Leaving Jordan, Leaving Jerusalem

Our final stop in Jordan before approaching the border crossing at Allenby Bridge was Mount Nebo, a delightful Franciscan church that houses numerous floor mosaics and other archeological artifacts.

A recording of Gregorian chant played softly in the background as our tour group rambled up metal staircases to metal platforms for a better overall view of the mosaics. I recalled the mass Tim and I had participated there five years ago. No chance of that now with this group of mostly non-Catholics¹ and our tight schedule. I lit a candle as the next best spiritual thing to do, conscious that I was not able to leave enough money to actually cover it.

Earlier in the day, our tour bus broke down. Fortunately, we were fairly centrally located, in the capital of Jordan, Amman. We had just visited the Citadel (Wiki) and were promptly back to the bus. Yet, the bus lingered, its engine running rough. The day before the bus had stalled as we climbed a country road in the south. Ultimately, a repairman was able to fix the bus but it ate up 90 minutes of our morning.

As this tour included reading sessions in the biblical languages, while the bus was being repaired, those of us with interest stepped off with our reading materials and worked through a passage of St. John's Gospel (1:19-34). The heat of the late morning as well as evidence that the bus would soon be ready to go meant we covered about half the pericope's verses. I myself read aloud and translated verse 20. It didn't hit me until I'd already arrived back home that there are places in the world where one cannot read from the Bible in public. Jordan isn't one of those places.

Our plans rearranged then, we went directly to lunch. It was a lovely restaurant with courtyard seating completely covered by leafy trees! Food came family style, and the initial dishes were fresh vegetables. We'd been warned to not eat anything uncooked while in Jordan because of the water. Yet, in setting down a coke with ice for the man next to me, the waiter said that the water is filtered. I was very conflicted, watching the staff happily bring platter after platter which we didn't dare touch!

Eventually, though, the cooked food was presented and it was exquisite. But our rushed schedule forced us to press on. There was a brief stop at a craft store to see a replica of the Madaba Map (Wiki) because we lacked the time to head for the church which houses the real one. I missed that presentation entirely, however, because the airline, El Al, had texted me about my flight home being delayed.

Via text message over the bus's WiFi, I communicated with Jeff who was also aware that my flight was delayed. He was seeking to get me on a slightly later flight that evening rather than the delayed flight next morning, but he wasn't able to get me on it. So, he moved me to the delayed flight in the morning. That's when things began to unravel.

We made for the border, arriving a bit before 4pm. As with coming into Jordan, we again turned over our passports to the tour guide who ran into the building for us to process our exit. As before, we remained on the bus. We were traveling with another tour bus and we stuck together as we approached the border. As far as I know, leaving Jordan was no problem, but after some time, we became aware that the Israeli border was not allowing anyone in. Saying we were in "no man's land" seems a bit extreme but technically that's what it was.

As we sat before the gate, one of our party suggested that we pray. So they did, and I went along in my thoughts with their sentiment. Suddenly, the closed gate lifted and we drove through. Then the next one lifted and we continued. I watched through the bus window as our tour guide engaged the Israeli customs agent, intensely yet without anger, petitioning him to let our buses through. As I've only ever crossed the border on one other occasion, this looked a bit different to me, not yet knowing the full story. I remember thinking, "They love to argue, don't they?" Later, she told us that she played the "Americans on board" card.

But we all breathed a sigh of relief for only a moment because the time was now 7:20pm and folks had an 8:00pm shuttle to the airport for their midnight and 1am flights. We were in Jericho about 40 minutes from Jerusalem. I was no longer in that group of travelers anxious to make a midnight flight as mine had now moved to 7 am the next day. But for their sakes, I was prepared to travel to the airport on this bus. That would not be the solution, however, because protests at the airport over the ultra conservative Israeli government had created a two mile traffic jam. No airport shuttle was going to get there in time. The only alternative was the train and right away!

