May 3rd - Roaming Roman Streets

There is no rest for the weary on this trip. Luggage had to be outside the room for pick up at 6:45 and we were on the bus and on our way by 7:45. We traveled south to get to our border crossing into Jordan at the Sheikh Hussein Crossing. There are a limited number of crossing sites. This one has only been open since 1994 and has tremendously increased import/export and tourism for the “Kingdom” of Jordan. Signs like the entry sign below with a picture of King Abdullah II are proudly displayed on numerous buildings around the country.

Crossing into Jordan was not difficult, but neither was it trivial. Elie, our guide for Israel, and Fawsy, our bus driver took us to the entrance. We had to remove all of our luggage from the bus go inside to customs. Out visa had already been purchased, so all that was left was to show our passport (which they kept)…and have our fingerprint and photo taken. Back outside, our passports were returned and we crossed the street with our luggage to wait for the “Gold” bus. They checked our passport again as we boarded the bus, which wasn’t really our bus, just the one that takes you across the border to Jordanian customs. Once over the border, we picked up our luggage, put all of our luggage through an x-ray machine, carried our luggage to the bus, several yards away, where our passport was checked yet again before we departed. I sure hope TSA doesn’t get wind of this procedure! We met our new guide, Tareq, who will be with us for the next two days. He speaks really fast with a heavy accent and I am relieved to hear from others in the group that they too are struggling to understand him. It is like listening to a movie in fast forward or maybe the Chipmunks minus the nasal tone!
 We are finally on the road again at 11:57. As we drive toward Jerash we pass Bedouin (native nomads) and Gypsy (nomads from Syria that move constantly around Jordan for 1-2 months, then return to Syria) camps and a Palestinian settlement. We are amazed as the children literally race to the end of the street to wave at us as we pass. What a welcoming committee. The wonderful folks at the customs office should take notes!




Jerash (also called Garasa or Jarash) was founded in about 332 B.C. by Alexander the Great. The ruins we see today are from the second century A.D. The ruins were discovered in 1806 and excavations began in the 1920’s.


 I just HAD to buy postcards for "one dalla" from this precious little boy.

Fellow travelers joked that they come all the way to Jordan to see Roman ruins and how disappointing they were. But as the city unfolded before our eyes, we knew we were in for a treat. Some folks were eating their words an hour later. Unfortunately, our guide tours about as fast as he talks, and he doesn’t seem to understand that the photographer in the group (of which there are many) need more than 3 minutes to document a site. Especially when it entails climbing to the top (well almost, Tareq was calling us back by the time I got almost to the top) of a 5000 seat theatre. This is the most extensive expansion of an uncovered and reconstructed site I have ever seen. You could easily spend half a day here. There are several features of importance: Triumphal Arch (Hadrian’s Arch), oval shaped forum (plaza), Street of Columns, Temple of Zeus, Hippodrome, Theatre, Temple of Artemis, Cathedral Church and a number of Byzantine churches we didn’t have time to see.

You must understand we’ve come thousands of miles to see ancient cities, but we flew through them to be at the Hippodrome by 2:15 to see “The Roman Army and Chariot Experience.” It was a demonstration of Gladiator fighting, Roman military tactics, and chariot races.

As frustrated as I was to cut short our site tour, I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. We even took pictures afterwards with the “Roman” cast of Jordanians. Ferrell told us on the bus today that the word “hypocrite” came from a theatre term that refers to an actor wearing a mask and playing a part. I think that must mean our entertainers were hypocrites. While the site itself is not biblically significant, people from the Decapolis followed Jesus during His ministry in Galilee (Mat. 4:25). It is possible that Jesus visited the area around Jerash when he traveled through the Decapolis.

We had about 20 minutes for a whirlwind (the theme for the day) trip through the bazaar. A strand of camel teeth that look like they needed a good home took a small bite out of my pocket book.
 

The one-hour trip from Jerash to Amman, where we will stay tonight, was breathtakingly beautiful. I took as many shots out of the window as I could. I suspect if I was driving it would have been midnight, or at least dark before I got to Amman.

We got to the hotel in time to talk a walk to the local “mall.” Not much to see, but we did check out their grocery store. What fun to experience the culture of other countries. We are the most fortunate people in the world. We take so much for granted.





Hope you can come along again tomorrow and that all is well in your part of the world!