20 October 2008 - Madaba

The kindness of strangers is a wonderful phrase; understandably coined by Kate there-must-be-a-disaster-cos-Adies's-reporting-it Adie for her autobiography. This is what I have been experiencing so many times on my trip, and nowhere more consistently than here in Jordan.

At each accommodation place, I have firstly been greeted with 'ahlan' (welcome), quickly followed by a cup of 'shai' (tea, sweet). I have had discounts because of being on a bicycle (one comment: 'if she's a woman on a bike, she can't have much money' - Samir, Towers Hotel, Al Kharak) and because I made myself known as a pilgrim at the Pilgrims' Hotel, Madaba and, I think the third cos of the steep, oh so very steep, hill down into the village of Dana. This is virtually uninhabited, but is part of a community project along with the conservation of the spectacularly dramatic nature reserve which it overlooks. I did appreciate the splendour of the scenery as I carefully descended (my brakes still work, anyway), but was also thinking of the climb out the next morning (do I ever come across negatively in my descriptions, I wonder?!). Having been greeted very warmly, served lunch up on the roof (without asking for it), followed by a pot of tea, I then negotiated a rooftop sleep-in-open price of JD3 (1 Jordanian Dinar = 1 GBP); also, a taxi ride up the hill the next morning for the same price! Wow. Up 'til then, Jordan had been SO expensive! Dinner was JD5. In the end, my sleeping was to be the tent on the roof; finally, I was given a room (normally JD25). See! Such kindness and generosity.

Also, just about everywhere I go people give me their business cards or their contact details and say to contact them, if I need help, information, or when I arrive in country. These are people I have met for 5 seconds! The culture of hospitality in the Middle East is so very prevalent. Could I imagine it at home? No, not in the way it is found here.

So, where have I been since arriving in Aqaba? First to Wadi Rum and a desert camp there, joining an inernational group of students from Israel and being given a lift by a young German guy, Markus, in his taxi the next morning - JUST back to the Desert Highway from which I diverted to go to the camp - so NO cheating,if that is what you were thinking! :-) Mohammed, the taxi driver, was all for taking me the whole way to Petra; he couldn't understand why I wanted to cycle.

I visited Petra. Wow! If you don't know what this is all about, Google it and see for yourself, although it will, of course not really give an idea of the grandeur and scale of these 3,500 year old building carved deeply into the huge, metres' high rocks. Breathtaking. To be able to look at a plain rockface and see a perfectly sculpted Monastery as the end result is truly seeing the bigger picture to the full. Here I was accompanied by Yousef and Lutvia.

Then on to Dana, as described already, and loads more lovely people (I've noted their names in my daily diary). The next day saw the upside of the day in the form of a gloriously long, headwind-controlled downhill to the bottom of a deep gorge, followed by the definite downside of a grindingly slow, I walked 75% of it, uphill to the top of a very high gorge. A young Dutch-German couple, Koen and Lisa ( who had been at Dana), passed me, felt sorry for me trudging up the hill, turned around and came back to see if they could take my bags to the hotel in Al Kharak. I declined!! But I did ask them to book me a room at the hotel which they did; and thenm I went for a meal with them in the evening. :-)

The hotel in Al Kharak was pretty grimy (sorry Samir, but it could do with a bit of a clean!), but had the most affable and concerned host and an interesting castle and so I stayed 2 nights (cos I also needed the rest).

Then to camping on the beach at the Dead Sea, after floating 'on' it and feeling very soft-skinned afterwards. Followed by another long slow walk up the hill to Mount Nebo: the mountain named as that which Moses was shown the Promised Land, but told that he would not enter it himself. Really interesting cross at the top.

Now I am in the Pilgrims' Hotel next to St George's Church in Madaba for 2 nights. Madaba is quite a Christian centre and houses many lovely mosaics from all around Jordan.

Tomorrow I go to Amman, staying with someone who has contact with my church at home. I have received my verification code number for my Iranian visa, which I now need to get put into my passport at the Iranian consulate in Amman.

I shall be taking a break from cycling for 2 weeks from the end of this week and so will not be in cycling contact until about the middle of November. :-) Well, you can't turn down such an offer when it comes your way, can you; and we all need a break sometimes from our normal routine. :-)

BTW, I understand that Almondsbury Primary School is following my progress. I am deeply touched. Welcome. Please feel free to use the blog (I'm sure you are MUCH better acquainted with such things as I) or the more private email.