After getting through Israeli customs, and as we moved our luggage from one bus to the next, I pulled out my Apple Watch charger because I was preparing to still make the 8:00pm shuttle that I was originally booked on, if necessary. I thought I could charge my near-dead watch battery on the bus. But there were no charging ports! Just like the Jordan bus had had none. Suddenly, our guide asked if anyone had an Apple Watch charger because our driver needed to charge his watch as he had more driving to do that night! I ran my charger up to the front for him.

My airport shuttle reservation was switched from 8:00pm to 2:00am, thankfully, during that drive from the border at Jericho to Jerusalem, and thus, the handful of people that I had originally intended to ride the shuttle with - Jimmy and Jack and Doug and Ignatio and Jeff and Rob and Anabelle and Karen and others - were teaming up for a mad dash to the taxi to the train to the airport with all their belongings! I wouldn't wish that on my worse enemy. From what I understand, they all made their flights. Glory Be.

Myself, I got dinner! Albeit at 8:30pm. And I ate the raw vegetables! I had a room, so I showered, and repacked sensibly! I waited up until 1:30am when I went to the hotel lobby, checked out of the Gloria Hotel, hopped on the 2:00am airport shuttle (which swung inside the Jaffe Gate at 1:35!). I wore my seatbelt! So many people walking the streets at 2am! A bride in white wedding gown with her fiancé in his tux were posing for pictures just inside Jaffe Gate - the only (relatively) quiet time! I got through airport security and to the gate before 4am. The most difficult hour was 6am to 7am -- I could not hold my eyes straight. I fell asleep after breakfast around 9am and had a most comfortable flight home.

---

¹ Our tour guide referred to the Franciscans as the "Holy Land guards", but his thick Jordanian accent sounded like "Holy Land gods". So one of the Protestants muttered, "I don't think I'd refer to myself as a 'Holy Land god' but ok." So I tried to set her straight on the whole custodian role that the Franciscans have taken for the past 800 yrs in the Holy Land. Like, their presence allows and has allowed Christians to visit these sites through the centuries. Amen?

St. Paul talks about the Father, Son and Spirit¹ but God is one.²

St. Paul talks about the resurrection of the dead³ but it is nowhere found in Scripture.⁴

How are sins atoned for? Not Jesus!⁵ Rather, Leviticus 4-7.

Our prophets have told us how to live.⁶ We don’t need Paul’s moral exhortation.⁷

Jerusalem is the heart of Judaism. How can Paul prefer Arabia and Damascus, Syria and Cilicia to Jerusalem?⁸ How can Paul say Hagar represents Sinai, a mountain in Arabia which corresponds to the present Jerusalem?⁹  We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can Paul say, ‘You will become free’?”¹⁰ 

Why does Paul have Timothy circumcised?¹¹ But not Titus?¹² Is this the behavior of someone who knows what he’s talking about? Have you heard what Festus, procurator of Judea (A.D. 60 to 62) thinks of Paul?  "You are mad, Paul; much learning is driving you mad.”¹³ Even the so-called "Prince of the Apostles" attempts damage control for the loose cannon that is Paul of Tarsus, saying, "Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you, speaking of these things as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction."¹⁴

Just remember, Peter sat with us in Antioch!¹⁵

Incidentally, when was the last time you saw Paul?¹⁶  

How can someone who is still living say they have died and have been crucified with Christ and that Christ lives in him?¹⁷ Paul himself has even said, "For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified."¹⁸ In saying this, Paul is in good company,¹⁹ especially with our brother, James.²⁰

We don’t want your money²¹— we don’t have any churches to support. Do you think that we will take advantage of you as you recover from circumcision as our ancestors did?²²  Of course not!²³

Incidentally, that Paul wishes we would slip with the knife and castrate ourselves is hardly Christian!²⁴ 

__________________________________________________________

¹ Galatians 1:3, 3:2 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ... did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard?

² Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

³ Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead

⁴ Job 14:12 So mortals lie down, never to rise. Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep. [NB Daniel 12:1-3 is about a small group of martyrs during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. NABRE footnote: “Many of those who sleep: Daniel does not envisage the universal resurrection as later developed.”]

