April 25

April 25

Caught a bus from Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat (Israel’s southernmost town) – SO many young soldiers on the bus.  I think we stopped at about 3 or 4 army bases on our way.  Sometimes it seems like half the country’s population is enlisted…  We were accompanied by a nice, transient, liberal, ‘spiritual,’ middle-aged American couple.  We took a taxi together for a cheaper fare to the Israel-Jordan border.  We crossed the border together into Aqaba, Jordan with relatively no hassles.  Once across a manipulative, creepy, incredibly discourteous Jordanian taxi driver played the good cop/bad cop routine, initially approaching us cordially but then suddenly becoming angry and rude after we politely refused his offer to take us into town (his price was slightly too steep, and we knew it).  We decided to part ways with the American couple – thinking it better to wait for our contacts elsewhere, we walked up the road to escape the heated, scheming taxi driver; the American couple waited long-sufferingly for two Italian guys who were crossing the border behind us, at which point they all took another cab with a less scary cab driver into town. 

Our contacts Gene and Jessie picked us up.  They’re a wonderful couple.  They work for a Christian org.  Gene teaches English and Jessie works with various women’s ministries.  They have three young children.  We lounged on their couches and attempted to converse despite our travel-exhaustion and sun-scorched brains.  We went to bed early.