Since I was the last of the Do-It-All group to take a tour, I thought I would write a few words about it.

My room at the Kempinski Ishtar was heavenly, overlooking the Infinity Pool. So while Andi and Doug were basking in the Dead Sea sun and mud, I soldiered on and took another tour.

I went to Bethany beyond the Jordan which was about a twenty minute drive from the hotel. There is controversy about where the exact baptism site of Jesus Christ really is, but experts have followed clues that led them to this site. Some still believe Jesus was baptized on the west bank in Israel, but the majority opinion rests with this site in Jordan.

Excavations began here in 1996 after a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The guide told me that the area was full of land mines that had to be cleared out. Archaeologists have discovered several churches, caves and baptismal pools dating from Roman and Byzantine periods. There are ruins of a 7th century Church of John the Baptist. Next to this, are remains of two more churches.

There are several Orthodox Churches on site, and new Catholic and Russian Orthodox Church are in the process of being built. In January 2000, there was a massive pilgrimage to the site with church leaders from fifteen world churches. In March, 2000 Pope John Paul II held an outdoor Mass at the baptism site with 25,000 people in attendance.

The tour led us down to the River Jordan - which is really just a muddy stream because the river is being siphoned upstream for use by Israel and Jordan (which is why the Dead Sea is disappearing at an alarming rate).

The opposite bank of the River Jordan is Israel. I was surprised that the river was so narrow, and that the Israeli border was so close. I could have thrown a stone across - it was that close. There were fences along the border on the Israel side.

I went down to touch the water of the Jordan River. I had brought an empty water bottle with me so I could bring home some water from the river. The guide warned me that it was not for drinking - only for baptizing (which upon observing the color of the water, was obvious)
For me, Bethany beyond the Jordan was a very special place and I am so glad I had the opportunity to see it.

I was back at the hotel by 10:30, and I had the rest of the day to enjoy the Dead Sea.

Special thanks to Ngaire and Ken for arranging this amazing trip.