⁵ Galatians 1:4 who gave himself for our sins that he might rescue us from the present evil age in accord with the will of our God and Father

⁶ Micah 6:8 You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God. [NABRE footnote: "To do justice refers to human behavior in relationship to others. To love goodness refers to the kind of love and concern which is at the heart of the covenant between the Lord and Israel; it is persistently faithful. To walk humbly with your God means to listen carefully to the revealed will of God."]

Deuteronomy 26:16 This day the Lord, your God, is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances. Be careful, then, to observe them with your whole heart and with your whole being.

Zechariah 7:9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Judge with true justice, and show kindness and compassion toward each other

⁷ Galatians 5-6:10

⁸ Galatians 1:17, 21-22 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ;

⁹ Galatians 4:24-25 

¹⁰ John 8:33

¹¹ Acts 16:3 and Paul wanted him to come along with him. On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

¹² Galatians 2:3 Moreover, not even Titus, who was with me, although he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised

¹³ Acts 26:24 

¹⁴ 2 Peter 3:15-16

¹⁵ Galatians 2:12-13 

¹⁶ Galatians 4:20 I would like to be with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed because of you. cf Exodus 32:23 They said to me, ‘Make us a god to go before us; as for this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

¹⁷ Galatians 2:19-20

¹⁸ Romans 2:13

¹⁹ Matthew 7:21, Luke 6:46-Luke 6:49, Luke 8:21, James 1:22-James 1:25, 1 John 3:7

²⁰ James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?

²¹ Galatians 4:17 They show interest in you, but not in a good way; they want to isolate you, so that you may show interest in them.

²² Genesis 34:15, 25 Only on this condition will we agree to that: that you become like us by having every male among you circumcised. On the third day, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, each took his sword, advanced against the unsuspecting city and massacred all the males.

²³ Romans 3:4, 6, 31; 6:1, 15; 7:7, 13; 9:14; 11:1, 11 

²⁴ Galatians 5:12 Would that those who are upsetting you might also castrate themselves!

The teacher sprinkled our personal introductions over the week, meeting a few fellow classmates at a time. Either before class began for the day or after returning from break, he'd call out six or so names from an alphabetized list of registered students. If the person did not happen to be present at the moment, he'd move on to the next name. I had all week, then, to decide what to say, and there was a catch-all on the last morning for those overlooked.

One man from SA gave his name, that of a popular Hollywood actor, along with the apology that his parents were Catholics. Heads nodded. Catholics aren't so bound to saints' names anymore, but choosing one sure makes writing that Saint Report in third grade CCD easier. I should have asked him his confirmation name. The guys behind me marked him out because he touted the Legacy Study Bible.

One man mentioned having membership in the Evangelical Free church and someone seated across the room blurted out, "Another E-Free! I thought I'd be the only one here!" The following day and for the rest of the week, they sat next to each other.

It was impossible to miss the two black robed Dominican friars sitting front and center. This central spot helped them stay focused and kept them out of trouble. The older one, Br. Ignacio, had attended the Elementary Biblical Greek Review class the last time it was held, January 2019. As they travel in pairs, he had along a younger man, Br. John Baptist Santa Ana, who said he was a convert with a Baptist background. And that he still went by the name "Baptist!" As there were many veterans in the class, Br. Ignacio's Marine service won him much respect. Throughout our break times and lunches, these two were engaged in intense discussions with other classmates. I haven't the faintest idea about what. I suppose they are prepared for that sort of thing, dressed as they are. Invariably, their discussion partner would say in a sincere tone, as they separated, "Well, you have given me something to think about."

Br. Ignacio talked to me briefly, mostly about the Eucharist. The extent to which others share his great devotion may be a sort of litmus test. He dredged up a tête-à-tête he'd had with our teacher during the prior class -- in Jan. '19 -- on John 6: "How can he not see it, it's so clear!" I tried to be diplomatic with him because I had noticed our teacher glancing our direction. Later in our class discussion, the teacher recalled Br. Ignacio's previous debate with him on John 6. So, he had been able to surmise what we were talking about.

