My last day

It is my last day in Jordan and I am so sad I have to leave, and get back to reality. This place is so beautiful, the people are so amazing, the food is delicious . . . UGH! American food is going to SUCK! Yesterday I went to see Petra and Wadi Rum. Petra was breathtaking! And We arrived at Wadi Rum after sunset, so I didn't really get many pics, but it is full of mountains. It is so beautiful! We took a 4x4 tour though the desert and around the mountains at night and got to see where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. It was so much fun, but a bit scary as well! We then had a huge party at a Bedouin camp, with music, dancing, and food cooked the Bedouin way. It was amazing! I am so thankful for this wonderful adventure, and so sad I have to leave. Unfortunately, the internet is slow here, so I don't have time to upload pictures before I leave . . . so sorry!

I do have to say everyone was warning me that Jordan is not the place to go and that I may bave troubles here since I am American. Those people could not have been more wrong. This place is AMAZING and they welcome Americans. Not once did I feel I was in danger. Those with closed minds will never have this amazing experience and that makes me sad for them. But I can only be so blessed to have such wonderful friends here who let me in there home and helped me experience Jordan for what it is!

Peace out!

KO

Day 3

So, today we decided we were going to the Dead Sea, where hopefully it is warmer out. The weather here in Amman is warmer than MN, but still a bit cool. During the day you can wear a t-shirt and be fine, but in the house or at night it is quite cool. Thank goodness I brought some sweatshirts and long pants.

On the way to the Dead Sea we stopped and saw the site where Jesus was baptized. It was a very beautiful and spiritual place. We took like a 45 minute walk on a trail to see all different things that related to Jesus' baptism. There were several churches along the way, but the one we were able to tour was a Greek Orthodox church. We also saw the Jordan River.

After this tour we headed to the Dead Sea. I saw a bunch of camels on the side of the road on the way. It was kind of funny to see a rancher hearding camels, rather than cows like we see back home! The Dead Sea was beautiful. Unfortunately the weather was not warm enough for swim suits, so I didn't get a chance to float in the Dead Sea. Omar and I spent the day at this deserted resort soaking up the sun and taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. The resort did have a Dead Sea pool, which I did walk in and it was FREEZING cold!! But at least I can say I experienced the Dead Sea. It is super salty, but does not have the sulfur smell that the Great Salt Lake in Utah has. The Dead Sea was actually pleasant to be near.

The resort we went to had some amazing views and we got some great pictures. But because there was a bit of a haze in the air, it was hard to see the mountains in the distance. The opposite side of the Dead Sea where the mountains are is Israel. I saw Israel twice today. Once at the Jordan River and again at the Dead Sea.

After that, Omar took me to a place that sells Dead Sea products, which are supposed to be amazing for the skin. The stuff is pricey, but I'm told so worth it, so I stocked up! :)

We then stopped for me to get some sweet treats that are nuts rolled in differnt kinds of dough. They let me sample a bunch at the store. YUM! SO GOOD! I also bought a bunch to bring home.

We then ventured on to have dinner. We had hummus and falafel. So delicious, as usual!! We then stopped for dessert. We had knafa(unsure of spelling). It was good, but not my favorite. It was like a giant flat mozerella stick, but the breading was sweet. It was in interesting combination.

We then went home, I of course blogged a bit and by midnight was so tired and tucked myself into bed.

Jordan day 2

Today Omar picked me up from my hotel and took me to see the Roman Theater. This is a huge piece of Jordanian history and this theater is beautiful and ancient. There is a museum attached to theater that displays pieces of clothing and jewelry that was worn in different times and also some artwork. It was a very beautiful place.

After we toured the theater, we walked around old downtown Amman. There are shops and people everywhere. It was very exciting!

After this, Omar took me to his home, where I will now be staying the remainder of my trip. I met his mom. She is so beautiful and so sweet. She welcomed me into her home and had everything ready for me including a fabulous lunch of rice with almonds, lamb, chicken and a yogurt sauce that was again, DELICOUS!!

I settled into my room and then sat around talking with Omar and his mom while the rest of the family arrived. Omar has a terrific family. They are all very happy and so kind.

After I met everyone and the sun had set, Omar decided to take me to Rainbow St. It is Amman's version of uptown. Many fun shops, cafe's, book stores. We walked awhile, checked out books stores and then I had arabic ice cream. It is made with milk, vanilla and pistachios. YUMMY! We then went and picked up Omar's friend Ayed and the 2 of them showed me all around Amman. Rich parts with mansions, not so rich parts. It was great. We then stopped to have dinner. Omar suggested I try Shewerma. I call it the Jordanese (yes I know that's not really a word . . . ) but it is pit bread with lamb, a special kind of herb sauce, tomato, onion and its rolled tight like a taco. As with all the food I have tried to this point. DELICOUS! After that we dropped of Ayed and headed home. By this time it was midnight and I was ready to crash.

