Ḩayy al Fayşalīyah al Jadīd

We wanted to see the sunrise so we got up at 05:30 to be there when the gate opens. The first stop was at the treasury, but we didn't stay long because we wanted to get a better view. So we hiked up to a lookout for about an hour and got there just before the sun touched these ancient stones. From there it was a strenuous walk of 6km to the Monastery. An even larger structure but without the details. Overall less impressive but very picturesque.
By 12 we were back in the car park after another stop at the treasury and a - crazy overpriced - local Jordanian beer called Petra with the slogan: 'When in Petra, drink Petra'. The only thing we couldn't do was the High Place of Sacrifice trail leading through an oasis because we didn't have time. Initially we had planned to go to Mini Petra on our way to the Dead Sea but decided not to after we've been hiking for 6 hours in the heat.
Just as we got out of Wadi Musa I stopped to take two hitchhikers with me that had a Dead Sea sign holding up. They happened to be a couple living in Switzerland, Marianna and Sebastién. She's Mexican and he's French. They were super nice people and we enjoyed the time driving with them even though I ended up on a super bad road. Steep climbs and descends, potholes and even partly washed out streets. It got better after about an hour and we arrived at the dead sea and the Lowest Point on Earth Museum. It definitely sounded more interesting than it was but it was included in the Jordan Pass.
Then we dropped the couple off on the Dead Sea and drove on to Mount Nebo where Moses saw, according to the Bible, the promised land for the first time. We just had half an hour left before it closed so we walked quite quickly through. But it had its upside, the place was almost empty and we saw a beautiful sunset...
We spent the night in Madaba because it was a lot cheaper than the stays near the Dead Sea. And we got lucky to meet some locals who invited us for tea and some fun conversations.Read more