Goodbye Sea, Hello Mountains

Al-Mazrah to At-Tafila

Distance: 51 km
Time: 2:46:00
Ave speed: 18.6 km/hr
Max speed: 29 km/hr
Temp: 24 C
Weather: Hot below sea level then coooold up in the mountains

We bid farewell to William in the late morning, then cycled the Dead Sea road further south through the salt flats. Along the way are a few large factories, including the Bromine factory (run by an American company) and Jordan's Potash City. Despite the absolute dry climate people still manage to farm so there are large monocrop fields (mostly tomatoes is seems) on both sides of the road. We passed several bedouin camps, empty and desolate, their inhabitants surviving off the animals products their ancestors have been eating for centuries. (Have I mentioned the traditional bedouin yogurt, leben, which is actually dehydrated and sold in dense, powdery blocks?) The surrounding farms are sprayed in abundance with pesticides, something we witnessed many times en route.


Fields around the Dead Sea salt flats are heavily sprayed with chemicals

Eventually, after passing some small towns and the turnoff to Lot's Cave, we arrived in Fifa, where we turned inland. The road leads straight up into the mountains so we called it a day and hitched a lift with 3 men in a truck.


Chris' new FB profile

They dropped us at the south entrance to At-Tafila, where we would visit Marty, the PCV we met in Amman. He lives at the north entrance so we had to skirt our way around the entire city before climbing a steep hill to his house. The main road through town is the sole commerce street, full of produce stalls, carpentry shops, and a few restaurants near the bus terminal.


Chris and Marty in Tafila's cold streets (note the sketchbook)

We stayed two nights at Marty's place, though he only stayed one. He had planned already to visit his host family and then stay up north for Christmas celebrations, but generously offered to let us stay alone. His landlord, Abu Muhammad, came over to drink tea and visit awhile, explaining to us the herbs and plants in his garden, and showed us his precious seed stash. A nice man, he wears a woolen cap and grey beard; appearing more like a salty deep sea captain than an Arab.


Learning about local plants with , Marty's landlord Abu Muhammad

Chris and I took a trip up just out of town to catch a wireless signal at the university, which was full of young men who literally hooted and hollered as we walked through campus. I cannot imagine this kind of scene anywhere in America, where large crowds of guys display such harassment toward strangers (although I didn't hang around frats much).


Walking in another's shoes. Literally.

On our way home we stopped in a few shops for dinner supplies, then caught a ride back toward town with a passing car; the next day it occurred to us Chris left his sketchbook in the mystery car! All of his pre-trip drawings, notes, and contacts are lost, though we are not giving up hope that- inshallah- word of mouth will connect the driver with Marty...