(this picture is the entrance of our cave.. there is a steep rocky slope you have to climb down to get to the door. we think that the earthquake that happened in the 14th century probably closed off the large entrance, leaving this small one.)

Today, we found a mummified cat.
Okay... not really a cat. A feline of sorts. They have an arabic word for it, but not an english one.
It was a bit bigger than a house cat. With huge teeth.
Interesting.

I'm working in the Hardy People cave.
See... when they told me I'd be working in a cave where people lived, i assumed it would open like fantastic caverns in the front... and I wouldn't have to squeeze in.
I kind of panicked at first.
But.. the more time we spent underground, the more I counted my blessings for the underground air conditioning.
(But we'll be the kids when we're on the 5 day hike who huff and puff and sweat to death... haha.....)

What else...
Traffic here is crazy.
There aren't really lanes painted on the road, and even when there are, people don't observe them. It's like, a mass of cars driving all over. But, it seems to work.
People crossing the street just walk into traffic, or stand in the lane while flagging taxis. (I still stood on the sidewalk....)

We all got called to prayer at 4am... and during dinner tonight.
We're very near a mosque, and at the times of prayer, the loudspeakers call everyone to prayer with a recording.... (it's much like those weather recordings... only in Arabic. And for a much different purpose. haha)

We've been meeting the Andrews kids... who seem to be very nice, interesting people.

My eyes hurt from looking at everything all the time.
This weekend we're going to Petra... we're going specifically in the evening so we can enjoy the site by night, and have tea, at Petra, lit up in the evening.
So... I guess I'm looking forward to that.

My lady friends and I have been discussing our travel plans, which are still not nailed down yet.
The control freak in me is freaking out a bit... but at the same time- I really don't have much of an opinion right now (which sucks)... so I'm just kind of going along for the ride.

I do want to snorkel in the Red Sea... and I do want to see the Holocaust Museum while we're in Israel...
there are some other places I'd like to see... but they're pretty typically touristy. So.. I think that can be arranged.

Man.. my throat hurts. Tomorrow I'm wearing a bandana over my face so I don't have to breathe in the moldy cave air. (Because let's face it- when your allergies are aggrevated by mold and dust... an old wet, dusty cave is the worst place- and nosebleeds are awful.)

I'm rambling.
SO. I'm going to go to bed-- a 4:30 wake up call is going to be unbearable if I don't get some sleep!