Naamah the Travelling Kiwi: The Power of Rome

Day fourteen saw the group off to Shobak, Madaba and Amman. A lot of the day was spent in the mini van drinking with only the odd stop to check things out. Shobak is home to an important castle that has been around since the days of Old. Surprise, surprise it was first build by the bloody Roman's but was also important during the Crusades and the Ottoman Empire.

The site is up on a very high hill as we could see for a long way! But one of the disadvantages of being high up was the wind! It really cut through you and apparently was really bad, even from the viewpoint of the locals. Our guide was quite concerned about us getting blown off the edges. The group is a little challenged at walking even in perfect conditions.... too busy looking at everything to watch our feet. It has become a habit when we come to a step or tricky ground to have the whole Chinese whisper thing going on as we pass warnings down the line. Even then some people still manage to not 'mind the step'. So far I have only fallen over while climbing Mount Sinai which I think is totally understandable!
Once we were thoroughly windswept and extremely cold we got back on the bus and headed to Madabe, world famous for an ancient mosaic map that was created around 550AD and featured Jordan, Palestine and Egypt. It is currently housed in a Greek Orthodox church but parts of it were destroyed before people realised how special it was.

The final stop of the day was Amman where we would be based for the next two days while we explored the surrounding area. St last I was in the same city as my Dad and that was kind of reassuring - if any thing went wrong Daddy Bear could come to the rescue! I was surprised by how seriously our hotel took it security. We all had to walk through a metal detector, yes they were other places but here if you beeped they would actually check why. Bags were also screened. It was only when I met up with Dad and his local taxi driver that I realised why. A few year earlier there had been a series of terrorist bombings in Amman and my hotel was one of the target. Dad's taxi driver would no longer accept pick ups from it. Glad I found out as I was check out and not in!!!!!
The next morning we head off to Jersah, a major Roman town in it time and with a lot that has survived including two theatres,a working hippodrome, colonnaded streets and arches.

We could have spend a whole day here but were rushed through the site by our tour guide. By now we were sick of the word 'Yella Yella' which basically means hurry up in Arabic. I don't think our tour guide really got the idea that while he comes here once a week it was the first and probably only time for us. He even whistled at us like we were dogs at one point. I think some members of the group became even slower as a form of silent protest!.

The afternoon was spent at 422 metres (1,385 ft) below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface on dry land. Yes you guess it we were at the Dead Sea and yes I was brave enough to have a wee float. And floating it was! It was so easy to sit on top of the water. It was a most bizarre feeling. Most of the time when you are swimming you have to fight to keep your head above water but not here. Swimming was somewhat trick as your legs were hardly under the water so kicking was not very effective! The water was not as clear as what I am used to in NZ and had the strangest silky yet slimy feel to it. I think I spent about ten mins trying to shower the feeling away!