I was supposed to meet Kagan on the Jordanian side of the border in the afternoon. Unfortunately I didn't take with me my Pelephone (cellular phone) so Kagan couldn't tell me plans have changed. After it became dark (and I already found a taxi driver that offered me to sleep at his house) Kagan came and fetched me. We met up with Eli Raz (Kagan's bos) and Tal (a co-worker of his) and slept at Madaba.
The next morning negotiated with two taxis to take us to the beginning of the hike and we took the white one. The yellow taxi started to argue with our driver and a policeman came and told us that we need to change to the yellow taxi since the white ones are local and are not allowed to take us out of town.
We arrived at Wadi Hamra with a impressive view of Wadi Zarqa and started the walk down. After a few hours we got to a beautiful fall that a tiny bit of water flowing down it and date trees all around.
We then walked down to the river where there was a small river flowing and had a swim in one of the pools. We continued up the river to another flowing waterfall and had lunch
Eli and Tal went back to Israel and Kagan and I had a long needed restfull afternoon and night, sleeping next to the waterfall.
The next morning we hitchhiked (very easy in Jordan) to Hamamat Ma'en - the beginning of Wadi Zarqa - a place where almost a thousand years ago the ruler built a water canal to divert the water from hot springs to make an artificial colorful waterfall.
At the beginning the river was hot and crossing the river each time burned your legs but by the end of the river the water was cool and refreshing. The gorge started with dark basalt (BAZALET) and continued with colorful sandstone and white Lime Stone (GIR). The river all the time changed its colors and textures.
Me on an arch of Lime Stone.
Kagan went back to Israel and I went back to Wadi Hamra to sleep.
The next morning I met up with my mother at the border and went to Wadi Mujib (ARNON) and arrived at the estuary (where the river spills into the Dead Sea) at noon. We had to climb a mountain, get to the top and from there go down to the beginning of the hike. It was hot . no shade. Luckily we met Umer (a Nature Reserve worker with a jeep) that gave us a lift up the mountain and down to the beginning of the hike. Bless him.
We went up the Arnon about an hour and got to El-Hidan - a river that spills into the Arnon. We walked, swam and climbed waterfalls up the El-Hidan - a beautiful, high cliff gorge with bluish water. It was amazing how much water the rivers have - in the middle of the desert.
having lunch in the El-Hidan
We then came back to where the jeep left us and decided to sleep the night there and continue walking in the morning. Just before darknes - Umer came to check if all was O.K.
In the morning we walked and floated down the Arnon.
The whole river was with high and vertical cliffs with amazing colors on the walls. There were a lot of small waterfalls that you had to climb over and some you had to use ropes. The big waterfall was twenty meters high and we rappelled (SNAPPEL) down it. You rappel down the watterfall to a sort of cave full of water
and from there you jump from 5 meters high into the river.I thought my Mom wouldn't jump and I will need to put a rope for rappelling - but then my Mom surprised me and agreed to jump!
My SuperMom Jumping
We then continued to the end of the river, continuing to go through waterfalls all the way to the end.
We then continued to Wadi El-Hasa (ZERED). We got there in the afternoon and started to go through a narrow gorge that included a lot of sliding down waterfalls and going through small passages between the boulders
The biggest problem in this river was that all the time little pebbles got into our shoes and we had to stop and take them out.
Throughout the river there were springs from both sides and usually on the left side (north) was the hot springs and on the left were the cold water springs. At one of the hot water springs my Mom stopped and took out here cup and made a naturally hot brewed cup of tea
.
We also met two local Beduims that invited us to a cup of tea and we had lunch with them (we brought the goodies and they brought the tea and bread). It was a very interesting and lovely lunch.
On our second morning I thought that we had two hours to get to the end, but it took us in the end over 10 hours. When you walk through the river you feel nice and cool but if you walk out of the river for more than 5 minutes - you suddenly feel the hot desert. It was amazing to feel the differences between the river and around the river
Mom enjoying going down one of the water slides
one of the water snakes that we saw on the way
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