Jordan: Dead Sea and Jordan River

After exploring the towering remains of Petra we hopped back on our little van and headed for the Dead Sea. We stayed overnight at the stunning Movenpick Resort. We had a beautiful room, and enjoyed wandering around the flower-lined stone walkways of the grounds. We tried to head down to the Dead Sea for a float, but the life guards would not allow anyone in the ocean, as there were whopping 12 inch waves rolling in... sheesh! It's not exactly like there is a huge drowning risk! We were pretty bummed, but still enjoyed some time lounging by one of the resort's many pools. That evening people in our group were dropping like flies. The food poisoning issues were worsening, and flu-like symptoms were coming on. Bummer! We had a small, but entertaining group for dinner, and called it an early night. The next morning we relaxed at the spa. We still weren't allowed in the Dead Sea, so we experienced the next best thing... floating in the heated Dead Sea pools at the spa. How fun it is to be weightless!
Before returning to Amman we took a slight detour to visit the Jordan River and the baptism site of Jesus. We were so excited to see these sites, and tried our best to imagine what everything would have looked like 2000 years ago. The Jordan River was no more than a muddy creek, after years of serious irrigation and climate change. The simple baptism site was situated along a once-flowing tributary of the Jordan. It was such a surreal experience knowing we were walking where Jesus once had... it still boggles my mind.
That evening we boarded a plane for Dubai, exhausted, nauseous, and completely satisfied with our whirlwind trip to Jordan. We are very thankful for the wonderful travel companions, and the incredible sites we witnessed.





Just a little bit foggy up in the hills









The Movenpick... our beautiful hotel at the Dead Sea









The Dead Sea














See the "massive" waves the lifeguards were worried about?! (No, I'm not bitter at all ;} )








Sunset over the Dead Sea




No better way to start off the morning than with a soak in the spa




Floating in the Dead Sea pool




Bathing beauties=). Jen and I found this infinity pool after we accidentally locked ourselves out of the spa. The pool was not heated, and Jen bet Isaac 5 dinar to swim across it... a bet he readily accepted. Brrr!!!




Russian church near the Jordan River




The once mighty Jordan River, now seriously depleted from extensive irrigation




The Baptism site of Jesus














Russian church