Select Hotel Amman

... countries. There should be a better system, but at least it’s easier waiting for a taxi to fill than a bus or even a van- as in Africa. Damascus is okay, and quite exotic down in the old medina, but a little bit cold and dreary at this time of year. At least it’s nice to see a major Middle Eastern city where the drivers are not absolute maniacs as in Egypt. Cairo can be pretty intense. It’s also nice to see some ...

Helman's Palmyra experiene didn't come as expected and it was definitely time to reach the next country. Crossing the border into Jordan was again a sharp cut; cars suddenly stopped when you crossed the street, it wasn't as dirty anymore, most cars didn't look like they would break down any moment and there weren't as many holes in the street anymore.

In general there wasn't too much for ...

Thursday:
After work I was invited to Moha's for lunch/dinner because his mom had made Mansef...basically the national dish of Jordan. I met his whole family including all the little ones, they were a riot, and ate my first mansef. It is basically rice with almonds that has chicken and sort of a hot yogurt on top. You are supposed to eat it with your hands but Moha assured me that i didn;t need to since I already wasn't eating it traditional style, i.e. with a billion people ...

... They suggested we share the taxi, so helpful chap comes outside the airport and gives
instructions to the driver. Hoever, clearly the instructions weren’t good enough, because the
taxi driver drives over to Terminal Two, to ask his taxi colleagues over there, if they knew
where the Ibis was. Evidently somebody did know, because the driver got a big grin on his
face, said “OK, we go” and we dashed off with Jordanian dance music blaring from ...

... Balls. Then while we were looking at the late smoke shop of an apartment, the clouds parted and a voice cried out from the heavens, "Hey, this is Annette. Are you still looking for roommates because a friend and I are interested in your place." Angels sang on high and sheep stood upright in amazement. Of course I didn't want to get too excited but I set up a time for the to come over later and see the place. Meanwhile I planned a relaxed shindig at my place. Mango ...

... calm and civilized. In fact, it is like the happiest meal
ever as approximately 25 bodies come back to the land of the living. Adib's mom seriously prepared the most amazing meal. There were like 20 different dishes I would say. Salads, dips, rice dishes, chicken, lamb, bread, etc. I wish I could name all of the dishes but I can’t. The only dish I knew was fatoush. There were also special Ramadan juices, I tried sous which is like ...

... much of the service work that includes cleaning buildings like gyms, as well as people's personal homes, are women from the Philippines, and (3) although it was not dark enough to confuse a white string for a black string by the time we left it was clear to me that it was time to break fast because a platter of dates met us on the way out and people were already gorging themselves at the cafe.

After the gym we headed to get food at a well-known ...

... and it doesn’t seem like much as changed! But I have definitely felt culture shock all over again, and I’m continuously reminded of the talks I give in the states on the Middle East.



Even after spending seven months here last year, some things still shock me or **** me off. Other things just seem 3aadi, normal. Like the crazy driving, the men staring, and the people smoking…those things haven’t thrown me for a loop this time ...

... we first visited the Dead Sea. One thing to note is that hitchhiking is socially acceptable and widely acted out in Jordan. Luckily with Tak's Arabic in full charming swing, we were able to hitchhike most of the 5 hour round trip to the Dead Sea with a combination of lifts. One Palestinian man with a hugely long beard, kindly face and cellophane wrapped black leather seats drove for nearly an hour in the wrong direction to where he was heading, because he wanted to make sure we ...