Jordan!

Tony Spell Roman City Jerash Jordan

Babies!  David and Lucas Holmes

Andrew Bentley with Tas Melwood

What a wonderful day!

We started out enjoying a leisurely morning on the Shores of the Sea of Galilee.  Our hotel is right on the seaside.

We had breakfast on a open terrace overlooking the Sea.  So relaxing after all the rushing around and jet lag.

However now the rest is over!  We arrived at the Jordanian Border at 10:30 am.  Our Jordanian guide, Omar, had been waiting there since 8:30 am.  There was a miscommunication and we didn't know we were supposed to be there so early. 

So......becuase we arrived so late there was not enough time to do the things that were scheduled and now we have to squeeze one of the items in tomorrow.

That means the wake up call is at 5:30 am tomorrow and on the bus by 7:00 am.  Some thought we were joking when we announced it!  Our first day wake up call was at 6:30 am....then 7:30 am...now 5:30 am!!!

That being said....we are loving Jordan. 

The border ordeal was just that....a lenghtly ordeal....just to leave Israel.....stop at gate....guide and driver get out and answer questions...show papers....guards look under bus with big mirrors.....go to Israel departure building get out of bus.....stand in line and go one by one to window and show them exit receipt and passport......unload suitcases and wait for shuttle bus.....load shuttle bus....drive couple minutes to Jordanian side..... unload shuttle bus....go inside and show passport at windown and take a picture of your irises...one by one......go back out and get suitcases and walk over to building with x-ray machine for suitcases....put them through and walk to bus....load bus with suitcases and then off you go.....lengthly ordeal.... or so we thought.  Our guide informed us we got through fairly quick.....it can take up to 4 hours if more buses are in front of you.

We were saying....Jordan better be worth it!  Well....withing minutes of hearing phrases like "We are now in Gilead".....we knew it was well worth the hassle at the border!

Gilean...Ammon.....Moab....Edom.....Looking down at the River that Jacob crossed going home and meeting Esau......Crazy exciting!

The Holiday Inn in Amman is great.  The buffet was so good...my favorite was the Coconut Curry Fish over rice....WOW!   And then a nice flan to top it off.

Tony Spell, my husband and I shared a cab to the Mall after supper to go to Starbucks.  So fun people watching there.  Several others were there also.

As we were leaving the hotel....a Jordanain Groom and Bride came in and we got a picture.  I will post when I can download from my phone.

Well, as I mentioned before the wake up call comes at 5:30 so I better sign off for now!

Promise pics later.