Defying Gravity

I could not get my but out of bed today. The pillows were the best ones yet and I was warm and very comfortable. We slept as late as possible without being totally rushed, but I still needed a little motivation to get me going. I have my computer with me, so I called in reinforcements. Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” does wonders for getting me excited to be awake and the adventures that lay ahead. I repacked and dropped my bag at the bus before heading to breakfast. Gretchen stayed with the bags, while I made sandwiches for lunch from the breakfast buffet. We were going to be on the road during lunchtime with no place to stop.

Galilee is absolutely breathtaking. The area is lush and green with numerous signs of agriculture. We drove around the lake to get to Capernaum. There are ancient ruins of a church and synagogue. The houses date back to the time of Christ and we saw one house that is supposed to be Peter’s house. Since there is no literary insight into what Jesus did between the ages of 12 and 30, some scholars hypothesize that Jesus lived in Capernaum. The area around Galilee is the location of much of the New Testament and where Jesus did much of his teaching.

We went on from the ancient ruins of Capernaum to the Mount of the Beatitudes and the possible location of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Gretchen and I had the duty of devotions for today. Gretchen read from the Sermon on the Mount and I got to give my interpretation of what it means to us today. The morning was gorgeous and the birds were out. I walked around the grounds of the church taking in the view of the Sea of Galilee. I would have liked more time, but we had to get to our boat ride.

The next adventure for the day was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We walked the long dock to a wooden fishing boat that was to be our vessel for the hour. The ride was peaceful and calming. It was easy to imagine Jesus and his disciples fishing and Jesus teaching on the shore.

After the boat ride, we continued our hunt for an ATM. At this point, I was not the only one who needed money. We drove to Tiberius, where our driver promised we would find an ATM. At long last we found a functioning machine, and I felt connected to the universe once again. Ok, maybe it was that dramatic, but it was nice to have money again.

After the ATM, we drove to the border with Jordan. We said good-bye to our driver and began the journey into Jordan. We went through passport control in Israel after paying an exit fee. Next, we hopped on a shuttle bus that carted us over to the Jordanian side. Our Jordanian guide, Sam, met us and helped us through passport control. The immigration officer took my passport, made me look into a camera to record my image, and took my fingerprint. I could not get my passport back until the entire group had gone through. Leaving the building without my passport was a little nerve-wracking, but I did get it back eventually. I was allowed into Jordan without a problem.

Now, I am sitting on the bus traveling through the Jordanian countryside traveling south to Petra. We have been on the bus for almost 5 hours already, and I have no idea how much further we have to go. I slept for the first 2 hours and missed the intro, but I figured a nap was more important than hearing about the country’s demographics. I awoke to the bus stopping in Amman for a bathroom break. It is funny how the condition of the bathroom is representative of the country. Egypt is dirty and often dysfunctional. Israel is clean, strictly run, and sometimes inaccessible. Jordan is clean and modern looking on the outside, but the inside is always a surprise.

We have arrived at our hotel and checked in without a problem. Dinner was a mix of cultures once again and delicious. Gretchen and I opted for a swim after dinner and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the hot tub. Just before we were going to head up to our room, the manager came in and informed us that the “Jacuzzi” was 7 dinar, which translates into about $10. We were slightly taken aback to think that our 45 minute soak in the slightly warmer pool cost us something, but had we stuck to the larger pool, it would have been free. Such is the adventure of swimming in a foreign country. Tomorrow is Petra and possibly a Turkish bath.