mph have ever seen. Unfortunately I have no photos to share of the driving challenges, but I will dedicate a moment of silence to the successful pickup and drop-off of our rental car without any damage or fees.
:::::Silence::::::
:::::Silence::::::
Off to Madaba!
Every adventure should start with a feast, because your never know what you're truly getting yourself into or when you'll get to eat next.
This Greek Orthodox Church was being remodeled and under the floor they found a older floor mapping ancient Israel. It is the oldest map of Israel in existence today.
There is a running joke with the Tyler's about how gross it is to floss in bed. Well...sometimes you just need to floss in bed.
Did I mention I drove about 3.5 hours to Petra that night?
I think I hit about 16 hours of driving and 3 hours of sleep. I slept well that night.
Selfie with the Jordan wildlife
Todd found a hike to the backside of Petra. It was about 4 miles long and took us off the beaten tourist path through a very Southern-Utah ish landscape. It was pretty amazing.
....And very mountainous
Luckily this guy had a coffee shop where we could sit and rest on the way.
...and then continue on our journey too...
....the Petra monastery
We beat the biggest crowds, so Todd and I just sat for a while an enjoyed the view.
This rock looked a lot like an elephant.
Thinking I'm invincible, I decided to do some more selfies with the wild-life:
ignore notice
bite!!
(Captions added by Chloe, for those unable to tell whats happening)
Look at these cool, two-thousand year old, hexagon paves
(I'm not sure they're actually 2,000 years old)
(I'm not sure they're actually 2,000 years old)
I love how this tree grew around the old bricks.
There was a floor with mosaic of animals
It's hard to tell in this photo, but the camel is the only animal is the only one escaping from it's circle.
Naughty camels.
This whole cliff was fully carved with tombs....
....like this
and were sometimes full of board boys.
And the crown jewel of Petra,
The Valley of the Crescent Moon
(It's actually the Petra Treasury)
(It's actually the Petra Treasury)
After 15 miles of hiking, we decided to hike another 875 stairs to the top of the valley.
and then back down the stairs.
Todd dared me to jump on the camel and just start riding around like I owned the place...but I was too rational. I had also forgotten my camel drivers license.
A view of Petra from the top of the modern city.
Todd and I compared notes and we're guessing we hiked about 18 miles and about 2,200 stairs.
To Petra!
Todd and I compared notes and we're guessing we hiked about 18 miles and about 2,200 stairs.
To Petra!
The next day we drove thru Moab.
Jordan, not Utah. It's kind of hard to tell the difference.
This isn't my video, but we had 100% the same experience.
(except I didn't slow down for most of the speed bumps)
The dead sea.
Unfortunately, I have to admit we did not swim in the Dead Sea. I was a little cold and windy, and there weren't any showers. I did stick my hand in the water and confirmed my theory that a shower is truly a requirement if you swim in the Dead Sea.
The honorary place Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. Excellent spot to visit while in Jordan.
I got to drive for about 45 minutes in Amman, during rush hour.. It was Arab-tastic driving.
Words cannot describe and youtube cannot tell of how incredibly nerve racking the experience was. Big thanks to Todd for getting us lost, getting us found, and patiently coaching me all along the way.
You know you've found a true friend when you can both yell at each over which truck is most likely going to kill you, and then enjoy dinner and a movie with no hurt feelings.
Todd looking behind us: Go Mike! This semi is about to crush us from behind!
Mike Looking forward: I can't, there's a truck coming right at us!
Todd: He'll stop if you pull in front of him!
Mike: He's going 50 mph!
Todd: the truck is going to crush us!
Mike and Todd in unison:
AHHHHH!
Mike and Todd in unison:
AHHHHH!
The city citadel had a temple for Hercules
Probably the coolest wooden ceiling I've every seen.
Look Todd, more stairs.
Lets climb them!
and the flight to my next adventure...
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