Amman, Jordan
Our first stop on our Journey Home was Amman, Jordan’s capital. Arriving here after a 7 hour stopover in Doha, Qatar was a great experience. Amman is a city that looks like it grew out of the rock of the desert as it sprawls from hill to rolling hill. Friendly Jordanians and Palestinians on every street, some shaking hands, almost all with a greeting of “Welcome! You are welcome to Jordan any time!”. Carly and I wandered the streets here for the afternoon, and found ourselves attached to one of the many fresh juice stalls where they will squeeze fresh orange, carrot, banana, lemon or random other juices for you on the spot for a meager 750 fils (around $1.10 CAD).
The fresh spices and coffee shops are equally amazing in their site and scent. If we weren’t traveling for another 2 months I would’ve piled the fresh spices into the suitcase for a ride back to Canada.
The Roman Theater was the neatest piece of architecture (in my opinion) that the city had to offer. Carly and I climbed up to the area of the city known as the Citadel, but I didn’t find it nearly as interesting. That said, everything I see these days has to be compared to Angkor Wat – and not much can compare.
Carly had her eyes open for flowers – she always finds great macro shots.
We tried our luck for the first time with a nargileh (AKA: argile, sheesha, hookah, water pipe and hubbly-bubbly). It’s filled with a flavored tobacco (apple flavor being the de-facto standard) and filters through the water at the bottom of the pipe. Not sure if it was really our thing, but I managed to share another one with a few guys in Petra while we were jabbering about random whatevers sitting outside Naser’s hotel (I know – I’m getting ahead of myself here).
Amman – the city that grows up out of the desert.
We also managed to get ourselves a plateful of yummy Arabic sweets which were absolutely delicious.
The city is somehow exquisite and captivating in its drabness – with every building the same color as the sand of the rolling desert surrounding it.
Carly and I had dinner at the same restaurant on both nights. Cairo restaurant as recommended in the Lonely Planet (which we never leave home without) had absolutely fantastic Arabic food – Kofta, Moutabaal, etc. Yum!
For lunch on our second day we stopped at a place called Hashem Restaurant which provided Carly and I with the best hummus we’ve ever had. Everyone is interested in talking to you, saying hello and making very certain that you know you are welcome back to Jordan any time you like.
We stayed at the Palace Hotel where staff were all exceptionally friendly, and the facilities were adequate. The location was absolutely terrific. Following our stint in Amman we hired a driver to take us down to Petra via the Kings Highway. Stay tuned…
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