MinnesotaMel

On the road again...

I traveled from MSP to Paris to begin my journey to Baghdad. The 8-9 hour flight was actually quite comfortable, thanks to the NWA individual entertainment systems. I took a sleeping pill, hoping to get sleep and arrive in Paris refreshed in the morning, but that was a wasted effort. Not even a wink of sleep to be had, even with a sleeping pill. I watched some good movies- but have NO MEMORY of the titles of any of them.

I had a 6 hour layover in Paris. Not long enough to leave the airport but too long to stay in the airport anddo nothing. I found the airport spa and got a crazy expensive pedicure to pass the time. I think it helped that there were no other customers- I got a really good pedicure. I then had some ridiculously priced food and beverages. I finally decided to apply my sleep deprived brain to getting connected to the net. Of course, the website was all in French and I don’t really do French. Thank goodness for my days at Brink, when I used to have to poke around in it a bit. The flight out to Amman was delayed, so by the time I boarded I could barely keep my eyes open. The flight to Amman was horrible- crowded and I was stuck by the window behind someone who put the seat all the way back in front of me. Thankfully I fell asleep for a good chunk of the flight and ended up sitting next to a pretty nice guy who was also Iraq bound. The expeditors who met me and the driver were FABULOUS!!! I got whisked right through customs and they did all of the visa processing while I waited for my luggage. There are some benefits to a diplomatic passport and meet and greet services.

The driver is also a tour guide, and he gave me a deluxe tour of Jordan on my “free” day. I had a great night of sleep and we left Amman at 9 am. We drove to the Dead Sea area, and took a bunch of photos of the sea, which is actually a lake that is the lowest non-water covered area on earth. We were able to see across the Sea to Israel/Palestine. It is only 16 miles across the Sea. We also stopped at Mujib Nature Preserve and walked out to see the amazing rock formations. That area is worth exploring more- there are various hikes that can be done.

But the biggest thrill of the day was visiting Petra. Petra has been named one of the New Wonders of the World. Wikipedia can give you the history…I will just say that I was impressed, inspired and hope to go back again one day and spend much more than 2 hours there. Make a plan to visit Jordan- a wonderful country full of friendly people, beautiful desert and Dead Sea scenes and Petra- a wonder of the world.

Labels: Amman, Dead Sea, Paris, Petra

posted by MinnesotaMel @ 12:42 PM