One guy, when called upon to introduce himself, went forward and took the teacher's clip-on microphone to address us. I settled in. He said his Daddy was a minister, maybe Methodist, and his earliest memory is of his father going through every prayer book in his church, crossing out "catholic" in the Creed and writing "universal" over the top. I cannot remember if this story had a point other than to demonstrate his Protestant credentials of a prejudiced upbringing.

Maybe the presence of the Dominicans had something to do with everyone else needing to prove how Protestant they are. But, in any case, this guy gave his spiel and then in the afternoon, the Dominicans were gone. Someone noticed their absence and asked the teacher. The teacher joked that they'd been offended and left, but then he explained that they went to Gethsemani for the afternoon. The one who asked about them then said, "Well, I'm a Catholic, too, and this is a bit too much." When his turn came to introduce himself, he said he was a convert who teaches theology and coaches chess in a Catholic high school, very much the Ohio version of my sons' religious school in New Jersey.

One man had arrived a day late because while driving to Kentucky, he struck a truck tire in the road and totaled his car. He was thankfully unharmed in the accident. Our teacher remarked on the "spiritual warfare" at work in inhibiting his timely arrival: "Satan doesn't want you here." Well, I did not have any trouble getting there, so what does that mean?

When my time to introduce myself came, I decided not to list off academic or professional credentials as others had, but to mention a fun fact about my home state as well as my current ministry and family situation. I know people generally have a poor impression of New Jersey, but I professed that summer is our best season. I told them about "God's Square Mile" on the Jersey Shore in Ocean Grove where the tent meetings started by the Methodists have pretty much been taken over by the Baptists¹.

I mentioned being a lector² at church. I explained what a lector does as they may not be familiar with it. Since they're mostly all pastors, they are accustomed to hearing their mic'd voice speaking solo in church, but I've only been lectoring for a year so I'm still getting comfortable with that. I said that I've happily accepted many requests for substitutions from other lectors who are getting away on vacations after the COVID restrictions and this is helping me grow in proficiency in proclaiming the Scriptures. And I mentioned my home-life which made a couple of them accuse me afterwards privately of "escaping" and "running away."³

The weekend conference began in the afternoon Friday, and I found myself standing in the registration line with a couple of friends of acquaintances. The wife asked about the online Greek New Testament reading group and I gave her the contact and zoom information and invited her to join in. Then she proceeded to casually spout off how many Catholics there seem to be about. I waited patiently for her to explain her experiences that have prompted this tallying. She mentioned the Catholic churches and schools right next to this very Protestant campus⁴. And of the three Catholics -- that she knew of -- in our class, well, two of them converted to Catholicism! And, so, yes, she has joined the weekly online Greek New Testament reading group that I participate in. She is very nice, quite emphatically Lutheran, but there's no way I'm coming clean.

---

¹ One guy actually shot his fist into the air with a "Yeah" and nudged the guy next to him. This was exactly the reaction I was going for and not surprised to see.
² An illiterate lector
³ Pastors
⁴ So, I'd say the neighborhood appears to be zoned for churches and schools as I noticed a good mix of various denominations very close by.

People at the hotel were all decked out for a Reds game. I recalled that the first MLB game I ever attended was a Reds game. I remember the rain delay and not too much else.

All the traffic seemed headed for the airport. Why does the sun rise so late out here? Bright orange construction signs telling of the closure of 71 South. Waze took me around it, heading to the monastery. The radio went strong and weak as I rolled among the Kentucky hills, now and then bringing in the sound of a screaming Protestant minister.

Jeff texted about losing my signal around Bardstown.

I arrived at the same time, that is, an hour early, as another visitor who said his daughter lives in New Jersey. It was his first time also to the Abbey, though it wasn't exactly the blind leading the blind because, even with some areas like the gift shop still closed from Covid, the church entrance was straight off the parking lot.

