Plans Change

We loaded up the bus this morning to head south in Jordan. Our first stop was Madaba. This is Madaba:

Madaba was sleepy, just waking in the cold morning sunshine. We walked the narrow stone streets, passing pastry shops, shelves lined with tiny jeweled camels, brightly embroidered caftans, and the checkered patterns of the ubiquitous keffiyahs. The snow was just starting to melt, creating a slushy, icy, treacherous mix. We braved our way through to the Church of St. George. A small, century-old Greek Orthodox church, it's filled with ornate chandeliers, huge mosaic portraits, and staid wooden benches.

But what makes this place special is the sprawling mosaic map on the floor...an ancient, meticulous piece of art laying out the whole region in tiny detail. The church was built on the remains of a Byzantine church from the 6th century, so it was only during construction that they found this treasure beneath. Created in about 560 AD, this map was the most complete pictorial and geographical account of the Holy Land at that time. It's estimated that the entire thing measured nearly 70x20 feet and contained over 2 million tiles. Only 1/3 of it remains.

By the time we got back to the bus, the freezing weather had changed our plans. We were supposed to go to Mt. Nebo for the most spectacular view in the east, but time was not on our side. The road to Petra, our final destination of the day, had become hazardous with the snow and ice. We only had a short window of daylight in which to get there safely, so we had to abandon all else. A 3-hour bus ride through Jordan, led by our inimitable Jordanian guide, Naiem. His sense of humor is marvelously entertaining, and his grasp of Scripture solid. He and Tom - who's just bursting with stories about the history of Moab - narrated our drive through the arid plains.

All the buildings here have a sameness to them, whether they're dirt poor or wealthy as a trust fund baby. Square, concrete structures with flat roofs. White, grey, or yellowish. We'd pass the occasional herd of goats, and even saw some camels in the front yard of one house. Also, there are portraits of the king EVERYWHERE. Huge ones, dramatic ones, happy ones, intimidating ones. Inside and outside - some of them like billboards. He's not up for any kind of power challenge, so I guess this is just adoring pride in their monarch...?

When we arrived at our final destination, we knew this place was going to have some awesome sights. I mean, these we took just from the roadside:

Our hotel is having some heating problems, but hey - what's a little adventure without indoor frostbite? We're going to huddle together for warmth, try to catch the Patriots-Ravens game on the computer (for those of us from New England), and get some sleep.

Tomorrow is Petra. The Petra. And in case you think it's only that carved cliff face from Indiana Jones and nothing more, go look it up. Or, wait for tomorrow's post. It'll be amazing.

Also, American-in-a-keffiyah sighting!