Indiana Jones at Petra, Jordan

Posted on December 1st, 2008 by seaciel.
Categories: Jordan.

Looking for the Holy Grail wasn’t easy for Indy.

The clue where it lies can be found from his father’s diary,

“…. at the canyons of the crescent moon.”

And I found it!

Not the Grail, but the “Canyons of the Crescent Moon”. :)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is one of my favorite films (actually all Indy Jone’s films). When I learned that we’re going to the place where the climax of the movie was filmed, i took with me my fedora hat and bullwhip from my invisible old wooden box.

Together with my fellow treasure hunters, ;) we started the adventure by  entering an almost 2km winding narrow gorge called Siq. As we journey through the soaring vertical cliffs, I felt  like a dwarf in between gigantic rocks. I was awed how this cliffs were formed.


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“Can I invite you to Baghdad?”

Posted on September 3rd, 2007 by seaciel.
Categories: Pilgrimage, Middle East, Jordan.

One of the things I like about travelling is getting to meet unexpected people and the opportunity to have a small talk with them. A small talk with strangers which carries weight in the backpack of our journey.

The group arrived at Queen Alia in Jordan around 9:30am, there we met up the travel agency representative who took all our passports for group entry. While waiting, we took upon the chance to take evidence that we were once inside Queen Alia, the airport. Everyone was excited to take photos, looking for a great angle and background to use in striking our own pose. Little did we know we are being watched by a man who look very dignified in his Americana suit.

He’s name is Mokhil.
How did I know?

He was smiling at us while we’re gathering evidences.
He took his cellphone out from his pocket, I thought to call the security, but he handed it over to me and asked
“Can you take photos of me too?”

That’s how the small talk started.
I was surprised to learn that he’s from Iraq, coz he’s features are different from the Iraqi men I’ve seen on Tv. Curious of what he’s doing in Jordan, i asked a little more about himself and his country. He said he’s a sportsman, which at first i cannot comprehend because of his English accent. He showed me his ID to enlighten me.
He’s a president of a martial arts federation and been visiting different countries, including the Philippines, as part of his work. He learned that we are pilgrims, I told him that Jordan is the first on our itinerary, then next is Israel, then Egypt.

“Can I invite you to Baghdad?” he said.

So as not to offend him, I replied,
“How I wish I could also visit Iraq, but my passport wont let me.”

Yes, my Philippine passport has a stamped on it that says “not allowed to travel to Iraq”.
Needless to say, its not safe to go there at this time. I’m sure he understood what I’m talking about.

We ended our small talk with more photos, of him and with the group.

I’m not sure if Mokhil believes in the Bible, we never talked about religion.
If there are no series of conflicts going on in his country, it can be one of the interesting places to go to.

If Israel is the nation most often mentioned in the Bible, Iraq is second.
She played significant role during the Bible times.

I want to share this email I received a few years back, it’s about Iraq in the Bible.

  • Iraq’s names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia.
  • Eden was in Iraq — Genesis 2:10-14.
  • Adam & Eve were created in Iraq — Genesis 2:7-8.
  • Satan made his first recorded appearance in Iraq — Genesis 3:1-6.
  • Nimrod established Babylon & theTower of Babel was built in Iraq — Genesis 10:8-97 & 11:1-4.
  • The confusion of the languages took place in Iraq — Genesis 11:5-11.
  • Abraham came from a city in Iraq — Genesis 11:31 & Acts 7:2-4.
  • Isaac’s bride came from Iraq — Genesis 24:3-4 &10.
  • Jacob spent 20 years in Iraq — Genesis 27:42-45 & 31:38.
  • The first world Empire was in Iraq — Daniel 1:1-2 & 2:36-38.
  • The greatest revival in history was in a city in Iraq — Jonah 3.
  • The events of the book of Esther took place in Iraq — Esther.
  • The book of Nahum was a prophecy against a city in Iraq — Nahum.
  • The book or Revelation has prophecies against Babylon, which was the old name for the nation of Iraq - Revelation 17 &18.
  • No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy associated with it than Iraq.

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