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!