Bethany Beyond the Jordan

Rose and I rented a car and drove out of Amman to visit a site that I was very excited to experience, the site of Jesus' baptism by John on the Jordan River. I've lately begun to read the Bible. I have never tried before for which I'm glad because I wouldn't have been ready to enjoy it as I am now. It's actually quite fascinating! An amazing history lesson which I was not expecting. I wasn't raised in a religion and though I have nothing against organized religion, it isn't for me. My mother was a lapsed Catholic who did not want to raise her children in that environment and my father comes from a background of Methodists but that never stuck with him either. No one ever indoctrinated my brother and I with a set of rules, apart from the Golden one, which I think was wonderful since then I had nothing to reject and could find my own path in my time. And I have. I have been witness to many miracles occurring in my life and God has had my back so frequently that I have grown to believe strongly and willingly in His existence and loving concern for all our well being. But I digress...

So I wanted to visit this site and Rose was game to show it to me. On the way to the car rental place, I tripped up onto a traffic island and bruised my right leg from the knee to the ankle all down the front and around the outside of my leg. Great swelling ensued on my calf, about 6 cm more than the left one but pish posh off we drove into the desert sunrise armed with multiple bottles of water which I clutched to my bosom since my walk uphill the day before in 100 degree heat at Petra. (I decided against riding a camel as it just felt too exploitative and hot to make them go around in circles for my amusement).

At the car rental agency, Rose received directions to our destination, which were technically accurate but added almost 4 hours on to our drive. I didn't mind at all except that Rose was skirting closely to the edge of the deadline for turning in the rough draft of her thesis so we were conscious of the hours passing. That is not all she skirted, she maneuvered around some serious potholes in a road that was last repaired by Romans. They were virtually invisible until you were on top of them appearing to be oil spots on the tarmac but oil spots they certainly were not!

We passed through desert landscapes that took my breath away. Flat plains rising to hazy hills in the distance, striated with horizontal black lines, you could see the layers laid down over eons, barren of all visible greenery. In small dips between hills, Bedouin camps flashed by nestled near the highway consisting of burlap or woven goat or camel hair blankets joined together to form a tent poised atop wooden poles, providing some respite from the heat. There were wooden corrals, rickety in appearance though it did not seem as though the animals had the impetus to wander off. Camels or goats roamed freely, nibbling what dried grizzled herbs they could locate and infrequently I saw a woman kneeling, gathering dry bits of grass for kindling. The camels were usually decorated with a pompom on their bridles, often red, looking like Rudolph's nose, the only color other than tan for a hundred miles around. I found it very striking, how Amman and the surrounding smaller cities were essentially monotone. The desert is a vast expanse of sand and stone primarily beige or tan with a smattering of pale rose or rust, but very pale. Down into the valleys the ground is more cream than tan, though I have no idea why that might be. Rose's cab driver friend, Mazan, said the buildings are primarily made of stone carved from the desert, expensive, but highly desirable for its insulating properties both summer and winter. And durable, which is necessary in a place where the wind etches all surfaces relentlessly.

We rounded one corner and there below us, just discernible through the haze of heat, lay the Dead Sea, truly stretched out like a slice of blue agate separating Jordan from the mountains of Israel which burst upward from the opposite shore. I was totally unprepared for this view, it was astonishing. I never have any idea where I am so it took me quite by surprise. On the opposite shore lay also the city of Jericho, that also was a revelation to me. As we traveled down and down, curving on narrow roads without signage nor guard rails, the sea became even more beautiful, the azure water paler towards the shore as the white of the salt deposits shone through. Lined up along the roadside were tents of vendors selling yellow inflatable duck inner tubes and souvenir beach towels, guide books and post cards--and water, always water.

As we reached the bottom, Oleander shrubs thrived, along with Bougainvillea in riotous shades of blue-violet, fuschia and lavender, creeping over metal poles erected on the front of small shops and houses to offer some welcome coolness. We arrived at Bethany Beyond the Jordan and Rose opted to stay in the car to work on her thesis so I took the mini bus to the site. She felt badly at leaving me to my own devices, but needs must, and honestly it was best that I had my thoughts to myself--though she could have helped me up when I fell~again~this time on my left knee bloodying myself and gaining a matching full shin bruise ankle to knee. Everyone was lovely and clucked and cooed over me making sure I was alright, which I was. The walk to the site was a short one and the subject of the photo above. I was surprised to discover that the Jordan River, given to a bit of meandering over the last 2,000 years, has wandered away from this original spot and has moved about 600 yards towards Israel. The government of Jordan has prepared a new modest site with wooden steps down to the river's edge covered by a shelter roofed in dried palm fronds. There is a small bird bath type baptismal font in the center and while we were there two white doves flew together and landed on the edge to cool themselves and drink. The Jordan River is the boundary between Israel and Jordan and again I was startled to find that the river that defines these two states is no more than 40 feet across at this point. The government of Israel has built a beautiful long set of white steps, 5 or 6 of them, that descend to the water's edge from a stone terrace that is set under a white stone breezeway with an arched facade. Quite lovely in its simplicity. And conversations could be overheard on both sides. Considering the intense border precautions we experienced the next day when Rose and I crossed into Israel, I was amazed how easily one could get from one side to the other by water. I am sure they have guards placed to prevent this but still it seemed it could be so peacefully accomplished if one wished to have a chat with the neighbors. Maybe in time.

We drove back to Amman, returned the car and prepared for tomorrow's trip to Israel.
I was falling in love with the Middle East.
I have posted other photos on my Blipfolio. One shows the Dead Sea in the distance with the mountains of Israel on the far side, the other shows the boundary between Jordan and Israel created by the Jordan River at the new site of Bethany and Beyond.