In Jerusalem

We are together again! Melissa rejoined us in Wadi Rum after spending quite a bit of time struggling with a fierce bout of an intestinal infection. We will let her share the details when she returns - suffice it to say that it was an ordeal at both ends, to say the least.

Our travel day from Damascus to Wadi Musa was wearying, but extremely rewarding. Long waits at the border followed by dramatic vistas of the Jordanian landscape. Polished marble and a grand staircase in the Petra Palace foyer welcomed us - somewhat different from stepping over a guest's bed in the entrance to the Al Haramein Hotel in Damascus. Moments later the students were wishing we were back there again. Our rooms were in the new wing - a.k.a the wing still under construction. That must be why the toilets didn't work, although they leaked, the water wasn't hot, although it was all over the bathroom floors, the keys would not let us into the rooms, although we couldn't lock the sliding doors, and the damp carpets smelled like ... sorry, this is a family-oriented blog). Other than that, though, they were great.

Everything was sorted out for us in the morning and we were very well looked after.

Petra simply defies description. Our 672 pictures will fail to capture the feeling of standing before magnificent edifices carved out of solid rock. The rising sun on the rose coloured sandstone yielded ever - varying hues and tones, and the scale of the archaeological site was almost impossible to fathom. Really, it was pretty.

Wadi Rum had been a destination we eagerly anticipated, and we were not disappointed. We will always remember Sabah, our Bedouin guide calmly leading us where no Marsh and Mountain trip would dare to go. Now that we've made it, we can say that "sketchy" was a word we heard on occasion, as we clambered up cliffs and crawled over rock bridges - the pictures don't tell you that the bridge is 300 m above the dessert floor and crosses a chasm 80m deep. But we were never, ever afraid.

In the evening, we were treated to a typical Bedouin dinner, accompanied by singing and music played on an oud. We slept under 15 lb blankets in a traditional style tent - three walls and a roof. The full moon washed the rock face against which the camp was nestled. Did we mention the sunset? It was real pretty, too.

So, we are now in Jerusalem and the travel days remaining to us are few. We have been overwhelmed by the images of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount / Il-haram as-Sharif, the Mount of Olives and more. The last site we visited probably had the most profound impact on our group, as we were guided through the tranquil Garden Tomb and contemplated that before us was quite possibly the site where Jesus' body was entombed.

Tomorrow we are off to Bethlehem to see the current political situation and visit a number of significant holy sites.