Jordan

Practically anywhere you go in the Middle East has some sort of biblical history tied to it. One particularly hot Jordanian day, I was dragged begrudgingly up the rather harsh looking Mount Nebo to see ANOTHER church. I grumbled all the way up, having forgotten my water bottle and being almost sure that there was not going to be a convenience store once we reached the summit. Once we reached the top, I was rewarded with what appeared to be a rather tiny ruined church. I took my obligatory 10 minutes to admire the floor mosaics, and then went about the truly important business of finding the nearest vendor selling water. After asking around, I discovered that the only water available was from a well in the church courtyard. And, it was community well. And there was only one ladle. And people were already drinking out of it. Hot and bothered, I plopped down in the dirt near an olive tree and settled in to pout until my group was done "enjoying" the site.

Bored, I began thumbing through the information pamphlet that I had stuffed in my camera bag. I was sitting on one of the only points in Jordan where you see a panorama of the Holy Land and the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day. The 'tiny ruined church' was first constructed in the second half of the 4th century to commemorate the place of Moses' death. Many people thought that God buried Moses under one of the six tombs carved into the earth underneath the church.

The olive tree I was sitting near was planted as a symbol of Peace in 2000 by Pope John Paul II when he visited the site during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Needless to say, I was humbled. Since then, I have an immediate and ultimate respect for all tourists attractions I'm dragged miles in hundred dregee temperatures to see.

Some attractions, however, are intriguing right off the bat. While driving to the Dead Sea, my father casually mentioned that Lot's wife was somewhere in the surronding hills that form the backdrop for the Dead Sea and the border between Jordan and Israel. "Her tomb?" I said, for the most part uninterested. "No, her." he said.

I had always found the story of Lot fascinating! I thought just seeing the Dead Sea (which many believe are the final resting places of Sodom and Gomorrah) would be interesting. But, suddenly, I really really wanted to see Lot's wife (or the pillar of salt that they claim is her). It was for some reason highly important to me that I see for myself what a 2,000 year old pillar of salt that used to be a disobedient woman looks like.

I get an image of a ghostly white rather beautiful woman, with a pained expression touching her perfectly preserved features as she looks back over her shoulder while extending one delicate hand behind her. The other hand would be pressed to her heart as the smooth layers of gauzy traveling clothes envelop one another in mute testimony to the timelessness of the Alimghty.

I cannot say for sure that the powerful image described is anywhere near accurate, because it seems Lot's wife is as obstinate in death as in life, and I was unable to locate the actual site. There was some debate as to whether she is in currently in Israel or Jordan. I have looked it up on the internet, and have been informed that she is claimed by the Jordanian, and listed as one of the tourist attractions when visiting the Dead Sea (along with the tomb where Lot and his daughters took refuge as God destroyed the unpious). After a good half hour on Google, the best directions I got were, "Off the highway leading to the Dead Sea". Apparantly, I'm the only one really TRULY interested in seeing Lot's wife.

Thus proving, no one likes a disobedient woman... except another disobedient woman!

A Mid-East market place is probably one of the most interesting places you could ever visit. The sites, sounds, and smells are intoxicating, and the general atmsphere is one of frenzied chaos and interminable haggling.

Falling in among the flocks of shoppers, you meander past manic merchants screaming prices and listing their wares, in case you may have missed them. Ambiguous women in chadors brush past chattering in Arabic bumping and pushing to examine their future purchases. Merchants grab your arm to usher you into their shops, and the entire concept of personal space becomes a luxury.

In the air, the pungent smell of spiced shwarma meat permeates mingling with the thick smoke of the sheesha. The delicate scent of cardemon infused coffee wafting from the shops where luxorious brighly colored pillows and stools provide a haven for haggling. The sights, sounds, and smells all let you know you're in the ultimate sensory culture.

One day, walking through the 'balad' or market, in Amman, Jordan I saw an argument that reached the height of rudeness, at least for the Middle East. A woman clad completely in black, only revealing her blazing eyes was obviously in a heated discussion with a merchant. The woman was apparantly unsatisfied with her purchase, and was attempting to get remuneration. The merchant was refusing, and as the woman raised her voice, he raised his also. The argument grew quite animated with both parties waving arms, gesturing wildly with the woman attempting to push the merchendise back into the merchant's hands. Back and forth they went, until finally the merchant apparantly got the better of her. Angrily, the woman threw down the defective merchendise and stormed off down the aisle of the market. The haughty merchant watched her go, pleased to have gotten the upper hand.

When the woman got to the end of the aisle, she turned back and locked eyes with the merchant for the last time. Brazenly, she then delivered the ultimate Arab insult; she kicked off her sandal and raised her leg, showing the merchant the sole of her foot. The merchant screamed something in Arabic and started after her, but the woman had retrieved her sandal and disappeared around the corner and into the crowd.

Thus proving that a man may think he's got the upper hand, but the woman always has the upper foot!