With my normal day off and the Eid holiday giving me a five day break, it was time to head out on another quick adventure. This definitely falls into what I call the weekender category. With travel to-from-and-around the country I’ve really only got about 3 days of doing stuff.

I decided on Jordan for one reason, Petra. Its an absolute must-see spot, if you’re on this side of the world. I couldn’t pass up the chance to do it.

I think everyone that travels has that list of places that are kind of a mirage. You tell everyone; ‘yeah I’m going there some day. Its for sure.’ But in the back of your head you know you’re never really going there. We all have them. Pretty soon I’ll be able to say that I’ve given that list two good dents. Both Angkor Wat and Petra have always been on that list. Angkor Wat is done. Petra will be soon. You truly never know where you’re going to end up eventually.

Today, I was up long before the sun. Caught a taxi to the airport at about 03:45. Considering the holiday, the airport wasn’t packed. That was super nice. I was planning for the opposite. Plane left on time with no issues. I chose Royal Jordanian Air. They had a direct flight from Kuwait to Amman, and the price was good.

I bought a visa at the airport, which cost me 40 JD and caught a taxi into the city. The taxi from the airport to the Marriott was 25 JD. The main airport in Amman is about 35 km south of the city, so this seemed a reasonable amount. Taxi guy was nice enough as well.

I couldn’t seem to make my arrival match up with check-in time at the hotel. So, I put my bag in their bag drop and headed out to wander around town a little.

A quick note on the wandering around part. Considering that this is not the safest of places, sandwiched between the upheavals of the holy land and the wars of the Middle East region, it pays to be situationally aware. The Marriott, like all other hotels around it, has fenced in property and metal detectors at the entrances. I checked with the staff before heading out, just to make sure the area was currently unbothered.

Once out on the town, I found it to be basically the same as other parts of the Middle East that I’ve visited. Once you look part the cosmetic differences, people are friendly enough. Jordan seems one of those places where it would be good to know the language. It is not nearly as bilingual as Kuwait or the UAE, or Bahrain for that matter. Still shop keepers seem to know a little bit of English. I managed a water and a Pepsi purchase without much embarrassment.

Back at the hotel after my walk, I still have some time to kill. Probably going to spend it at the bar. I picked this hotel because of the word bar. If you’re traveling, you might as well live a little, right?

Tang! At the airport. NASA would be proud.

Looking down on Jordan.

Downtown Amman.

A little local flavor.

I don’t know what he’s selling, but I’m buying.

More local flavor.

Don’t think they’re big on oil here?

I guess that’s a good start. Time for a beer. Make sure you get out there. Go do stuff.