Jordan

Day 3 - Jordan

Today we left Jerusalem and made our way to Jordan.  We were supposed to be able to attend church at the Cathedral, have lunch and then leave for Jordan but we were told when we arrived for breakfast that we had to leave by 10:30 because the Israelis were closing the crossing at the Allenby Bridge by noon.  There had been some incidents of violence in the West Bank over the weekend so they closed it off completely for 24 hours, allowing no-one to go in or out.  They were also trying to stop Palestinian traffic on the first night of Sukkoth, fearing trouble perhaps.   So we only got to stay through the sermon at church and then had to leave.   I wish we could have stayed till the end of the service because I was really enjoying hearing the liturgy in Arabic!  The process for leaving Israel across the Allenby bridge into Jordan is quite a process.  As tourists with an Israeli guide we had a much easier time than the many Palestinians who were trying to make the crossing.  The hoops those poor people have to jump through is ridiculous and needless to say exceedingly time consuming.  We were all impressed with how well the Palestinians take it all in stride, not getting annoyed or being impatient, just putting up with the unbelievable red tape and with being treated with enormous suspicion with grace and good humor.  It took us a little over an hour to get into Jordan.  Once in Jordan we were joined by a Jordanian tour guide and by a Jordanian Tourist Policeman who is assigned to us for the entire time we are here.  Apparently Israel struck a deal with Jordan that would allow Israelis to go into Jordon only if Jordan agreed to provide a police escort for Israeli groups.  The Jordanians agreed but then realized that if only Israeli groups had police protection they would be conspicuous by that fact and would therefore be more at risk, so they decreed that all tourist groups must be accompanied by a Jordanian policeman for their entire trip.  Our Israeli guide warned us that we must not say anything derogatory about the Jordanian monarchy because such remarks can wind you up in jail, and he cautioned us to be careful about our conversation on the bus because the Jordanian policeman understands more English than he lets on!  

Once we got through all the border crossing red tape it was well past lunchtime, so we stopped at a restaurant for lunch.  We were treated to true Middle Eastern hospitality as we enjoyed our meal there.  Then we headed for the Jordan River, to the site that is believed to be the actual site of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.  It is near to the site that pilgrims in Israel go to, but it is across the border which runs through the Jordan River.  The terrain there is desert terrain, very hot, very brown and dusty, and the Jordan River looks more like a little creek than a river.  We walked down to the spot where Jesus was baptized and then on to the banks of the river, right across from the site in Israel where many pilgrims go to be baptized.  There were huge crowds of Asian Christian tourists getting baptized in the river.  From our spot on the Jordanian side we did a short service renewing our baptismal vows before heading back to our bus.  The whole area where the site is located is expansive but quite the desert scene. The Jordanian government has given all the major denominations of Christianity plots of land on the site for them to build churches and there are about 5 of them built so far. No Anglican church is there yet but the Diocese of Jerusalem is trying to raise the funds to build an Anglican church alongside the others that are there. The churches are rather impressive looking buildings but they are so out in the middle of nowhere that they are not actually used by any Christian community for worship.  It was very hot out there today. Our guide said it got to 107 when we were walking down to the river.  Fortunately it is a very dry heat so it wasn't too bad although one did try to stay in the shade as much as possible!

The baptismal site on the Jordan river is well below sea level.  The Dead Sea is very close by and the entire terrain looks like a dried up sea bed.  We then drove up through the dusty hills to the top of Mount Nebo, the place that the Bible records as the location where Moses looked out over the Promised Land and learned from God that he was not going to go into the Promised Land.  He died somewhere near Mt. Nebo but no one is sure where.  The site where Moses supposedly looked out over the Promised Land was settled by Christian monks centuries ago and there is a church up there as well as an archeological museum.   We walked up to the spot where Moses stood and looked out over the valley.  It was very hazy today so we could not see Jerusalem but we could see Jericho and the Dead Sea.  It is an amazing landscape to behold and gives one a new appreciation for the hardships the Ancient Israelites endured during their famous wilderness wanderings.  It is a harsh landscape and living out in that wilderness would not be for the faint of heart.  

After leaving Mt. Nebo we stopped at a workshop where mosaics are made by hand.  This shop is one that employs disabled people and is subsidized by the Jordanian government because of that.  The work they produce is gorgeous and their showroom has some truly impressive (not to mention exceedingly expensive!!) mosaics and ceramics.  

We are spending tonight in a hotel in the town of Madaba.  Tomorrow we go to Amman, the capital of Jordan.  So far Jordan is turning out to be quite an interesting country.  A Muslim majority country that is very welcoming to Christian pilgrims and that makes an effort to be sure that the Christian holy sites are well maintained and cared for.  Muslims and Christians in this country get along with one another very well.  A huge percentage of the Jordanian population is Palestinian, as hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled here in 1948 and again in 1967.  The hospitality that the Middle East is famous for is well on display here.  Our hosts at lunch at the restaurant and the folks at the hotel here tonight go out of their way to be sure you have everything you need almost before you ask!