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It's our last day in Jerusalem, and only two hours will separate us to the Jordan border and the road "Kings Highway", that will drive us to Petra, skirting the Dead Sea and through the canyon of Wadi Mujib. But before, we must attempt something that it has been resisted during all our stay: the visit to Esplanade of the Mosques, that has become in a real challenge due to the absurd schedules of visit that israeli soldiers imposed to the foreigners, the coincidence with the weekly holidays for jews and muslims.
We went about 7:30 to one of the gates, and the soldiers indicated us that the place is open for visitors but only through the gate closed to the Wailing Wall. A new walk until there, where nobody seems to know the famous gate. At the end of many turns, we found the stairway that goes to the gate, which is crammed faithful jews who at that hour for some reason make organized and escorted visits to the esplanade. As we went by ourselves, they allowed us to go inside, not without few obstacles. Finally, we could go for a walk in this magic place, where the only sadness is that the Al-aqsa Mosque as the Dome of the Rock are closed. At that time, practically, there are not faithful, only some escorted jews and us taking photos.
With the satisfaction of the fulfilled purpose, we returned to the hotel to pick up our luggage and to leave toward Jordan. We say goodbay to Abu, ith the convincing that someday we will see him again. We feel that something of ourselves has left in this land. Although we dind't imagine what would happen in the entrance of the Allemby border (bridge King Hussein to jordanians).
Next to pass the Judea desert, with a depression of 300 meters under the level of the sea, a soldier told us by a loudspeaker that had just closed the border, probably due to the yesterday attack in Haifa and the proximity of the Jewish festivity of Yom Kipur.
The only explanation obtained from the soldier was while he was aiming us with the machine gun to return, was that the border was closed and would not probably open up in 2 or 3 days and he didn't know the situation in other borders. His threatening screams of "Go back, go back, now" made we went back, and fortunately, was able to leave in the last moment for the border at 100 kilometers on the north of this, Sheik Hussein, taking a risk to that it was also closed.
Once in Jordan we found out that due to the festivity of Yom Kipur, they decided to close all the frontiers (including the international airport Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv) during three days, as well as they canceled the television emissions and they decreeded curfew in all the Ocuppied Territories to allow the attendance of the Jews to pray to the synagogues and to the Wailing Wall.
We can say that we only just went out and that the last sensation that provided us from Israel was the one of having been able to escape from a Lamentaciones. Podemos decir que logramos salir por los pelos, y que la última sensación kidnapping, in front of it, the spanish embassy in Tel Aviv, to which we appealed by phone, said not to be able to do anything.
The accidental turning to leave Israel, provokes a delay of almost two hours and to have to pay 300 NIS to the driver for the extra kilometers. In the other side of the border was Yamal the cousin of Jabr, with who we contacted by mobile phone in order to he picked up us in the border of the north instead Allemby. This change forced us to renegotiate the price to go to Petra from 60 to 80 JD, a small fortune.
The trip is tired and hot, and after a couple of hours we arribed to the banks of the Dead Sea, where there is a publick beach. We cheered up to prove the experience of swimming in the saltest sea in the world, and to check for ourselves the experience of floating without other option.
Telling the truth , it isn't all the pleasant that it could seem, entering to the sea, walking between big quantities of mud and stones, but it is necessary to prove at least once in lifetime everything. The place is well conditioned as beach, but the massive attacks of flies and mosquitos encouraged us to return soon to the car, where Yamal waited for us to continue the trip.
We left Dead Sea to go for a little while at Mount Nebo where we began our trip already for 15 days, that seems several months. The rest of the day goes into the car, went all over the famous and scenic route of the Kings Highway , with a brief stop in the canyon of Wadi Mujib, that have some spectacular views, and where we witness a beautiful sunset.
The road that goes to Kerak, is tortuous and it seems to disappear several times. Yamal made the trip more enjoyable telling us his youth stories as sailor and his ship trips around all the world. Also he told us the lamentable situation of insecurity fo Iraq and specially Bagdag, where he travels regularly once or twice a month.
At least we arrived to Petra, after to heard several times a tape of music of Shakira, Yamal seemed to be proud of the lebanese origin of her, and after the usual trying to bring us to the hotel of a friend of Yamal, we chose the comfort of the hotel Petra Palace. They assigned us the room 128 and next to have dinner we went to sleep for a rest that we deserved.
It was a really long day and we still have not assimilated the huge number of things lived during the last week.
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