Arrival in Jordan

I arrived in Jordan on Feb 26 at 2pm, one hour earlier than I was supposed to. I exit the plane, have to jump through a bunch of hoops at integration and my luggage was lost in the back of the airport somewhere. Needless to say, I arrived at 2, but did not get out of the airport and into the fresh Jordanian air until 3:15pm. At this point my phone had died so I was unable to get ahold of Omar, who was no where to be found upon my arrival, so I decided to have a seat and wait. Since my plane was due to arrive at 3, he probably didn't think I would be out of the airport until 4. Finally about 4:30 Omar arrived to pick me up. He thought my flight arrived around 3:40 and he had car issues.No worries though. I enjoyed the fresh air and people watching.

Omar picked me up with his friend Ayed. He is a very nice guy. The first place they took me was to have dinner. We went to a Turkish restaurant and I had lamb kabobs, hummus and some other stuff. It was SOOOO delicious! I am so in love with the food here!

After that they drove me around and showed me a bit of Amman on the way to my hotel. I requested to stay at a hotel my first night so I could crash in peace after my long flight and not put the burden on Omar's family to let me rest in peace.
My first day in Jordan was FABULOUS! The city is beautiful, the food is amazing and the people are fantastic!

Airlines don't make traveling easy . . .

I arrived at the airport about 3 hours prior to my flight, which was recommended for international travel. I haven't traveled to a foreign country other than Mexico so I wanted to be sure I had everything I needed.

Anyway, to kill time I had a margarita! I know, I quit drinking, but this was a special occassion. (and I didn't quit because I abuse it, I quit because I'm running) I got pretty intoxicated from the on giant margarita, but I stumbled over to may gate, which happened to be right outside the bar, about 45 minutes prior to takeoff. The gate agent then announces that my flight to New York will be delayed up to 2 hours due to air traffic trying to get into JFK. WTF??? Who over books?? Apparently this happens ALL the time, but I don't have 2 hours to wait, I will miss my connecting flight, so the gate agent tells me to try to rebook another flight to Detroit, then I can catch a flight from there to Paris and Paris onto Amman. . . WHAT??? Are you kidding me? But I do it because if I stay with the JFK flight I will miss my connection anyway, so while I am on the phone with Delta and they are rebooking me to Detroit, that flight becomes delayed, due to weather this time, which means I will miss my connection to Paris. OYE!! So I tell him put me back on the JFK flight, I will have more options to fly international from there than from Detroit.

So our plane finally departs Minneapolis at 5pm. Exactly 2 hours from my original departure time. We arrive in New York ahead of schedule due to tail winds, but, because they were not ready for our early arrive we had to taxi for an additional 15 minutes. By this time I am panicking, I have exactly 10 minutes to run my ass from the arrival gate to my departure gate. We arrive at gate 25 and I depart from 14. Sounds easy right? But I have never been to JFK before so I didn't know what to expect. 1-its full of people, I can't really run without knocking people down, but I do it anyway. As I feel I am getting so close, long hallways and corridors appear and I'm getting further and further behind. Finally a lady on a cart stops and picks me up and brings me to my gate. I arrived at exactly my departure time, the gate agents were actually beginning to rebook my ticket to Paris which left in an hour . . . but I happened to get lucky, and the co-pilot was on a delayed flight as well, so I had 1 minute to spare before the doors were sealed. THANK YOU GOD is all I can say! I already have a short time in Jordan and with these delays, I would've had an even shorter time.

But, I arrived and I arrived an hour early and I am having an amazing time!

Today's the day!

I board my plan in 7 hours. I have 8 million bags, good thing my first 2 are free!
I don't have much to say other than I could not be more excited to flee the country! When I tell people where I'm going, I always get the "Oh, interesting choice. Why would you go there"? C'mon people! Live a little! I've seen a ton of the US and Canada, I've been to Mexico and a Caribbean Island, the Middle East seems like the most logical choice! Not only is the landscape beautiful, there is so much history there and it will be amazing to get to experience the culture first hand. So, bon voyage! Jordan here I come!

1.5 days . . .

1.5 days?!?!? AAaaahhhhhh!! I scream with both excitement and anxiety! 1.5 days and I will get to see my friend! 1.5 days and I have two weeks of homework to complete, a suitcase to pack, a job to do, and newly delivered furniture scattered chaotically throughout my place.

1.5 days will come all too fast, but I am totally looking forward to the much needed break from my busy, chaotic life. I am excited to explore a new culture, new language, and as picky as I am, even new food . . . well to a point anyway!

As fun as this is, I must cut is short, too much to do and so little time!

Goodnight!