adios perquez

I'm typing my last entry from Jordan. This time tomorrow I'll be sitting comfortably in my cousin's house in Sharjah (Dubai) and Courtney will be on her way back home. Hopefully, I'll have some clean clothes by then, too. My suitcase isn't emitting the prettiest odors right now.

Our last night in Wadi Musa was grand. Riad, our kindly hotel friend, kept us up late to smoke sheesha with tobacco from Bahrain. He's very sweet and 21, so we didn't mess with him too much. But he did arrange for us the nicest taxi driver we've had this whole trip. And as if that wasn't enough, he's 1/4 Armenian!

Moteb's grandfather married an Armenian woman who he saw in Turkey. The woman, Mary, was already married, but that didn't stop grandpa, who killed the husband and married Mary to make many half-Armenian babies. Apparently Moteb's father speaks Armenian. Unfortunately we didn't figure this out until we were an hour outside Wadi Musa, otherwise we would've been sitting down for some coffee and conversation. It made him so happy that I was Armenian that I think that combined with the general company of two pretty California girls, as we've come to be known in both these countries, that he nearly refused to take our money when we arrived at the Dead Sea three hours later. We forced him to take what was only a third of the price he normally charges for that drive. We definitely enjoying dealing with the Jordanians more than the Egyptian drivers who would flat out lie to us half the time. So frustrating.

As for the Jordan Valley Marriott....ahhhh...I'm still dreaming about that phenomenal bed, white sheets, down comforter. It was amazing. We felt poor and dirty just walking into the lobby. Even more so when we saw what were likely Saudi princes trailed by their security detail. *That's* how nice this place is. According to the guide book, it may be the best hotel in all of Jordan. It was worth every penny for our one night of luxury. We definitely appreciated it even more after some of the mosquito-ridden locales we'd seen in the last two weeks.

Our first activity was to cake ourselves in some Dead Sea mud (I'm talking head-to-toe smearing), drying in the sand, then into the Dead Sea to rinse off. The floating was unlike anything I've ever experienced. It was so funny to try and put your feet down and just watch them pop up immediately. We couldn't stop giggling. It's the lowest point on earth, about 400 meters below sea level, making the weather very hot and muggy.

This morning we wedged in some pool time before some more pampering. Courtney had a hot stone massage, which she described as the best massage she's ever had. I had a full-body salt-scrub. My skin is now cleansed of all the grime I'd accumulated on this trip.

We checked out and headed to Jesus' baptism site on the River Jordan. You walk through an incredible jungle-like thicket to the pools they excavated less than dozen years ago. It felt like we were walking through the Bible. We walked all the way down to the river, which is heavily guarded by Jordanian soldiers. Less than 20 feet away -- literally a stone's throw -- is Israel, the West Bank. You can see the Israeli and Palestinian Authority flags from just across the river bank, over the barbed wire. It's the closest I'll get to Israel for several years I'm sure. (not going until I get a new passport, sans the Syrian and Lebanese visas.)

Finally we arrived in Amman around 6 this evening and checked into the Farah Hotel, which is fine for 9 dinars a night, but definitely a letdown after the palatial comforts of the Marriott. Oh that bed...I'm still dreaming about it.

We've spent the evening walking around downtown Amman, which reminds me of Aleppo. Lots of little shops and markets. The fruit and vegetable stands are remarkable. The produce is all so ripe and the colors so vivid. We stopped off for a dinner of falafel, shawerma and foul from street kiosks. All together we spent less than $3 for our complete dinner. It's the only cheap meal we've had in Jordan. Everything else has been pretty pricey. We also had a canteloupe milkshake for dessert. Fabulous.

Though I haven't seen any Armenians yet, there's a Hagop Berberian jewelry shop just down the block from our hotel. It was closed, otherwise we would've gone in to say hello.

It's nearly 10 p.m. Courtney leaves for the airport at 2 a.m. She's already gone off to pack. I need to do the same before catching my 8 a.m. bus to the airport tomorrow morning.

The next post will come from Dubai!