Livin' it up at the lowest point on Earth!

April 4, 2011
We have ventured a little further off the beaten track and are now in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan.

The night before we left Thailand was a new level of excitement. Having spent 2 months in SE Asia, we felt familiar with the culture and we were both looking forward to experiencing the Middle East. It was that same level of excitement that we felt when we left home and as we flew over the vast emptiness of the desert below, we were squeaking with anticipation and excitement (well Q doesn't really squeak but you get my point).

Coincidentally, about 8 months ago I met a guy on a flight to Vancouver who was from Jordan and he was very helpful in giving us tips and pointers about Jordan. He assured us that Jordan was a very safe country and that Jordanians love tourists and would be very friendly. We have certainly found that to be the case. EVERYONE comes up to us, asks us where we are from and says "Welcome to Jordan"! Even people trying to sell things at tourist locations, when we say "no thank you" they respond with "you're welcome. Enjoy Jordan". It's so refreshing and it doesn't feel like a 'stock phrase', rather, a genuine invitation to be 'at ease'.
 (One of the most common greetings in Jordan is 'Ahlan wa sahlan' which translates to 'be as one of the family and at your ease')
Our first hour in the country, we accidentally ran over a boys soccer ball and when we stopped at a shop to buy a new one, every owner from the neighboring stores came out to greet Q. It was both humbling and funny, since we are very unaccustomed to this kind of attention.
Jordanians always give a welcoming greeting. We've noticed that when people greet each other, it's as though they are seeing a close friend or family for the first time in years. It's a firm handshake followed by 5 kisses on alternating cheeks. Many men also carry on the entire conversation without letting go of the other gentlemen's hand. 

We stayed our first night in Madaba, a jumping off point before heading to the Dead Sea. We woke up and enjoyed a buffet breakfast on a rooftop restaurant with an incredible view of the city. The setting, a crisp blue sky, white washed Arabic style architecture surrounded by desert hills, was surreal, something we've only seen in movies.
On our way to the Dead Sea we ventured to Mt Nebo, a mountain which is said to be the place where Moses was shown ' The Promised Land' and later died. With panoramic views of an unchanged landscape, it's easy to imagine the footsteps taken by those in biblical history.
In spite of one's religious persuasions, with over 100 sites in Jordan mentioned in the bible, and hosting some of the worlds oldest civilizations, it's hard not to be moved by the history in this country. 

As we drove to the Dead Sea, on roads winding through landscapes that I can only compare to the Grand Canyon, we pulled off to take a picture and were greeted by a shepard. It seemed perfectly fitting as we felt like we had traveled back in time, first visiting Mt Nebo, driving through the Promised Land and now meeting a Bedouin Shepard. It was perfect until we were shocked back into reality when the shepards cell phone started ringing. After welcoming us to Jordan and asking us for a smoke, he took off as quickly as he appeared, into the arid landscape, up hills at a pace we had to admire.

At the Dead Sea, we treated ourselves for Quentin's birthday by staying at The Movenpick, a 5 star resort, complete with infinity pools. It was beyond heavenly. Again, we received treatment that we were unaccustomed to and upon ordering room service for breakfast, we were presented with a spread I can only compare to that in the movie 'Pretty Woman' where Edward says "I took the liberty of ordering everything on the menu". The amount of food was insane. 
Most of you know, the Dead Sea is the  lowest point on Earth and also one of the hottest. The evaporation rate exceeds the rate of water flowing into the basin. As a consequence the salinity is 9 times higher than the ocean, making bathing an interesting experience. Due to the mineral content, the water has a very oily feel and your body naturally floats. In fact, since our center of gravity is our hips, it takes a lot of work to stand up-right, rather than float. Being able to read a book while reclining on your back without a floatation device was an anomaly we never grew tired of. 
After covering ourselves with the therapeutic "Dead Sea" mud and soaking it off in the salty brine, we took a necessary rinse and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing at the pool and watching the sunset over Israel (tough life). To finish off celebrating Q's bday we had a steak dinner and our first try at smoking shisha... Q, having never smoked anything a day in his life, is now addicted.

We are now in Petra... Stay tuned for Q's update.