As I wrote yesterday, there isn’t a strong bus system in Jordan so it’s more efficient for tourists to get around via taxi cab. Frugal travelers headed to the same destination can split the fare — and Jordan Tower hostel in Amman helps by arranging day trips via taxi for 2-4 people.

Today I’m headed to a whole bunch of places with my new friends Mel (from Melbourne) and Melanie (from Germany). Our main priority is hiking through a shallow river in Mujib Canyon, which I’ll share in tomorrow’s post. (Spoiler alert: it’s AWESOME.) The other half of the day will be spent visiting many local sites of historical importance — the Dead Sea, Ma’in Hot Springs, Mount Nebo, and biblical mosaics in Madaba.

Our driver for the day is Jamil, who quickly becomes our new favorite person. A few quotes:

• “Getting a divorce in Jordan is as easy as drinking water.”
• “King Hussein was the best-worst.”
• “Jordan is the 51st U.S. state.”

A little background on that last statement — from what I gather, the U.S. operates 5 military bases in Jordan in exchange for $600 million a year; it’ll go up to 700 million this year. Jordan’s proximity to Middle Eastern hot spots (Israel, Syria, Egypt, Iraq) makes it an ideal location for these military bases. And Jordan itself is a relatively peaceful country in which to place the bases.

Jamil provides the perfect mix of informative and funny commentary on Jordan. While he’s busy the next day when we plan to travel north of Amman, we request him as our driver to Petra a few days later.

We’re headed below sea level — first up is the Dead Sea.

Decades after first learning about the Dead Sea in Sunday School, there it is. And that land mass across the sea is Israel. I’ll be on the other side looking back in two weeks!

That white stripe lining the rock is made of salt deposits.

We pull over for a moment as our driver points out that formation sticking up:

It’s Lot’s Wife, who according to biblical history became a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom.

We move up into the mountains, stopping briefly at this turn-off for photos.

Our next stop is Ma’in Hot Springs, a natural hot waterfall that cascades down a cliff and into the springs below.

There’s a high-end resort next to the hot waterfall, but it’s out of my budget.

Restrooms are available (warning: they’re dirty) to change into swimsuits. We nervously leave our bags at the tables below; mine is locked, but my camera is inside and I’m hesitant to let it out of my sight. It’d be nice if they had lockers but I don’t see any.

We happen to be here on a holiday and the waterfall is crowded with locals. Once I see how busy it is, my expectations plummet. How can we relax when the place is chock-full of people?

All of the local women are concealed from head to toe in full cover swimwear. I only have a one piece suit — conservative by western standards, but scandalous by Jordanian standards. I could wear my shirt over it, but some hot springs have a sulfur smell that’s hard to get rid of afterwards. So I wear my one piece suit and avoid admonishing looks from older women and long gazes from men of all ages.

Since I’m uncomfortable, this experience is nothing like my relaxing visits to hot springs in New Zealand or Bali. On the bright side, I am happy to snap photos of locals enjoying the hot springs (from a respectful distance), and after walking around for a few minutes I put my camera away and climb in.

Hi Melanie!

This cave at the back of the hot springs is especially steamy. And crowded.

Melanie and Mel keep their shirts / shorts on and probably feel more comfortable. If I were to go back, I’d bring something to cover up.

Here’s a quick video of Ma’in Hot Springs:

Next, we make our way up to Mount Nebo.

In the Bible, Mt. Nebo is where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land that he would never enter.

If you go, keep your expectations in check — there is a giant, unfinished church under construction.

Olive trees!

This view looks out over the Holy Land — a lot of biblical cities lie in front of this panoramic vantage point.

Tile workers restore part of the flooring on Mt. Nebo.

Part of the church is open; here’s a peek at some lit candles.

We finish wandering around Mt. Nebo in about 20 minutes. A short car ride later, we arrive in Madaba — an area known for its Byzantine mosaics at St. George’s Church.

This is the Madaba Mosaic Map, an index of the region featuring two million small stones. It depicts all of the villages and landmarks circa the 6th century.

From a distance these look like paintings, but up close you can clearly see the tiny tile pieces of the mosaics.

Impressive, right?

Stories from Jesus’s life are depicted on mosaics around the church.

So while the mosaics are neat, you might have the impression that I didn’t love Ma’in Hot Springs or Mount Nebo. Yup, those were a tad disappointing. But Mount Nebo is historically important and one of those places you ‘check off the list’ to complete any trip to Jordan. As for Ma’in Hot Springs, I’d suggest skipping it. I was only interested because a handful of other travel bloggers had loved it, but I suspect they were guests of the fancy hotel and that likely improved their opinion of the hot waterfall. Fair enough — if I were staying overnight and could access Ma’in Hot Springs during off hours with no other tourists / visitors there, I’d probably have raved about it, too.

I still haven’t shared the best part of our day — our morning hike through Mujib Canyon. I was SO OVERJOYED by that experience that honestly nothing else really bothered me the rest of the day, so it’s all relative. Can’t wait to share those photos (and video) tomorrow!