Jordon with Dad and Ted

This is Jordon and I loved it.

After a successful tour of the Sinai the awesome trio went to Jordon. The most annoying part of Jordon was getting there. The ferries from Taba and Nuweiba don't seem worth the hassle and when you go overland from Israel you still have to pay to leave Israel even though you are only there for about 45 minutes. Lame.

Ignore that though and let's move to the positives. Jordon is home to Petra which is far and away the coolest ancient site I have ever see. I will go on record saying it kicks the pyramid's ass and is a close tie with the hundreds of ancient things found near Luxor and Aswan. I barely even cared about the hoards of tourists (which I will admit I am only adding to most of my time out here) and the hassle of Bedouins wanting you to buy things. 

The mind blowing gigantic buildings carved into mountain sides, ancient Roman roads still guiding you through the site, and even the hour long climb up a staircase mountain to the sacrificial rock are worth the crowds, dust in your face, and almost getting hit by one to many horse carriages. Checking out the sites is exhausting, the guide books are right on this. We stayed in a decent hostel (by decent please read really cheap) and typical hostel fashion ran into other travelers. Hostels have not really been a serious part of any traveling I have done so I still think they are fun. There are good bars and restaurants in the small city of Petra and  tourists shops too. 

The first view of the Treasury, after you walk down a path that feels like one km long. 

The beginning of our one hour stair climb.

Good for the butt and spirits. 

Side note: there were lots of Bedouin women selling wares on the way up who were willing to makes deals so that they did not miss you when you went down the other side. Also, Dad was a pro at drinking tea, making small talk, and deals.

The whole place looks like this. You think you are done then you look up or around a corner and there are more amazing structures carved into red stone. 

Still wishing I remembered anything from Rocks for Jocks.

After one night and two days in Petra we went up North to the Dead Sea. For budget travelers getting around Jordon is not cheap and I had a really hard time finding public bus routes or anything, but the upside of  private car is that they stop at view points like the shots below. 

I am Northwest girl at heart and really miss my mountains, so being up high with clean air and epic views is good for my soul. The views sort of remind me of Bryce Canyon, only I think  you could see the Red Sea on a really clear day.

Me and Dad.

Our final stop in Jordon was the Dead Sea. When at the Dead Sea one covers one's body in mud and chills until it dries. I think we were supposed to let it dry, hmmm. Instead we posed and inspired the Japanese tourists wearing socks with their sandals to loosen up a little and enjoy the place. We even did some serious not-so-synchronized swimming and Japanese bro nearby joined in, good times.

Speaking of good times I will say that the lasting feelings from the whole trip are "good times," and there is much more to say. If anyone ever gets the chance to travel like this with your parents take it, I am so glad I did.