After 30+ hours of travel we finally arrived in Madaba, Jordan. When we arrived at 2am to the hostel/church we are staying at was crazy busy with beautiful lights and singing. At 2am! This was the service for Orthodox Easter. Happy Orthodox Easter everyone!

Madaba is interesting. It is the stuff of movies. Dusty, loads of traffic-some vehicles blasting Arabic techno music and most, if not all, blasting their horn, call to prayer 5 times a day, and rubble piled in vacant lots. There are men and women in traditional dress, and tons in everyday “regular” jeans and t-shirt wear, or business suits. There are men sitting around smoking hookah pipes and drinking tea out of fancy silver pots. Everyone has been really welcoming. Little kids on the street say hello and then giggle as they walk away with their parents.

We went to a restaurant for some Jordanian food for lunch. First, we see Ibrahim, a person who was featured on one of our favorite episodes of Departures. Of all the people, in all the world, what are the chances?!? He was super nice to us, and asked us to call when we make it to Petra. The sweet glorious lunch was some of the tastiest food ever. I have never had such delicious hummous in my life. The choices were “Mezze” which basically consist of small dishes (hot or cold) designed for sharing. The Mezze menu is like appies on steroids. Everything looked good except for the grilled lamb brain. We didn’t try that one.

Jet lag is kind of kicking my ass this morning. Waking up at 4am does have its advantages though. I was up before the call to prayer was given. And, we will have plenty of time to get ready for our 8am shuttle to Wadi Musa. Let’s hope the Dutch couple we are sharing with is nice!
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