As opposed to the previous day, Day 14 was chock full of sightseeing and activities. In the morning we set out with our ever-faithful, ever-trumpet-toting tour guide Yair to the Mount of Olives, where a grand view of the city of Jerusalem can be enjoyed by the eyeballs. The Mount of Olives, named as such due to the olive groves that in times past graced its slopes, is, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the place where Jesus ascended into Heaven forty days after he rose from the dead.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 13

In a word (or two), Day 13 was low key. The agenda called for climbing Masada in the morning, but, as expected, the heat kept us from attempting to do so. Instead we spent about a half hour at the Masada Museum in Memory of Yigael Yadin — an Israeli archaeologist whose many finds are on display, such as ancient water/wine jugs and some exceedingly-vintage coinage.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 12

We awoke before the crack of dawn today, at which time the temperature was mild — only in the 80s — in Aqaba. By the time we'd arrived at the Israeli-Jordanian border, it was easily over 100 degrees. Such intense heat makes it a bit difficult to do anything outdoors, which is why it proved advantageous that a visit to the Dead Sea — the lowest point on Earth — was the only real activity on today's docket.

Middle EastLogan T. HansenMay 15, 2016travel, Israel, Dead Sea, The Lowest Bar in the World, Aqaba, Herod the Great, MasadaComment

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 11

Our Jordanian tour guide, Mustache — whose real name is Isam — rendezvoused with us at the Captain's Hotel this morning, tearing, I imagine, into one of the made-in-front-of-you omelettes that the chefs were serving up (I know I did). Isam is privy to vast amounts of knowledge regarding the history of the Kingdom of Jordan; it spills from his lips and over the speaker system on the tour bus during our rides along the desert highways, much to the chagrin of those of us who would prefer to catch up on some sleep while we are traveling.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 10

For probably the past year, I have been following an account on Instagram called "Visit Jordan" and the place I see featured the most is the one in the image above: the ancient city of Petra. It's made appearances in films like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Mummy Returns (2001), and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) — and it is truly something to see in person.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 9

We rose relatively early this morning to ship out from Nazareth and undergo the comprehensive security measures at the Israel-Jordan border crossing. There were lines to be waited in, passports to be stamped, luggage to be x-rayed, and metal detectors to be walked through; when all was said and done, a little more than an hour had gone by before we'd climbed onto the new bus along with our new tour guide in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 8

Today was our final day in the city of Nazareth, and we began by walking to the Municipal Center to have a word with Tareq. Sitting in a classroom typically reserved for the training of city tour guides like Yair, Tareq spoke about the importance of religious tourism.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 7

Day 7 began with a trip to the mayor's office in Nazareth. Ali Salam became the mayor of Israel's largest Arab city two years ago, after serving as deputy mayor for just about two decades. With Raji — another one of our guides — translating, Mayor Salam welcomed us to Nazareth and gave a brief overview of the kinds of work he does, and what he hopes to accomplish.

Israeli Days/Jordanian Nights: Day 6

Today was the big one, the Mini Mondial (Mini World Cup) put on by PeacePlayers International in the city of Herzliya. The soccer tournament is held annually to help foster peace between Israeli and Palestinian children, centered around the idea that sport can bring people together. The kids are placed on teams made up of both Israelis and Palestinians and get to know each other by participating in weekly and monthly activities leading up to the main event.

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