We’re leaving for Israel tomorrow, so some odds and ends—

Spring Wardrobe

Relaxing with a smoke

 

 

There are tourist police to make sure we’re safe.

 

Driving is a bit crazy-there are no lines on the roads.  We were driving back to Amman from Aqaba today and saw a car hit one of the few median in the middle of the road as he swerved to avoid another accident. 

Bedouins, their camps and their herds of sheep, camels and goats are everywhere. These pictures were taken on the outskirts of Amman.  The countryside has many more.  They are friendly, welcoming and offer us a sweet cardamon tea whenever we are around them. They live in long, brown tents with a white stripe on the side made from the hair of their goats because it's waterproof.  Sometimes 20-40 men, women and children of a family live in these tents. 
There are many tribes and there doesn't seem to be much mixing between them.  Petra's camel herders, horse handlers, donkey drivers and carriage guys are of only one tribe and anyone outside would be killed for trying to do business there!

This couple had a camel herd out of town.  We stopped and talked to that.  That is our guide Nabil with the Bedouin man.

 

      City Bedouins

                                                                                                               Country Bedouins

 

 

Contrary to how the Bedouins live, the gypsies live in multicolored tents made of anything they can find.  Their children--many children--wear rags and their yards are dumps.  How's that for a generalization based on a few days of casual observation and backed up by absolutely no fact?

Illegal Egyptians stand on street corners looking for work.  They are not refugees but things are so bad in Egypt that people come here looking for work.  We also saw the police rounding them up and putting in police wagons.

 The people have been wonderful.  We had one of our group get sick and the hotel gave us adjoining much nicer rooms, called to ask about her and our guide went to the pharmacy to get medication.  They are warm,  attractive people who liked talking to us and told Anita and Louise some very interesting things about camel milk—just ask them!

 The children were curious and followed us around, asking, “what is your name?, where are you from?, how old are you?”

If you have the ability to enlarge this picture, take a look at their teacher leaning casually against the back wall.

200 US troops arrived this morning headed for the Jordan/Syrian border- where we were denied entry to the cave where Jesus stayed because of the visit of an American VIP.  We've seen US Marines at Mt Nebo and also in our hotel in Aqaba. yesterday.  Nabil expects a war in the next couple of months and the Syrian government to finally fall.