Jordan, the desert and the scorching heat are taking over from winter

After leaving Damas, I am moving towards to the border and my last syrian break is offering me a last local touch: a meeting with an ex-serviceman of the Hezbollah (according to him, because in Syria you cannot be sure with whom you speak). He is offering me one liter of fresh milk, some fruits and is making me promise to say in Europe that the Hezbollah are not sanguinary terrorists. He cultivates his fields the day, to nourish his family and the night, he changes clothes to protect his family, it is his simple reality and his fight for freedom. After having left him, I am reaching the border. I am spending 2 days in Amman, to save my photos by sending them at the post office and also to wait until the rain ceases. The 2 days connecting me from Damas to Amman were under the rain with a wind of face.... and I stopped in Damas to have a long break to wait better conditions of road.... But good, I'm not complaining, in front of me is the Jordanian desert, after it's the Sinai and the Egyptian and Sudanese desert. For sure, I'm not gonna see water's drops falling from the sky for a long time.

I am driving down towards the Dead Sea (a real descent because Amman is in the heights, around more or less 1500 meters, the Dead Sea is indeed the lowest place of the world with -400 meters "altitude") I am turning on the right for the israelian border. Before reaching the border of the "small country" (the only accepted name in Syria when you speak about Israel), a group of kids are throwing me stones with some Arab worms of poesy (insults of all kinds) and some kilometers later, I am escaping a small lynching by a group of crazy arabs. It is thanks to an arab guy with whom I have just sympathized, that they are leaving me in peace. .. He calmed them for me (a help really welcome at this time...). After that, nobody wants to keep my extra luggage for the few days visit in Israel. I would like to leave my luggage, because I have to drive

150 kilometres on the motorway until Tel Aviv and after I have to go back on the same road (because I must return to the same border post, because a problem with the visa in the passport). There is at least 3 controls of the israelian army on the way (that means 6 times go and back with a complete check of my bicycle), the roads are not very bright and the drivers are completly insane. The conclusion of all this story is that I am giving up loosely my bicycle at the border for the few days that I will pass in Israel.
(for the missing passage, please read the topic ISRAEL)
I am taking again my bicycle a few days later and I am having a bath in the Dead Sea. Strange feeling to float on the water without any effort, you really float on the surface of the water and it's almost impossible to be immersed. Fortunately, because the salt concentration is so intense that any ridiculous contact with the eyes or the mouth is very irritating and really, but I mean really really, unpleasant (I tested it in the mouth, I would not do it any more... if somebody tried with the eyes, I would be very happy to exchange experiences...). Thanks to a hot water spring, I can wash myself which is a must in the Dead Sea. The evening I am camping discreetly behind some rocks, because the soldiers are very active in the area. The mountains beyond the Dead Sea are in Israel and even they have a treat of peace, they are far from living a situation which we can call "normal". Anyway, I am enjoying a superb sunset and the hot air is finally joining me during my sleep.

The following day I am splendidly crashing while trying to take a picture while I'm driving. Fortunately I wasn't driving quickly and the fall is more spectacular than serious but it is a good lesson for me... I'm not gonna^do it again while driving... In any case, it made really laugh a peasant who saw me flying in the air during my fall. It is I think my speciality, when I fall, I lways get to eject me to avoid that the bicycle (with these 60 light kilos) does not fall on me. After a tea and some laughs with this bedouin peasant, I am seting out again and am attacking the ascension of the mountains. On 26 kilometers I am suffering by going up 2000 meters under a blazing sun, first sunburns on my baby skin who left a long winter... and I was complaining so much in the turkish winter... Now after the first ray of sun, I'm now complaining about this so waited summer... I am driving 3 days and am reaching Petra. On the way, people are fantastic, like ever. I am sleeping once with bedouins nomads who keep their goats in the mountains, I am receiving several times food on the way by people  and a barber is shaving me for free after he had me the usual round of chai (tea). Finally I am sleeping again under my tent. Difficult thing in Syria and in the Arab countries in general because of the concentration of people and especially because of their hospitality.... I called them: the chai terrorists, terrorists of the tea, the only real terrorists I met. It's so nice to be in its tent, with the wind whick rocks you by cherishing the tent. Such a good feeling when you fall asleep with this freedom's feeling and see the sunrise afer a eagle's cry wakes you up. Look outside the tent and realize that you are close to the old tracks of the caravans, in the Middle-East and already at the doors of Africa.

After crossing splendid landscapes, I am meeting some cyclists on the way (I keep in memory especially the meeting with a Swiss couple and their "webmaster" who joined them for a "few kilometers", with who I share a meal. To be honest, They share their meal with me because I had almost no more food. Look at  ww.balladavelo.net ) and suddently I am arriving in Petra. Incredible, gigantic, impressive, amazing. I don't know which word I can use to describe this beauty of archeology, which was in the past an obligatory stop because saving them from the hard journey in the desert between Damas and the old Egypt. Petra was strong during the time of the Silk's road. Temples dig directly in the rock at the bottom of the mountains and edge of the desert. I am not remaining there a very long time because the prices are also completely different of the Jordan reality and especially of my own financial reality, but the time I am passing in there, offers me to see what I wanted to see. These temples will remain for ever in my memory. For the the cinema's amateur, Petra is seen in Indiana Jones and the Graal's quest. Movie you can't escape because they show it in every single restaurant, cafe or hotel in Petra... Then I am reaching the desert to join Aquaba in the edge of the sea, the only possible way for me to reach Egypt because the israelian territories avoid me to do it by bicycle for the few 20 kilometres between the 2 Moslem countries (actually it's more the problem of visa than a problem of Israel). I'm now starting to drive in the desert and already I know that it will be hard for me, especially with this blazing sun, but I feel that for the few next 2000 kilometres in different deserts on my road, I will probalby find the calm, serenity... probably some madness as well and some sunburns... But well, you don't get anything without doing anything... I am camping in the middle of some rocks and I know that I am not far from Aquaba. In the arid and dry air of the desert, I am starting to smell the perfume of the sea, this humid air soaks with salt. The boat is leaving at the begining of the afternoon, in front of me is a new adventure, a new country. I didn't get bored of travelling, even if it is hard to leave people and the places I love. But the feeling of total freedom which my bicycle gives me is such of feeling that for nothing in the world I would like to exchange at the moment. I am happy, simply happy and I live each day with the respect I owe life. The last weeks in Damas, I am getting my first real "holidays". Relaxing, reparing my bicycle (I got a new front rack in steel for usd 10.--, it took 5 hours on 3 days with two men, welcome in Syria), I am cleaning my materials and having a good time with the foreigners leaving in Damas. But now, that's it. The call of freedom is coming, I have to ride again. A part of my heart will remain in here, but the spring is taking place of the winter and it's already warm. If I want go to Africa it will be warmer and warmer, everyday. Now I know, after having suffered of the coldness, I will suffer under the sun (but I think to get hot is better than be in the very cold, we'll see.)

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