The Road to Madaba, Jordan

Making full use of our newly rented hot-rod we took the long route on the way to Madaba. First stop was the supposed baptism site our none other than Jesus Christ.  With great skepticism we joined all the other tourists on the shuttle to take us to the site.  Most interesting was the explanation of the archeological data and historical references which lead many (including the pope) to believe that John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the area .  They even had Anelia and I considering the possibility that this was truly the site of the baptism.  

We moved on towards Madaba, stopping off at Mukawir.  This was the desert castle of King Herod who ironically enough was the man to order the beheading of St. John the Baptist who had baptized Jesus in the Jordan not so long ago.  Not much is left of the great castle but the views out over the desert from its high perch were stunning.

Our final stop before Madaba was the hot springs of Hammat Ma'in.  The springs lie in a lush canyon cutting through the desolate desert on its way to the Dead Sea.  The springs consist of three main waterfalls.  Hammat Ma'in resort connects swimmers with a natural experience of the springs with pools that have been constructed around the base of the two smaller waterfalls.  Bathers can enjoy two temperatures of water, the very hot 45 degree Celsius pool or the blistering 65 degree pool.  The spa also has a Roman bath and sauna (a little dodgy and not recommended)  An evening in the pools soothed all our aches and pains and ended the day beautifully.

pic 1 -  Hammat Ma'in springs  pic 2 -   Mukawir, castle of Herod the Great  pic 3 - Anelia dips her toe in the river Jordan   pic 4 - View from kings highway