In Amman

In Amman

23 December 2012

The flight from Seattle to Amman was relatively uneventful, with a four hour layover in Schiphol, probably my favorite airport in the world, and definitely one which I can never comprehend the size of.  From there it was a short journey on Royal Jordanian Airways to Amman, where I was greeted by a very gruff representative of some company, but I know not what since he did not introduce himself or his position.  He did hustle me through baggage claim and Customs, we met a driver (who was at least friendly enough to tell me his name!), and we were on our way to the hotel.

The drive from the airport to the Marriott took about 45 minutes, and it was eerie in how desolate and deserted the roads and buildings seemed.  Whether they were office buildings, homes or apartments I am not sure, but in any case they were deserted, lights off, and empty.  Adding to that odd feeling the two gentlemen who were escorting me barely said a word the whole time, and when they did it was something they mumbled to one another very discreetly.

Upon arrival at the Marriott things were much more cordial, with an agent meeting me in the lobby and explaining the itinerary for the next day as well as getting me checked in to the room.

There were a handful of Christmas decorations along the roadway, and the Marriott in particular was decked out with Santa decorations, tree, and Christmas tunes.

I had a mixed Arab Grill dinner which was excellent, consisting of a multitude of meats and a dipping sauce.  They actually gave me the dinner gratis since I had missed the tour reception earlier that evening., arriving after they had finished.

I woke up at 3:00 AM and could not get back to sleep, partly due to the time zone and partly due to the excitement of the trip in front of me.

I had somewhat forgotten the security measures in place in Cairo the year before, but Amman quickly reminded me, with cylindrical bomb barriers blocking the driveway and x-ray machines and metal detectors in lobby.  As in Cairo, they did not take the security measures too seriously, letting me pass even though I had set off the detector.

The next morning as the sun rose I looked out the window, and even in the area around the hotel it was eerily quiet, almost deserted.  It seemed striking that in some regards, such as security, Amman was very much like Cairo, but in other regards, such as crowds and noise, it was very different.