Well, I’m late again… but this time I do have a humdinger of a reason. Hiram and I went to Houston for the 130th Reunion of the Sons of Confederate Veterans – he’s an officer both in our local camp and in the Texas Division – I’m so proud of him. Anyway, we had a fun time – at least I did, because they always arrange great trips and diversions for the wives – but I wasn’t feeling as good as I usually do, which I put down to fatigue and a recently completed killer of a deadline. The Reunion always ends with a banquet and a Grand Ball, and I was determined to go. I mean, this spring I had bought this gorgeous dress in Cairo specifically for the Ball. Here’s a picture of us…
Well, we went to the Ball but about halfway through I started feeling so bad I went back upstairs. When he came up Hiram was so distressed that he called the EMTs, who recommended I go to the hospital. I hate hospitals, and said no, but Hiram overrode me (and am I glad he did!) which he doesn’t do often but when he does in that tone of voice I obey. Long story short, within four hours of the above picture being taken I was in emergency surgery having a whopping blood clot taken from my renal artery. Then, to add insult to injury, I was barely coming to in recovery when they slapped the mask on me again and sent me back to surgery because either they hadn’t gotten all of it or there were two of those beasties swimming around. Anyway, I was eight days in Memorial Kettering before Hiram brought me back to Dallas, and I’ve been ‘resting’ (i.e., sleeping some 20 hours a day) ever since. So… that is that.
Back to fun stuff. After the NRA and before the SCV, Hiram and I went to the Gem and Mineral show held yearly in Plano and had a wonderful time. Our friend Eddie Harmon of Eddie’s Rocks and Relics brought his bearded dragon (lizard) named Phoenix and was kind enough to let me play with him. Great fun and surprisingly cuddly!
I went vowing not to buy a thing, but still came home with a golf-ball sized crystal skull and a somewhat crude but still energetically carved crocodile 18 inches or so long, carved from (admittedly low quality) jade. Don’t have a picture of it, but will put one in a later column.
Okay, now for what we all hope is the end of my trip diary. When we last left our intrepid tour, we had just left Petra (sadly – but Hiram and I have decided that we are definitely going back so we can see the entire thing!) and were traveling along the 5,000 year old (but thankfully recently re-paved) to Sela, a tidy little town about which I remember almost nothing.
All the towns in Jordan that we saw were tidy. The architecture was – on the whole – definitely Middle Eastern, but still obviously Jordanian. For two such similar countries (historic, Middle Eastern, overwhelmingly Islamic) Egypt and Jordan are startlingly different. To hark back to the language of my semi-hippie youth, their vibe is totally different. Egypt is blessed with the monumental remains of the pharaonic era, an asset that they are utilizing to the utmost. However, during the past few decades since I have been going to Egypt there has been a change from an almost totally tourist and agrarian-oriented industry and it is in the process of a great and largely successful change into a modern country. Still, there are the blessings of the pharaonic remains, and Egypt is still most wisely utilizing them. I hope they do forever, because they are almost totally unique in the world. Still, in spite of growing modernity and industrialization tourism is one of the top – if not currently the top – of Egypt’s industries.
Jordan is blessed with aeons of history, but without the impressive monuments Egypt has. We stopped many places to look at a fairly blank field and be told that this is where such-and-such battle occurred, or a rocky valley where so-and-so camped before doing such-and-such. I have admitted I am not a Biblical scholar, so a lot of this trip was wasted on me other than in the realm of archaeological curiosity. To one used to the monumental remains of Ancient Egypt it is dreadfully lowering to be excited by a building foundation or the crumbling ruin of an ancient chapel built over a spot where reputedly something Biblical happened. I’m not saying that those things are without value, or that I am not happy to have seen them, but they really don’t compare with Egypt’s vast amount of historical treasures. I am very happy to have seen them, but with a few exceptions (mainly Wadi Rum and Petra) I don’t really want to see them again.
That said, Jordan was fascinating. It is rougher, being a country that clings to the sides of mountains instead of spreading across the desert, and has much more greenery, albeit most of it definitely not lush. It has the feeling of an industrialized nation (which it is, though on a different scale that of Europe or the US) and just feels more modern. At least, to me. There are miles of farms and some orchards, and one of the biggest dams I have ever seen. One note is that everywhere you look there is a coffee shop – sometimes no more than a couple of boards banged together to make a rude shelter. And most times the coffee is superb! (And on rare occasions it most certainly is not!)
On to the tour – we only drove through Sela, another tidy town, to Madaba, yes, another tidy town, also called ‘The City of Mosaics’, renowned for its magnificent collection of lavish Byzantine mosaics in both churches and in homes. The most famous treasure is one of the oldest maps of ancient Palestine (the land of the ancient Semites which has nothing to do with the violent fanatic usurpers causing trouble today), the mosaic map which covers the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, an ancient and tiny little bitty church in the middle of the city, right on a shopping street (and oh how we wanted to stop and shop, but there was no time and Fearless Leader was a martinet about keeping to the schedule). St. George’s was undergoing a much-needed renovation, so for safety’s sake the map had been moved to the visitor’s center, a tiny little building on the church grounds.
