Mt. Nebo and candle light walk in Petra

Given that we didn't have to check out of the Dead Sea hotel until 11 am, I took advantage of the extra time before check out to take a swim in the Dead Sea. It was an incredible experience. The water was a bit choppy so it made floating atop the water even more fun. I did get a little salt water in my mouth, but thankfully my eyes were spared.

After checking out from the hotel we stopped to investigate some natural hot springs and then headed to Mt. Nebo, the site where Moses was buried. Afterwards we grabbed some lunch in Madaba, a largely Christian town in Jordan close to Mt. Nebo, and then had a quick tour of a Greek Orthodox Church there before leaving for Petra.

We arrived at Petra after sunset, but it was neat to see the high, craggy hills of sandstone as we drove south. After we checked into the hotel and had dinner, we went on a candle light tour of Petra. It was really neat. The moon was full and the light bounced off the tall sides of the canyon walls. Unfortunately my camera wasn't able to capture the beauty of it all, but I suspect that I will get some great photos tomorrow when the sun is out. I only hope that I don't fill up my memory card on my camera before the trip is over.

Tomorrow night we will be sleeping in tents in the desert. As such, I think it is safe to say that I won't have Wi-Fi. I will post again when I am able. The next two days are shaping up to be quite exciting.

Photo credit: Phillip A. Young