Jordan

Its been a while, but we have finally found time to write about our short visit to Jordan - which was a fitting finale to this part of our trip ... We spent the first couple of days near the famous ruins of Petra, but it was only on the second day that we actually ventured out to visit the site. This was Rory's 'fault' as he was still laid low by the bug which he picked up in Turkey! However it was worth the wait and we will let the pictures do the talking!

Next up was the Dead sea and the lowest point on the earth at 410m below sea level. This place was fun and the high salt content of the water (something like 30%), meant that it was impossible to sink! It also means that no life can survive in it and you don't wan't to get any of the water in your mouth or your eyes!Rory was still sick at this point and so we finally call Dr. Jones, who prescribed some antibiotics that Amy had stashed away, which did the trick!

On our final evening we visited what is believed to be the site were Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist (see Matthew 3: 13-17 and Mark 1:9-11). This was slightly surreal as it is on the river Jordan which acts as the border between Jordan and Israel, hence you get escorted to the site by armed guards!

Overall, we really enjoyed Jordan and we were sad that we did not have more time to visit some of its other famaous sites, however, London and the Rugby World Cup was calling ...

Turkey - Istanbul

Istanbul - it has to be said, the jury's out.

Granted, the Blue Mosque is impressive, but other than taking a few snaps of the outside it was a site we weren't inclined to emphasise (we obviously weren't comfortable with the idea of going inside, which meant we kinda missed out on the "blue" bit). I suppose it lacked a personal resonance compared to the sites of Ephesus for example. While it is important to learn about and experience new cultures, it was similar to, but not as interesting as, our Moroccan experience earlier in the year (although check out the dude with the leeches that we saw at the Spice Market - that's certainly something you don't see every day!). So it could be said that our criticisms boil down to the fact that we are spoilt travelers! Plus, Rory managed to pick up a horrendous bug that is still with us a week later.... not good.



But, on the upside - shopping. There was the Grand Bazaar (where Rory put his talent for bargaining to the test on jewelry and fake handbags) as well as a huge "modern" shopping district. Only I could manage to purchase an entire new outfit (including handbag) while backpacking! Fortunately, our 48-hour London pit stop is just around the corner.

Turkey - Ephesus

We decided to brave the 40 degree heat and venture to the ancient city of Ephesus. A lot of sweat and a few Nestle Iced Teas later, we found ourselves sitting in the middle of the massive Roman ruins at the site, reading an eye witness account of events that took place in that exact spot in Ephesus in 1st century AD. Not quite time travel but still a bit of a spin-out.

What most grabbed our attention was walking around the grand theatre, the same one where the people of Ephesus gathered in a huge protesting riot when they heard Paul saying that gods made out of silver are no gods at all (which makes sense – how can it be a god if I put it together?), because it meant not only that their favourite goddess, the great goddess Artemis, was being disrespected (we saw her temple too and it was pretty sizeable), but that their local friendly silversmith would be out of business! See Acts 19 for more details…