Jordan...where time sleeps under a blanket of stars~***

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The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  A fascinating Muslim country in the middle east.  Part of the fertile crescent, Jordan's official language is Arabic.  Beautiful, gorgeousArabic.  Though Jordan is relatively landlocked it is sharing control of the Dead Sea with Israel, and also has access to a beach on the Red Sea in the south. During our trip we floated in the Dead Sea, we stood in the Jordan River where Christ was baptized (while being shadowed by a machine gun toting military man) and observed Muslim women on the beach at the Red Sea smoking shisha like it was going out of style.

We discovered the timeless Nabataean city of Petra, and it's many caves, people & wonders.  We laughed at "camel crossing" signs on the highway.  Met Bedouin women who weave the most beautiful carpets from yarn they spin & hand dye themselves.  We drank herbal tea prepared by a man who watches over ancient mosaics.  We were shown the ways of the hookah or water pipe; smoking apple, lemon mint, and cherry shisha.  Turn a blind eye if you are a health fanatic, for I'll regale you with more stories of smoking shisha in posts to come. 

We left a Bedouin camp situated under the stars (oh the stars!) with a lump in our throats and a longing we couldn't put a finger on...after having dined on fresh baked flat bread and eating meat prepared in fiery underground ovens.  Perhaps the longing is a simpler existence, or eternal love for fellow man, or a sense of ancestry that is lost in our own blind quest for success and material things. 

We did many things in Jordan besides photography.  Although photography was indeed the highlight. We explored old markets, new restaurants, museums, landscapes, people, ideas & philosophies.  We did not come away from this trip missing anything. We left Jordan rich with ideas, potential & love in our hearts. 

When Tara Bradford puts together another "Journey to Jordan", I highly recommend you join her.  And should you be lucky enough to have the stellar group of fellow travellers that I had, then you'll have the trip of a lifetime. I will show you more photos, as soon as I have permission from my new friends to publish their likeness on my little blog.  More to come here, when I'm not so jet-lagged and stupefied.  Love ya. xoxo

   

Comments

[Gigi]

Absolutely stunning photos, my friend! I'm hungry for more pictures and tales from your adventure. Just beautiful. Welcome home. xo

[Marilyn]

Welcome home! The photos so far are wonderful. I can't wait to hear more too.

[elizabeth]

Beautiful. I love reading the stories and seeing the photos - can't wait for more! So very glad you had a wonderful trip.

[Swirly]

You summed it up beautifully = what a gift this journey was!!

[Steve]

Welcome back. Can't wait to hear and see more.

[Jeaux]

This exotic world has awakened for you a new way of seeing. I can see it. A fresh take on the world around you that will inform your perception from now on. It’s in your writing too. A great leap forward - and inward. That longing “you couldn’t put a finger on” ? Isn’t it a kind of homesickness, a buried memory, an ancient throb?

Of course the delight is in the details, and delight us you have, word and image. Thanks for taking us along. Bring it home.

[lisa]

Beautiful photos Gill. Looking forward to hearing more!
xo

[Preeti Shenoy]

Beautiful beautiful images.
So rich.
So vivid.
Yet so simple.

Fascinating.

Glad u had a great trip
xoxo
preeti

[Art Dolls by Du Buh Du Designs]

Sounds like you savored every minute of the wondrous trip..you are so fortunate to have been able to travel there..can't wait to see what else you along with others share. Gorgeous mix of the modern and the ancient :)

[shelagh]

WONDERFUL! You were filled to the brim.
I understand that longing, it is a longing for the freedom and perpetual wonder of our childhood. That lost innocence which is reignited by travel. For in traveling we are children again, no responsibilities, always learning, making new friends, having new adventures, seeing places for the first time, opening up to a world of possibilities....

[gemma]

Were the stars hanging on strings?
I thought of you and J many times last week.
Can imagine the portal to Petra OMG.
xx

[Tara Bradford]

You've captured the magic in your words and photos. Am so glad you fell in love with the beautiful desert kingdom! What a treat it was to have you along for the journeys. Just got home this a.m. to a cold, sunny Paris. Somewhere amidst the unpacking and laundry, will download some photos. xoxox

[Angie Muresan]

Gillian, I am amazed at the beauty of your photography. You've captured it all so well. There's mystery and romance and joy. Welcome home!

[Account Deleted]

I am learning that when I take the time to be still and glide, I land in places like this. You do great things with your "third eye." Such beauty.

[pam aries]

Helo my friend... I love all the photos...it must have been unrea lto be there and see all this u p close and personal. I am so happy that you did it. You are richer for it.

[susanna]

This post is enticing - I want to see more photos and read more about your experiences in Jordan. Tell us EVERYTHING, Gillian!

[Donna]

Hello my beautiful friend, I am so grateful to have met you, you have such a wonderful spirit. You are welcome to post images of me if you have any worth sharing! I am just beginning to come out from under my emotions. I miss you.

[gillian]

Oh thank you so much Donna, incredibly yet not surprisingly I miss all my fellow travellers also...I felt for you so deeply what a torment you endured while trying to enjoy our trip. My heart is still with you and I look forward to talking with you soon. xoxo

[karen cole]

Every photo and your tale .....simply magical.

[Sherry]

No surprise that you captured some amazingly brilliant photographs. This trip was your nirvana I think. A spiritual quest that you weren't prepared for at such a level. I think you knew going in what you would find, but even you must have been breathless when you realized just how deeply spiritual a journey you were on.