Anna in Istanbul

Jordan! Land of the flags and smiley teddy bear pictures of King Abdullah II. Although I know it may be heretical, I just want to pinchhiscutecheekssuchanadorablemonarch.

But I digress.

Jordan!

We’ve been in Amman now for two days after a very non-eventful trek from Cairo. Upon arrival, the three of us were shocked at how much more temperate Jordan is compared to the unbearably oppressive heat of Cairo. The breeze on the ride to the Palace Hotel from the airport was welcome.

Amman is-as I was warned by a good friend-a bit sedated. Spread out over hills, it’s hard to really get a grasp of the place. Although we’re based “downtown” across from an old Roman theater, there isn’t really a feel of centrality to anything.

The first night we went to an amazing, young restaurant called Blue Fig in the trendy area of Abdoun Circle. It was so strange to be in such a SoHo-ish atmosphere in the middle of Jordan. I stole the placemats.

Petra:

“Our first full day in Jordan, we drove down to Petra and spent the day exploring” (scampering, rather, over rocks and cliffs and old ruins).

Petra is basically the capital city of the ancient Nabeteans who lived in the area during the 1st century. Built directly into the rock face, the huge monuments are best known in recent years as the backdrop for the 3rd Indiana Jones movie. (Sidenote: So I understand the Touristy restaurant being called the “Indiana Jones Restaurant” but there was also one called the “Titanic Shop” and my first thought was “icebergs? really? here?”)

We hiked our way up to the monastery-a good 45 minute jaunt up a steep mountain trail covered in the droppings of donkeys carrying the lazier (read: smarter) tourists. The view was well worth it. We even got to see a natural drama unfold as a baby mountain goat got stuck, bleated back and forth with its herd for 15 minutes, and finally made its way back down the cliff. Who says nature isn’t melodramatic?

The following day we went to Jerash to see the Roman ruins. Again, we scampered over ancient structures and were amazed at how few Don’t-Do-That-Seriously-You’re-Going-To-Kill-Yourself regulations there were. The excavation site in Jerash has been a constant site of discovery for over 85 years and archaeologists believe that as much as 90% of the city may still be un-excavated. Most impressive was the almost entirely intact Roman theater in which Laura did a rousing rendition of some godforsaken Broadway musical.

Now if it wasn’t for this horrible horrible sunburn, life would be grand. Poor Michael has a bit of a cold right now so we’re taking it easy before we head off to Damascus.

And I almost forgot: It’s a sad day today. We are parting ways with our dear friend and ever present source of amusement, Laura K. She’s off to bigger and better tents in India. We will miss her climbing on everything, singing Celine Dion, and generally making our lives better.