Amman, Jordan and Shobak Castle

We couldn't wait to see our friends, Sven and Hyuna Jensen and their three boys when we boarded our flight from Dubai to Amman on Saturday, November 11, 2017.  Sven's work with the US Embassy took their family there earlier that year.  Hyuna had been my secretary in the Seoul English Branch Relief Society and Sven served as a counselor to Bob in the District Presidency in Korea and they had become our dear friends.  My only regret was that we didn't get to spend more time with their sweet family.  After settling into their lovely home, they took us to a restaurant for a traditional meal of falafal (fried balls of seasoned ground chickpeas) sandwiches and all kinds of hummus and salad.  The next morning, they loaded us up with a good breakfast, some amazing dates and snacks for the road and sent us off on their suggested Jordan tourist itinerary for the next few days.

Bob began driving the 150 miles south toward Petra.  YES, PETRA (pinch me)!  The dessert terrain was flat, rocky, dry and dusty and there was little of interest along the way.

As we got further south, there began to be a little contour to the land.  In the distance we spotted the ruins of Shobok Castle on a hill.  As we stopped there for a little exploration, we noticed a modern-day shepherd tending his sheep on the hillside.  Shobak, built in 1115, is the earliest Crusader castle in Jordan. We were free to roam around the deserted ruins and found ourselves a willing guide who, after making me dress up as a crusader, pointed out some of the key points of interest.

The most intriguing part of the ruins was a very steep and slippery tunnel which burrowed way down and under the castle - perhaps as a secret passage or escape route.  We were glad Sven warned us to bring some head lamps with us.

 

 Talk about "Escape Rooms!", right?!  With Petra as our goal, anything was possible!