He opened the door to the main church for me and then he slipped into a side chapel. There was holy water in the font, and I was alone in the church except for the occasional monk passing through. I took my pictures -- my camera lens had fogged something fierce outdoors in that thick, late July, Kentucky air -- from the ground floor and from the balcony upstairs.

The material making up the floor, pebbles set in cement, seemed so practical, though I had no intention of kneeling on it as some did. There were cushions available for kneeling.

I used the booklets to participate in the third hour of prayer, "terce", as it's called. The monks sat on the near end of the long, narrow choir but not so close that they could hear us. I mostly listened or whispered. There was one strong voice among us. Then we were allowed to pass through the choir area to a sanctuary at the far end for Sunday liturgy.

Most of the monks disappeared to vest because they are also priests. A second pipe organ graces the sanctuary but the organist sat just out of view. There was a sprinkling rite with the penitential rite. There was incense before the reading of the Gospel. The homily was about welcoming others and offering hospitality. The communion bread, I didn't have the luxury of examining it, of course, but it was very thin, very white, larger than usual with some imprint. Maybe it's made in nearby Erlanger.

---

Trappist Monasteries in the United States

Thursday, the teacher invited the entire class to dinner at an Indian place. He cancelled the following day's quiz -- we had quizzes every morning since Tuesday -- but the final exam was still pending for those taking the class for credit. About twenty of the 90 students came out for dinner.

During break time, I had completed the translation assignment, John 4:7-14, due Friday morning. I arranged a ride to the restaurant with a classmate who, along with his wife, was also staying at the hotel on campus. At the agreed to time, she entered the lobby and we talked, as her husband brought the car around. She said,

"My husband's car has been having a problem that the mechanics can't figure out. So, in the week leading up to this trip, I asked the Lord for clarity concerned which car to take. And last week, his car took a turn for the worse and here we are in my car, a perfectly good car."

Is "seeking clarity from the Lord" synonomous with asking for a sign?

Between the two of them, they had three GPS screens going, homing in on "Shalimar Indian Restaurant." I don't know the laws regarding handheld devices in Louisville¹, but I generally assume it's illegal everywhere. Not wanting to be a backseat driver, I kept Waze off and trusted them. There was a wrong turn into a deadend, a driveway for a dumpster, for which the wife, as the designated navigator, took all the blame. I said something like, "All alleys in New Jersey are connected, no deadends" and the husband said Texas is the same.

As we joined a table, the ongoing conversation paused momentarily and then resumed. The man to my left, whom I later learned was a retired trial lawyer of fifty years, was telling about the reaction of French Catholic tourists visiting a Harlem church. His buddy to his left, a retired rocket scientist, said that maybe some life could be breathed into the Catholic liturgy if more Catholics visited spirit-filled churches. Later during the meal, the same lawyer told a story about a Manhattan hotel -- except he said "a New York City hotel" -- that charged only $30 a night "if you are a Catholic." So, his wife, who played organ for a Catholic church, was told she could stay at that hotel, even though she isn't Catholic². It was difficult from his tone to judge whether he said these things approvingly.

The teacher was pushing the Chicken Tikka Masala as a crowd pleaser. Most everyone listened to him and ordered that. He recommended zero spice. I ordered Shrimp Jalpharezi which was fine, only occasionally spicy. The portion was small so I was hungry later but I'd taken home some naan bread and ate that before going to bed.

The idea was to treat the seminary students from the class who had joined us at the restaurant. Three times, the teacher went from table to table in our party, asking students for their dinner check. He came back empty-handed each time. I was willing to pick up someone's bill, as was everyone else at my table, but we did not get that chance.

---

¹ A law to that effect passed last summer.
² I suppose he means this place, The Leo House, charging $190/night these days to guests of all faiths.

The same day that I'd looked ahead in our itinerary, Remy, the Israeli tour guide, warned us to pack our Dead Sea gear in a carry-on the morning we returned from Jordan because the site would be our first stop after immigration. He didn't want to go into the luggage under the bus hunting for swimsuits and flip flops.

