This land is my land, this land is your land ... (Monday, June 14)

Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where John the Baptist did his baptizing thing with Jesus, is an important pilgrimage spot and tourist attraction. Of course, it's also in a militarized zone, which, you know, makes things weird.

With tourists on the viewing platform on the Jordanian side of the River Jordan, where we were escorted by a licensed guide and met a nice young Jordanian soldier with a giant rifle:


The tourists on the Israeli side of the River Jordan, accompanied by a nice young IDF soldier with a giant rifle:


And the 10 feet of hotly contested, politically charged water that runs beneath them:


... I saw above me, an endless skyway ...