After checking out of our hotel near Petra, we started making our way north again. A three-hour bus ride got us to Madaba and the famous Madaba Mosaic map, the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. The map dates to the sixth century AD and was found in a Byzantine Church of Saint George. Large portions of the mosaic map were damaged by fires, activities in the new church, and by the effects of moisture. Yet, the map has been used by scholars to verify many historical sites, especially in Jerusalem.

Interestingly, Madaba is an ancient and unique town, dating back to 451AD and was created during the Roman rein of the area. Today, 20% of Madaba’s residents are Christians. There are many other historical, but less significant, mosaics found in this town of 60,000 residents. The area has embraced modern mosaic creation, a cottage industry, with many mosaic workshops, including the one we visited a couple days ago, which is nearby.

After a late lunch in Madaba, we headed for the airport to get checked in for our 8pm flight. Flying as a group of 20 had its moments, but eventually we were boarded and had a super quick takeoff. We were already in the air by the time the English version of the customary pre-flight instructions was played.

Once in Cairo, the AmaWaterways representative met us, gave us our Egyptian visas and ushered us through passport control and the multi-step security process. We’ve never had to show our passports so many times when entering a country. After the 30-minute bus ride to our hotel for three nights, the Ritz Carlton, we met our AmaWaterways Tour Manager who will be with us for the next 11 days. After a brief orientation, we were finally in our rooms by 11:30pm.

Tomorrow: Cairo