What an incredible place! Ever since we landed in Amman we have been blown away but the friendliness of the people and their willingness to help out. When we tried to board the plane in Athens were initially unable to check in. We were told that in order to get in to Jordan you had to have verification of a mode of travel out of the country or at lest be able to show that you have the money to leave. We were also told that we would probably be delayed at the airport in Amman and even possibly denied entry. After some discussion (and a little bit of freaking out) we were finally able to check in and board the plane. We arrived in Amman and had no problem at the airport. There were no questions asked and no hassle. The only thing we heard over and over again was "Please, welcome to Jordan" or "Hello, you are welcome here". Even in the streets, people would honk and holler out the car windows "Welcome to Jordan!".
We checked in to our hotel, a rather dodgy establishment, and the next day was spent touring the city. It is surreal to be in a place with such ancient and important history. The middle east has been a land of empire's and great civilizations for thousands of years and it remains a place full of culture and tradition. Anelia was a little worried as many of the women in Amman wear the full covering garments but no one seemed to mind our western clothes.
Our tour took us to the Citadel of Amman with the ancient ruins of an Umayyad place. From there we had a stunning view of Amman including the Ancient and almost completely intact Roman Theatre and the worlds tallest flag pole. (130m tall) O.k. so the flag pole isn't exactly world history but it is hard to miss. We had lunch at the legendary Hashem Restaurant which ,rumour has it, is almost as old as the city of Amman. There are only 5 things on the menu, Falafel, Chips, Hummus and two other dips who's names are unknown. All are delicious. Pita (which is delivered hot and fresh every few hours from the bakery across the street) is free. It was so good we went back the next day. We retired to our dodgy hotel and after a cold shower (which we were promised hot water for) we slipped into our sleeping bags (as the sheets looked like they hadn't been changed or washed in a while) and called it a day. Oh, forgot to mention about the meat shops. Lamb anyone?
pic 1 - temple of hercules at Umayyad palace 2 - Roman theatre 3 - Lunch at Hashem 4 - Worlds tallest flag-pole
5 - some tasty meat choices (that's brains on the lower shelf but you can't make it out)
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