To The Middle East

Before we flew to Jordan we had to get through London Heathrow. Seemed straight forward until we realized one of the flights on our RTW ticket had been changed with no notification. Our return flight out of Jordan to Spain was now marked for March 1st and we had booked it for February 26. Turns out Royal Jordanian Airlines canceled flights to Barcelona for that full week and the earliest we could depart is March 1st. Not a huge deal but our stay in Barcelona was scheduled to be a short one leaving on March 2nd. So after nearly 2 hours of speaking with Nigel the airline representative(his first day back after a month off, he really loved us!) we had rebooked our flight out of Barcelona for a day later and confirmed our flight out of Jordan on the 1st. So the stay in Barcelona got shorter and our days in Jordan got longer. It seems nothing is easy to update when you are dealing with a 16 leg paper ticket.


Our flight into Jordan was enjoyable. We had an amazing view of the Alps as we flew over Europe and enjoyed the best airline food we had ever been served. I was reminded that we were entering a Muslim country by the digital compass pointing to Mecca displayed on the monitor on the back of each airplane seat. One minute you are staring at the Mecca compass and the next minute you are watching Wall E. Good times.


We landed in Amman and paid our first Visa fees ($14 per person) of the trip after exchanging some British Pounds into Jordanian Dinar. By the time we picked up our bags and made it through customs it was nearly midnight. We had prebooked a hotel and taxi online and found the driver waiting for us curbside.


The drive in from the airport was 35 km and it gave us time to soak up the countryside before entering the capital city. Driving through the country was a bit eerie. There was not much to be seen on the side of the road but abandoned buildings and closed shops with metal garage doors hiding their contents. Nothing could be seen on the horizon except the glowing of green fluorescent lights hung from the towers of the mosques in the distance. Green is one of the colors in the Jordanian flag and I think it is kind of their ‘red, white and blue’. Strangely enough there was not the usual glow in the sky that indicates you are approaching a metropolis. For a city of over 1 million people, it seemed very sleepy and quiet even given the time of night.


We eventually entered the city and drove down a large valley and pulled up to our hotel which was not immediately evident as it was concealed down a poorly lit alleyway. Colleen was not thrilled but I assured her all was well. She handled our first hours in this strange new country very well and I was impressed. To me it vaguely resembled India in feel and structure but to her it was all a completely foreign experience. We checked into our hotel and grabbed a cup of tea with the owner before heading up to the room. Upon entering the room we found that we had two small separated beds and a setup that would not meet most hygiene standards. The carpet needed a serious cleaning and room temp was quite cold. There was no shower curtain or stall, just a shower head in the corner of the bathroom where mold covered the entire ceiling and the toilets were middle eastern style (no toilet paper just a bucket and a spray hose that I usually associate with washing dishes). But the sheets seemed mostly clean, there was a small plug-in heater, hot water available during the morning and evening hours and the owner was extremely welcoming and helpful. We pushed the beds together and acknowledged that you take the good with the bad when paying $15 a night for a hotel.


For the first time on our trip we pulled out our sleep sheets. They are basically a cocoon like silk liner we crawl into when unsure of the cleanliness of the beds we are sleeping in. We actually found the beds to be quite comfortable and slept heavily but were awakened before sunrise by the first ‘call to prayer’ of the day. The Muslims are called to prayer 5 times a day over loud speakers that hang from the towers of the Mosques. If I were a business man in Amman I would sell green fluorescent lamps and speakers. The prayer and chanting usually lasts 5-10 minutes and then people continue on with their day.


We spent the next two days in Amman exploring the city. We visited an ancient theater and a castle overlooking the city called the Citadel. Most of the ruins were built around 200AD by the Romans.. Jordan is 95% Muslim and although there are a couple very rare bars serving alcohol, there are no alcoholic drinks available in the markets. We spent our evenings eating falafel and humus and enjoying great meals for around $4 USD total.


From here we head south to Petra, one of the seven modern wonders of the world and one of our most anticipated destinations of the trip.

Note: We have updated our pictures from Ireland and the UK. Click on the slideshow on the right to view.