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.