Place: Salome Hotel, Madaba in Jordan
Time: 19:26
What we ate: and drank: Turkish Coffee, the staple of our diet -Pita, Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Dried figs, Dates and walnuts and a Jordanian biscuit made of Sesame Seeds.
Last night, somewhere in our absolute exhaustion and delirium from our trip, Craig realized that he had misplaced his glasses between Sharm El Sheik and Petra. We recalled every possible place where we could have left them. We called the guide, Zaid in a last attempt to find them on the Bus from Aqaba and amazingly he had found them and was going to be in Petra again today and organized for us to pick the glasses up from a from the bus driver.. We knew straight away that it was a great start to an unbelievable day.
Craig and I struggled to get out of bed this morning as we are still recovering from our journey to Jordan and because of the chilly weather here and the incredibly comfortable bed. Eventually we dragged ourselves to breakfast in order to explore the hills and sights of Petra. We strolled passed camels and a Bedouin area trying to absorb every minute of this special place before setting of to Madaba (near to the Dead Sea).
We got a lift to Madaba from a young Jordanian man named Riad. He drove up in a huge black Hilux and we chucked our rucksacks in the back and were on our way. What a ride: Riad drove like he owned the roads and the faster he could go, the better. At one stage he asked us if our bags were heavy…that way he could drive faster and not worry about them falling out of the bin of the Hilux.
It is amazing to see how the vegetation of Jordan changed from a rugged and rocky terrain, to a sandy desert and finally a green and vegetative area.
Craig and I were so impressed from driving into Amman toward Madaba. The beautiful homes and eclectic town recharged our batteries and we couldn’t wait to drop off our bags and explore the town.
Madaba is so quaint with its cobble stone roads and sandstone buildings; it almost has a European feel to it. We came across a cute little café where we decided to have a drink and snack which should fill the gap until suppertime.
The Café’s name is Ayola and the interior was rustic with mosaics on the walls and a very endearing old Bedouin man smoking in the corner. As we left the Café we walked across the road to the St Georges Church, which is a famous Greek Orthodox Church where we saw the Famous and very impressive Mosaic Map on the floor. This map was made in 565AD and was rediscovered in 1896. It was absolutely beautiful and ignited an eagerness for us to learn more about the history of the many interesting places we have seen and will still see on our trip.
Continuing down the different cobblestone alleys we found a small store selling various dried fruits and Jordanian snacks. The owner lured us in by offering samples for us to taste and before we knew it we bought it all (Dried Figs, Jordanian Biscuits and walnuts stuffed into delicious dates). I know that I will go back there to stock up before we go.
In search for a cheap and sufficient dinner, Craig found an amazing bakery where it is easy to see the Greek influence. There were various breads, some dried, others stuffed with yummy fillings and dozens of pastries with nuts, fruit and honey. Craig decided on fresh pita and we could get some cheese too. Very simple, but so delicious.
So tomorrow we head of to the Dead Sea….stay tuned J
Jordan looks amazing! I can't wait to see the Dead Sea!
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