Exploring Jordan: 5-10th March 2015

Tricia flew out on to join me for a few days exploring Jordan. What a dense concentration of history and varied geology in a relatively small country. Schadi, a former student at the Theodore Schneller School, who now teaches some mechanics, was our driver. He took us to the Roman ruins at Jerash, Mount Nebo, where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land before he died (Deuteronomy 34), and Madaba, which has the oldest map in the Middle East in mosaics on the church floor. We spent two nights in the remarkable hidden Nabatean city of Petra, walking up the several hundred steps to the monastery and resisting all persuasions to ride a donkey, but succumbing for a cup of tea with Rosa, who seems famous in the guidebooks for her hospitality. We then travelled on to Wadi Rum, staying in a touristy Bedouin encampment, but before that having a meal in a Bedouin home before a 4×4 tour of the stunning scenery of the area, the sand and rock formations changing their colours as the sun setted. Finally we drove to Aqaba staying with the Mission to Seafarers Chaplain, Adam Boulter and his delightful family. It was fun to take them out for a meal in an “English” pub, read the children bedtime stories and Tricia and Adam found much to talk about in the fields of Art and Theology. Adam is a gifted artist with a current exhibition on Jesus’ temptations in St Margaret’s Church Westminster and Tricia has recently been accepted for a PhD at the University of Birmingham bringing together her interests in art and theology.