GBC Israel Trip

We visited Petra today, which is always a highlight of tours to Jordan.  We got an early start and had a leisurely walk to the Siq, the famous gorge which serves as the entrance to the necropolis of Petra. Our guide, Sufiyan, did an excellent job pointing out key features of the Siq.  I am pleased that our group was attentive and ask some very good questions.

We arrived at the Treasury, which is not really a treasury at all but rather a tomb (probably for Arteas III or Arteas IV).

"Choose Wisely"

The building is properly known as el-Khazneh and is a magnificent sight, especially when you first glimpse it through the Siq.  There were a number of changes from earlier visits.  First, the excavations under the tomb make it impossible to go up on the steps.  This is a disappointment, since you cannot see inside the rooms.  Second, the park authority has restricted the Bedouin from selling in front of the Treasury.  This is a welcome change!  Third, donkeys are no longer allowed in front of the Treasury.  While camels are still available, the “mess” from the donkeys is no longer a problem.

We walked around toward the theater, which is still closed.  We were able to see some of the theater but most of the interesting parts were behind a fence.  My guess is that it will remain closed to reduce that destruction of the site by  tourists.  It is a fact that the rise in tourism at Petra has degraded many of the sandstone carvings.  Maybe I will come back to this point later.

We had a snack and water about noon, and then people were able to explore on their own for two hours before heading to the bus.  I hiked with most of the GBC students to the “Royal Tombs,” a set of tombs several hundred feet up the canyon walls.  Some of the braver souls hiked about as high as possible, a bit higher than I was willing to go.  I will admit to staying behind and praying a great deal.

As we waited for the others, a little Bedouin girl came up and helped Kaleigh and Amy down some rocks.  This cute little girl was maybe five years old, barefoot, named Dima. She gave Kayleigh a necklace “for free,” and Kayleigh gave her two dollars.  She did come back and ask for more money and to help us get down once again.  I did notice more young children than usual, many who ought to have been in school.  I suspect they are used to tug at the hearts of the tourists, which is a sad thing to see.

On the walk back out of Petra, we had an unusual experience for this time of year: it sprinkled just a bit of rain.  The day was quite cool (for Petra), probably 85 degrees. We had a nice cloud cover and a cool breeze most of the morning.  By 5:20 our guide got a phone call telling him it was raining heavily and there was a possibility of flash floods.  We had left about three hours before this, so there was no danger to us.

We did have a boy of rain on the drive back, but no real problems. We were back to the hotel a bit after 6pm, I expect everyone will sleep soundly!

May 4

The Citadel in Amman. We started at 8:30, after a decent breakfast at the Jerusalem Inn in Amman.  We arrived at the Citadel of Amman, and spent about a hour there.  I was impressed with the remains of the Temple of Hercules, although there is not much restored. The location has two advantages.  First, it has a great view of the city of Amman.  Second, there is a small but impressive Jordanian Antiquities museum.  I was impressed with the collection, and would have been overwhelmed, but the Dead Sea Scroll collection had just been moved to the new national museum. 

Madaba. This is the so-called “city of mosaics,” and they are not kidding. The main attraction is the Madaba map, the oldest tourist map in Jordan.  The church is modern, but the mosaic is sixth century.  There are several locations which are recorded on the map which might serve as a “confirmation” of a site identification. For example, Tamar is on the map directly south of the Dead Sea, approximately where the Ein Haseva is, suggesting that the site is in fact “biblical Tamar.”

Mount Nebo.  This was the first time to Mount Nebo for me, so I was fairly impressed with the view.  It was very hazy, although we could see the Dead Sea and a bare outline of the Jordan.  The mountains in Israel were visible across the valley. Unfortunately the church was closed for repairs, so we missed they mosaics.

Driving to Petra.  Unfortunately there is not much to see between Madaba and Petra, except desert. Lots of desert.  We arrived at the Marriott in Petra at 5:30.  This is a very nice hotel, our guide rated it third best in Petra, and it is about the nicest we will stay in.  Unfortunately, we leave early tomorrow for Petra.