Here’s the the ancient mosaic map and our Fearless Leader, David Rohl.
Made in the 6th century AD (none of that anti-Christian BCE/CE nonsense from me!) the map depicts the major Biblical sites from Egypt to Palestine for the benefit of pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. The River Nile, Mount Sinai, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and Lake Tiberias are easily identified, in addition to such cities as Bethlehem and the detailed Holy City of Jerusalem. One can still make out the city walls, gates, main streets and the domed Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
There was a Byzantine-style icon for sale in the visitor center that I wanted badly, but there was not time to see the map presentation and purchase it, so sadly I left it there. Fearless Leader really should have made some time for shopping! It would have made for a much happier bunch of female tourists.
From Madaba we went on to Mount Nebo, which dates back to the time of Moses – around the 12th century BC and is believed to be the site of his burial place and from where he viewed the Holy Land. On top of the mount there are the remains of the 4th century Moses Memorial Church, built by early Christians. A large and very simple church/museum has been built over it, housing a simple altar and a few benches, but the true glory of the place is the collection of mosaic floors. Yes, floors, though due to their number and space restrictions some of the smaller ones are displayed on the walls. Most of the mosaics are incomplete, but they are big – even just the remaining scraps are up to 15 feet wide or more. The patterns are intricate and in some the tiles are so small the piece resembles embroidery more than mosaic.
Inside or outside the building, however, it was a lovely spot where you could see almost forever. There were lovely trees and shrubs and flowers and a feeling of such peace that it was a balm even to our travel-tired souls. Also, scattered around the area were several lovely monuments, each individual and each beautiful, including one to the workers who had built this park and the buildings.
From there we went to a mosaic shop/factory where we had a presentation on the construction of mosaics. They did have some lovely ones, from jewelry to little coaster-size pieces to some that would take up half of an average room wall. There was one of two peacocks, probably 3×4 feet that I just loved and lusted for… and it was only $8,000 USD. That did include shipping, though. There were tables and jewelry and, in the non-mosaic category was antique jewelry, some lovely furniture, both carved and mother-of-pearl inlaid, rugs of all sizes, and some real antiques, including a 1700s long gun that the armament-inclined of our group could not decide was authentic or not. There was also the expected complement of t-shirts, printed cups and saucers, cheap toys, scented bath products and other kinds of tourist tat.
Our docent, a really lovely young girl, told us several times both in the lecture and while seeing if we needed help in the sales room that they weren’t like the Egyptians – they didn’t harry and press us to buy, but then in the next breath she would talk about how one medium-purchase would keep an artisan’s family for three months and that it was so good of the tourists to support the Jordanian economy… Perhaps that was true, but I was a little (okay, a lot) put off by the constant push to sell even as they told us they didn’t push to sell like the Egyptians. My main thought was that Egyptian vendors could be pushy and annoying, but at least they are honest. Some of our group bought some little things – I don’t think anyone bought anything of size (the kind that would have to be shipped) but I really don’t know.
From there we went to Bethany, arguably the most important Biblical site in Jordan. Located in the middle of an army installation, which necessitated special permission and repeated showings of our passports, this marks the place in el-Kharrar Valley (Saphsaphas) where Jesus Christ came to be baptized by John, and where Elijah is said to have ascended into Heaven in a chariot of fire. We didn’t see them, but the tour company says recent investigations have excavated the remains of churches and marble floors dating back to the Byzantine era and the late Roman era, along with ancient baptismal pools.
To get to the baptismal spot from the museum we had to walk a long long way down a very pleasant, tree-shrouded path. It was all very nice, but again far too long for me. I made it about halfway, then had to return. I stopped at the little museum next to the bus park and it was a lovely place. They had many absolutely gorgeous priests’ robes and accessories from the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Coptic churches, along with some of the archaeological finds made in the area. The attendant, a very kindly man, took me into the small courtyard and – probably seeing how exhausted I was – made me a cup of tea. We sat and talked about all kinds of things until I could tell that the group was returning. It was a lovely time, and as I had already seen the Jordan River several times before (back when I was working on a film in Israel during the 80s) I really didn’t miss seeing it again. I did buy a few souvenirs there – a tote bag and a couple of refrigerator magnets. Didn’t have space or energy to carry anything more.
From there we went on to the Dead Sea, where we were to spend two nights in the lowest spot on earth – 432 meters below sea level. I had been to the Dead Sea before too, on the same film assignment, but on the Israeli side. My visit then had been to an uninhabited and dead land, just sand and rocks and barren mountains and a lonely road skirting the absolutely clear water. No fish. No plants. (To say nothing of my having a rather scandalous and somewhat dangerous adventure, but there’s not time or space to elaborate on that! Plus, it was not one of my better moments…)
Well, obviously I’m not going to be able to finish the trip in this installment, which is already too long, and I apologize. It’s just that there was so much to do and see and I want to share it with you. I promise I’ll finish up next time!