Adventures in Asia: Mount Nebo, Jordan

Diana and I began an adventure to the Middle East (actually, our very delayed honeymoon) on Saturday, leaving Edmonton (where the weather was something like -45 degrees Celsius--so cold the baggage handlers could not load luggage!) via KLM to Amsterdam, where we caught a Transavia flight to Amman. Our YEG-AMS flight was badly delayed, so we sprinted through Schiphol to make sure we reached our gate in time, which, thankfully, we did!

We reached our hotel in Amman last night around 21:00. They upgraded us to a two bedroom suite, which made it possibly the largest (albeit certainly not the nicest) hotel room I have ever stayed in! We went out briefly for some shawarma and snacks, but fell asleep quickly. Diana was somehow able to sleep in until 10:00 this morning, but I was up shortly after the sunrise call to prayer. I had to enjoy the rooftop breakfast by myself, and then, when I realized Diana was still asleep, I went out to pick up a rental car. Back at the hotel, Diana was still asleep, so I needed to wake her up, because we had an itinerary to get to!

We were on the western side of Amman and, although there are some things to see in Amman, we were more interested in the sights outside of the busy capital, so we headed southwest and, after a couple of wrong turns, eventually out of the city. Driving habits struck me as a little less orderly than I anticipated, but I found myself adapting quickly to the aggressive style. 

Our first stop of the day was Mount Nebo, about 40 minutes outside of Amman. This is where the Bible says Moses was able to view the "Promised Land" prior to his death, and today there is a church, museum, and viewpoint here. 

It had been a bit chilly last night, but today was gorgeous and we enjoyed our time walking around and especially the view. You can see down into the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, and across to the West Bank, where the city of Jericho is easily visible and the mountains beyond where Jerusalem is. 

At the lookout point there is a sculpture of the "fiery serpent . . . upon a pole" that Moses used to save the Israelites from deadly snakes. 

The church is built at the site of what was a Byzantine church. 

It incorporates some of the mosaics and remnants of the old church in a very tasteful way. 

Behind the church there is also a small museum with more mosaics and other artifacts. Nearby there is a mosaics workshop, where local artisans produce mosaic art. We had a nice tour here and purchased a (very overpriced) piece to bring home. 

We left Mount Nebo on the west side, descending into the Jordan Valley. 

I was excited near the bottom when we saw our first herd of camels!

Adventures in Central America: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

On a not especially cold, but definitely snowy December 7 my family and I parked our car at the Edmonton airport and took a Flair flight direct to . . .

. . . Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! This is the view from our hotel--we are on a quiet street on the edge of the Centro neighbourhood, just a block from the lovely Isla Cuale (a little car-free island in the Rio Cuale) and two blocks from the bay.

Our suite is unexceptional, but the hotel does have a nice rooftop with three little pools and a lovely atmosphere and view.

Besides the rooftop of our hotel, we have been enjoying the malecon along the bay, with its lovely views and eclectic public art.

Twice we ate breakfast on the malecon--not the cheapest place to dine, but certainly a lovely spot!

The beach of the Zona Romantica has also been a popular spot, especially for the kiddo. 

The beach is nice enough in the day (well, in the morning; in the middle of the day it is too hot!), but especially lovely at sunset!

Besides the waterfront, the streets of Puerto Vallarta are also interesting and full of colour and life, although again best avoided in the middle of the day when the "real feel" highs are hitting the mid-30s!

Isla Cuale is nice at all times of day, because even in the afternoon it is well shaded.

Perhaps not surprisingly, tacos have been our favourite meal, and we found a few restaurants that we really enjoyed. These are the seafood ones--shrimp, marlin, and so on--yum!

We just happened to pick Dec 7-12 as our dates to visit Mexico, but what great dates they are because December 12 is the feast day for Our Lady of Guadelupe, and the days leading up to it are full of celebrations, involving, of course, decorations in the cathedral (Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) . . .

. . . fireworks, music, and processions leading to the cathedral at all times of day and especially in the evening. 

Here is some video of the dancers in the photo above.

This was another dance group:

Many of the groups are accompanied by girls dressed as Our Lady of Guadalupe or else large pictures of her. 

So, for the most part, we have filled our days with visits to the malecon and beach, little walks in the city and Isla Cuale, rooftop/pool time, eating tacos, and enjoying the festivities for Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

On Sunday though we added somewhat to our "routine" with a short Uber drive outside of the city to hike along a stream. 

Our objective was the Palo Maria waterfall, but we eventually lost the trail and gave up. Instead we settled for a swim in this lovely pool, which we had all to ourselves for ten minutes or so. 

As we waited for our Uber back into town, this procession passed us by, apparently en route to the cathedral. They still had seven kilometres to walk!

They seemed intent on singing the whole way!

This morning, our last day before flying home this evening, I climbed up to the Mirador el Cerra de la Cruz which is the hilltop behind the cathedral. 

The lookout point is not very far in terms of distance, but it is a steep climb!

There are some great views from the top!

It was a lovely few days in Puerto Vallarta, and I was excited to come home with $40 worth of souvenirs to hang on my office wall! 

These were from a store right next to our hotel called Senor Talavera--which must be one of the greatest souvenir stores I have ever been in!