Change of Plans

So I got back from my mini vacation and I'm surprised at how tired I am.  I've only been awake for about 10 hours but it feels like 24.

If there was a military base in Jordan and I could get the same pay there as I do here, I would try very hard to transfer over there.  Jordan beats Kuwait in pretty much every aspect.  Not only does it have a far superior landscape, but the people are nicer, the roads are in better shape, there is much more to see and its a much cleaner place.  Kuwait is flat and sandy and trashy, literally.  I think I've mentioned it before, but every morning guys are dropped off all over the country and they just walk down the roads with bags picking up trash.  Yet there is still tons of trash on the side of the roads.  Not only do people constantly throw trash our their windows while driving, but, based on the piles I've seen on some back streets, some people just throw bags of trash out in empty lots near their apartments.  With all the wind, that trash is quickly spread out.  Anyways, I need to get back on topic before I waste any more time on how much Kuwait sucks.

I flew to Jordan, rented a car and drove to the Holiday Inn on the Dead Sea.  It was a nice hotel with 3 pools, a beach, 2 restaurants, a spa where I got a massage, and a bar. 

The one thing Jordan has in common with Kuwait is the lack of road signs.  Seriously, they just dont care about that sort of thing in these countries.  I first drove north towards the capitol of Amman, then went west towards the Dead Sea.  At one point I was certain I was lost and pulled over to ask for directions from these two guys who has also pulled over and were eating dinner.  They had pulled over at a lookout point before the road snaked down the mountain.  It was a glorious view, I wish it was possible to take a picture that could do the view justice, but I dont think that is possible.

 

I first thought I was lost when I was driving down this road.  There were two kids playing in the middle of the road, and about a km later, there was a husband and wife walking a small child.  These section of the road was about 3 km before I got to the part where the road snaked down the mountain.

 

This shot was taken at the top of the mountain, just before the decent.  You can see on the left of the picture how the road curves around and there is very little space between the road and the cliff.

Another view of the valley below.  It really is a beautiful country.  Not nearly as much vegetation as Texas, but certainly more that Kuwait.

Here is a preview of the dead sea, as you can see, the coast is mud and not salt, like I expected for some odd reason.  Tomorrow is gonna be all about the dead sea.

Don't forget to click on the pictures to see a larger version.