Desert Castles, Jordan

For ease of transportation, Jeff and Anelia rent yet another super-car and astonishingly enough manage to navigate their way out of Amman (the capital) and into the eastern desert (okay, okay, we had to ask for directions 3 times and it took us over an hour). The most interesting thing about traffic in Amman is that rules are somewhat obeyed until you reach one of the many traffic circles and then all hell breaks loose. It's every car for itself and you better be ready to use the horn, break and the defibrillator for your passengers (ie: Anelia).  Also a point of interest is the presence of traffic police at these circles who seem to stand idly by while chaos ensues. Nevertheless, we made it through without a scratch.

The desert castles of East Jordan are made fascinating by their remote locations deep in the heart of the bleak desert.  With the rocks and sand stretching in all directions it's had to imagine anyone living in these conditions. The highlight of the tour was Castle Azraq where T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) made his headquarters during the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans during World War 1. The castle actually dates back to 300 AD and was used by many empires and kingdoms as a strong point in the Eastern deserts.

The "Super-Kia" then raced us home, stopping to pick up a couple of hitch-hikers looking for a ride to Amman.  This turned out to be a very good thing. Having made dinner arrangements with a Jordanian family living in Amman the previous day, it was becoming apparent that we would never be able to find our way through the labyrinth of Amman in time to make our date.  Of course, in typical Jordanian hospitality, one of the hitch hikers not only directed us to the right area of town but drove around with us asking directions until we arrived safe and sound at our destination.  The man then took a cab back to his home and refused any compensation for his efforts.  Dinner with the family was terrific and a great way to experience Jordanian culture. Anelia was a little worried when we first arrived as she was quickly escorted into a separate room away from Jeff to "mingle" with the non-english speaking mother while Jeff whooped it up with 6 good-hearted men, 3 of whom spoke some if not fluent English. Of course, Anelia was stuck answering questions about religion, marriage and children as best she could in what could only be best described as a game of charades.  The meal was fabulous and after many thwarted attempts to retire for the evening, we finally managed to say farewell.  We navigated the streets once again (stopping for directions only 3 times. Yes, we had a map) and made it unscathed to our hotel.  It was an unforgettable experience. Thank you Mohammed and family.