The amenities at the Dead Sea have improved greatly since I was first there in 1999. Much is made of the elevation, as the bar there calls itself "the lowest bar in the world." Tim needed some convincing to wade in because, after all, "dead sea" doesn't sound very appealing. He enjoyed floating. It was shallow but not muddy or slippery as when I took Tim's older brother in February, 2014. I nearly lost my water shoes on that occasion.

Remy gave us an hour, an adequate amount of time. There are numerous wooden stairs down to the water and also a significant section of hardened earth to walk across before reaching the water. All things to keep in mind on the return trip to the changing rooms when you are dripping wet.

I managed to scrape my knee on the hard, scratchy sea bed as I was shifting myself around. A thing I totally expected and had Neosporin and large bandaids for. It didn't heal well, despite my copious care, totally unexpected! The scrape gave me discomfort for the rest of the trip, especially when kneeling or banging it up against the bus seat.

After our swim, I showered up and sat down in the bar with everyone else waiting for Tim. I gave him some shekels to buy a soda and some Pringles chips.

We boarded the bus again and went to Tel Jericho. It was a quick stop to see the excavations and the monastery high on the mountains. I tend to be interested with how the sites are presented. It seemed to me that the walkway didn't have railings when I visited with Kenny in 2014. I pointed out to Tim that Jericho is an oasis, the bible calls it "the city of palm trees" (Deut 34:3). He could see that, a very distinctive cluster of green palms. Our tour guide told us houses there are incredibly expensive.

We had mass in the Church of the Good Shepherd in Jericho. It is a Franciscan church built by Antonio Barluzzi in 1924. All the Latin Catholic churches in the Holy Land are crisply clean. We were feeling mellow from the Dead Sea salts we'd absorbed. Our tour guide was busy during the brief service adjusting the air conditioning in the little church. He climbed up to reach an air vent above the entrance. I was startled to look back and see him up there. I jotted down keywords from the Scripture readings in an attempt to identify them but my scribbles aren't clear. "Isaiah out of Egypt I called my Son," "Psalm O Shepherd of Israel," and "Matthew cure the sick, raise the dead, Sodom and Gomorrah" (Matthew 10:5-15ff)

We visited next the Church of Lazarus in Bethany. Our guide referred to them, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, as "the dear ones" and "the dear friends of Jesus." I was at the same time touched by our guide's sentiment towards these biblical figures and also jealous of his statement of their intimacy with Jesus. Our guide exhibited no such jealousy. There was a mass in progress and we didn't stay long.

Then we went for lunch in Bethlehem. The goal of Franciscan pilgrimages in the Holy Land is to patronize Catholic places of business. Seating was outside and, given the elevation of Bethlehem¹, it was pleasant enough to sit at tables under awnings. I was sandwiched between the two Franciscan priests with Tim seated across from me. This probably worked out well because they ate up all the meat that was served and I ate the vegetables. Fr. Jim was talking up the bananas we'd have for dessert.

"Bethlehem bananas," he recalled from a previous experience, "are small and sweet." With a recommendation like that, I had to have one. The skins are thicker than we're used to and I have an ideal "banana shape" that I find appealing. But these Bethlehem bananas were worth the extra work of opening them up and overcoming my esthetic tastes. Some chose not to have any, so I took an extra one.

While we were eating, sadly, a few from our group were going through luggage under the bus looking for a lost wallet. For all his warnings to the contrary, Remy still found himself going through suitcases. I pointed out to Tim as they opened the door to the cargo hold and began hauling out suitcases in the direct sun, "See, that's what that looks like. Not good." They didn't find the wallet and missed lunch for the most part. When Neva sat down at the end of our table, she demanded that all left over hummus and pita be sent her way. And we dutifully turned this over. She was that kind of gal. Hummus and pita seemed to be her staple the entire trip.

Pita bread varies from place to place, as pizza dough does in this country. Some of it was soft and chewy and some was like cardboard. The hummus was always good, everywhere. We heard the call to prayer loud and clear since we were eating outdoors and this was Bethlehem. Fr. George said he became very familiar with the sound while in Africa. I instructed Tim to listen closely as he's not likely to hear it so clearly again. It was a recording, most definitely. I don't know the language but they say it's the entire prayer, not simply a call to prayer, to facilitate its recitation.

