Three imams or the three stooges

I’m touring Petra and I meet up with three young 21 year old guys—Osama, Osama and Abdul. Kinda reminds me of the three stooges with Osama #2 being called the crazy one (Curly Joe?). Anyway it was a very entertaining hike. They say they are already imams, but I can’t imagine anyone taking them seriously at the mosque.

Then I talked to a young couple from Ukraine. They were on their honeymoon when Russia invaded and they haven’t been back. But in the meantime they have been traveling around the world all this time—over 3 years! And I thought three months was a big deal. And then there are the “paid friends,” like Abraham, the driver who took me up to Mt Nebo where Moses saw the Promised Land. We were looking towards Jerusalem and Jericho. But the Promised Land looked like just more of the desert to me. I guess it’s all in your perspective.

A very diplomatic tour guide was explaining to his group that they were looking at the West Bank that used to be part of Jordan until the 1967 war. He said all of the countries of the world recognize it as occupied territory, he said, “except for two and I won’t name them.” Abraham, the driver, said in the recent war between Iran and Israel that the missiles headed to Israel flew over Jordan in the night and the people went outside and cheered—like at a fireworks show.Read more