July 26th

After enjoying a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and headed to the Dead Sea before returning to Irbid. After about a 2 hour trip through the desert roads, we had reached our destination. The Dead Sea was a beautiful sight. We parked and headed down to the shore where we all immediately jumped in. The Dead Sea is one of the saltiest seas in the world, containing 33.7% salt, compared to ocean water which only contains 3.5%. Ethan: “You didn’t have to do any work to float at all. The water was so salty, even if you tried to sink you couldn’t.” After a nice swim and a few pictures, we were on our way back to Irbid. (pictures below)




It looks like it was a little too salty...

Our driver

Ethan relaxing


The Crew

The Magic Bus

July 25th
At 5:30 a.m. we all woke up, grabbed our gear and began the 4 hour bus ride to Petra. Once we arrived and started walking towards the mountain, we knew what we were about to see would be amazing. We were in awe at the towering rocks in front of us as we made our journey through the narrow passageway, leading to the Treasury. In ancient times, the city was not only used as an oasis for conserving water in times of drought, it was also a well protected fortress. After spending hours walking the ruins and hiking up the ancient staircases, we rested for a bit. A few minutes later, we were approached by a man asking if we wanted to go on a camel ride. We immediately agreed and for just 6 Dinars each, we got to ride the camels all the way back to the Treasury. Trevor and Ethan were especially satisfied, since they had both said they wanted to go on a camel ride even before we landed in Jordan. (see pictures below)























We headed back to the hotel, freshened up and ate dinner while we reminisced on the events of that day. After a nice meal we headed up to our rooms and got some sleep for our early departure the next morning.
(check below for Petra at night)

View from the hotel



Full moon by the Mosque


Mosque from the distance

July 24th

Today was the first day that we got to actually sleep in, we all got much needed rest. In the early afternoon we jumped on the bus and headed to Jerash, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden
River. It was one of the best kept Roman cities of the east. After a short ride we arrived and were astonished by the size of the structures. Everywhere we looked there was a view to be captured.
We walked around for a few hours and were amazed by the architecture and intricate designs. After we were in dire need of water we headed back to the bus after a short stop at the shops to buy gifts and souvenirs.
Take a look at some of the pictures below...