Drinking water had been hard to come by in Jordan. The travel company gave us only one bottle a day and we couldn't buy any extra. The hotel offered two bottles per room at check in and the tap water was not potable. Tim and I were popping a daily Imodium tablet as a precaution, but that's no reason to ignore the concierge's advice. If Fr. Jim hadn't kindly given his hotel bottles to me, I might have been worse off. A couple of vitamin C pills relieved the sinus congestion I had, though my body needed to recover the lost fluids.

The other resource we pilgrims seemed low on was cash. Remy took us to the only ATM in Bethlehem that dispenses US dollars. A few people made use of it. Strangely, we stopped two other times at this ATM during our brief stay in Bethlehem for different pilgrims (or perhaps some of the same ones) to get money. Tim and I happened to be seated on the bus behind the woman who lost her wallet. She was blaming her traveling companion, her friend, for the loss. "No, I'm not blaming you but if you hadn't of distracted me when I was packing ..." This was the same person who had asked me not to sit near her because of my cold. I actually did pray that she'd find her wallet because it's a pretty awful thing to lose something so important, especially when traveling.

I liked our Bethlehem hotel room very much. There were three twin beds and a balcony. After the Dead Sea swim, my hair needed conditioner but this hotel was the only one without any samples. They compensated with tubes of Dead Sea skin products. I rinsed out our swim suits and water shoes so these would have a chance to dry before we checked out. The room key was needed for the lights and A/C to work and we received only one room key. Tim declined dinner again, so I left the key with him while I went down. He just had to agree to stay awake to let me in when I returned. It was Thursday night and things were quieting down on the Bethlehem streets for the weekly Muslim holy day. I stood on the balcony and listened to the call to prayer, then went down to dinner.

---

¹ In a matter of hours, we'd traveled from Amman, at an elevation of 3,300 ft above sea level, to the Dead Sea, at 1,300 feet below sea level, to Bethlehem, at 2,500 ft above sea level. Our ears were feeling it!

We spent the entire morning at Petra, a wonder of the world, an UNESCO World Heritage Site and a well-maintained national park. Looking at the map, our guide explained the approximate round-trip distances to the different points of interest.

At least, I wanted to see the facade featured in the last scene of Indiana Jones. Neva sought - and found - a walking partner to the "Monastery" in the young teacher and runner, Anastasia, from Florida. I felt confident that I could walk seven miles¹ but not the twelve miles needed for the "Monastery." I had turned my ankle very badly two weeks earlier on the first day of our family trip to New York and Toronto. I underestimated how serious the sprain was but, at the time, I couldn't keep off it or care for the injury. And we walked a great deal, especially in Toronto: one day we walked seven miles!

To protect my ankles in Petra, I wrapped them in these wonderful bandages that Kenny's athletic trainer had given him when he turned his ankle at sport's practice in December. I had also bought last minute some fantastic walking shoes with ankle support. Advice to travelers includes shoes that are broken-in but, being laid up with my ankle injury for several days at home, I couldn't. These shoes needed no breaking-in.

The itinerary's exposition of this day offered "riding on horseback (no riding experience required) ..." As it turned out, our guide strongly discouraged us from the horseback option, although some insisted on it because of the itinerary.² I suspected our guide's concern was based on the reputation of the handlers for animal cruelty. Signs were prominent listing ways to report observed or suspected violations.

Our guide suggested that, despite the "you can't get lost, it's one-way in and one-way out" nature of the place, we stick with him for his explanations. Timmy, feeling independent, walked ahead and very soon disappeared from sight. The guy from Arizona said it reminded him of the American Southwest.³ The sun was not high enough to reach into the narrow Siq and gusts of wind blew outwards. The warning sound of a single horse trotting echoed periodically from behind or coming ahead before passing.

