Hello friends! Writing from Petra, Jordan. We've been to see Mount Nebo where Moses was taken up by the hand of the Lord at about age 123. Tomorrow we will see where his brother Aaron is buried.



Also, we will go into the Siq (slot canyon) and to Petra, where Indiana Jones went on his Last Crusade. There is actually a tourist shop on the way called "Indiana Jones" where they sell the fedora hats to tourists. I plan on wearing my new scarf and band (briefly) tomorrow for a picture opportunity on a horse or camel. Its a real one (like the local men wear) that I picked up at a shop today on our 5 hour bus ride.



Our Tour group organizer, Jim Gee (my cousin's husband) is a wealth of knowledge. He comes to Petra each summer to dig for artifacts with a group from BYU. He tells such fascinating stories that I call him the modern day "Indiana Jones." He is very modest, but eager to share his passion.



He and my cousin Jim Drollinger were comparing mule and horse stories after dinner tonight. Apparently they are much friendlier and willing to work, unlike horses. And smarter, too. If they get their leg caught in a barbed wire fence, they won't struggle to get it loose. Instead, they'll just stand still (even for hours) and wait for someone to come rescue them. One of the Jims just sold a 33 year old mule to an older lady who just wanted a pet. Oh, and they'll work until the day they die. They don't get broken-down and sway-backed like horses.



I am sharing a room with Frances, who is a widow and in her early 70's. Nice lady, but keeps losing her room key. Me too, but at least I remember that I have one, lol! We both like chocolate, so we are a good match. She has a sis-in-law joining her in a couple of days when we arrive in Jerusalem, so I will be assigned a newly-arrived roommate, Rosina. I believe she lives in SLC and works as a nanny for a family. Her employer is sending her on this trip as a gift!



I am holding up much better than I thought. After having such a difficult time adjusting to the difference in time zones when we visited Great Britain a few years back, I made sure to bring my "stay awake" and "go-to-sleep" pills. Surprisingly, I hadn't needed any of them! I hope I don't all of a sudden run out of gas!



The day after tomorrow Jim Gee will take us up a very steep and treacherous hill/mountain to see the Petra Treasury. His wife, Carol, refuses to ride a mule along this path. She will take non-participants shopping (which I also want to do -- but I will wait).



We are staying at a 5-star hotel called the Crowne Plaza. Very fancy! Even has an outdoor pool and tennis court. The pool won't do us any good, though, because it was snowing on our bus trip here. Blowing very hard too! Apparently the 2 weeks before our arrival the temps were in the high 60's, low 70's. Figures!



Its after midnight here and I'm the only one besides the guy at the front desk, who is still up and around. Last night it was the same -- I was in the lobby at the gift shop at 11:00 p.m. buying postcards. The cards were cheap: 10 for $1 USD; however, stamps are $1 each, and it takes two to mail a single postcard! Yikes! I sent some to the grandkids, but my friends will have to wait until I can mail them from the USA.



Have a great time! Much of the landscape looks like home, very dry only without sagebrush and tumbleweeds, so I have to remind myself I'm not in Utah anymore!



My 30 min. is up -- gotta run!