Discovering Amman and Jerash

hi everyone. excus the typing. this computer is shocking and does not like backspaces or double leters - se xample!

i had a god nicght slep last night, comfy bed! before bed i watched a doco on teh dead sea scrolls.

i had an interesting breakfast this morning - pita bread with marmalade and a boiled egg! a bit odd. but i met a few of my group at breakfast. a group of 5 from west wyalong. one of those ladies is my room mate and seems nice. their group has just been in africa and climbed kilaminjaro! a bit more active than my last week!

i headed out for my amman city and jerash tour. i was very consertaveily dressed - one of my new long skirts and loose tshirts - then my guide said jordan was relaxed and why was i in a long skirt! we went to the 'blue mosque' first- i had to put on a full robe. it was very hot! we then headed to the citadel, which had an amazing view of the city. its just so diferent from what i have sen before! i love it. all the houses on the hilsides - will post photos soon! the citadel was amazing, the columns of the temples of hercules. then it was to the archaelogical museum (or shed!) but from this building i definitely learned to not judge a book by its cover! while from the outside it loked like a tiny building, inside it was jam packed of amazing artefacts and treasures, from all through the ages, dating back to the stone ages, and then everything in between. of course i made a bee line to the dead sea scrolls!

muhammed then took me to tse the amphitheater and another great viwe of the city. i do love just looking at all the buildings and just day to day life here.

we then drove out to jerash - a site that is said to be the pompeii of the east. and i was not disappointed! there were some great ruins, and i had a local guide who was able to tell me all sorts of quirky things. you could see the caravan route - where the roads had been used in ancient times! the actual indent in the road of the wheels! and the ingenious drainiage systems, he showed me the acoustics of the amphiteatre - very cool! and how the columns had keystones of iron in them whichb is why they stil stand - and sway - i wil have to expalain that part if person though - it was fascinating.

i then had lunch at a very touristy buffet, but it was stil nice. actualy i have a banana in my bag from it which i might have now :)

we then drove back to amman and popped into a dead sea prodcuts and other souveniers shop. gosh what a set up! nice tea as you enter, sales person comes aroun with you. i know the drill! i did get some dead sea stuff though - i will use it for the rest of the trip and when i come back you can tell me if its anti ageing properties have worked :)

tonight is the group meeting (there are 10 of us), the we head out tomorow to Mt Nebo, the Dead Sea (Yay! i cant wait! i will be all revitalised and look 5 yrs younger!), Kerak castle - a crusaders castle (im kicking myself i didnt bring the movie kingdom of heaven with me to watch), and then onto Petra.

x Renee