Young boys plague you to buy their postcards, jewelry. Old men sweep up droppings of horse, donkey. Bedouins offer camel rides. Generally, it's a carnival in front of the "Treasury."

This was as far as the guide was going. Tim met up with me again at this point, wanting to show me things ahead. Our morning was only half spent, so I went ahead with him. He showed me the tombs he had explored. He ably bounded up stone stairs like a mountain goat. I climbed the stairs as well but slower. Out of the bedouin shops along the way would come the soft-spoken, encouraging voice of an unseen proprietor, "Almost there, Mum." Again, how they knew I spoke English ... "Necklaces, scarfs ..." uttered in the next breath.

Notice the wooden paneled restrooms (right)

Bedouin shop

We turned around here though there was more to see. Being in the open sun had a stimulating effect but I resisted the impulse to continue forward for caution's sake. The few miles walk back was slightly uphill and Bedouins followed me the entire way on their horses offering a ride. I stubbornly refused because I had been training for this day's walk and I wanted to do it on my own.

While waiting for the others to return, Tim and I bought headscarves. Tim selected the traditional red color and the salesman put it on him as you see in this video. I bought a handmade green one.

Leaving the park, our guide took a head count by having us pass in front of him as he counted. He stopped Tim, who by now was no longer wearing his tour group name tag, and asked, "Are you with me?" It was a bit funny and somewhat typical of Tim's general life experience. Before beginning our three hour drive to Amman, we ate lunch in a restaurant. I had hummus and soup, and Tim took the buffet for the spaghetti.

I never thought to get Jordanian dinars so it was good that they accepted US dollars. Jordan felt expensive⁴ compared with Israel and it felt wealthy. I had budgeted 80-100 NIS a day for our lunches but here I was in Jordan not using shekels to buy lunch. So I ended up with extra shekels that I had to spend at the olive wood shop later in Jerusalem. Live and learn.

Poor Neva who walked to the "Monastery" and back was unable to get off the bus for lunch. We could see her from our seats in the restaurant sitting on the bus. Maybe someone brought her back something but I noticed early on that she was a picky eater. Overall this trip did not seem to be agreeing with her despite her enthusiasm.

Amman is very much a Western city. Gabriel, our guide, told us it's the Prince's goal to commercialize the capital and make it attractive to international companies. There was a billboard for the World Cup. The hotel had the most convenient electric outlets for charging devices we'd seen.

Our guide took us to the chapel in his parish for mass. Two laywomen had switched off doing the mass readings, one of whom was Neva. Apparently she wasn't up to it after walking too much, so Father George asked for a volunteer. My hand shot up before I even knew it, a surprise to me. He looked surprised as well. He laid his phone with a Breviary app open to the readings on the ambo. I didn't look it over beforehand. When I went up, I saw that both readings were in fact quite familiar to me, Jacob wrestling with the angel (Genesis 32:23-33) and Psalm 17. I felt I read them well and people did comment afterwards that I did. All those years of reading aloud bedtime stories to my children turned me into a personable, measured public reader.

Catholic chapel in Amman

Martyrs of Jordan church
After mass, Gabriel offered us small cups of hot tea. Then he took us into the main church and we met the pastor, etc. At the lovely, opulent hotel, Tim had me dust the red dirt of Petra from his only pair of shoes. My ankle bandages were too dusty to wear again without washing.

Tim was too tired for dinner so I went down alone. I sat with three other women and ate quickly because one of the women was concerned for her health around me. When I excused myself from their company after eating, her parting words were, "You're sick, you know, you have a bad cold. And my health is poor, I have a heart condition, so it would be best if you kept away. Please don't be offended." I'd agree she has a heart condition and I did my best to avoid her the rest of the trip.

---

¹ It ended up being around 5 miles, according to my watch.
² "But we've paid for it!" "It's included!" That sort of thing.
³ I've since seen friends' pictures on Facebook of Zion National Park and, except for the complete lack of water, it looks very similar.
⁴ e.g., Admission to Petra was $70USD pp