12/25/2013

We left our hotel early in the winds that were still howling. We started on a down hill which made all the difference. I was still feeling a bit sluggish until our morning snack which picked me right up. They have heaps of candybars and junk food. I'm sure that I'll end up weighing a ton by the end of this. We had more uphill and a bit of off road as well today. We finished the 90km into Petra just as the sun was setting on Christmas Eve. It was beautiful. Before dinner I had a Turkish bath which was and hour of steam and massage/exfoliating. I thought it was reasonably priced at 22JD but my travel mates thought it was a bit pricy. Afterward we had a Jordanian Christmas dinner. There was heaps of food and we ate in a cave. I skipped the wine completely tonight and opted for a coke. Then we sat around talking for the next few hours. I must say it is extremely strange to be personally wished Merry Christmas by someone who is Muslim. I really haven't wanted to go through the 'I don't celebrate Christmas' thing here so I just pointedly say, "Thank you, you too!"