More about Jordan

Fall semester has finally ended. We now get about a week and a half off and then plunge headlong into spring semester. The two and a half week break back in December (all the breaks here seem to begin and end mid-week for some reason) and our trip to Jordan seem like an eternity ago. Nonetheless, I wanted to write a bit more about some of the neat things we saw there.
 
My last post shows me dipping a toe into the Jordan River; above is a photo of the river just meandering along. We stopped to see it at a place called Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, where legend has it that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Because the site is right on the border with Israel (or "the government to the south," as the Lebanese say), visitors have to take a guided tour so we don't accidentally wander across. The armed Israelis on the other side of the river made it look pretty forbidding. It felt a bit strange being so close to Israel: Lebanon and many other Middle Eastern countries won't let you in if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, so I just figured I'd never see it. But there it was, right across the muddy water of the river Jordan. Our visit was a couple days before the start of the Gaza massacre, otherwise I bet it would've felt even more awkward being so near.
 
Another interesting site that looms large in the imagination is Mt. Nebo. The name might not sound familiar, but Nebo is the mountaintop where the 120-year-old Moses is thought to have stood and gazed upon the promised land. I'm sure the above sign wasn't there in Moses's day to obstruct his view, but I suspect the landscape beyond it looks much the same. It was really windy up there. I'm sure the next time I hear Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, I'll think of the windy summit of Mt. Nebo.
 
In addition to standing on lofty mountaintops, we also visited the lowest place on Earth: the Dead Sea. The Lonely Planet says that "compared to ocean water, the Dead Sea has 20 times more bromine, 15 times more magnesium, and 10 times more iodine." We of course had to take a dip in its salty waters, and it was really amazing how buoyant it was. The signs posted at the swimming area tell you to crouch down and lean backwards to get into the water; if you go in leaning forward, the buoyancy lifts your legs up and tilts you face-first into the brine. Once in the water, you can lean back as if you are sitting in a chair and the water just holds you there. It was really relaxing. If you float on your back, the water lifts you up so high it feels like it is trying to spit you out. And of course, I couldn't resist trying on some of the mud. There are little vats of mud here and there in the swimming area, as the minerals in Dead Sea mud are supposed to give you healthy skin. All I got was muddy, but it was really fun.
 
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. The only question now is whether I will finish my grading and course prep in time to take another quick trip somewhere else before the start of spring semester!

Jordan

If you've been following world news lately, I'm sure you've heard about the awful situation in Gaza. You may have also heard about the world-wide demonstrations in solidarity with the people of Gaza and protests against the U.S.-supported Israeli invasion. Perhaps you saw footage of the crowd demonstrating outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.
 
I, too, saw it all on tv from the relative calm of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, one of the most stable countries in the Middle East. Jordan is south of Lebanon, just north of Saudi Arabia, and a stone's throw from Israel and Palestine. Ironically, I was closer to the conflict than I'd ever been before, yet felt more distanced from it than I would have had I been in Beirut. While floating serenely in the Dead Sea (which was so neat that it warrants its own blog entry!) and basking in the Jordanian sunshine, I could see the West Bank on the opposite shore. It was unnerving to think that I was vacationing while the people of Gaza were suffering so nearby. 
 
When Jeff and I returned to Beirut this afternoon, we were the only westerners on the flight from Amman. I admit that I felt a little apprehensive about returning to Beirut, and wondered what sort of atmosphere we'd find there. However, as we flew low over Lebanon's snow-capped mountains and saw the sunlight sparkling off the Mediterranean Sea, I realized that I was glad to be back.
 
I'll write more soon about Jordan's ruins, the desert, the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, the camels, the cats, and the amazing winter sunshine. In the meantime, above is a sneak preview of some of the photos from the trip. There's a sand dune near Wadi Rum in the south, me sticking my toe in the Jordan River, and Jeff by a road sign. Here's hoping for peace in 2009.