Petra

Dead Sea mud treatment
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Marhaba!

Made my way over to Amman, not too bad of a border crossing from Israel.  I arrive at the worst hotel ever!  The bed was dirty, the shower did not drain (so your feet are in someone else's bath water!), garbages were not emptied, the mattress was old and and paper thin, the toilet seat was not attached (you figure that out real fast), you always had to ask for TP, they guy in the room was a heavy nose breather, would talk to himself and giggle at whatever came on the tube.  BUTit did have satellite TV and I got to watch english news for the first time in a long while!  What can you expect for a whole $6 a night???  I dropped of my laundry little did I know the guy would take it to the dry cleaners.  The guy spoke very little english.  Twenty bucks later.  My clothes have never been that clean.  Who gets their underwear done by the dry cleaners???    After 3 days of bathing in other's bath water I decided to attempt another hammam.  Round 2!!!!  Way different than Turkey.  They did make me wear my swimsuit for the sauna and jacuzzi but not the massage.  I went for a very painful scrub.  They attendant (who has clothes on this time) makes one quick painful motion and gives me a nasty wedgy.  I have boy short swimsuit bottoms, more material then most, gone.  I did not think I would be able to retrieve them!!  At least this time there was no ass slapping or anything like that!  The woman scrubbed me so hard I thought I was going to bleed to death though.  After that I went for a 45 minute massage, that was fantastic.  A very different experience from the first, I don't think anything will ever come close to the first Turkish bath experience!!!  Did a day trip to the Dead Sea, that was awesome.  You bob like a cork, no way of sinking.  I then took a trip to Jeresh.  Fantastic ruins, they say that 90% of the city is still undiscovered.  Lots to see and do.  I then took a mini bus to Petra.  I was the only female and they made me sit in a single seat so no man would have to sit beside me.  Women generally sit in the back with other women.  Most times on the bus I would get the seat to myself as no one wanted to deal with the pain and suffering of sitting next to a me.  Makes for interesting travel.  Huge cultural differences, the younger ones would be better with it then the old.  The total highlight of Jordan is Petra!  The pictures do not do it justice, a place that need's to be experienced for yourself.  The first day I was there for 12.5 hours trekking.  Climbed as many hills as I could.  I saw stairs I took them with no idea where they would lead me!  Very tired and sore at the end of the day.  Arrived first thing in the morning (6am) on both days, few tourist so I could enjoy the entrance in peace.  You walk through the Siq, which is a natural cut in the rock (1.2 km) until you reach the Treasury.  Pictures does not do this place justice, one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  You need to watch Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia, which was filmed here.  This place definitely needs 2 days if not more to get a feel for the Bedouin people and the city.  AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!!

I have sand in my bra....AGAIN!!!!!!!

Bob like a cork!
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See you in Egypt!!