As I needed to go on the computer before leaving Amman to get some messages through regarding the flat, Alison had partially packed the car by the time I was ready, of course as usual after I shouted at her for disturbing me by asking unnecessary questions. While checking out I could hear her complaining to the receptionist for disfiguring our passports.  The receptionist must have felt so guilty that she brought us a cup of coffee each, maybe after spitting in them but I drank it all the same, while being an ex-hotelier Alison didn’t.

We took the same road to Mt Nebo as we already knew the general direction to the Baptism Site. It also gave me the opportunity to take a photo of a house we saw yesterday that was somewhat different from the rest. After Mt Nebo the road going down to the valley was windy and rather dangerous with lots of blind corners and steep inclines. The progress was a bit slow but we managed to get to the entrance of the Baptism Site just in time for the next bus but not before having Tuah covered with flies just as we opened the door. We hoped that the flies would be dead by the time we got back because of the heat. The guide stopped to show us Elijah’s hill but we could not see it because it was in a small valley. Thereafter we had to walk in and were brought to the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

The spot where Jesus was thought to have unrobed had a small chapel and remnants of an arch built over it. A stone footing hosting a marble column with a metal cross on top is thought to be the actual baptism site of Jesus Christ according to different historians and travelers. John the Baptist Spring which has it origins from Elijah’s Hill flows into the river Jordon at the same spot.

Before proceeding to the cave where John the Baptist was thought to have lived for six months we were brought to the river Jordon for some excitement as across the river not more than 50 meters away was Isreal, a forbidden country for us to visit. We took the opportunity to take some photographs with the Isreali flag in the background.

Adrian behaved himself remarkably walking all the way with the exception of some spots where we needed to catch up with the group, when Alison had to carry him. By the time we go back to the entrance it well past 1400hrs and we had first got to get rid of the flies from inside Tuah. As Alison had prepared fried rice for us the night before we had that on the way to the Dead Sea in search of a hotel.

We got to the hotel area and found that there were four hotels there and all were five star but was told that one the Dead Sea spa hotel and medical centre could be reasonably cheap. We were aghast at the price when told that the rate was USD200 per night. We went further up the road to Amman Beach and asked if we could camp instead. We had to pay 20 Dinars to camp and use of facilities including swimming pools would be an additional 12 Dinars each for adults. We decided to do away with the facilities offered as we didn’t need to use the pools. As for other facilities we had a shovel!

After parking Tuah and got the tent ready for the first time since Pompeii, we went for a walk to the beach and Adrain had fun building sand castle while we had cay. We turned in at a reasonable hour after Alison had updated Adrian’s adventures on the laptop.