General thoughts.  Great guide, Sufjan.  Aside from having a very cool firs t name, he gas knowledgeable and clear in his explanations.  He arranged an excellent “bag lunch” (sandwich, chips, banana, and desert cake, plus drink) for $7. Better than Subway, although it did include a fresh cucumber, which I ate dutifully. Perhaps this will not catch on as a new snack item.

We are all safe and healthy, thanks for checking in!

No free wireless n the O’Hare international terminal.  I had hoped to get my first post in before the flight, but that was not to be.  Instead, I typed a few notes waiting for the plane to take off.  The trip to Chicago went very well, no traffic at all.  Since everyone was on time, we ended up at the airport about an hour early.  I thought the desk opened at 5pm, but as we stood in line at five, a man put up the “we open at 6pm” sign.  Ah well.

Once the Royal Jordanian desk opened, Check in went very fast.  In fact, TSA security went quickly and every one was courteous and efficient.  I fully expect my full body scans to be on the internet by morning, but that is the price you have to pay.  Amy and I got seats in the back of the plane, Amy has a window seat and looks forward to seeing the Atlantic ocean in the dark for hours. At this point the flight does not seem full, but there are a lot of people straggling in.

Ready to Fly?

The fight to Amman was about 12 hours, a long time in a plane.  We ate twice (good food, chicken with a couscous type rice),but I did not sleep much.  There is a large family distributed throughout the plane, and for some reason the congregated at my seat.  One kid kept leaning on my seat back, oblivious to the fact that I was (a) there and (b) trying to sleep.  Later I got up to use the lav and saw him slumped over sleeping, so I “accidentally” bumped him awake. That was probably a sin, but I did enjoy the justice of it all.

I tried reading from the iPad during the night, and this worked well. I used Logos, having put the Anchor Bible Dictionary on airplane mode.  This means the app downloaded the whole thing so I can use it outside of a wifi hotspot. I spent a couple of hours cramming on the sites we will visit in the next few days.  I also have the Holman Atlas set up for use.  Sadly the Archaeological Encyclopedia is unavailable for iPad use.  I will probably comment more on Logos and the iPad, this is a technology experiment for me!

We are now at our hotel in Amman, Jordan.  Everyone is safe and happy, although seriously exhausted after the trip.  Sadly, no free wireless in this hotel, so if you were expecting an email from someone, it will be delayed until tomorrow.

I am leaving May 2 for Jordan and Israel with 16 students and friends of GBC.  We will fly from Chicago to Amman, Jordan and begin the tour by visiting sites like Jeresh, Madaba and Petra.  We will cross the border into Israel on May 6 and will tour in Galilee before traveling to the Negev (the southern desert). We will visit Arad, Masada, En Gedi and Qumran before taking part in an archaeology experience at Tamar, an Israelite city in the Negev.  We will finish the trip in Jerusalem, visiting the Old City, Western Wall, Southern Excavations, City of David, the Pool of Siloam, and many other sites where Jesus taught.  We will leave from Amman on May 16, arriving back at GBC in the early evening.

I should be able to update my website from most of the hotels on this trip, so keep an eye on my website, Reading Acts.  I will be able to post some pictures “from the field” and will keep you up-to-date on our progress.  It is possible to subscribe to the blog for an email notification of updates.  Please feel free to pass this URL to friends or family who might like to follow the trip.

We are planning another trip leaving December 31, and returning Jan 12, with a possible “add-on” to Jordan (Petra, Madaba, Jeresh, etc).  This trip will be designed for an older group (rather than an adventurous college student!)    The itinerary will be similar and we will include the archaeology experience at Tamar. As I said in the Truth article, this tour is designed to get in touch with the history and archaeology of the Bible.  While we will visit some of the major tourist sites in Jerusalem and Galilee, we will also visit many sites which are not a part of most tours (Arad, Tamar, for example).

If you have questions about the January 2012 trip, feel free to email me.  I have a tentative itinerary prepared and can answer any questions about costs via email.  I have included some helpful links below.  I look forward to hearing from you.  I hope you enjoy a “virtual tour” of Israel and Jordan over the next two weeks!

Truth Magazine Article on the 2012 Trip

Grand Rapids Press Article on GBC at Tamar

Phillip J. Long
Associate Professor of Bible
Grace Bible College
1011 Aldon SW
Grand Rapids, MI  49509
(616) 261-8568