I just returned back from one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure to witness. We headed into the city of Al Salt, Jordan which is an agricultural hub that is on the way between Jerusalem and Amman. Just to give historical context, this town was thought to be built during the reign of Alexander the Great in Macedonia. It is now a provincial city within Jordan with some historic artifacts and displays.
Surprisingly, this area was further away than heading to the Dead Sea. Our tour bus shuttled us along for about an hour before we reached the city. We visited a museum that showcased parts of Jordanian culture such as the wedding ceremony and progression of currency. To be perfectly honest, though it was very historical much of the information did not stick with me because it was not particularly intriguing. My personality is such that I will only enjoy adventuring through historical areas if and only if there is a knowledgeable tour guide who can take me along. If you were to ask me exactly what I remembered the most about walking through the museum, it would be the balcony outside of it on which I could see the rest of the city.
We stopped within a Christian church within the center of the city, surely a rare sight given the predominance of Muslim culture. The inside of the church held ornaments and paintings that decorated every single wall. There were several pictures of St. George slaying a dragon and the church was undoubtedly devoted to him. We wandered through the church, a small and dismal comparison to the chapel on my college campus, and heard some of the history. The pastors also gave us "holy oil" dipped in a cotton swab and a small bag of incense as a token of the faith.
Amusingly, my favorite part of this sight was the green ribbon that was given to us to tie around our ankle. Apparently, when the ribbon falls off you will be granted three wishes of your choice. Believe me, I chose carefully.
Afterwards we headed to a restaurant, where we were served traditional Jordanian food including chicken with rice and vegetables and pita. Some of us ordered a hookah, which was fun to smoke But the highlight of our trip was the enactment of a traditional Jordanian wedding. Two of our group members were dressed in ceremonial bride and groom garb. The rest of us were also given traditional formal costumes and we paraded around them as our guides sang and made merry. Indeed, it almost felt like we were having a real party.
Afterwards, we walked around the city once more and were sheparded by the tour bus to our next destination: the oldest school of Amman. Unfortunately, the school was closed because it was the weekend and we were unable to tour the inside. However, we sat and discussed Jordanian politics while sitting outside. Some of the guys also began playing soccer with the children hanging out outside of the school (and were beaten by them).
The day was near over, and our bus took us to our final destination: to the ridges of a mountain range dividing Jordan and Palestine. Being scared of heights, I was afraid of venturing down the mountain. However, the beauty of the landscape drew my courage up. I wish that I could adequately describe the landscape, but I feel that words cannot properly capture it. It was like viewing a hidden valley, with more greenery than I had expected to see in the middle east. There was grey mist in the background, making the picture surreal, and in the distance were small houses that were widely spaced.
I took in the beauty of the scene as I sat on the edge of the valley and watched the sun slowly set. I will always have that imagery within my mind as I continue the rest of my adventure here.
Surprisingly, this area was further away than heading to the Dead Sea. Our tour bus shuttled us along for about an hour before we reached the city. We visited a museum that showcased parts of Jordanian culture such as the wedding ceremony and progression of currency. To be perfectly honest, though it was very historical much of the information did not stick with me because it was not particularly intriguing. My personality is such that I will only enjoy adventuring through historical areas if and only if there is a knowledgeable tour guide who can take me along. If you were to ask me exactly what I remembered the most about walking through the museum, it would be the balcony outside of it on which I could see the rest of the city.
We stopped within a Christian church within the center of the city, surely a rare sight given the predominance of Muslim culture. The inside of the church held ornaments and paintings that decorated every single wall. There were several pictures of St. George slaying a dragon and the church was undoubtedly devoted to him. We wandered through the church, a small and dismal comparison to the chapel on my college campus, and heard some of the history. The pastors also gave us "holy oil" dipped in a cotton swab and a small bag of incense as a token of the faith.
Amusingly, my favorite part of this sight was the green ribbon that was given to us to tie around our ankle. Apparently, when the ribbon falls off you will be granted three wishes of your choice. Believe me, I chose carefully.
Afterwards we headed to a restaurant, where we were served traditional Jordanian food including chicken with rice and vegetables and pita. Some of us ordered a hookah, which was fun to smoke But the highlight of our trip was the enactment of a traditional Jordanian wedding. Two of our group members were dressed in ceremonial bride and groom garb. The rest of us were also given traditional formal costumes and we paraded around them as our guides sang and made merry. Indeed, it almost felt like we were having a real party.
Afterwards, we walked around the city once more and were sheparded by the tour bus to our next destination: the oldest school of Amman. Unfortunately, the school was closed because it was the weekend and we were unable to tour the inside. However, we sat and discussed Jordanian politics while sitting outside. Some of the guys also began playing soccer with the children hanging out outside of the school (and were beaten by them).
The day was near over, and our bus took us to our final destination: to the ridges of a mountain range dividing Jordan and Palestine. Being scared of heights, I was afraid of venturing down the mountain. However, the beauty of the landscape drew my courage up. I wish that I could adequately describe the landscape, but I feel that words cannot properly capture it. It was like viewing a hidden valley, with more greenery than I had expected to see in the middle east. There was grey mist in the background, making the picture surreal, and in the distance were small houses that were widely spaced.
I took in the beauty of the scene as I sat on the edge of the valley and watched the sun slowly set. I will always have that imagery within my mind as I continue the rest of my adventure here.
No comments:
Post a Comment