Dear Friends,
My attempt to get a 3 month visa was a success! It was an expensive way, but I got to see Petra in Jordan. I flew to Amman, Jordan where a taxi awaited me and took me to Amman. The next morning I took a 6:30 a.m. bus to Petra, where upon arrival at 10 a.m.,I found my hotel and went into the park. It was warm and required a lot of walking. Petra is a historic site that dates back to the days of the caravans that came through here. The Nabateans settled here 2200 years ago and established a flourishing kingdom and many traces of their culture are still visible. The area is made of colorful sandstone in which they carved intricate decorations.You enter the park and walk some distance until you come into a narrow walk way surrounded by towering cliffs of the most fabulous colors. The road is just wide anough for one car and you can still see traces of the stones the Romans laid. Many of the early inhabitants lived in caves and buried their dead in tombs which were formed in the rocks by erosions over centuries. Up until the 1980's local Bedouin tribes populated the caves and were known for their crafts. The caves now are empty, but many Bedouins still sell their colorful crafts in the park.
I met a delightful poet from New York and we decided to go back to Petra the next morning at 6:30 to avoid the tourists and enjoy the coolness of the early morning. It was a lovely walk and she brought me up to date on what is new in the States. That afternoon I returned by bus to Amman, and caught a morning flight back to Tel Aviv.The immigration officer asked me how long I wanted to say and I immediately replied 3 months, which she gave with the admonition that I would have to leave when this one expired. What a relief!! If ever you go to the Middle East, Petra is well worth your time. I found out that 80% of the Jordanians are refugees from Palestine. When people realized I lived in Beit Jala,Palestine, I was treated with great warmth.
We are now in the midst of the Easter celebrations and because the Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated 1 week after the Catholic one,there is much to see. Last night I went to a special foot washing service during which the right foot of 12 men were washed by the priest. It was most unusual and the mystery of it was accentuated by chanting and a lot of incense. Two hours is a little long when you don't understand what is being said, but you can get caught up in the ritual. And now from this Holy Land I wish all of you a blessed Easter. Have a wonderful time with your families, and keep praying for Peace.
Salaam, yvonne